COVID-19 dominates year The Shawnee News-Star Reminiscing on the past 12 months, the most significant of events glaring back is clearly COVID-19 and how it has upended life as we know it. Whether it s been health scares, shutdowns or mask mandates, the pandemic has forced everyone to reimagine how to function safely from a distance. The year began as usual, with news of new business coming and a church marked its centennial. January (Pre-COVID-19) • A formal sentencing hearing took place for defendant Byron James Shepard, 38, of Okemah, convicted in the 2017 murder of Tecumseh Police Officer Justin Terney. On the felony count of murder in the first degree, the death sentence was issued to Shepard.