Oh my goodness. When I heard the news I almost jumped up and kissed the television screen. The long-awaited news was an Oklahoma judge has ruled that the drugmaker Johnson and Johnson must pay $572 mi...

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, establishing a minimum wage was one of the main ideas that activist groups had to end sweatshops, where workers were being forced to work in terrible conditions for ...

I truly believe that there is no greater love than that of a mother and child, and there’s also no greater pain than watching your child suffer any kind of abuse or addiction. A son’s or daughter’s ad...

Over the summer months, Oklahoma state lawmakers are dedicated to preparing for the upcoming legislative session. One way they do this is through the interim study process. Each lawmaker can request a...

There is something special about buying a product that is “Made in America.” It is a patriotic feeling knowing that when you buy that product, you are supporting jobs in our communities and helping fa...

Oh my! My mother suggested this column and I said yes! I can’t believe I haven’t done a column dedicated to chocolate yet. I am a self-diagnosed chocoholic to the core. Then, I started looking into i...

When I decided to run to represent the community of District 15 in the Oklahoma State House, I made it a priority to bring more services to eastern Oklahoma, especially health services. Telemedicine s...

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 ...

On August 22, 1775 – England’s King George III proclaimed the American colonies in a state of open rebellion. 1777 – With the approach of General Benedict Arnold’s army, British Colonel Barry St. Ledg...

Native Country as a whole is affected by a higher rate of diabetes than any other population. The Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) was established by Congress in 1997 in order to specifical...

Now that summer is winding down, it will soon be “back-to-school” time. When children are young, your logistics for the new academic year may involve little more than a trip to buy school supplies. Bu...

I was recently surprised by concerns raised about the presence of police officers in uniforms at children’s sporting events. While attending a city council meeting this month, a council member said th...

Along the way We are all on a journey, a journey to find answers to questions about health, provision, peace, spiritual answers or our purpose. Last week, I took a quick trip to the Mayo Clinic in Roc...

For the Children: One year ago in my weekly column, I wrote about the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), a program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that helps to fund free breakf...

Growing up, we really didn’t eat out a lot. In fact, we usually had two or more gardens that we harvested at my house and my grandparent’s house. So living on fresh, homegrown veggies and our own gras...

Friday, August 16 is National Rum Day! Rum is a distilled alcohol made from sugarcane byproducts, such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. Th...

As a business owner, you can’t afford to ignore your competition. You can’t afford to miss out on the trends affecting your industry. You can’t afford to alienate customers. And here’s one more item t...

Our country has been shaken by senseless tragedies recently in Gilroy, California, El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio. My heart breaks for the families who have lost loved ones at the hands of sick ind...

Summer went by way too fast it seems and it’s already time to start back to school for many children but not for mine, which to be honest makes me sad a little. Because times goes by way too fast. My ...

It’s happened to all of us. You sit down for dinner and then the phone rings. You get up to answer, thinking it may be an important call from family or friends, but instead, it’s an automated message....