Tag Archives: Oklahoma Horizon TV

On the Horizon: Water for Everyone

Here in the United States, we take water for granted. We turn on a faucet, out comes water. Flush a toilet, more water. Need to wash your clothes, not a problem. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case in a lot of the world. In many places, water, while being a necessity, isn’t an on-hand commodity. Many times, it has to be lugged from a well that could be a mile or two away…daily. There isn’t running water in the home or even close to the home. Women and children are the main people who have to do the lugging as part of their daily life. A lot of times this means that some children can’t even go to school because they have to help bring water to their home which could mean many trips to the well with whatever container they have to haul it in. It’s not a picture we like to think about but one we really shouldn’t ignore.

I wasn’t really crazy about going to do a story on the demonstrations being done about how to dig water wells in other countries. It was a very cold morning and I didn’t know what to expect. What I found was a group of people who were very dedicated to solving the world’s water crisis. They were very passionate about it and many of them had seen first-hand just how bad the need really is. My heart became softened as I realized just how big the problems really is and how many people it affects…especially children. Without clean drinking water, many children become sick and die. It’s a shame really because the need is really about the ability to drill for water and filtrate it to make it clean.

And that’s what this week’s video blog is about, some solutions to drill for water and clean it up in remote areas and as one person put it, available clean water equals people freed up to go to school and learn equals peace in the world. All because of clean, drinking water. My hope is for you to realize the need and that you, too, can help.

~Alisa Hines

On The Horizon: But It’s Free!

Before Jon Stewart or even Andy Rooney, there was humorist Will Rogers. Covering the day’s topics, Rogers made you feel like you were talking to a friend. That friendly persona along with Rogers’ wit and wisdom is captured in cowboy humorist Will Roberts’ revived segment called “Will’s Weekly Telegram”.

Focusing on current events, as well as timeless and popular topics, in a comedic style that is approachable to all ages while being straight to the point for a world filled with tweets and sound bites. Roberts’ is considered to be the Modern Day Will Rogers right down to the fact that he is currently one of the featured acts as a trick roper in one of the largest stage shows on the Las Vegas strip.

In this week’s video blog, we’d like to introduce you to our old friend, Will Roberts and why he got to thinking…why we are willing to pay for what we can get, for almost free.
Rob McClendon

On the Horizon: Vince Orza–Entrepreneur Extraordinare

Vince Orza has truly done it all and he is the type of person that I aspire to be. For years Orza called television home and then eventually took a job teaching. In the meantime, he ran for governor of Oklahoma, became the Dean of Business at Oklahoma City University and opened up a chain of restaurants. Eventually his career would come full circle and he would step back under the bright lights to save a dying television station.

If his lifetime of careers is not impressive enough, in this week’s video blog, just listening to Vince Orza is sure to enthrall you. His voice comes easy, much like you would expect from anyone working in television, but what may be surprising are his values on life and the advice by which he lives by.
Courtenay Dehoff

On the Horizon: Monumental Task

Old Station Monuments and More is barely one mile from my own home and I had yet to step foot inside. Like so many people, my mom and I would always discuss what a “cute little place” it is as we flew by on Highway 33. Little did I know, there was not only a unique story about the property, but a truly unique story about the couple behind the business.

In this week’s video blog, I’ll show you the quirkiness that will keep you coming back and an atmosphere that is sure to please.

~Courtenay Dehoff

 

On the Horizon: Prisons and Drugs

About 80 percent of prison inmates are there because of a drug conviction or crimes fueled by a drug dependency. I am not one to blame drug dependency or my love of greasy Mexican food on anything more than the lack of self control. I know breaking a drug addiction is difficult, but many people have kicked the habit. So while I am in the no excuses camp, I do believe state prisons are an awfully expensive solution to solve the state’s drug abuse problem.

My hat is off to Oklahoma’s Speaker of the House Kris Steele who led the passage of the some of the first alternative sentencing laws despite lots of pressure from within his own party not to. A landmark corrections bill, dealing with nonviolent offenders and intended to relieve prison overcrowding, took effect this month. HB 2131, the first significant piece of legislation favoring alternative sentences for nonviolent offenders, expands both the use of community sentencing programs and the electronic monitoring of low-risk, nonviolent inmates.

In this week’s video blog, I introduce you to a guy our tax dollars are paying to house until 2034…at the earliest. Vince loved his cocaine and went on a robbery spree in Tulsa a few years back. He would call a taxi, have them drive him to a Subway sandwich shop, stick his finger in his pocket and then tell the teenager behind the counter to give him all his money. Pretty stupid stuff, and leaves little doubt he must have been on drugs. No surprise he gets caught and under mandatory sentencing gets a huge sentence.

Is Vince a threat or just a person with poor judgment and a drug problem? Take a look at what he has to say and let me know what you think. I am curious if I am just a sucker.

Rob McClendon