All posts by Guests and Former Contributors

On the Horizon: Hay Theft

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Tramadol Online Purchase Hay becomes extremely valuable to farmers and ranchers during the cold winter months, especially this year as farmers continue to struggle with a record setting drought.

Order Tramadol Overnight Many farmers have had to sell livestock due to the lack of pasture to graze and because of the high rise in grain and hay costs. You can ask a farmer why they have had to sell so much of their stock and the response is almost always the same, they just can’t afford to feed them. Times like these often leave people desperate and that desperation has even lead to some people committing crimes of stealing what they need to get by. The combination of this desperation and the rise in hay costs has caused a growing epidemic of hay bales being stolen.

click In this week’s video blog, we see how one clever Oklahoma sheriff found a way to catch hay thieves in the act.
Kela Kelln

On the Horizon: Bracing for another waterless storm

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source link It’s still hard for me to get over the fact that water is being rationed. I come from a state where water is everywhere and we never have to worry about how to water livestock, the grass or ourselves. This concept of only being allowed to use so much water per day reminds me of the stories about war time and having to ration food and supplies for the troops.

https://www.erchonia.com/become-a-speaker/ I have covered the drought from a journalistic standpoint since its beginning in 2011. I’ve witnessed the heartbreak, the struggles, the concerns, and the farmers’ realization that their livelihood may not be a reality any longer. I have sympathized with them and, on occasion, have had to put down the camera and share in their tears.

Purchase Tramadol Without Prescription In this week’s video blog, we take a look at the year 2013 and how all signs point to a continued drought with record setting heat. We talk with a cattle producer whose goal in life is to raise cattle and be the best producer he can be.

get link In the words of Paul Harvey on the 2013 Dodge Ram Super Bowl commercial, we need someone who will be dedicated to feeding and clothing the world “so God made a farmer.”
Andy Barth

On the Horizon: Oklahoma Wind Industry

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Get Online Xanax Prescription When you’re known as the state where the wind comes sweeping down the plains, it only makes sense that Oklahoma would have a large industry for wind. Many of you have probably noticed some of the large turbines that can be seen along some roads so it shouldn’t come as a surprise to find out that wind has become an important energy source across the nation, especially in Oklahoma.

source link In this video blog, we take a look at why wind developers were nervous at the end of 2012 and what’s happening in the wind industry today.
Kela Kelln

On the Horizon: What goes up must come down – right?

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enter When it comes to heights, I’m one of the biggest scaredy-cats out there. I don’t do roller coasters and I definitely don’t like to climb really high things. But, like with everything in life, the day came where I had to conquer this fear.

https://sunumaths.com/quaterieme/ Living in one of the windiest states in America it’s no surprise to see wind towers going up faster than gas prices. But I never knew what it takes to maintain them once they are installed – both from a knowledge and physical standpoint. Thanks to my job, I got an inside look at the training process and tried not to look too much like wimp.

https://candonstmartin.com/about-us/ In this week’s video blog, we go up inside a wind machine and take a look at the rescue training process turbine workers must go through before heading out into the field.
Andy Barth

On the Horizon: Manufacturing Empire

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Xanax Buy Without Prescription A successful family business is one of the reasons our country is so great. The satisfaction of knowing you built something from the ground up with your family and it is thriving and creating jobs is quite the accomplishment. I grew up in a three-generation auction company. It was amazing to be a part of something that had a great deal of meaning and purpose with my family’s name on it.

https://epicbrew.net/superflight-review/ In today’s video blog, we take a look at a family that has built an exporting empire in southern Oklahoma and now employs much of the community.
By Andy Barth

On the Horizon: Society Awards

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Buy Xanax Without Rx On the Horizon: Society Awards
Anyone that knows me knows that I have an interesting fascination with awards shows. I enjoy watching an obscene amount of television and I like to consider myself a movie buff, so naturally I find it especially fun to see all my favorite stars dressed in their best and in the same place.

https://www.celestissima.org/lakshmi/ Even though I have enjoyed watching awards shows for years, I’ve never considered the question of where the actual awards are produced. I was able to meet up with the founder and CEO of a company called Society Awards where they make prestigious entertainment awards, many of which I’m sure you’ve heard about.

