Lifestyle

COVID-19 pandemic has posed extraordinary challenges for students across the nation including fourth-year veterinary students at Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

With hard work and determination to reach their goal, all 88 members graduated and took the veterinary oath during a special virtual commencement ceremony May 8.

Among those earning a DVM degree was Alisha Barritt of El Reno.

Earlier this spring Barritt was inducted into the Nu Chapter of the Society of Phi Zeta, the national honor society of veterinary medicine.

At Swadley’s, get a smoked chicken dinner with two sides and a roll for $11.99. You can also grab a firehouse sandwich combo for $11.79. Sandwich includes brisket, hot links, spicy beans, cheese and pickles. Meal includes one side and a drink.

Grab a pound of meat for $16.99. Choose from smoked chicken, hot links, ham, brisket, turkey, sausage or Tennessee pulled pork. Dine in, carry out or drive-thru today. Curbside pickup still available for a limited time, or order by phone at 405-295-6566 or online at swadleys.com.

Wesley United Methodist Church’s United Methodist Women’s Day observance was held May 3 via Facebook by Pastor Allen Carson. Guest speakers were Kristin Harlin representing Mercy Ministries, and Robin Wertz of Exodus House.

It was noted that Circle of Care and New Day Camps were also in need of financial assistance as well as El Reno Mobile Meals, Project Transformation, Ministerial Alliance, Blessing Baskets, Blessing Boxes, Volunteers in Mission and Youth and Family Services.

It was reported Monday an alarming insect has newly arrived from Japan via Canada. A roughly 2-inch-long insect known as the murder hornet has made its way to the U.S. for the first time, according to researchers.

The Asian giant hornet, Vespa mandarinia, has been known to kill up to 50 people a year in Japan, according to The New York Times, and has the potential to devastate U.S. bee populations, which have already been declining. 

Tyler McKenzie, a student at Redlands Community College, is one of 50 recipients of the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. The highly competitive national scholarship will provide McKenzie with up to $40,000 a year to complete his bachelor’s degree.

“We are incredibly proud of Tyler and all of his accomplishments. He has worked so hard and taken advantage of every opportunity from concurrent courses in high school to leadership opportunities in college,” said Jack Bryant, president of Redlands.

With the panic over Covid-19 and the news predicting a cure will take possibly a year or more to discover, perhaps it is time to revisit the past.

Until the advent of chemical antibiotics, nature provided all the ingredients to ensure survival and health for the inhabitants of the planet.

Here in North America, our own Native Americans survived severely harsh conditions with an intricate knowledge of healthful foods. The Plains Indians ate as they nomadically traveled and the Apache alone had over 200 items in their yearly diet.

The Cresap Family Foundation has offered a $100,000 matching challenge to kick-start a relief fund managed by the Oklahoma Restaurant Association’s Hospitality Foundation.

Funds will be dispersed as $500 grants directly to restaurant and beverage workers to spend on their immediate needs whether that is food, rent, gas, medical expenses, etc. 

Applications will be taken until Wednesday, April 29 at 5 p.m. 

Updates will be given once the application process is live. Applicants must live in Oklahoma, Canadian or Cleveland counties.

While many people are doing their part by social distancing in an effort to remain healthy and protect the community, there are others looking to make a quick buck.

Those fraudulent marketers are popping up and promoting various products that claim to help prevent or treat COVID-19, said Janice Hermann, Oklahoma State University Extension nutrition specialist.

“Fraudulent COVID-19 products can come in many varieties including dietary supplements and other foods, as well as products claiming to be tests, drugs, medical devices or vaccines,” Hermann said.

The Oklahoma City Community Foundation is awarding $338,000 in scholarships to 169 central Oklahoma students, including El Reno High School seniors Malik Boland-Pickett, Madyson Carr and Abby Jeffrey.

“My number one goal is to graduate college so I can become a reading teacher and share my passion for reading and language arts with others,” said Carr, who plans to pursue a degree in education at Oklahoma State University.

El Reno residents continue to find ways to celebrate birthdays during the COVID-19 pandemic. Above, Gideon Tinsley and his wife, Verda sit on their lawn as members of their Trinity Baptist Church family drive by during a parade for his birthday. The former county commissioner and state senator turned 93 last week. The church also celebrated the 93rd birthday of Jean Edmonson, not pictured, who lives at St. Katharine Retirement Center. The center is on lockdown due to the outbreak and does not allow visitors.