During my preteen years, we lived in a small two bedroom house that had a large backyard. Along the fence line grew a strip of bushes that stood four to five feet tall. They had grayish- green leaves ...

Each year, the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) examines the voting records of members of the Oklahoma Legislature to determine how child-friendly each lawmaker’s record is. From that nonp...

DEAR ABBY: I have hemifacial spasm (HFS), a relatively rare disorder characterized by random and uncontrollable spasms on one side of the face. HFS can sometimes be alleviated through surgery and/or t...

I got to thinking the other day about ideas we sometimes have that are totally wrong. Where we got our ideas, I’m not sure, but sometimes we find out that they aren’t based on reality. For example, I ...

DEAR ABBY: My ex-husband was found dead in his home three months ago. He was a bitter man who never forgave me for leaving him. We were divorced for 30 years before his death and have two children and...

There is an interesting thing about vision. Once a person catches sight of a forward-looking hope or dream, they usually move toward it with only a tiny glimpse of additional things to follow. What th...

The July 4th holiday is an exciting time for citizens as they celebrate country, family and freedom. Skyline Fireworks, located at 799 W. 20th St. in Okmulgee, has been providing Okmulgee and the surr...

DEAR ABBY: I was sexually abused as a child. Because of this, as an adult woman, I have issues around being touched. I have had therapy, and I am doing much better, but I’m still uncomfortable with ph...

As a former lawmaker and someone who continues to work publicly in policy, the horrific act which happened over this past weekend in Minnesota with the murder and attempted murder of state lawmakers a...

It was my first real job. It was at a Texaco gas station. I had worked before mowing lawns in the neighborhood and delivering papers, but this was my first income deduction receiving a check type job....

DEAR ABBY: A few months ago, I found out my adult child is transgender. Nobody knows yet except for me, my husband and my other child. Until this year, I have always worked in a very caring, loving an...

This article continues Econ Dev 101 - a local series designed to help our community better understand what economic development truly looks like in a place like Okmulgee. Over the coming months, we’ll...

Thelma had lugged her suitcase onto a cross-country bus. Clyde had leapt aboard the moving box car of a west-bound train. Their vision for a new life together was matched by Intention. Without purpose...

DEAR ABBY: I lost my wife of 20 years four months ago after a prolonged illness. I retired at 62 and became her primary caretaker. The job of caretaker is endless and stressful, and yet rewarding. A f...

As we continue our examination of the massive federal legislation called the “Big Beautiful Bill” by proponents, it is important to look at the education portion of the bill. As you can see from the a...

I was a freshman in high school when an announcement came over the school intercom. Our school was going to have a swim team. Anyone who might be interested in joining the team should show up at the p...

As the VIM model suggests, Clyde and Thelma’s joint ‘V’ (Vision) called for a necessary ‘I’ (Intention) if their dream or vision was to come to pass. Finally, the actual fruit of their purposeful, int...

DEAR ABBY: We recently suffered the loss of our first grandchild. She was only 24 and taken far too soon. My partner and I are working through our grief, which is challenging as we are in different st...

Last week, we discussed the cuts to programs through HR 1 at the federal level and what those cuts would do to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds allocated to states. You can read ...

DEAR ABBY: I have a roommate, “Don,” I have lived with for 11 years. At first, we were dating, but we broke up, and Don moved out for a year. We remained friends, and he moved back in to help me with ...