In this video blog, we see why a company like Society Awards is finding a home in Oklahoma.
Kela Kelln

On the Horizon: Geography’s Revenge

It is often said demographic’s is destiny, and I could not agree more. A new book by Robert Kaplan says we also need to look a geography when it comes to everything from international relations to a changing political landscape. In his book THE REVENGE OF GEOGRAPHY Kaplan attributes our country’s growing Latino population to nothing more than an artificial boundary line that has separated a people into the haves here in the U.S. and the have nots South of the border.

It is only in the last five years we have seen a slowing of what was the greatest immigration wave to ever roll though the U.S. Since the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, Mexico’s economy is increasingly linked to ours. This has provided jobs in Mexico that slowed the march of people heading Northward for work.

A University of New Mexico professor predicts that by 2080 the Southwestern states of the U.S. will band together with the Northern state of Mexico to form “La Republica del Norte.” While I may disagree, I think the professor makes a good point. That part of our country has long been culturally similar and, with economic ties growing, it only makes sense that a blurring of nationalities will occur.

In this week’s video blog I travel into the heart of Texas to examine demographic trends that could be headed our way.

Rob McClendon

On the Horizon: Diverse Learning

I grew up in a very productive agricultural area. Because of that we had a large population of migrant workers. My hometown is predominantly Hispanic as a result. Although this has been the norm for years, there is still a big language gap. Looking back, I wish I would have learned Spanish at a much younger age.

In today’s video blog, we take a look at a school that teaches its students both Spanish and English and the importance of diversity.
Andy Barth

On the Horizon: Oklahoma’s Emergency Medical Services are in Crisis Mode

Recently, a legislative interim study was done to look at Oklahoma’s emergency medical system. What is known is that it’s hard to keep an EMS system funded. Many communities have lost their EMS system due to lack of funds and that puts lives in danger. Funding our EMS system is something that many people agree upon but little has been done to do so. A bill was put into place that should have helped but unfortunately, before it reached the governor’s desk, the funding mechanism was stripped from the bill so there is a mandate to fund it but no way to do so.

In steps Senaca Scott with the Oklahoma House of Representatives. He was able to put together an interim study where all concerned could voice their concerns in the attempt of finding a solution. There were a few solutions presented and even some good examples where communities have combined their resources to create their own EMS system that seems to be working. It’s ideas like that, that the upcoming legislature will need to look at in the attempt to shore up our failing EMS system.

In this week’s video blog, we explain the problem and talk about some solutions.
Alisa Hines

Santa Claus for Christians

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Zolpidem Buy Online Christian Confession:  I Like Santa 

Order Soma 350Mg Online  I have been working for the better part of my professional career in distinctively Christian organizations. I’ll call it vocational ministry. In my jobs I’ve enjoyed working with gracious, unselfish people. My jobs have been overwhelmingly positive, but not without some stumbles and quirks.

Here and there I’ve seen a few controversies emerge from “differences of opinion.” There are some big things to get worked up about, e.g., deity of Jesus, authority of Scripture, one omniscient God, and other major tenets of the Christian faith.  – – – Schisms, Diets, Councils, and Wars have famous names because of the big controversies.

There are other things. In my experience, there have been plenty of other things. I can tell you stories that would make you laugh and stories that you cause you to drop your chin and shake your head. (Like the family that left a church because the pastor used The Wizard of Oz as an analogy in his sermon.) I’ve got more, but that’s another day.

Tis the season to poke-a-stick at Santa Claus. For some the jolly fat man is completely innocuous, like Garfield the cat or Dennis the Menace, while for others he has become a cultural annoyance. And then there are the haters. “We don’t allow any pictures of Santa Claus in our building,” stated one Christian friend, and he said it with conviction and shoulders squared against such worldliness. “We don’t believe in Santa Claus!?!”  You’ve heard it, and you may have heard it from me somewhere in the past. But I’ve flop-flopped on the issue.  Continue reading Santa Claus for Christians

On the Horizon: Mission to Planet Earth

A few months ago I was invited to travel with some teachers from Oklahoma down to the NASA Johnson Space Center. Since I had never been there before, I was excited to go even though it meant giving up a weekend, I didn’t care. And I wasn’t disappointed.

