The Chickasha Community Foundation says Warner Brothers reached out to them demanding the removal and destruction of the town’s leg lamp (KOKH) — The Chickasha Community Foundation (CCF) says Warner Brothers reached out to them They say the entertainment company claims the structure is copyright infringement Jim Cowan with the CCF tells Fox 25 there have been a lot of back-and-forth conversations though no lawsuits have been filed about the 40-foot-tall replica structure "The leg lamp has worked," Cowan said "We’re not trying to infringe upon anything.” Documents from October 2024 that Fox 25 obtained shows Warner Brothers telling many Chickasha groups that it owns the copyright and trademark for the leg lamp from the movie Warner Brothers then demanded the removal and destruction of the CCF's replica structure The biggest thing is this isn’t an amusement park It didn’t cost you $20 to come in and see the world’s largest leg lamp The only thing we’re selling is officially licensed merchandise Cowan says when the Foundation first wanted to bring a leg lamp to town the CCF asked Warner Brothers if they wanted to help pay for it Records show Warner Brothers responded in 2019 saying in part that they decided not to grant the permission that was requested "It’s a piece of art that is not owned by the city," Cowan said "It’s owned by the Chickasha Community Foundation and the land is owned by the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO).” Mayor Zachory Grayson says while the city isn’t involved in this situation "I don’t want them to go into a lawsuit because obviously the only people who win in lawsuits are lawyers," Mayor Grayson said "Hope there’s a way forward with Warner Brothers and the Community Foundation to work it out.” An anonymous Chickasha resident who helped Fox 25 obtain those documents provided our newsroom with the following statement: didn't immediately respond to emails inquiring about the situation A convicted murderer recently at the center of a lawsuit involving top state leaders is now allegedly harassing family members of a woman he killed from inside prison Lawrence Paul Anderson is currently serving multiple life sentences inside Dick Conner Correctional Facility for killing 3 people and since then the family has also been involved in a lawsuit claiming negligence from top state leaders led to Anderson's release from prison before the murders Andrea's daughter Haylee Blankenship says the nightmare continues “Could you imagine being a victim of your mom getting dismembered and murdered And then her murderer is literally on Facebook smiling and laughing and having a party?” Blankenship said Blankenship believes Anderson or someone in his cell block has access to a phone inside the prison Photos and videos of what appears to be a birthday party for Anderson were posted to an account under the name “Tony Hayes.” because why does he have a phone in prison?” Blankenship said She also says the same account sent threatening messages to a family member “He reached out to someone in the family and was sending death threats saying he's gonna have people gutted like a hog,” Blankenship said In the same message the writer refers to themselves as Blankenship says this references the 2021 murders where court documents say Anderson confessed to carving out Andrea's heart and attempting to feed it to his relatives “He's bragging about being a heart eater and obviously makes me feel terrible and retraumatized and The Oklahoma Department of Corrections released this statement to News 9: “ODOC does not tolerate criminal behavior within our facilities Our inmates are not allowed to use cellphones and social media We take swift action and hold them accountable for their actions when we learn of such behavior If you know of an inmate with a cellphone or social media profile you can report it anonymously on our website (Oklahoma.gov/doc) or by calling our Community Outreach Unit at 405-425-2607.” The ODOC also confirmed they are investigating this situation thoroughly Cameron Joiner was born and raised in Texas but found her home in the Sooner state after studying Broadcast Journalism at the University of Oklahoma Cameron Joiner joined the News 9 team as a Multimedia Journalist in January of 2023 and general news updates from News 9 delivered right to your inbox A small Oklahoma town's roadside attraction has brought thousands to its historic downtown area but it has never been popular with everyone But public records published online show that Warner Bros., which owns the rights to the iconic leg lamp from "A Christmas Story," isn't its biggest fan The town of Chickasha paid homage to the classic film and prop when it placed a 50-foot tall replica of the lamp and box labeled "fragile" in November 2022 driving a tourism boost and generating millions in downtown investments According to documents obtained by The Oklahoman sent a letter to the Chickasha Community Foundation in July 2024 demanding the $1.4 million sculpture be "removed and destroyed." Warner Bros claimed the foundation had committed copyright infringement But the foundation's attorneys responded to that letter president of the Chickasha Chamber of Commerce and representative for the Chickasha Community Foundation "We have no intention to take the leg lamp down because we don't believe we did anything wrong," Cowan said which manages claims submitted by Evanston Insurance Company believes the organization committed copyright infringement by constructing the leg lamp and displaying it publicly against the company's wishes in addition to selling copyrighted merchandise in a nearby visitors center The Oklahoman has requested the July 2024 letter from Warner Bros but had not received it by the time of publication in 2019 denied a request to construct and display a giant leg lamp in Chickasha 'Politically Speaking'" by longtime critic of the leg lamp Laurie Wood-Allen show in March 2019 attorney Ryan Leonard told Chickasha businessman Tim Elliot who had the idea to build a giant leg lamp that "Warner Brothers will almost certainly seek to enforce their copyright and you'll end up in a lawsuit." But when OU art professor Noland James died in 2020 and his obituary claimed a mannequin-turned-lamp he