You may recall that keys to bringing new industry to a community are workforce, education & training, location, and quality of life. Enid has positioned itself well to meet the needs of industry in these areas but, the question might be what type of industries should Enid target? Thankfully, we have the answer to this question based on a targeted industry and workforce analysis that was completed in 2020 by the Site Selection Group. The study revealed that Enid is positioned best to recruit Aviation & Aerospace, Value-Added Agriculture, and Heavy Manufacturing and Assembly.
Aviation & Aerospace – The Woodring Regional Airport and Cimarron Industrial Airpark provide a great location for aviation and aerospace companies. The Cimarron Industrial Airpark offers 67 acres designated just for aviation-related businesses. Enid’s aviation focus is towards Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) companies. Two of the many reasons MRO companies can be successful in Enid because of the customized training available through Autry Technology Center and the many assets at Woodring Regional Airport, including the 8,000 ft. runway.
Value-Added Agriculture – Agriculture is the lifeblood of Northwest Oklahoma. For decades, Enid has been a central location for value-added agriculture. Companies like Tyson Food, No Man’s Land Beef Jerky, Hanor, ADM, and Koch Fertilizer are leaders in the value-added agriculture industry. It can be beneficial for companies in this sector to locate in Enid because of our experience in the industry, geographic location, and investment our water supply through the Kaw Lake Pipeline. The COVID-19 pandemic has generated activity for relocation and expansion of food manufacturing companies, with Oklahoma being a top contender for these businesses.
Heavy Manufacturing and Assembly – Enid’s third target industry is heavy manufacturing and assembly. Companies in this industry benefit from our skilled workforce, our geographical location, and the availability of rail service and industrial water. Enid is fortunate to have a number of greenfield locations for construction of manufacturing facilities as well as existing buildings to market to this industry sector. Enid is one of only 27 cities in the country that can offer a BNSF certified site, which reduces the development time for any company that locates on that site.
The staff at the Enid Regional Development Alliance is sharing the message about the benefits of locating in Enid to companies both near and far. Our goal is to find the perfect fit for both the company and the community. The outlook for Enid is promising as we work towards recruiting new industries that bring quality jobs to our community.
Nearly nine in ten (89%) of adults aged 65 years and over report that they are taking at least one prescription medication. Of that nearly 89% of adults aged 65 years and over, over half (54%) of those same individuals report taking four or more prescription drugs daily. This large number of prescription medications, primarily prescribed to individuals of an older demographic representative a huge percentage of the prescription drugs sold in the United States.
As we get older, it is understood by most that the need to take daily medication will probably happen. Prescription medications and over-the-counter medications become an important part of our lives as we move into our 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and beyond.
As we get older, our sensitivity to some medications increases as our metabolism slows down. This is why is it important for individuals and caregivers to be aware of all medications that are being taken and to stay in communication with all healthcare providers who are prescribing this medication. OHAI wants to provide you with some other tips that could keep you or a family member safe when taking medications.
Keep an up-to-date list of all your medications with you at all times. This is critical, especially if you have a health issue outside of the home. Make sure that you have an updated medication list either written, typed, or even added to the Health section of your phone. If you have a medical emergency, EMS and other healthcare providers will need that information to make sure that you receive the best care. Make sure that you add ALL medications that you are taking, including any herbal supplements or over-the-counter medications.
Try to use the same pharmacy to fill all of your prescriptions. All pharmacies have drug interaction software that alerts them if you have been prescribed a medication that could cause a drug interaction. This is important when you are being prescribed multiple medications by multiple healthcare providers.
Have a relationship with your pharmacist. If you have questions, ask them. Pharmacists are available to answer any questions that you may have and can get into contact with your healthcare provider if you have a side effect from a new medication. Your pharmacist is a very important part of your healthcare team.
When you get a new medication from a healthcare provider, ask questions. Here are a few examples of some questions that you may ask: What is the name of the medication? What is the medication used for? How long will I need to take this medication? How should I take this medication? Is there a generic equivalent? These are questions that your healthcare provider should be able to answer for you and provide you with much-needed information on the medications that you are taking. Remember, knowledge is power.
For this and more information on medication safety as we age, please reach out to the Oklahoma Healthy Aging Initiative (OHAI) at www.ohai.org or you can call OHAI Northwest Office of Healthy Aging at (580) 297-5137 or you can reach out via email at devon-murray@ouhsc.edu. Remembering some of these easy tips will keep you aging to perfection!
