'We had to be strong for our little Addi' Enid, Okla. -- When Ashley Epps took her 2 1/2-year-old daughter Addison to an urgent care clinic on Aug. 31, 2018, she expected to receive antibiotics for an ear infection. Instead, after more than 24 hours of exams and tests, she learned her daughter has cancer. … Continue reading ALL: The most common pediatric cancer
Journalism
Ecumenicism: The way forward?
The thought of selling the church was hard for the congregation, "but ultimately, we're called to minister to people — we're not called to minister to a building." --Pastor Peter Olson, Faith Lutheran ELCA, Enid, Okla. ENID, Okla. — An Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) congregation and a United Methodist retirement community are strengthening … Continue reading Ecumenicism: The way forward?
PANDAS and PANS: Families drawn together by rarely diagnosed diseases
ENID, Okla. — The families of Ryker Sutherland and Jett Hartling have long had a lot in common. Both boys now are 11 years old and sixth-graders at Waller Middle School. Both have been active boys, and both enjoy baseball. But over the last two years, the families have been drawn closer together by … Continue reading PANDAS and PANS: Families drawn together by rarely diagnosed diseases
‘A generational fight’ — Protest organizer recalls desegregating Enid restaurants
This post originally ran as an article in the Sept. 4, 2018 edition of the Enid News & Eagle. It is the third article in a three-part series on sit-in protests and restaurant desegregation in Enid, Oklahoma. ENID, Okla. — On Sept. 4, 1958, 60 years ago today, Enid restaurant owners concluded a meeting with … Continue reading ‘A generational fight’ — Protest organizer recalls desegregating Enid restaurants
Farewell, Maverick: Our loss and our greater call to serve
Friday, Aug. 31, 2018 -- A lion of American public service lies in state in the U.S. Capitol today, at peace after more than six decades of service to our republic. By any measure John McCain was a successful man. But, I don’t believe the outpouring of grief at his death can be attributed entirely, … Continue reading Farewell, Maverick: Our loss and our greater call to serve
Lunch counter sit-ins: 60 years later, organizers recall desegregating restaurants
This package of two articles originally was published in the Enid News & Eagle, Enid, Okla., on Aug. 26, 2018, on the eve of the 60th anniversary of lunch counter protests that ended segregation in the city's restaurants and helped shape later civil rights protests throughout the South. ENID, Okla., Aug. 27, 2018 — Sixty years … Continue reading Lunch counter sit-ins: 60 years later, organizers recall desegregating restaurants
Pedaling for peace and unity
ENID, Okla. — A Catholic monk made a stop in Enid Sunday on a cross-country cycling tour to promote Christian unity and collect prayers for a display in Washington, D.C. Brother Lawrence Chase, who describes himself as "the bicycling friar," began the American Faith Unity cycling tour last summer in Virginia and hopes to complete … Continue reading Pedaling for peace and unity
Answering the call: How can we say ‘Yes’ to God today?
I had the pleasure Tuesday of interviewing Pastor Billy Benson at Garland Road Baptist Church in Enid, Oklahoma. My favorite part of these clergy interviews is hearing how they discerned their call to ministry, and the path toward surrendering to that call. Benson was called as a teen, during an altar call at Falls Creek, … Continue reading Answering the call: How can we say ‘Yes’ to God today?
Our resolute response to threats and violence: we publish
Five journalists in Annapolis, Md. lost their lives Thursday, victims of another angry man who felt entitled to settle his grievances with a gun. The events preceding and following their tragic deaths are concerning and inspiring — underscoring the toxicity of discourse and disagreement in America today; but also the resolve of journalists to uphold … Continue reading Our resolute response to threats and violence: we publish
Why we do this
This post is a copy of my comments on accepting the inaugural presentation of the Ray Lokey Memorial Award for Excellence in Reporting, presented Saturday evening. The comments were read by my editor in my absence. They speak, briefly, to why it's important we all continue to invest in journalism that follows facts, and not … Continue reading Why we do this