created was an inspiration for the lamp featured in "A Christmas Story," Chickasha community members sought legal advice on how they could incorporate a leg lamp sculpture in their town Cowan said the foundation's attorneys believed the leg lamp could be placed on land owned by a state university and not be subject to copyright law as long as no one was being charged to view it The leg lamp sculpture is free for anyone to visit and snap a photo and while merchandise is sold in the nearby visitors center Cowan said it's officially licensed from "A Christmas Story." According to meeting minutes from the USAO Board of Regents when the agreement was made to transfer the park property to the school regents were told there is case law "that states that public universities are exempt from copyright challenges" and "the leg lamp being on university property may be good defense." "So because it's on USAO's land and it's art The Oklahoman contacted multiple Oklahoma copyright attorneys who declined to comment due to current or potential conflict Cowan said he wonders why it took Warner Bros a year and a half to reach out to the foundation when the sculpture was well known across the nation and seemingly by the company itself "The company that sells the officially licensed merchandise they approached the visitor center and said Will you sell our official licensed merchandise?' And they said "And in the Christmas season of '23 that visitor center sold more officially licensed merchandise than any other retail outlet in the entire United States." Newly elected members of the Chickasha City Council received the oath of office April 21 Ashanti-Alexander in the April 1 election and succeeds Oscar Nelson who did not file for another term after serving on the council for a little over six years Hatchett defeated incumbent Kelly Boyd and two other opponents Hebblethwaite was reelected to her third two-year term as a city councilor who stepped down after five years on the council OKLAHOMA CITY- (KOKH) — A lawsuit against governor Kevin Stitt the state Parole Board and Department of Corrections will not be moving forward nobody's ever said anything except for what was said today that it's not their fault and that they're sorry that our families are dead Families of the victims slain in the tragic Chickasha triple murder in 2021 not pleased with a judge's ruling Monday Lawrence Paul Anderson fatally stabbed Leon Pye Anderson brutally cut Blankenship's heart out and cooked it Anderson was mistakenly let out of prison due to a mass commutation effort by Governor Stitt and is the reason why the families believed the state should be held accountable "I didn't really think that it was gonna be unanimously dismissed on everything that our family would just be dead," Yates said The families' lawyers said Anderson should have never been eligible for commutation since he was a violent offender and claimed the pardon and parole board violated the law because a variety of statues were supposed to be considered for this case but weren't defense lawyers argued the families' lawyers didn't state any specific claims under the Tort Claims Act who Anderson also attacked the night of the murders Yates said they now plan on exploring their options in hopes of getting a law passed that would prevent a tragedy like this from happening again For more local news delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter by clicking here. Alpacas from across the country will be in Oklahoma for the 36th annual Mazuri Alpaca Owners Association National Alpaca Show The competition grades alpacas on physical structure and fleece quality with winners being crowned in several categories The Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages Porch visited Chickasha to learn more about the competition and they just have this really calming aura and they're just very relaxing to be around." Hack said sometimes people confuse alpacas with llamas but a llama is about 400 pounds," Hack said "They're probably predominantly raised for guard animals Hack said the event is open to the public for free and there are several days of competitions to come and see where we judge them both on conformation and their fleece characteristics," Hack said they have a performance class where they have to go through obstacles Hack also said if anyone is interested in alpaca education the event will have several opportunities to learn more about the animals For more information about the event, visit the Alpaca Owners Association's website to learn more Addie has a passion for storytelling and loves to meet new people in the Oklahoma City community She joined the News 9 morning team in January of 2023 after interning and reporting part-time while studying at the University of Oklahoma and they're just very relaxing to be around.\" but a llama is about 400 pounds,\" Hack said \"They're probably predominantly raised for guard animals where we judge them both on conformation and their fleece characteristics,\" Hack said For more information about the event, visit the Alpaca Owners Association's website to learn more OKLA (KOKH) — Oklahoma Highway Patrol responded to a fatal car accident around 4:55 p.m was driving a Toyota Tundra eastbound on US-62 was driving a Cadillac SRX northbound on OK-39 Rumley pulled from a stop sign onto US-62 and Villar's vehicle struck Rumley's Villar was transported to a nearby hospital in stable condition and released Allen Rumley was transported to a hospital in Oklahoma City and admitted in stable condition was a passenger in Allen's vehicle and was transported to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced deceased The cause of the collision is under investigation three members of the Mayhugh family were found shot to death in their home From the initial discovery of the crime scene to the arrest of 22-year-old suspect Jacob Mayhugh and the ongoing legal proceedings this timeline provides a detailed look at the case's development and impact on the community Chickasha Police received a 911 call reporting shell casings on the front porch of a home near South 6th Street Responding officers discovered an AR-15 in the entryway and three deceased individuals with gunshot wounds The victims were later