The hometown Enid Outlaws look to continue their undefeated season this afternoon (Sunday) against conference rival Midtown (Wichita) Prestige. The Outlaws are coming off of a last-minute, closer than the score indicated, 136-125 home win over Omaha Finest on Friday where they had typically strong performances from Chance Comanche, Wayne Runnels and Charlie Marquardt. The Outlaws are currently 5-0 on the season.
The Midtown Prestige are 0-5 on the season and coming off a 144-136 close loss to the Waco Royals last night. They are paced by Guard Chris Whitfield (#5), who is averaging 20.4 points per game. Aaron Scales (#32) is another player to watch as he averages 14.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.
The game starts at 4:00. Tickets are available at the Stride Bank Center box office or at www.stridebankcenter.com and start at $8.00.
Tonight, Friday, April 23, 2021, the undefeated (4-0) Enid Outlaws take on the 1-2 Omaha’s Finest at 7:00 p.m. at the Stride Bank Center.
The Outlaws are coming off of a dominating 76 point victory over the Lewisville Leopards, where TBL Player of the Week Chance Comanche completely dominated. He is averaging 32.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game through the first 4 games. Watonga native, Wayne Runnels, is also a star who is averaging 20 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.
The last time these two teams played, Enid won 118-115 in a tightly contested game. While Omaha is 1-2, they are a good team led by Guard Craig Sword, a former Mississipi State player, who is averaging 25.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. He is a decent 3 point shooter at 36.4%. He scored 27 points against the Outlaws in the last game. Guard Devonte Patterson is also a player to watch, as he averages 19 points, 7 rebounds and shoots 38.9% from 3.
Tickets are available at the Stride Bank Center box office or at www.stridebankcenter.com and start at $8.00.
Spring has arrived! Signs are everywhere. Baby animals are frolicking. Baby birds are chirping. New plants are poking their sprouts up through the soil. Many stores have displays of seed packets and you have the itch to grow something. So plant a seed and watch it grow. It’s that simple. But what kind of seed? Where does the seed come from? How deep should it be planted? Should it be started inside or outside in the garden?
Seeds are nature’s way of reproducing plants. They can be purchased at a store in a seed packet. You can harvest your own. You can share with a friend. Or you can go to the Enid and Garfield County Public Library and “check out” the many different varieties of vegetable, herb, and flower seeds that are available in the Seed Library on the second floor of the Enid Public Library. To “check out” seed from the seed library, borrowers just need to fill out a slip for inventory purposes. You don’t even need a library card! But a library card helps to check out some gardening books for gardening guidance. At the end of the growing season, harvest some of your seeds and bring them back to share with others for next season. It’s that simple.
My first experience with saving seeds happened by accident. My daughter made a bean bag at Girl Scouts using dried pinto beans from a bag of beans from the grocery store. The bean bag ripped, so she just dumped them into our front flower garden. In early May these sprout things started to grow. By mid-June, bean pods were growing on bushy-looking plants. We harvested enough for a small pan of beans. They were delicious. I thought if beans from the grocery store would grow, what else could I grow from seeds from other places. Could I actually grow my own seeds? What a novel idea! I allowed the bean pods to dry out in the early fall. I picked them, shelled them, and stored them in a paper letter envelope. The next year I planted them and grew…beans!
About the same time, I had a delicious butternut squash from the grocery store. I thought, if it worked for beans, I wonder if it would work for squash? It did. Every year since then I have saved some seeds from the butternut squash I have harvested and planted them the next spring. At this point, the butternut family is in its 6th generation.
A couple of key ideas to keep in mind when harvesting your own seeds knowing what kinds of plants you have, how they produce seeds, how the plants are pollinated, and whether they are annual, biennial, or perennial plants. Vegetable plants produce a fruit that contains the seed. Beans have seed pods. Tomatoes have seeds inside the pulp. Cucumbers, summer squash, zucchini, eggplant all have seeds inside the flesh. Peppers, okra, pumpkins, gourds have seeds inside the hollow centers. All of these plants have flowers that are pollinated (made reproducible) in your garden by birds, bees, butterflies and other insects, and even the wind. This method of pollination in your garden is called Open Pollination. These flowers produce the fruit/vegetable that contains the seeds. Leafy greens such as lettuce, spinach, and kale produce tall stalks at the end of their growing season towards the end of June. Flowers that bloom on these stalks produce a seed pod at their base of the flower which can be harvested for seeds after they dry on the stalk. Many flowers such as coneflowers (brown-eyed Susans, echinacea, daisies) marigolds, zinnias, and sunflowers, will dry well on the stalk and the seeds can be collected from the central part of the flower.
