We all love to hate them, but we love the benefits they provide. Taxes may prove to be the hottest issue in the state legislature this session. During her State of the State address, Governor Mary Fallin proposed a plan to phase out Oklahoma’s personal income tax. The three-point plan to phase out the tax is leaving some singing her praises and others raising big questions.
In this week’s video blog, we sit down with lawmakers on both sides of the issue.
~Courtenay Dehoff
The field of engineering is typically dominated by men, but thanks to an innovative program young women are realizing their love for engineering early. FIRST Robotics is a competition with the enthusiasm and energy of a college football game. Students have six weeks to design a robot that can complete a number of tasks and this year, I spent the evening talking to with two girls who have big engineering dreams.
In this week’s video blog, I visit Francis Tuttle Technology Center, with one of the most prestigious FIRST Robotics teams, as they begin their journey.
~Courtenay Dehoff
Well believe it or not, the nation’s and perhaps even the world’s, busiest pipeline region is right here in Oklahoma.
The Cushing and Drumright area are all about pipelines and thanks to Central Tech in Drumright the industry is finally able to meet the growing demand for highly trained technicians in the field.
There has long been a need for technicians with safety training under their belts and Central Tech’s Pipeline and Safety Training classes are meeting those needs. In this week’s video blog we travel to Drumright where all the action is taking place.
~Courtenay DeHoff
Over Christmas I had the rare opportunity to turn the camera on my own family. I managed to escape some of the holiday madness by hiding behind my lens as my family worked throughout the holidays on our ranch in Northeast Kansas.
Few issues have ignited as much debate as the proposed child labor laws and like hundreds of other families our opinions on the issue are strong. We could think of no better way to portray this story than through the eyes of my little sister. For a few days I followed her around our ranch in Tonganoxie, Kansas, and eventually on to our grandparent’s ranch in Allen, Kansas. The story not only tackled the debate head on it may just have ended up being one of the most rewarding stories in my young career.
In this week’s video blog, the DeHoff family shows us what farming and ranching is really all about.
~Courtenay DeHoff
The 2012 Oklahoma Economic Outlook Conference was a real eye opener for me. Economists from across the state discussed the future of Oklahoma’s economy. While Oklahoma has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, we may not be out of the clear yet. The rising land bubble and low commodity prices may affect the state in more ways than one.
In this week’s video blog we take a look at the one thing that is running Oklahoma’s economic show…oil. The energy sector could prove to be our saving grace, but if troubles in Europe continue we may see liquid gold’s value to Oklahoma, drain away.
~Courtenay Dehoff