Part 1 of 3 Recently, I was invited by state Rep. Judd Strom and Labor Commissioner Leslie Osborn to testify at an Oklahoma House of Representatives interim study examining child labor laws and what i...

DEAR ABBY: I went to visit a man I was dating and there was no visitor parking available. He told me to park in any space, even though there were signs stating non-residents would be towed. He said no...

We were talking with a friend recently. This friend was expressing the desire she had to learn how to play piano. It was mentioned that Connie, my wife, taught piano in the past. At first, she taught ...

A cinnamon roll is a sheet of dough heaven with butter spread over it and then sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Some have nuts or raisins added and some versions are made with honey. Then, the dough is ...

We tend to turn to comfort foods as the days get shorter and the chill permeates the air. You want something that sticks to your ribs and warms you from the inside out as you eat it. Having the oven o...

Impressive structures that survive the test of time trace their long resilience to good foundations. Moving about the Tulsa campus lying along the famed Route 66 corridor, I was garnering insights abo...

Jerry attended a small church college. His twin, Terry, attended Marshall University. Both were enthusiastic people, but especially Jerry. Jerry was a joyful person, full of energy with a skip to his ...

The Orpheum showed “Thor” and “Free Birds.” “Thor” was shown in 3-D. Okmulgee Masonic Lodge #199 made a contribution to the Okmulgee County Family Resource Center. Quality Tire ran a coupon in the pap...

Dear Editor: I am writing to give interested candidates notice that I will not be running for reelection to the Okmulgee Public School Board. The filing period for candidates is December 4-6, 2023, wi...

DEAR ABBY: I have been with my live-in boyfriend for eight years. During the last five months, he has started staying out until daylight, choosing his friends over me, snapping at me when he talks at ...

OCHS is a non-profit organization currently officed in the Okmulgee City Animal Shelter. We provide a service to feed and water the animals. We clean and sanitize bowls, we clean and sanitize kennels ...

Getting bugged by climate change The bugs are coming! No, I’m not talking about a bad science fiction movie - I’m talking about how the range of many of our “peskier” insects and pests are expanding t...

DEAR ABBY: My father-in-law and I are just cut from different cloth. We are political opposites, although we do get along for the most part. On a family vacation (we were visiting them), we were going...

Children’s Agenda set for 2024 The 2023 OICA Fall Forum concluded last week, and it was an intense four days of learning and sharing for those attending the conference. Advocates in attendance shared ...

This Saturday is Veterans Day. Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, which was the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annua...

10 Years Ago: The City of Okmulgee, through a proclamation to be issued by Mayor Steve Baldridge, honored November as Native American Heritage month. A special meeting was held for the ceremony in the...

“God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called.” It was a quote I had heard years before. Now, like small fragments of glowing embers in a fire pit being newly-roused by a stout breeze, the ...

DEAR ABBY: For years, we have given generous gifts to our six out-of-town grandchildren and received almost no thanks or acknowledgment. It hurts my feelings because I devote a lot of thought, in addi...

Have you ever been so nervous about something you failed to do what needed to be done? For part of my college years, I lived at home. The college I attended was about 45 minutes away. It just so happe...

I attended a nonprofit conference Monday hosted by the Sarkeys Foundation. While there, I served on a panel which delved into the issues dealing with incarceration. Some might ask why a child advocate...