Most garden vegetables and seed flowers need to be replanted every year or annually. Thus they are called annuals. Biennial vegetables require two seasons to complete their life cycle or produce seeds and die. These include cabbages, onions, beets, celery, and carrots. Perennial plants live for a minimum of three years but can live for decades. They usually can produce seeds and not die. Plants in this group include many herbs such as oregano and rosemary, fruit trees like apples and pears, and berries, rhubarb, and asparagus. Most grasses, trees, shrubs, and bulbs also are considered perennials.
Save information on your seeds. Keep good records such as the common name of the plant, the Latin name if you know it, the date it was planted, the date it was harvested, any types of growing specifics such as how many days from planting until maturity (harvesting (vegetable) or flowering), planting depth, sunlight needs (full, partial, or shade) and any other important observations. Choose healthy plants for ideal seeds. Healthy plants are more likely to produce healthy, vigorous seeds. Save the seeds from disease-free plants that have ideal characteristics such as shape, color, flavor, and size that match the plant variety’s description.
Store seeds that are fully mature, dry, and pest-free in a cool, dry, dark area that is protected from pests. Storing your harvested seeds in paper envelopes helps keep them drier than in a plastic ziplock bag. Also, cardboard shoe boxes or plastic totes with air circulation holes work well for storing seeds and keeping them organized. Check out the Seed Library for some more tips and information on saving seeds.
Sharing seeds with your friends and family is very rewarding and lots of fun. And if you see a plant that you don’t have in your garden in a neighbor’s garden, ask if you can have some seeds. Just like the plant, a new friendship may spring up from planting a seed.
Cute swimming class in the pool at the leisure center
71% of the World is Water, Children Are 100% Curious
Teaching children how to be safe around water is not a luxury; it is a necessity. The YMCA’s Safety Around Water program can help you make sure they learn essential water safety skills, which can open up a world of possibilities for them to satisfy their curiosity safely.
What Is Safety Around Water?
Through learning how to perform a sequenced set of skills over eight lessons of 40 minutes each, the risk of drowning is reduced, giving your child confidence in and around water.
A typical session includes:
Exercises to help kids adjust to being in the water
Instruction in “Jump, Push, Turn, Grab” and “Swim, Float, Swim,” two skill sets kids can use if they unexpectedly find themselves in the water
Specific safety topics, like what to do if you see someone in the water who needs help
Fun activities that reinforce skills
Swim Lessons
The Y is “America’s Swim Instructor” and the most accessible community resource to prevent drowning and encourage a lifelong enjoyment of swimming. The Y introduced the country to the concept of group swim lessons more than 100 years ago (1909), and each year, the Y teaches more than a million children invaluable water safety and swimming skills. As one of the largest community-based organizations in the country, the Y owns or manages over 2,000 pools. Thanks to its size and reach, the Y is in a unique position to help bridge the gap in the delivery of swim lessons and water safety education in the U.S.—especially in underserved communities.
There are three general categories of Y Swim Lessons:
Swim Starters develops water enrichment and aquatic readiness in children ages six months to three years. This category focuses on developing swim readiness skills through fun and confidence-building experiences. Parents also learn how to supervise children in the water, how to prevent accidents, and how to plan for emergencies.
Swim Basics develops personal water safety and basic swimming skills in students of all ages. Swimmers develop a high level of comfort in the water by practicing safe water habits, engaging in underwater exploration, and learning how to swim to safety and exit if they fall into a body of water.
Swim Strokes introduces and refines stroke technique in older students (school age, teens, and adults). Having mastered the fundamentals, students learn additional water safety skills and build stroke techniques, developing skills that prevent chronic disease, increase social-emotional and cognitive well-being and foster a lifetime of physical activity.
Help Keep Your Children Safe
Drowning can happen nearly anywhere with standing water. But, as a parent or caregiver, you can’t keep your children sidelined. You need to equip them with the tools they need to be confident in and around water so they don’t lose out on the health benefits of exercise, the opportunities to bond with family and friends, and the sense of accomplishment when they learn new skills.
Enroll in a YMCA Safety Around Water or Swim Lessons Program Today!
Both programs are available to all kids and families.