identified as Patty Mayhugh Chickasha Police requested assistance from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) Investigators determined the AR-15 had been purchased by 22-year-old Jacob Mayhugh on April 24 Jacob Mayhugh was identified as a person of interest RELATED: 2 Women, 1 Man Shot To Death In Chickasha, Person Of Interest Identified with his vehicle nearby containing two ammunition clips and $750 in cash RELATED: Man Arrested Following Chickasha Triple-Homicide Booked Into Grady Co. Jail Court documents revealed prosecutors intend to deny bond and pursue the death penalty for Mayhugh who faces three counts of first-degree murder Mayhugh confessed to the killings during an interview with OSBI Special Agents Investigators uncovered evidence suggesting he planned additional acts of violence Mayhugh remains held at the Grady County Jail A Grady County judge approved the prosecution's request to deny bail RELATED: State Plans To Deny Bond, Seek Death Penalty For Chickasha Man Accused Of Killing Family and Shayla—spoke publicly for the first time expressed their grief and gratitude for community support They described the victims as beloved members of the Chickasha community and Shayla were laid to rest at the Bible Baptist Church in Chickasha RELATED: Family Members Speak After Chickasha Triple Homicide New court filings revealed details about the investigation including items discovered in Mayhugh's vehicle Evidence collected by Oklahoma City Police further tied him to the crime A motive for the killings has not been released but family members described the victims as selfless and beloved individuals who were deeply connected to their community RELATED: Court Filings Reveal New Information On Man Accused In Chickasha Triple Homicide Mayhugh pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder at a hearing on Monday and agreed to a life sentence in a plea agreement RELATED: Chickasha Man Pleads Guilty To Fatally Shooting 3 Family Members While the state was originally pushing for the death penalty the Mayhugh family wanted a quicker resolution “My policy is if I don't have a family that's 100% on board with seeking a death sentence I'm not going to do it simply because it takes too long to get somebody from the time that a crime is committed to an execution chamber,” Grady County District Attorney Jason Hicks said Mayhugh's plea agreement states he will serve three consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole Hicks says Mayhugh’s exact motive for killing his family may never be known “That's not something that we generally are ever able to answer because you can't explain other than somebody is just full of evil especially your parents and your sister,” Hicks said RELATED: 2 Women, 1 Man Shot To Death In Chickasha, Person Of Interest Identified RELATED: Man Arrested Following Chickasha Triple-Homicide Booked Into Grady Co. Jail RELATED: State Plans To Deny Bond, Seek Death Penalty For Chickasha Man Accused Of Killing Family RELATED: Family Members Speak After Chickasha Triple Homicide RELATED: Court Filings Reveal New Information On Man Accused In Chickasha Triple Homicide RELATED: Chickasha Man Pleads Guilty To Fatally Shooting 3 Family Members Rip Stell | Southwest Ledger City officials intend to raise the water level by 10 feet in Lake Chickasha existing annual campground leases will be canceled on June 30 Existing annual lease agreements for camping sites at Lake Chickasha will not be renewed and all current lake lease agreements will be terminated in six months The City of Chickasha intends to raise the lake level by 10 feet in order to use the reservoir as an additional water source city officials have no intention of “kicking anybody off their lease” in six months More likely the leases will be renewed month-to-month “until the need arises to clear the land,” he said “I think our water rights will be reduced” by the Fort Cobb Master Conservancy District Crosby said during a City Council meeting Dec “Our best and only [alternative] source is water from Lake Chickasha.” Work will start next year on construction of a larger modern water treatment plant for Chickasha we will not receive any more water rights from our present source FCMCD “wants us to find an alternative source of water” to supplement Chickasha’s withdrawals from Fort Cobb Lake former mayor Chris Mosley told Southwest Ledger earlier this year Chickasha’s contract with the FCMCD allows the municipality to draw up to 5,125 acrefeet of water (almost 1.67 billion gallons) per year Office Manager Ginger Abbott told the Ledger The city’s water consumption totaled 1.09 billion gallons in calendar year 2022 and again in 2023 Chickasha Municipal Authority records reflect Outgoing City Manager Keith Johnson mailed letters last month to holders of lease agreements at the lake informing them that City Hall “has determined that Lake Chickasha will become a supplemental source of drinking water for our community.” That will necessitate raising the water level in the lake “As part of this initiative … the City of Chickasha will not renew any of the existing lake lease agreements and all current lake lease agreements shall terminate on June 30 The decision was made “to ensure the successful implementation of our water conservation goals and to ensure the long-term sustainability of our water supply,” the letter explained “The original intent for that lake was to be a source of drinking water,” Grayson said The City Council heard from a couple of concerned citizens who lease property at the lake Rodney Christian said he has “been out there for over 20 years raised my kids and grandkids out there.” But now the city is “talking about running us off” next June “because they’re raising the water level,” he said Bryce Binyon said he’s been a lessee at the lake “for all of my life.” He wondered whether “people out there will be able to move back” after the lake level has risen we’re giving people plenty of opportunity to relocate.” “While we acknowledge the challenges this may present we believe that securing a reliable source of drinking water will benefit the entire community,” Johnson concluded of authorizing leases for only two-week periods “It will probably take several years,” perhaps