All senses rule over 2008 memories Sat, Jan 3, 2009 | Add a comment Often someone will say to me, "I imagine you get to see a lot of interesting things.” And while that’s true, all the senses come into play. So following is my second annual year in...

Giving thanks for what hasn’t changed in 2008 Wed, Dec 31, 2008 | Add a comment This might sound odd, but sometimes I like to think in the opposite direction. OK, that does sound odd. But while many are talking about New Year’s resolutions, I thought it would be a good...

Hugo museum to capture thrill of the circus Sat, Dec 27, 2008 | Add a comment HUGO — As a reward for serving as safety patrol, the suburban Chicago elementary school treated students to a Shrine Circus in the city. The biggest cats Jim Royal had been around prior to...

Stocking up on miracles for Oklahoma quads Thu, Dec 25, 2008 | Add a comment THOMAS — Stunned, Rick Payne sat on the couch across from the fireplace mantle that’s decorated with holiday garland and lined with red-bodied, white striped Christmas stockings....

Long-distance ticket holder connects with Oklahoma City’s Thunder Mon, Dec 22, 2008 | Add a comment Craig Downing of Beaver said "excuse me just a second” more than once as we talked by phone. I could hear him calling customers by name. Why? Because there’s a connection....

Oklahoma burn ban law gets warm response Thu, Dec 18, 2008 | Comments 1 Oklahoma now has more than one fire route. Or rather, the state now has more than one way to call for a burn ban. In the past, a burn ban in Oklahoma had to be issued by the governor. However, in...

Oklahoma nurse covers ‘preemies’ with blankets of love Sun, Dec 14, 2008 | Comments 5 TULSA — Heather, in many ways you never died. You live in a feather soft pink incubator cover where Winnie the Pooh merrily dances with Piglet and Tigger. You live in the love your adopted...

Grandpa taught character strength Wed, Dec 10, 2008 | Comments 1 The straight black coffee was just right. It’s the statement from Thomas Hill III that I found to be strong. My intention was to discuss the accomplishments of Garman O. Kimmell Jr. with his...

Warm up to ice data, Oklahoma researchers say Mon, Dec 8, 2008 | Comments 2 A study of recent ice storms may help people prepare. There have been six storms bringing ice of more than an inch since the turn of the millennium. With those have come deaths, injuries and more...

Soper’s trick roper lassos Vegas rodeo fans Wed, Dec 3, 2008 | Comments 1 SOPER — It takes a little work to get people’s attention in Las Vegas. But let someone lower a trick roper from the roof of the Thomas and Mack Center via cable about the size of a...

National Weather Service in Norman gauges readiness Wed, Dec 3, 2008 | Add a comment NORMAN — There were no black clouds rolling in from the southwest. No lightning strikes. No hail denting car hoods. So why were all the emergency management vehicles in the parking lot of the...

Oklahoma lawmen keep Bedlam traffic sane Sun, Nov 30, 2008 | Comments 1 STILLWATER — Although orange and crimson were the predominant colors, the black and whites of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol were prevalent Saturday evening on the highways around Stillwater....

Some criminals aren’t so cunning Fri, Nov 28, 2008 | Add a comment What better way to start a column about strange news than to open it up with a bank robber and a clothes thief? Call it bad timing or bad service. A man recently went into a bank’s branch...

2,000-mile horse trek helps Kingfisher rider give thanks Thu, Nov 27, 2008 | Comments 3 KINGFISHER — The reins were Mark Ryan's steering wheel and the saddle horn his dashboard. The sweat-stained brim of the cowboy hat is the 46-year-old's travel log. It has soaked up the dust of...

Driving yourself too hard can hurt Tue, Nov 25, 2008 | Add a comment When I was young, the trap was looking at a map. I’d be getting ready to head out on a trip and say, "Oh it doesn’t look that far.” Today, it’s an online trap that I...

He’s wind beneath their wings Sun, Nov 23, 2008 | Add a comment ADA — When she answered the phone last April, Suzanne McFarlane wasn’t surprised to hear the voice of one of her husband’s Eagle Scouts. There’s been a bunch of them. But...

A ‘Superhorse’ provided life lessons to its owner Fri, Nov 21, 2008 | Comments 5 The wheels of the rolling luggage were spinning fast as a mother and daughter bolted into Barn 1 at State Fair Park. This evening an outstanding, versatile horse will be named as the Featherlite...

Oklahoma state wheat official returning to his roots Thu, Nov 20, 2008 | Comments 1 A drought-stricken wheat field that yielded 8 bushels an acre. A field nailed by a mid-April freeze that still yielded about 50 bushels an acre. I’ve walked with Mark Hodges into both....

Some give new grade system a zero Thu, Nov 20, 2008 | Add a comment Did you ever receive that upfront warning at the start of a school year: "If you don’t turn in an assignment you will receive a zero for that assignment?” A story out of Naples,...

Farm violence not impossible Thu, Nov 13, 2008 | Comments 2 There are a couple of reasons the threat of agriculture-related terrorism may increase over time, a livestock economist says. Derrell Peel of Oklahoma State University said we have not seen...