The Virginia Opossum A fascinating and often misunderstood creature in North America is the opossum. It is the only marsupial (meaning pouched mammal) found in this region. They get their name from th...

I am an Okie tried and true. I was born in Oklahoma City, raised in the Pierce/ Tiger Mountain area, schooled at Checotah and I currently live in Muskogee. I have always been proud to be an Oklahoman ...

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat has named Senator Roger Thompson as co-chair of the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) oversight committee. Senate Bill 1, signed ...

If you own a business, you’ve always got plenty to think about: sales, marketing, employees, competition, industry trends, consumer preferences – the list goes on and on. It’s easy to get so caught u...

CONGRESSMAN MARKWAYNE MULIN While many people across the country celebrated the unofficial start of summer last week, Oklahoma braced for severe weather and faced catastrophic flooding. As I traveled ...

For the Children: The end of the 2019 legislative session has arrived. While there were some great ideas passed into law and a budget that provided additional funding to many worthy causes, there were...

I am so proud that both of my children now have their college degrees under their belts. However, now I worry about how long it will take to pay off their student loans and how that will affect the re...

Recently it was Child Advocacy Day at the State Capitol, and I’d like to thank everyone who came out in support of policies that benefit children. We were joined by more than 100 Oklahomans who partic...

If you want to help pay for your children’s college educations, you might want to consider contributing to a 529 plan. With this plan, your earnings grow federally tax-free, as long as the withdrawal...

Thank You The family of Bettie Hays would like to say “Thank You” to everyone who sent prayers, flowers, food and cards to support our family during this most difficult time following the loss of our ...

Dear Editor, News stories tell about students using their digital platform to bully, to send inappropriate or illegal sexual content, or to send terroristic threatening messages. Can this happen in ou...

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 ...

Congressman It’s no secret that Oklahoma and Texas have a rich history in oil and gas. In the early 1900s, people from all over the country rushed to the two states to drill and communities were built...

For the Children: A child abuse case was made public last week that occurred in my hometown of Rush Springs. I was sickened by what was reported and want to take this column to remind Oklahomans of th...

This was another busy week at the House. As session begins to wrap up, we’re continuing to hear Senate amendments to House bills. Many legislators are also spending time in conference committees to wo...

The men and women of our law enforcement put their lives on the line each day to protect our families and our communities. They sacrifice holidays, weekends, and other precious time with family and fr...

Oh the joy a new baby brings into your life! You stare in total wonder of how beautiful and precious this child is and count all ten little fingers and toes.   Gone are the nine months of this little ...

Leif Mason Wright, 49, of Checotah, pled no contest Thursday, May 2, to three charges related to an altercation that took place at his home in April, 2018. The charges included assault with a dangerou...

It’s true you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, and this 50-year-old dog really isn’t interested in jumping through hoops anymore. But since I seem to be caught in the middle of two opposite worlds -...

I’ve received a lot of calls recently from people concerned about themselves or their loved ones who face the expense of living in a nursing home. I wanted to give an update on several pieces of legis...