The opioid epidemic is personal to all of us. It is blind to party affiliation, socioeconomic status, geographic location, or age. We all know someone who has been affected by the opioid epidemic, whe...

The staff of The McIntosh County Democrat welcomes Letters to the Editor on subjects of interest to our readers. Short letters are most likely selected for publication, but the use of any material is ...

Vacations are definitely much needed necessities in life. With all the hustle and bustle of everyday life and constantly working nearly around the clock in the newspaper biz, I was so ready for my fir...

A few weeks ago, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the House of Representatives was opening an impeachment inquiry against President Trump. The Left has been dead set on impeaching the president sin...

One of the big issues in politics right now is cost of college and student debt. Among the Democrats running for president, some are calling for free college and others are looking to pay off student ...

I recently saw a post on social media asking why conservatives are so concerned with socialism when what they should be concerned about is dictatorship in their own party. Historically speaking, accus...

For the Children: If you did not make it to the 2019 Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) Fall Forum last week, then you missed quite an event! We had more than 150 advocates from across the s...

Education is the most valuable tool that we can give to the next generation and providing resources for our educators and our students should be a top priority in our communities. I recently toured se...

I would like to personally thank everyone who attended the Gold Star Luminary Initiative Sunday evening. A special 'Thank You' goes out the Gold Star families, Senator Roger Thompson, Alicia McMahon, ...

All my life I have enjoyed and yet struggled with being a lefty. Yes, I am left-handed girl in a right-handed world and that can be a problem. One would think with all the technology today that left-h...

I and other lawmakers have heard from a number of constituents recently concerned that a ruling by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals stemming from a case in Colorado might allow women to go topless in...

From dramatic speeches at the United Nations Climate Summit to climate protests halting traffic across the country, the topic of climate change and clean energy has dominated the news cycle. Clean air...

If there is one thing that I’m certain of, grief changes us. Yes, grief abruptly crashes into us after the loss of a loved one, and then it keeps bumping into us for the remainder of our lives. In 201...

As parents to six kids, my wife Christie and I want all our children to be good people, accomplish their goals and live long, healthy lives. I think that’s what all parents want for their kids. No par...

One of the biggest recent news stories is Trump’s cancellation of a surprise summit with Taliban leaders and the Afghanistan president at Camp David. I am no longer surprised at the criticism towards ...

I have always been intrigued by death, not in a morbid way, but more in a respectful way. I believe death is more fascinating than terrifying and can be eye-opening in many ways. It can actually make ...

There has been a lot of talk lately about the Electoral College. If you read social media, you will see many opinions on why it should or should not continue to choose the American president. Those wh...

The telephone is still the most used form of communicating with most families today, but many families now are also using email, text messages and social networking to keep in touch. As technology kee...

On average, 130 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose. Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, with opioids being the most common. Since the start of the...

Congressman When former President Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi were selling Obamacare to the American people, they promised that “if you like your healthcare plan, you can keep your healthcare plan....