a decade to achieve the goal of elevating the lake level by 10 feet “Many things will have to be done” in preparation for the project a lot of work has to be done to the dam,” he said the road atop the dam needs some attention and more trees will have to be cleared from the vicinity of the emergency spillway The north side of the dam in the vicinity of the spillway has been cleared “but not on the south side,” Crosby said “It’ll be an easy fix but it will take time.” “This is a long-term solution,” Crosby said The Oklahoma Water Resources Board “has given us five to seven years to fix the dam.” OWRB records indicate the Lake Chickasha dam is 57 feet tall and 3,340 feet long Poor water quality in Lake Chickasha Lake Chickasha is located in Caddo County approximately nine miles west of Chickasha The reservoir is fed by Spring Creek on its western arm and by Stinking Creek on its eastern arm Lake Chickasha water has “a lot of gypsum,” Councilman Brian Gerdes noted “It’s something we’ll have to treat in the new water plant,” Crosby acknowledged “All surface water contains various minerals.” Research performed on Lake Chickasha 30 years ago by the state Conservation Commission detected “high sulfate concentrations originating from gypsum deposits in the geologic formations under the lake…” Water quality data collected as part of the state's lake assessment program also indicated high levels of dissolved solids and elevated levels of chlorophyll-a which is a measure of algal biomass that is used to indicate or determine productivity in a lake the greater the level of algae,” said Robby Short “any utility for drinking water was abandoned” years ago many advancements in water processing technology have been made during the three decades since then “How much sediment has settled in that lake” over the past 66 years Chickasha’s existing water treatment plant which is at least 60-plus and perhaps 70-plus years old is incapable of adequately treating water from the lake The plant was designed to process 6 million gallons of potable water daily but now its “functional capacity” is 4.2 million gallons per day to serve the 16,500 residents of Chickasha and the nearby community of Norge Chickasha currently receives all of its water from the Fort Cobb Lake approximately 35 miles northwest in Caddo County The lake water is conveyed to Chickasha’s water treatment plant on Genevieve Street through a concrete asbestos pipeline The new treatment plant will be designed to produce 6 million gallons per day (mgd) of potable water and will be “expandable” to 8 mgd Jason Cocklin of the Oklahoma City engineering company of Freese & Nichols told the Chickasha City Council in July Production of 6 mgd “should get you out to the horizon construction will take approximately 18 months to complete from approximately May 2025 until December 2026 Crosby told the City Council that he will provide “a full report” in January on the status of the new water plant project and the acquisition of land on which it will be built One person is dead after they were hit by a semi-truck Wednesday afternoon in Chickasha OHP says the collision happened around 2 p.m Troopers say the driver of the semi was not injured but exactly what happened is under investigation Christian Hans is a Digital Content Producer for News 9 He joined News 9 full-time in July of 2022 after graduating from the University of Oklahoma (KOKH) — An Air BnB in Chickasha is in the full holiday spirit standing 50 feet tall and is also near Chickasha's Festival of Light The two-story home was built in 1930 and was remodeled in 2023-24 Shane and Maggie are professional musicians who host the property Learn more about the home here For more local news delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter by clicking here. OKLA (KOKH) — A pedestrian collision at the intersection of the I-44 off-ramp mile marker 80 resulted in the death of one person According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP) the crash occurred at approximately 2:07 p.m A Peterbilt semi-tractor trailer struck the pedestrian on the off-ramp at South 4th Street in Chickasha whose name is currently withheld pending identification from the Medical Examiner's Office Ray | Southwest Ledger The iconic “Leg Lamp” statue in downtown Chickasha routinely attracts visitors from across the United States and other countries CHICKASHA – A bit of a ruckus was generated on social media here last week over a letter alleging the iconic “leg lamp” statue downtown violates trademark and copyright laws The letter was issued almost four months ago claim service manager for Evanston Insurance Co. which issued commercial general liability insurance policies to Communities Foundation of Oklahoma d/b/a Chickasha Community Foundation Evanston “is [in] receipt of Turner Entertainment Co notice of claim alleging trademark and copyright infringement The letter advised that Evanston “reserves the right to investigate this matter and disclaim coverage for any damages that are not covered” under the insurance policies previously mentioned “Based upon a review of the loss notice and information” provided in correspondence dated July 17 “Warner Brothers is alleging that CCF has utilized derivative copies of props and trademarks” from the 1983 film “A Christmas Story” – specifically the “Leg Lamp” statue Warner Brothers also alleges that CCF “utilizes the Leg Lamp and other Warner Brothers trademarks (i.e. the WB shield) in … merchandise sold at the gift shop…” That claim appears to be spurious since the gift shop sells merchandise that’s officially licensed by Warner Brothers correspondence denying CCF’s request for licenses to use the ‘Leg Lamp.’ Warner Brothers claims CCF built the structure over their objections and asserts claims under the Lanham Act for trademark and infringement” and “demands that the structure be removed and destroyed.” The 50-foot-tall statue is located adjacent to the train depot downtown The statue is an identical copy of the lamp in the film: a long slender leg in fishnet stocking and black high heel supporting a lampshade trimmed in fringe and standing atop a wooden crate imprinted with the word “Fragile” (or The 40-foot-tall lamp stands atop a 10-foot-tall crate and was constructed out of fiberglass by Midwest Cooling Towers The grand opening of the sculpture was held on Nov Last year the leg lamp statue attracted more than 51,000 visitors many of whom returned to the site at least once more and spent an average of 37 minutes each time data provided by Placer Labs software indicated Chickasha’s leg lamp has been visited by more than 95,500 Americans from 46 states and the District of Columbia The leg lamp statue is what attracted California businessman Chet Hitt to Chickasha two years ago Hitt said he first visited Chickasha in late 2022 when he returned to Oklahoma to attend the 40th reunion of his Anadarko High School graduating class “I was just driving through town and thought I might find an opportunity here.” The iconic leg lamp statue was “a selling point” for him told the Chickasha City Council in December 2022 that he proposed to invest as much as $5 million in development of several businesses in Chickasha having spent more than $3 million in renovating multiple buildings downtown And last month the Chickasha Municipal Airport Authority voted to sell an undeveloped half-section of land near the airport to “OH HITT Corp.” for $1,578,000 – the appraised market value of the property For several years that acreage has been leased for $400 per year for agriculture president of the Chickasha Economic Development Council renovation of the nearby visitor center building and mercantile store The CEDC donated $25,000 and the balance came from donations Chickasha officials “consulted with a trademark attorney” before proceeding with construction of the leg lamp statue “I talked to our attorney again today,” he told Southwest Ledger on Jan The Chickasha Community Foundation does not charge a fee to view the lamp and visit the site “They have a parttime employee who picks up the trash and makes sure the lights are on at night and a landscape service mows and takes care of the flowers.” federal lawsuits filed over ‘leg lamp’ “As a board member of the Chickasha Community Foundation we are not aware of any legal action against the CCF,” Cowan wrote in statement he delivered to the Ledger and posted on CHICKASHA Neither Warner Brothers Entertainment nor Turner Entertainment has filed any litigation in Grady County nor any other district court in this state a Ledger search of the Oklahoma State Courts Network found A Ledger search last Thursday of PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) the official website for tracking cases filed in U.S found 44 cases filed between 2005 and 2024 involving Warner Brothers Entertainment and 88 cases involving Turner Entertainment filed between 1990 and 2020 None of those cases involved any lawsuit filed against the Communities Foundation of Oklahoma nor the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma The land – almost six-tenths of an acre – was donated by the Chickasha Municipal Authority to the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma on Nov The city deeded that land to the college for an art plaza and what they put on it may be subleased to the Chickasha Community Foundation.” The City of Chickasha “doesn’t own that land,” Crosby said An Oklahoma County judge dismissed a lawsuit claiming negligence against Oklahoma government officials leading up to a 2021 triple murder in Chickasha Pye’s 4-year-old granddaughter Kaoes Yates and family members of the victims filed the lawsuit in 2024 Anderson confessed to killing Andrea Blankenship and removing her heart He said he took the organ to his uncle’s home and attempted to feed it to his relatives and prosecutors noted that many of the details were too disturbing to share publicly A Grady County judge denied Anderson’s motion to dismiss the charges under the McGirt ruling Anderson had argued that the crimes took place on Native American land and that the state lacked jurisdiction the judge ruled that Anderson was not a tribal citizen and that the charges would stand Two of the victims were members of tribal nations Anderson waived his preliminary hearing and was returned to jail following the proceeding Anderson pleaded guilty to all five charges in 2023: three counts of first-degree murder one count of assault and battery with a deadly weapon requested by the victims’ families to avoid a lengthy trial ensured Anderson would not face the death penalty He was sentenced to three life sentences without parole and two life sentences Family members gave emotional impact statements in court Kaoes Yates’ parents mourned the loss of their daughter’s future and the granddaughter of Leon and Delsie Pye addressed Anderson directly describing the lasting trauma of losing their mother in such a brutal way “We're traumatized and scarred for literally life and nothing can take that pain away,” Haylee Blankenship Anderson had previously been serving a 20-year sentence that was commuted down to nine years He was released after serving just three years Grady County District Attorney Jason Hicks criticized the commutation and blamed criminal justice reform for Anderson’s early release noting that Anderson’s parole officer had flagged him as a danger to society “He was listed as a threat to himself and society by his parole officer He was denied commutation once and then reapplied three weeks later and then eventually got approved,” Blankenship said explaining the reasoning behind the families’ negligence lawsuit Members of the Pye and Blankenship families filed a civil lawsuit in 2024 claiming Governor Kevin Stitt and the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board should never have allowed Anderson out of prison The families argued that the actions of these government officials led to the deaths of Pye claimed Stitt was not legally responsible for Anderson’s actions after he was released McCampbell said in a statement to News 9 quote “Although we are sympathetic with the victims in this matter the Governor is not legally responsible for Mr “It makes me feel like the state is just looking me in the face and being like It's unfortunate that your mom was dismembered and murdered An Oklahoma County judge dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice on Monday meaning the Governor and