The teachers were going as part of the Oklahoma NASA Space Grant Consortium’s Mission to Planet Earth training that happens each summer. It’s an eleven day intense training to enable teachers to teach the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, math) in their every day classrooms. As part of that training, the teachers go to NASA Johnson Space Center to see how NASA does STEM. The teachers love it!

I wish that some of my teachers would have had the same opportunity when I was in school. Who knows, I may have gone into a different field of work. I’m not the greatest at math and only a little better at science but if I’d had hands-on training like these teachers are now doing, I may have understood it better and enjoyed it enough to maybe have made a career in one of the sciences. But while I may not be in a STEM field I can certainly showcase it.

In this week’s video blog, see how NASA is training teachers in the attempt to create a new NASA workforce.
Alisa Hines

On the Horizon: Einstein for a Day

As the world progresses and things become even more technical, it is vital for our youth to be well versed, not only with computers, but in sciences. They will be looking for jobs where skills in science, technology, engineering and math are necessary. I was not the best in those subjects so I focused on English. But it’s now at a point where these subject areas are no longer an option.

In today’s video blog, we take a look at an organization that leads students through the STEM fields in an interactive, hands-on approach.
Andy Barth

On the Horizon: Can we move forward?

This past summer, I was able to drive through the Midwest and was shocked and saddened by the vast amounts of corn, soybean and wheat fields that were already dried out in early summer from no rain. Having experienced the severe drought the previous year, I knew what farmers and ranchers were going through. I spoke with one gentleman in Illinois who was feeding his cattle in a feedlot because there wasn’t enough grass to last the summer.

This story is the same for most producers up and down the Midwest. Now that the election is over, agriculturalists hope lawmakers will begin focusing on issues facing their industry. The big two are the drought and the lack of a new farm bill.

In this week’s video blog, we take a look at those two topics and how farm broadcasters feel about them and what they are doing to speak up for agriculture.
Andy Barth

December in Altus, America

Snow is falling on this chilly fall night, causing me to shift gears from Thanksgiving clean-up to Christmas preparations. Amy Grant will sing about a “Tender Tennessee Christmas”. Those boys from Alabama serenade us with “Christmas in Dixie.” Becky Hobbs will sing the song she penned, “Oklahoma Christmas”.  The rest of us enjoy singing our favorite Christmas carols at church over the next few weeks, counting down to the day we celebrate the birth of Christ.

The song that will best describe me this year is “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” . . . if only in my dreams. My husband and I established our home in rural Indiana shortly after tying the knot at Tulsa in 1988. Even though I am very happy here, Southwestern Oklahoma will always hold a special place in my heart. With that in mind, it’s time for another visit to the red dirt area of Altus – even if it’s only in my dreams.  (Cue the wavy screen effect)

So, what is so special about Altus this time of year? Too many memories for me to recount here, instead let’s take a peek at some of the current Christmas celebrations happening this month.

Jimmy Geigle has organized the 3rd annual Toy Run for motorcyclist this year. It is scheduled to take place Saturday, December 1 at 12:30 pm. Riders from across the state will join the run with a parade escort to deliver toys to the Altus Fire Department. The toys will be distributed by the Salvation Army and DHS.  Folks around Altus are generous to a fault, but it never ceases to amaze me when the pictures from the Toy Run are posted. Many of the motorcycles look like they are carrying the entire contents of Santa’s sleigh!

The annual Christmas Parade steps off from the parking lot of Western Oklahoma State College. on Sunday, December 2, at 3 p.m., Complete with a police escort, marching bands, floats, and of course, Santa’s grand arrival via Altus Fire Truck, the parade is a ton of fun for people of all ages. While the Altus Times reports this as the 32nd annual Christmas Parade, it has been going on for much longer. From watching it as a child, sometimes perched on Papa’s shoulders, to riding a motorcycle in the parade for several years during the 1970s, memories of the Christmas parade fill my mind with happiness untold.