The Triangulum Galaxy (M33) as seen from Enid, Oklahoma. This galaxy is roughly 2.73 million light-years from Earth. (Photo by Patrick Wine)
Here’s the skinny of it. We all know that one person who can walk into any setting, from neon-colored house parties to fancy cocktail dinners, and wow the guests with tantalizing conversations concerning the existential conundrum of the platonist theory of forms and the ways in which the human psyche…Yeah, that person. It’s always fun to be that character. “Hey Shelly, how’s it hang–” “Did you know that the theory of negative mass says that you could easily send a baseball through the Earth to China?” “No Shelly. I did not know that. And I’m not sure why I–” Well guess what, you’re about to embark on a ridiculously brief journey to understanding how Shelly, while lacking some conversational bridging skills, is possibly correct. That’s right! In this month’s The Cosmic Mariner, we’re going to become amateur cosmologists. No… Cos-molo-gy not cos-me-tolo-gy. The universe is already beautiful!
To start our trek into this truly wacky field, three things must be understood. First, the universe is made up of Matter, Dark Matter, and Dark Energy. However, this is astronomy and astronomy is never that straightforward. Matter, everything that we know exists, makes up a whopping 5% of the universe based on astronomical calculations. That other 95%? That’s what we’re interested in. And guess what. Astronomers have no clue what it is because we can’t see it since it doesn’t interact with light (electromagnetism). All they know is that it has to exist based on observations of the universe. This brings us to our second item. Spiral galaxies are weird. Like, they shouldn’t exist weird. The amount of positive matter inside galaxies is too small to account for their size and high rotational velocities. In essence, they should have spun themselves into oblivion. Another problem with galaxies, including our own, is that they’re accelerating away from each other. Except for Andromeda. That galaxy has some beef with the Milky Way. It’ll be utter chaos when they collide. But don’t have a cow. That’ll happen in a few billion years. But this brings us to our third base fact; the universe is accelerating as it expands.
Now, if you don’t understand the following concept at first, don’t fret. It took me a few sleepless nights to grasp as well. Everything we know that exists, a baseball, for instance, has positive mass. If you throw the +baseball forward (a forward force), it moves forward (forward acceleration) and the batter slugs it into the stands. That baseball also has +gravity that attracts other +baseballs. Logical, right? Now let’s slap a nice ol’ negative onto that baseball and see what happens. If you throw that -baseball forward (a forward force), it will fly backward (opposite acceleration) into the umpire’s face. That is, the direction the -baseball will travel is always opposite to the direction of the force. Now apply that to gravity. If two -baseballs meet, their forces are attracted to each other which means they accelerate away from each other. When a -baseball meets a +baseball, they repel each other through gravity since they’re opposites. Now, I know what you’re saying. This can’t get any stranger.
Graphic courtesy EDP Sciences
Well, I’m here to tell you that it does, in fact, get stranger. Remember, -baseballs accelerate opposite to the force. So, think about this. What happens when a +baseball meets a -baseball? They have repelling forces. We know the positive baseball accelerates away from the -baseball. But what happens to the -baseball? Can you see where this is going? The -baseball will accelerate towards the +baseball. In essence, the -baseball is attracted to the +baseball because the +baseball is repelling the -baseball. That means that the baseballs are locked in an infinite acceleration until they approach light speed. Confusing? Good. Because it’s complete bonkers. Yes, bonkers is a credible scientific term when talking about theoretical physics. Now, on your own, think of what happens when you drop a bouncy ball with negative mass. Where does it go?
While this sounds like hogwash, it’s actually plausible. In a new theory, proposed by Jaimie Farnes from the University of Oxford, it is suggested that a “dark fluid” consisting of negative masses could be the identity of both dark matter and dark energy combined. Remember those galaxies that shouldn’t exist? Well, dark fluid can theoretically explain their existence. Over time, negative mass would be attracted to the positive mass of the galaxy and, therefore, encircle the galaxy. This, in turn, exerts a repelling force on the galaxy that wants to rip itself apart, and, low and behold, the galaxy remains in its beautiful shape. But what about the accelerating universe? It has been observed that more distant galaxies are moving further away at accelerating velocities. How could this be? Well, remember how negative mass repels negative mass? And how positive mass is propelled infinitely by negative mass? That could explain why galaxies are not only moving away from each other but also why they’re accelerating.