the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board cannot be sued over the same case again A Chickasha man is jailed on arson complaints after police say he was caught vandalizing a home and setting fires on the property Police say firefighters were able to stop multiple fires from spreading to nearby homes Police arrested Christopher Graham in a Grady County emergency home 2025 Achievers Under 40 holiday events boost tourism and business By : Lillie-Beth Brinkman//The Journal Record//December 10 Chickasha’s Leg Lamp attraction pays tribute to the town’s connection to the classic holiday movie “A Christmas Story” and stands 50 feet tall – the lamp itself is 40 feet (Photo courtesy of Russell Thompson with Dean Images) Chickasha thrives as Christmas Town with new attractions Tulsa’s tech momentum grows with Midcon VC Summit new hubs and major investments in aerospace and innovatio[...] but Oklahoma owners face rising tariffs and inflation ahead of National [...] Cleveland County has launched a new economic development coalition to drive regional growth Oklahoma franchise output is projected to hit $12.6B in 2025 A film based on the Oklahoma City bombing and a rezoning plan for a new urban nature preserve were both approv[...] 7 Brew is bringing its first drive-thru coffee stand to Norman set to open later this summer at 2218 W Main S[...] Sign up for your daily digest of Oklahoma News Homeland Security defends an Oklahoma City raid tied to migrant smuggling Supreme Court weighs Oklahoma religious charter school; Roberts’ vote could determine if public fu[...] An OKC woman says federal agents raided the wrong home traumatizing her family and seizing phones Isidore school divides Republicans on whether states can fu[...] AG Gentner Drummond urges denial of clemency for George John Hanson convicted in the 1999 murders o[...] Bill to let Oklahoma appellate judges carry firearms in courthouses heads to the governor’s desk a[...] restoring 400 jobs after the [...] launching a 2025 season that spans 12 citi[...] Ronald McDonald House breaks ground on a second OKC location expanding support for families of seri[...] OMRF won a $710K VA grant to study immune cells’ role in Alzheimer’s OKC airport will offer nonstop American Airlines flights to Cancun every Saturday from Nov Air Force’s next-generation stealth fighter Alaska Airlines and Frontier Airlines are adding new nonstop flights from OKC to Seattle and Atlanta[...] Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy announced pay raises and hiring boosts for air traffic c[...] Oklahoma aviation teachers explored flight simulation techniques at a FlightSafety event The Journal Record is an award-winning daily general business and legal publication that includes a daily print newspaper and a 24/7 website Both focus on local and statewide business trends and in-depth stories that convey the voice of the Oklahoma business community Get our free e-alerts & breaking news notifications Subscribe for access to the latest digital and special editions Chickasha, Oklahoma may not seem like a likely battleground over a 40-foot-tall leg...no pun intended The giant leg is a replica of the iconic lamp from A Christmas Story and it's been causing a lot of problems This 40-foot-tall homage to one of the greatest moments in cinematic history has caused some problems for Chickasha. Namely, there's this persistent worry about a lawsuit coming from Warner Brothers over copyright infringement READ MORE: The Best Christmas Decoration Ever Is In Chickasha, Oklahoma Warner Brothers wants the leg taken down and dismantled They believe that there's infringement despite being so controversial and divisive actually draws a lot of people to Chickasha to see it After the original lighting of the leg received international attention it's kinda become a whole thing at Christmas even if it isn't one with a lot of history if perhaps a lawsuit does happen and the massive leg has to come down maybe they can take the pieces and put them in a museum It's what I imagine Ralph's dad did with the pieces of his lamp after it was broken If you've never seen the leg in person, you might want to do it sooner rather than later. As of now, it's up year-round Gallery Credit: Renee Raven Chickasha's 40-foot 'A Christmas Story' lamp replica stirs controversy over copyright concerns and potential legal battles.\nRead More Chickasha, Oklahoma may not seem like a likely battleground over a 40-foot-tall leg...no pun intended This 40-foot-tall homage to one of the greatest moments in cinematic history has caused some problems for Chickasha. Namely, there's this persistent worry about a lawsuit coming from Warner Brothers over copyright infringement READ MORE: The Best Christmas Decoration Ever Is In Chickasha, Oklahoma If you've never seen the leg in person, you might want to do it sooner rather than later. As of now, it's up year-round Fans of A Christmas Story can now immerse themselves in holiday nostalgia with a stay at a new short-term rental in Chickasha inspired by the beloved movie Called "Ralphie's House," the property by Cameo Properties features a replica of the movie's iconic leg lamp The home sleeps up to 10 guests and is located six blocks from downtown Chickasha Reservations for the rental are now open. To make a reservation, CLICK HERE Called \"Ralphie's House,\" the property by Cameo Properties features a replica of the movie's iconic leg lamp Reservations for the rental are now open. To make a reservation, CLICK HERE Warner Brothers is claiming it owns the copyright and trademark for the leg lamp from the movie "A Christmas Story," and that the replica attraction in Chickasha infringes on that copyright Jim Cowan with the Chickasha Community Foundation told Fox 25 that there is no copyright infringement happening with the Leg Lamp in Chickasha they didn’t want to understand it," Cowan said Told you we were going to get sued.' The reality is there has been no lawsuit The biggest thing is this isn't an amusement park It didn't cost you $20 to come in and see the world's largest leg lamp The only thing we're selling is officially licensed merchandise according to the Chickasha Community Foundation a lawsuit has not been filed by Warner Brothers against the foundation