In a warm room filled with paintings, books, bean bags and puzzles, a handful of children gather around their teacher, except for one small boy whose head hangs down as he keeps painfully quiet with his back toward the group and his face buried in a corner of the wall. Signs of a child’s distress […]
Nazarene Harris
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Cooking dreams
Deborah Palmer and Joby Johnson were two of 10 incarcerated Oklahomans who found hope and healing in the kitchen this fall. The duo participated in culinary classes provided by Oklahoma City-based nonprofit organization TEEM, The Education and Employment Ministry, at 1501 N. Classen Blvd. Since 1987, TEEM has assisted those recovering from addiction or reentering […]
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Fresh start
When Shantel Farrow was 6 years old, she learned that nothing could be done about the sexual molestation she had endured that year. After telling her mother that a friend of the family had sexually molested her, the mother-and-daughter duo went to their local police department in Oklahoma to report the incident but left the […]
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Criminal X
Six years ago, retired Oklahoma City Police officer Edward Stupka took his car to his local tag agency for renewal and got the shock of a lifetime. “They said the tag’s already been renewed,” he said. “I said, ‘I promise it has not. My car is outside, and I haven’t renewed it yet.’” After several […]
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Community investments
After living in Oklahoma City’s sixth ward for about 20 years, Jim Holman said his name is a familiar one among neighbors. He hopes it carries a good reputation, and if the past few months have been any indication, he believes it does. “Asking for help is not the easiest thing to do,” Holman said. […]
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Declining health
A damning statistic has been making headlines across the nation since its release in November. According to a nearly decade-long study conducted by researchers at Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, for the first time since 2008, the number of uninsured children across the United States has increased. “The nation’s many years of progress […]
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Labor pains
Twenty-six-year-old Kayla Jo Jeffries remembers the night she gave birth to her now 2-year-old daughter, Emersyn, the way most women do — as if it were yesterday. Her experience might have been memorable, she said, but it wasn’t enjoyable. Her partner wasn’t holding her hand, and the waiting room outside wasn’t filled with adoring family […]
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Opportunity overlooked
During his three decades as an educator, Mid-America Technology Center administration superintendent Dusty Ricks said he has seen no educational opportunity in the state that is quite as valuable yet underrated as a local career technology center. “When I was growing up, my parents, teachers and counselors preached to us about the value of a […]
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Keeping promises
Before 33-year-old Oklahoma State Rep. Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City, made history in 2015 by becoming the first Asian-American woman elected to the state Legislature and the first Democrat to win representation in House District 85 and inspired a wave of female political newcomers in 2018, she was a starry-eyed middle school student in Lawton with […]
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Glory road
A story or two has been told of an Oklahoma girl who grew up and made her small town proud. Carrie Underwood won American Idol’s fourth season and continues to reap fans and fame with her impressive vocal abilities. Kristen Chenoweth dazzles on Broadway, and Olivia Munn graces Hollywood’s red carpets and movie screens nationwide. […]