So there you have it. You’re now ready to journey into the great unknown of social gatherings and serenade bewildered guests, friends, and family with your knowledge of dark fluid and its relation to the cosmos. That being said, this is purely theoretical so you may or may not be lying to them. But how do you know if this groundbreaking theory could be real without thinking about it critically? That’s the key to science. I challenge you to delve into this universe-altering question and find the truth. After all, that’s what we’re all in search of.
Finally, we’re hopefully out of the cold, bleak greys of winter and into the sunshine and thunderstorms of Spring, where flowers bloom and yards turn green. For me, there’s nothing quite like standing outside with the sun in my face and feeling the warmth on my skin. (Editor’s Note: How is it supposed to snow tomorrow! Argh!)
Spring is a time for renewal in a variety of ways. A lot of us turn to home improvement, landscaping, or gardening projects as we look to put winter in the rear-view mirror.
For others, Spring is a great time to look inward and address the kinds of changes that renew our souls. If that’s the case, you might consider “Celebrate Recovery – A Celebration of Love” on April 11th (check out the ad on the inside front cover). It’s a night of good (and free!) food, uplifting singing, and powerful testimonies of how God has helped a lot of us heal old hurts, habits, and hang-ups that have held us back from living our best lives. It’s a program that saved my life – maybe it can shine some hope into yours, too! Hope to see you on April 11th!
By Joe B. Wiles – 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. – Before every shift, the Defenders at Vance Air Force Base inspect each other’s duty equipment at guard mount.
A new item has been added to the inspection — the latest tactical body armor issued by the Air Force Security Forces Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, called the Modular Scalable Vest.
“The new vest is great,” said Tech. Sgt. Hayden Granger, with the 71st Security Forces Squadron. “It uses some of the best attributes of our old vests with some modern twists,” he said.
The AFSFC funded the initial 87 vests for Vance Defenders.
Among the improvements in the vest is padding in both the shoulders and the hips, said Master Sgt. Jessica Dahmen, the 71st SFS logistics section chief.
Tech. Sgt. Hayden Granger, from the 71st Security Forces Squadron, stands guard at Vance Air Force Base’s main gate March 5. Granger was the first Airman to receive the Air Force’s new tactical body armor called the Modular Scalable Vest issued. The MSV provides better protection and mobility for Defenders. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Zoë T. Perkins)
“The hip padding helps reduce the impact of the heavy armor plates when running,” she said, “which will prevent a lot of potential back injuries.”
Granger likes the additional padding in the vest. It helps relieve some of the strain when wearing the vest for extended periods of time, he said.
The armor plates inside the old body armor tended to shift inside the carrier, said Dahmen. The new vest features a pouch specifically designed for the plate so it fits snugly and doesn’t shift.
The Velcro in the new vest appears sturdier, said Granger. Senior Airman Tristan Ramos with the 71st SFS agrees. He has been test-wearing the vest for several weeks.
“The vest is easier to adjust and holds the configuration I prefer,” said Ramos. “The old vest would loosen up if you were active.”
A feature of the new vest that will be critical on the battle field is a quick release tab. When that tab is pulled, the vest literally falls apart, said Dahmen, allowing quick access for treating injuries.
71st Security Forces Squadron Defenders were the first to receive the Air Force’s newest tactical body armor knows as the Modular Scalable Vest. The vest offers Airmen here better protection and improved mobility over older body armor styles. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Zoë T. Perkins)
Even though the vest is very adjustable, it comes in a variety of sizes, from extra-small to extra-large.
After a couple of tries, Ramos settled for a size small. “It fits just right, protecting all vital areas,” he said. “The way it conforms to your body is almost like an extra layer of clothes, making it easier to get in and out of vehicles.”
The vests can be configured for different level of protection based on the mission, said Dahmen.
For Level One protection, it can carry the second-chance flexible material. For Level Two, a plate can be added. More armor can be added as the need for protection increases. Plates to protect the wearer’s sides are also available.
While the MSV offers a better fit for all Airmen the Security Forces Center plans to deploy tactical body armor specially designed to fit women although there is no date yet for its release.
Check out this month’s Enid Monthly IN DEPTH as Sarah Herrian, talks about her childhood growing up in Southern California, what took her to Skid Row, and how that eventually brought her to Enid where she has used her God-given talents, along with her husband Jeremiah, to grow Forgotten Ministries into an amazing service organization to help those most in need. Finally, we spend time talking about her true passion – foster care and adoption. Do not miss this one! If you would like to sponsor Enid Monthly IN DEPTH, email me at robert@enidmonthly.com