reached out to Warner Brothers before bringing the leg lamp to the community asking if the entertainment corporation would consider helping pay for the installation Warner Brothers declined to help fund the project When speaking with KFOR Cowan indicated Warner Brothers had never raised concerns about the replica installation until the foundation received a letter from the corporation last fall Cowan stated that the foundation turned the letter over to the foundation's attorneys who have since contacted Warner Brothers but have yet heard back Cowan believes the foundation is ready to fight back "We believe we did it right," Cowan said "we have attorneys that believed we did it right and so I can't imagine Warner Brothers wanting to pick on a small little town in rural Oklahoma," Cowan said Gallery Credit: Jeri Anderson Gallery Credit: Kelso The 50-foot-tall Leg Lamp in Chickasha, Oklahoma, is being threatened by Warner Brothers for copyright infringement. The Leg Lamp is a giant replica from the one made famous by the classic holiday movie \"A Christmas Story,\" which was produced by Warner Brothers in 1983.\nRead More When speaking with KFOR News 9 viewers send in their hail and severe weather photos (KOKH) — A structure fire at a grow facility leads to about 5,000 illegal marijuana plants being seized The Grady County Sheriff's Office responded with the Chickasha Fire Department to a structure fire at a facility at 1710 Charles Allen Drive in Chickasha on Tuesday Officials determined the facility was not licensed for the packaged marijuana or the number of plants that were located The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) conducted a site check and closed the facility Approximately 5,000 illegal marijuana plants were removed and about 150 lbs of finished product with an estimated street value between $150,000-$200,000 was seized Three subjects are facing charges of trafficking illegal drugs and conspiracy Awbrey | Southwest Ledger The 40-foot iconic leg lamp that has stirred quite the controversy over the past few years sets high atop a 10-foot-tall crate at the eastern end of Chickasha Avenue in “Old Town” Chickasha on March 16 CHICKASHA – “Whether you love it or hate it it works,” Economic Development Council President Jim Cowan said recently about the leg lamp statue downtown The statue is a 50-foot-tall replica of the one that figures prominently in the 1983 film “A Christmas Story,” a holiday staple for many years on Ted Turner’s TBS and TNT networks The leg lamp statue is a copy of the lamp in the film: a long The 40-foot-tall lamp stands atop a 10-foottall crate imprinted with the word “Fragile” (or The statue was manufactured out of fiberglass by Midwest Cooling Towers The statue is located adjacent to the train depot in “Old Town” Chickasha Last year the tourist attraction drew more than 51,000 visitors A map of the United States that Cowan showed during an EDC meeting March 11 was splattered with dots that appeared in every state but Wyoming Those dots represent ZIP codes of individuals who clicked on the “Visit Chickasha” website Cowan said he was interviewed on radio stations in Dallas Chickasha anticipates an influx of visitors The statue has garnered attention worldwide An “exposure” map of the entire globe showed that not only is the statue popular in the U.S. residents of several foreign countries – including Britain and Australia – clicked on the “Visit Chickasha” website during a two-week period when publicity about the leg lamp “went viral” in 2020 inflatable leg lamp was publicized throughout the U.S A story about the inflatable leg lamp appeared on the front page of the London Daily Mail newspaper on Dec you might see a leg lamp – which one Chickasha resident has publicly condemned as “lascivious” – that’s identical to the one in the 1983 film The leg lamp statue was “a selling point” in attracting millionaire California businessman Chet Hitt to Chickasha a little over two years ago opposition to the statue was revived in January when a letter posted on social media alleged the iconic leg lamp statue violates trademark and copyright laws which issued commercial general liability insurance policies to Communities Foundation of Oklahoma d/b/a Chickasha Community Foundation (CCF) notice of claim alleging trademark and copyright infringement.” The letter advised that Evanston “reserves the right to investigate this matter and disclaim coverage for any damages that are not covered” under the insurance policies previously mentioned Warner Brothers also alleged that CCF “utilizes the Leg Lamp and other Warner Brothers trademarks (i.e. the WB shield) in … merchandise sold at the gift shop…” The gift shop does in fact sell such merchandise officially licensed by Warner Brothers Warner Brothers contended CCF built the leg lamp statue over their objections and asserted claims under the Lanham Act for trademark and infringement” and “demands that the structure be removed and destroyed.” Almost certainly Warner Brothers knew about Chickasha’s inflatable leg lamp as early as 2020 Yet WBEI never threatened legal action over the inflatable leg lamp vice president of business and legal affairs for Warner Bros an intellectual property rights attorney in Oklahoma City “We have reviewed your request” in reference to the Chickasha leg lamp “and have determined not to grant you the permission that you have requested,” Fogelson wrote “reserves all rights in and to ‘A Christmas Story’ and all copyrights trademarks and other intellectual property rights to WBEI subsisting in or associated therewith.” Oklahoma City attorney Ryan Leonard advised Tim Elliott of Standley Systems that “Warner Brothers will almost certainly seek to enforce their copyright and you’ll end up in a lawsuit.” “There is no lawsuit,” Cowan told those attending the CEDC meeting last Tuesday “As a board member of the Chickasha Community Foundation we are not aware of any legal action against the CCF,” Cowan wrote in statement he delivered to the Ledger and posted on the CHICKASHA ‘Politically Speaking’ Facebook page in January and bankruptcy courts indicate no such lawsuit has been f iled by Warner Brothers Entertainment nor by Turner Entertainment neither Warner Brothers Entertainment