Norman Tornadoes Increasing? Experts Say No

           From November of 1983 until June of 2009, the city of Norman did not experience a registered tornado, even a miniscual EF0.  However since June of 2009, Norman has experienced some of the worst tornadoes, in less than a 3 year span.  Is Norman experiencing more tornadoes? Weather experts say no.

            Rick Smith, the Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the National Weather Center in Norman, Oklahoma, says that it’s not that there are more tornadoes, but that there are more people to see them and record them.

“There’s a perception that tornadoes are hitting more populated areas, but in reality populated areas are growing” Smith said.

            According to NOAA, tornadoes kill up to 70 people per year and up to 1, 500 injuries.  Oklahoma is situated right in tornado alley, along with Texas, Kansas and Nebraska, and has the highest risk of tornadoes in the spring and summer seasons.  The warm and humid air from the Gulf of Mexico, along with the dry air from the desert region, tends to meet to form tornadoes right in our area.

            In May of 1999, an EF5 torando was recorded in Moore, Oklahoma, killing 36 and injuring over 500, as it stretched one mile across and destroyed homes and buildings for 38 miles.  Norman experienced it’s largest recorded tornadoes in 2010, when an outbreak stretched across Norman.  Two EF4 tornadoes were recorded, killing 3 and inuring more than 80.  Patricia Keithley, was caught right in the middle of that tornado, which forced drastic changes upon her and her family.

“It lifted up the roof of our house and out cracks everywhere.  In the foundation, in the wood; so after our seventh repair company, we were told we had to move out of our house, so that it could be torn down and rebuilt” Keithley said.

 

Smith says that tornadoes like this, while not very common, can happen anytime and anywhere.

            “There’s nothing special about Moore, that puts it right in the path of tornadoes, even though it’s seen many tornadoes in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.  Norman is just as likely to be hit by a tornado of that size and destruction.”

            Norman was also hit less than one month ago, when an EF1 tornado damaged hundreds of homes and business, including Keithley’s office at Coldwell Banker Real Estate.

            “Now we have this one to deal with, and of course, it hit my side of the office.  We have to replace 4 windows and all the carpet and try to restructure” says Keithley.

           

            So while tornado numbers are not increasing, the number of people being affected by tornadoes is.  According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the Norman population has grown by 15.9% since 2000, an increase of more than 15,000 people.

            Experts say to always be weather aware when there’s severe weather in the spring and summer months of Oklahoma, and to be ready for a tornado if it comes.  You can find more information on tornadoes and tornado safety at noaa.gov.

Rick Smith and Pat Keithley give their takes on tornadoes in Norman

VIDEO: Tim O'Donnell, Runs: 2:56

Sooner Idol raises money for Bridges of Norman

            The Union Program Board’s annual Sooner Idol took the stage this past Saturday, raising money for its philanthropy, Bridges of Norman, in it’s school-wide singing contest.

            Sooner Idol pits 10 contestants against each other, in a judged singing contest, with only one winner becoming the Sooner Idol.  “We had over 80 people try out this year, which was huge, and we had to somehow narrow it down to 10” said Patrick McSweeney, UPB’s co-community service chair and Sooner Idol director.  Clarke Stroud hosted the event held in Meachem Auditorium, which donates all proceeds toward Bridges of Norman.

            Bridges of Norman is a non-profit organization that helps high school/college students, who live alone (due to any circumstance) and provide them with school expenses, food, clothing, medical care, baby needs, dental care, and furniture.  Bridges owns and operates 22 one-bedroom apartments for students, and has been operating since 1998.  McSweeney says “Sooner Idol acts as our main philanthropy event for Bridges, and students really help out the cause.”  Students bought sticks with contestant’s faces on them for $2 as well as “Crowd Favorite Votes” for $5 with all proceeds going towards Bridges.

            You can find out more information about the Union Programming Board at ou.edu/upb and Bridges of Norman at bridgesnorman.org.

Patrick McSweeney
Sooner Idol Director

OKC Memorial Marathon Drawing Younger Generation

            The 2012 Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, which took place this past Saturday, is an event that has taken place for 12 consecutive years in Oklahoma City to honor those fallen in the April 1995 bombings.  Each year, more and more contestants have run in the race, and each year the cause seems to be reaching the younger generation more and more.

            In 2011, more than 25,000 runners participated in the Oklahoma City Marathon, a steady climb from just 5,000 in the race’s inaugural year.  However, every year, more and more college students have decided to participate.  OU student, Corbin Wallace, says that he’s astounded by the amount of college students that run. “When I was out there this year, it really was incredible how many people I knew, from school and stuff, and how many young people were running for this cause.”

            The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon was founded in 2001, by two business men who liked to run and came up with the idea.  There is the half marathon, which is 13.1 miles, and the full marathon, which is 26.2 miles.  Many people run just because they like to run, while some run for a greater cause.  “I saw a man carrying 168 pounds of extra weight with him, to honor the 168 people that died in the bombings” said Wallace.

            “The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon is not about running, it is about life, honoring the memory of life lost through tragedy, celebrating the gift of life given equally to each person, and reaching forward into the future to life yet to be lived” according to the marathon’s website.  With the newer generation of runners participating in this event, it seems that this marathon can carry for years to come.

            You can find more information for the run and facts at okcmarathon.com

Corbin Wallace
OU Student/OKC Marathon Participant

UOSA Executive Branch takes Different Steps for Cabinet Elections

            UOSA (University of Oklahoma Student Assoication) applications for the Executive branch of the Student Government are due April 25^th to be apart of President Joe Sangirardi and Vice-President Rainey Sewell’s cabinet for the 2012-2013 school year.