Christmas would not be Christmas without cantatas and candle-lit services. Tabernacle Baptist Church will present a cantata on Sunday, December 16. Southside Baptist Church will share their cantata on Sunday morning, December 23. Emmanuel Baptist Church will celebrate the Reason for the Season with a candle-light service on Christmas Eve. A quick google search gave the above information – there are probably other churches in town with their own Christmas celebrations. Take time this season to remember that Christ’s birth is the reason for the season.

The Christmas lights of Altus shine brightly this time of year. Families and businesses deck the halls with many gorgeous displays, making a drive thru town at night a festive affair. Nothing, however, can top the “Christmas in the Park” display at the Altus City Park, located on East Broadway, between Park Lane and Park Avenue. The park becomes a magical mix of vision, love, labor and lights, a tradition that began around thirty years ago, with the vision of Sonny Tims and a handful of other longtime Altusans.

Rumors abound that this could be the last year for the lights, due to vandalism. Thanks to a handful of dedicated elves, this year’s show is now in progress nightly. Park your car or truck at the Altus High School parking lot, and take a stroll thru the park. Enjoy the work of the elves as you gaze at the lighted Christmas trees and animated displays while creating some new memories for you and your family.

Before or after enjoying these treats that Altus has to offer during December, take time to patronize some of the locally owned businesses and restaurants. Some favorite stops along the way are the Sunshine Café and Roberts’ Drive-In (which is now a sit-in diner) on East Broadway. The Grapevine Café or Benny’s Pizza & Mexican Restaurant on North main are also quite tasty. To finish off your shopping list, visit Petal Pushers, Scott Farms (for your “Made In Oklahoma” gifts) or the Sandyland Vineyard.

(Cue the wavy screen effect)

Looks like I have been off in dreamland way too long now. It is time to get bundled up, go outside and shovel some snow. Wonder if I’ll see some Christmas lights out there?

 

Sources:

Jimmy Geigle
http://www.altustimes.com/view/full_story/1390548/article-3rd-annual-Toy-Run-for-Kids-to-be-held-Saturday

http://www.altustimes.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Altus+Christmas+Parade+registration+being+held%20&id=20929552&instance=top_stories

http://sandylandvineyard.com/SandyLand_Vineyard/Welcome.html

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http://www.petalpushersflowers.com/

On the Horizon: Ag Grads Needed

Agriculture has always been a part of my life. Growing up on a farm and knowing the importance of where our food comes from is something that my parents and grandparents instilled in me since I was young. When the time came to look into colleges, I knew I wanted to do something with media and if possible also gain a better understanding of agriculture and the world around me. Agricultural Communications seemed like the obvious solution.

Upon coming to the conclusion that this degree choice was for me, I looked more in-depth at how I could benefit from studying this topic and was pleasantly surprised to find out that graduates with an agricultural degree have a higher job placement rate than many other degree choices.

In this week’s video blog, see how a demand for agricultural graduates in today’s workforce is causing an increase in enrollment numbers at colleges.
Kela Kelln

On the Horizon: Cash It In–Tribal Impact

We all see them as we drive down the road. Huge buildings, with flashing lights, and parking lots that are always full – casinos. Once inside, the sound of slot gacor machines turning and cards shuffling offers an appealing atmosphere to those who wish to participate. While an individual hopes to win the next mega jackpot, Native American tribes automatically win money every time someone walks through the door. And with every dollar made from the casinos, Oklahoma’s economy grows too. If you also want to access various casino games anytime, there are online situs slot gacor games you can play. A premier online gaming platform such as daftar mpo888 is providing a wide range of entertainment options, including slot games, live casinos, and sports betting.

In this week’s video blog, we take a look at the how the gaming industry brings growth and entertainment to the state.
Andy Barth

On the Horizon: Hire Our Veterans!

Many of our veterans are returning to civilian life but what are they returning to? Jobs that had been promised to them just aren’t there. I’m not sure really how employers are getting away with that. Yes they did hire someone to replace that man or woman who willing placed themselves in harm’s way for our freedoms but shouldn’t they have been told this is a temporary hire and as soon as that brave soul returns from wherever they have been stationed, the job will be theirs. Now yes, that would displace them, but if they were told upfront that it was only temporary, they would be expecting it and have a chance to begin looking for another job as soon as they heard the veteran was returning.