nor Turner Entertainment had filed any litigation in Grady County nor any other district court in this state the Ledger found during searches of the Oklahoma State Courts Network in January and again on March 12 Southwest Ledger on March 13 that he had been “talking to NBC National News for two weeks about WB’s threat of a lawsuit.” A news crew was scheduled to be in Chickasha that day “to do the story,” and he sent them “a lot of documents.” “They called me back and said they weren’t coming because they didn’t feel like WB was serious about the lawsuit.” KFOR.com Oklahoma City (This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.) CHICKASHA — If a locally owned candy shop conjuring up more robust sales in January than in Christmassy December or lovey-dovey February sounds like it might require dabbling in the dark arts to pull off "If you know anything about retail, the 'J' months are really slow: January, June and July," said Lora Gerstner, owner of Rock Island Candy Co. in Chickasha "But 'Wizards' month is probably our biggest sales month of the year," Gerstner's candy store is the center of the wizarding universe where a monthlong magic-theme celebration is rapidly expanding and bringing in big crowds in its second year fans of myths and magic can find Sorting Hat s'mores Slytherin satin scrunchies and many more enchanted options at Chickasha businesses "Last year blew everybody's mind, but it's like, 'OK, did she just catch lightning in the bottle? Or, can she duplicate it again this year?' So, for it to have spread and gotten even bigger this year, we're like, 'Wow, this is just perfect,'" said Chickasha Chamber of Commerce President Jim Cowan "January and February are 60 days of very challenging times in the retail industry and so for them to do this and have that success .. Along with making January magical every year, Gerstner said she plans to team up with her fellow Chickasha small business owners in June for her second annual Pokemon-theme event complete with a passport program to encourage fans to "catch 'em all." Gerstner began brewing the potent spell Chickasha is now casting on fantasy fans during the 2023 holiday season as she brainstormed for a way to keep the retail cheer going for her small business and I just talked to a couple of my girls that I work with 'Let's try to think of a theme that we can do for January so that people have a reason to get out of the house because it's cold and they've spent all their money on Christmas,'" she recalled Although she didn't personally know much about Harry Potter Gerstner said she was intrigued when one of her employees suggested making the first month of the year a month of magic with a wizards theme For Rock Island Candy Co.'s first wizard-theme month in 2024 Gerstner was able to find a vast variety of Harry Potter licensed items to sell and her shop — and now other Chickasha businesses — is continuing this January to carry a lot of official merchandise that Potterheads might not be able to find anywhere else in southern Oklahoma Plus, the Oklahoma bakers and candy makers she works with were eager from the start to conjure up all sorts of enchanted delicacies and Gerstner figured she could make her own version of the beloved wizarding drink butterbeer as a special Saturday-only treat "There were just two of us working that very first Saturday (last year) and we had people that came from all over the state I was in the back the entire time just making butterbeer and she was running the cash register and would come back to give me orders," Gerstner recalled A huge pocket of people came in from Midwest City." Since many fantasy fans were driving hours to get to Chickasha, other local business owners soon started seeing an influx of customers carrying butterbeer mugs and Rock Island Candy Co. bags we just collaborated with some other businesses and those businesses wanted to dive into the theme And I feel like they did a really great job," Gerstner said By the time Gerstner cut the ribbon at Rock Island Candy Co.'s new, bigger Fourth Street home on Jan. 3, the floating candles were already glowing, the front windows were adorned with a spellbinding landscape painted by local artist Carrie Chavers and 11 other Chickasha businesses were working their retail magic to appeal to fantasy fans Along with butterbeer on Saturdays, Rock Island Candy Co. is stocked this year with a wide selection of wands, enchanted jewelry and locally made Hogwarts House Teddy Tea Candles, along with edible treats like chocolate frogs and Sorting Hat s'mores and cocoa bombs from Sooner State chocolate wizard Bomb Diggity Confections By the middle of January, Chickasha culinary conjuror Cookies by Jamie had whipped up 17 dozen of her Sorting Hat cookies, but the candy shop still quickly sold out prompting the baker to whip up more before the final Butterbeer Saturday of the year on Jan At Perrefitte Home & Gifts next door, magical types can shop licensed Harry Potter satin scrunchies and claw clips and flip through a pop-up book of "The Boy Who Lived" adventures AdventureScape is inviting Muggles and wizards alike to venture into its Sorcerer's Secret Escape Room, while the Chickasha Scooter's Coffee location is serving up a secret menu item: Enchanter's Elixir a lemonade drink infused with the Hogwarts House color of your choice The proprietors of Ben & Jay's Pizzeria have spent the month rolling out specialty pizzas for all four Hogwarts Houses, along with serving the special appetizer Fried Gilly Weed (aka fried calamari) and theme cocktails like Felix Felicis and Polyjuice Potion and she said that January is usually really slow for them but they have been so busy .. and she said that this is the most bookings that they have had since they've opened." Along with the power of the fantasy fandom Cowan credited Chickasha's business community for successfully tapping into the magic of small-town ingenuity and camaraderie to ward off the dreaded first-quarter sales slump whether for new businesses to come in or people to move here And that culture is of a feeling of a small town that has good things going on and then it's close proximity to wherever you need to go," he said "When people like Lora are doing things like this on her own