            Students will turn in their applications, and then selected for interviews.  Once the interview process is over the President and vice-President will select their cabinet.  However, this year will be a little bit different says Vice-President Rainey Sewell, “we will select people to be in our cabinet, and after a retreat we’ll decide which positions each person will take in the cabinet.”

            Sangirardi and Sewell were elected as UOSA President and Vice-President earlier this semester, when they ran unopposed for the student government’s top position.  This new method is something that UOSA has not done in previous years.  Previously, students would sleect which position in the cabinet they were applying for.  While this year the President and Vice-President will choose the cabinet members positions, themselves.

            “This year we’re going to be taking many more applications and accepting many more people to our cabinet then has ever been done before” says Sewell.  This opportunity gives more students the chance to work within government at OU.

            For more information and applications you can visit UOSA’s website at ou.edu/uosa.

            Vice-President Rainey Sewell on UOSA Executive Branch Cabinet Application,

Rainey Sewell
UOSA Vice President

OU Student Stopping Diabetes While Fighting it Himself

Ryan Fightmaster was diagnosed with Type I diabetes when he was only 8 years old.  After years of being told what he couldn’t do, and after one incident that almost took his life in 2009, Ryan decided he had to do something about diabetes.  In 2010 Ryan started the Oklahoma Run to Defeat Diabetes.  Diabetes can be a dangerous disease, but Fighmaster has perceivered and used his disease to spread awareness.

In 2010, as a philanthropy event, Ryan founded the Oklahoma Run to Defeat Diabetes.  He went to President David Boren, a fellow diabetic, with the idea for the run.  Boren told Ryan that he could use the Gaylord-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium as a finish line for the run. The course for the run is a USATF certified 5,000 meter flat, scenic course that winds through The University of Oklahoma campus and finishes inside the stadium.  The run had around 500 participants in its first year of existence and raised over $25,000 for the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center.  In it’s second year in 2011, the race had over 1,000 participants and raised nearly $50,000 for the Harold Hamm Center.  People were starting to notice, including Bart McDonough, CEO of Agio Technology, who called on all of OU’s Athletic Department coaches and staff to race him to the finish line and that he would donate $1000 to the Oklahoma Diabetes Center for each of the first 10 challengers to beat him in the race.  Fightmaster’s goal to defeat diabetes has begun, but diabetes still affects many Americans. Diabetes is a metabolism disorder. A person with diabetes has a condition in which the quantity of glucose is too elevated because the body either does not produce enough insulin, produces no insulin, or has cells that do not respond properly to insulin. There are many different types of diabetes, and 8.3% of the U.S. population, or 25.8 million people have diabetes according to the American Diabetes Association. Fightmaster has Type I diabetes. From 2002–2005, 15,600 youth were newly diagnosed with type I diabetes annually. Among youth ages younger than 10 years, the rate of new cases was 19.7 per 100,000 each year for type I diabetes. In Type I diabetes, cells produce little or no insulin. Without enough insulin, glucose builds up in the bloodstream instead of going into the cells, so the body is unable to use this glucose for energy.

When insulin levels drop too low however, serious consequences can occur. One example is a diabetic seizure, which Ryan suffered in the fall of 2009. A diabetic seizure can occur when you become hypoglycemic, which means blood sugar levels have dropped too low. This happens if you take too much insulin, exercise vigorously without eating properly, skip meals, drink too much alcohol or have a metabolic disease.  Ryan’s roommates were able to give him the medicine he needed, just in time before paramedics could get there. This was the fuel Ryan needed to pursue the Oklahoma Run to Defeat Diabetes.

Fightmaster feels as though he’s made a big difference in his community and hopes to branch the success outward.

            “At first I wanted this race to just raise awareness for diabetes, but now as it grows bigger and bigger, I’m hoping that we can make this the staple run for diabetes awareness not only for the state of Oklahoma, but hopefully by the use of satellite races, for the nation.”

            Fightmaster is set to schedule the 3^rd Oklahoma Run to Defeat Diabetes in the near future, but is hoping for September of 2012. To find out more about the Oklahoma Run to Defeat Diabetes you can visit their website at okdiabtesrun.com.

            

           Ryan Fightmaster founded and started the Oklahoma Run to Defeat Diabetes in 2010.  As a diabetic, Ryan has focused on raising awareness for diabetes in the state of Oklahoma, and raising money to help find a cure for this disease.

SLIDESHOW: Tim O'Donnell RUNS: 1:51

Pledge of Controversy

“ I pledge allegiance, to the flag, of the United States of America. And to the Republic, for which it stands; one nation…”  The controversy over the next words has been fueling for many years and with many different outcomes across the country.

The next words in the Pledge of Allegiance are “under God”.  Schools and students across the nation have been perplexed about these words for many years.  The controversy has been whether or not students should have to recite these words, or recite the Pledge of Allegiance at all because of these words.

Oklahoma state law 70-24-106 states that students are not required to recite the pledge of allegiance.  Oklahoma is one of eight states in the U.S. where students have the option to recite the pledge of allegiance.  While there is allotted time for the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance for students, it is not required to actually say the Pledge. 49 out of the 50 states give schools the option to require students to say the Pledge of Allegiance; Oklahoma is the only state where schools do not have the option to require it or not, due to the fact that students have the option themselves.

Karen Parrish, a public school teacher, says that students have a right whether to say the pledge or not, but they should at least be respectful of students who are saying the Pledge.

“Should I have a student who does not want to participate…I ask that they respect those who are saying the Pledge of Allegiance.”

For more information you can contact your local Government office at 405-524-3468 or visit ok.gov.

Karen Parrish about the Pledge of Allegiance

Slideshow Example

The outside of the Sigma Phi Epsilon house has many sounds that range from cars to doors to everything in between.  This "quiet" spot turned into quite a commotion with the many amounts of noise that can be heard.  VIDEO: Tim O'Donnell