There are some days when I wonder if the person who first said, “May you live in interesting times,” was applauded for this statement or condemned. The world has certainly become an interesting place ...

• Okmulgee Elementary students celebrated Native American Day, learning about the Muskogee Creek Nation. Victoria Kelly demonstrated authentic garments and discussed tribal customs. Tom Barnett then e...

DEAR ABBY: My father was a terrible person. He was physically abusive to his wife and kids, and he sexually abused both of my sisters. He was a vicious bully who took every opportunity to humiliate hi...

Climbing mountains of over 14,000 ft. altitude is a badge of status in Colorado. There are 53 such peaks in Colorado. A group of overachievers tries to climb all 53 of those peaks. It’s a status thing...

This coming Monday, Sept. 29, is to mark for me another completed circuit around the sun! This time, a noteworthy milestone - since my birth year is 1945. And, it happens that, to my great pleasure, I...

DEAR ABBY: I lost my husband two months ago after a long, debilitating illness. I loved him very much, and the loss was very difficult, although not unexpected. After his funeral, an old friend called...

Recently, Rep. Danny Williams, R-Seminole, along with Reps. Colin Duel-R, Guthrie; Gabe Woolley, R-Broken Arrow; Molly Jenkins, R-Coyle; and Stacy Jo Adams, R-Duncan, hosted an interim study on a unif...

DEAR ABBY: I’m a man in my early 30s who has made a career switch. My new field requires me to be more social because I will be meeting with colleagues, some of them older than I am, and attending tra...

“Follow me, as I follow.” It is interesting isn’t it, that the best of leaders tend to be the best of followers. Paul’s invitation language makes something clear. His offer to model the faith for the ...

It was Twerp Week on our campus. A couple of synonyms for twerp are “bird brain” or “nitwit.” Considering the purpose of the week, maybe someone thought it had been a nitwit who came up with the idea....

Monica Granstaff and her family waited 12 years to get high-speed internet access to their farm near Okemah. In early September, the Oklahoma Broadband Office joined her family to witness their first ...

• Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology, located in Okmulgee, was listed as one of the best colleges in the U.S. News & World Reports of the 2016 Best Colleges to graduate with the least a...

DEAR ABBY: I’m a member of Alcoholics Anonymous. A fellow AA member suffered critical injuries in a motorcycle accident recently and had been in the ICU for several weeks. I visited the hospital regul...

After the events of the past week, I am just feeling drained and honestly experiencing a bit of despair. Charlie Kirk, a 31-year-old political activist who had invigorated the conservative movement on...

In the heart of our community, we talk about football games, local festivals, and town traditions with ease. But there are conversations that often remain unspoken, even though they are just as crucia...

Apprenticing through Practice. “Measure twice, cut once.” Carpenter-trainees know the phrase well. When setting out to cut a piece of lumber, the worker employs his time wisely, even when a few extra ...

DEAR ABBY: I am a man whose long-distance boyfriend of one year has a married female best friend. (She’s his boss.) She is also a tobacco-addicted narcissist who drinks a lot. They chat on the phone a...

DEAR ABBY: My father and stepmother have a vacation home in another state, and they invite us to visit every year. The problem is, the sofa bed in the guest room is so uncomfortable that it’s impossib...

One of my goals with the “For the Children” weekly column is to keep people aware of issues involving child advocacy and policy updates so individuals and organizations can champion solutions to probl...

DEAR ABBY: Twenty years ago, my daughter “Tina” was in an abusive marriage that ended with the overdose death of her husband. My wife, her mother, died recently. As I was going through some old papers...