Unfortunately, that isn’t the case and in this economy, jobs are scarce. So what’s a veteran to do? Well a group of Oklahomans was concerned about that very problem and decided to do something about it. The Oklahoma Department of CareerTech partnered with several other state agencies and entities across the State of Oklahoma to create a one of a kind hiring event geared towards Military personnel preparing for separation from active service, Guard & Reserve members and veterans (anyone who has ever served in the U.S. Military and received an honorable discharge).

In this week’s video blog, see how they are helping those who served our country and sacrificed all they had, including their jobs, to do so.
Alisa Hines

On the Horizon: Dust to Dust

I am really looking forward to the upcoming Ken Burns PBS film on the Dust Bowl. I grew up hearing the stories of the “Dirty Thirties” from my parents who lived through what is referred to in the Pulitzer Prize-winning book of the same name as the “worst hard times.”

While such hardships are a lifetime away, I believe we can learn valuable lessons from the Dust Bowl. The calamitous dust storms did wreak havoc, but the great migration depicted in “The Grapes of Wrath” was just as much about the economy as it was the environment.

In truth, less than seven percent of the migrants who moved to California did so because of the wind-ravaged Dust Bowl; the majority were refugees of a changing economy. A recession in farm country had farmers borrowing on the easy credit of the 1920s. Then in the 1930s, landowners began phasing out tenant farming and the sharecroppers it supported in favor of seasonal wage labor.

With unemployment during the Great Depression hovering around 30 percent, there were just no jobs to be had. Such an unforgiving economy had little room for the downtrodden, let alone an environmental disaster. We slipped into one of the bleakest moments in our nation’s history.

Today, we face our own set of challenges — probably nothing as severe as we saw in the 1930s, but still a transitioning economy. Jobs that once supported entire families on a single income have been blown away by the winds of change. A global economy and the rapid rise in technology have made today’s workplace quite different than the one I entered not that long ago.

As we continue to emerge from what was the worst recession since the 1930s, I can only hope we rise to the occasion as Americans, dust ourselves off, and face the challenges of today with the same character our forefathers showed.

In this week’s video blog, I want to share my family’s personal story of the Dust Bowl. My parents still inspire me. I hope they will inspire you too.
Rob McClendon

On the Horizon: Chicken or the Egg

There’s a natural gas boom under way – and an interesting dilemma comes with it.
The United States produced a record amount of natural gas in 2011 – twenty-three trillion cubic feet — largely because of hydraulic fracking and horizontal drilling. Pennsylvania more than quadrupled its natural gas output between 2000 and 2010 to 573 billion cubic feet – enough to heat every home in the state for eighteen months. Shale gas well output grew faster still, quadrupling nationwide between 2007 and 2010.

For the first time in my lifetime, it is possible that our country could become energy independent. American natural gas has the potential to fuel our cars and heat our homes. At less than half the price of imported gasoline, it will be a welcome relief at the pump.

But here is the dilemma. Which comes first, the cars that run on CNG or the gas stations that will carry it? CNG must be piped in rather than trucked, so every CNG pump along the side of the road needs significant infrastructure to get fuel. Oklahoma is leading the way in making the transition. With 90 fueling stations statewide, the state has per capita more than anyone else.

In this week’s video blog, we look at how state government and private industry are working together to take some of the pain out of the pump.
Rob McClendon

On the Horizon: A Marine’s Love Story

My experience with doing stories with war veterans is those who have seen the most, talk the least. I think there are some memories they had just rather forget.

Put Charles Migliorino in that category. It was only by chance I heard his story. He was interviewing for an associate district judge appointment, and I was a member of the Judicial Nominating Commission interviewing him. It was after the interview was over, he added, almost as epilogue, the thing he was most proud of in life was letting a sister hear her dead brother’s voice for the first time in 40 years.

I was fascinated, as I think you will be in this week’s video blog, with this Marine’s Love Story.
Rob McClendon