Swim club hopes pool can stay open

We are saddened to hear that OCCC plans to close its pool at the end of the summer. For 25 years, this facility has given countless children water safety skills that save lives, aspiring competitive swimmers a place to build their dreams, and adult swimmers a lane to maintain a healthier lifestyle.

It has played host to multiple daily practices and hundreds of swim meets from local to national-level meets that bring in some of the fastest national, collegiate and amateur swimmers.

Throughout this time, King Marlin Swim Club has enjoyed working with OCCC to meet the swimming community’s needs and make a positive impact. The benefits are far-reaching and our community is the greatest benefactor.

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Non-profit news group hosting public forum on poverty

To the editor:

I’m an OCCC journalism graduate with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma. I now work for Oklahoma Watch. I want to tell you about an event you might be interested in attending — a public forum on Thursday, April 16, on the challenges of low-income neighborhoods in south Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma Watch is a non-profit news organization located at OU’s Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Those two organizations are sponsoring the event. The question-and-answer forum with local leaders will focus on the needs and concerns of south Oklahoma City communities and is tied to a mobile-video news project “Talk With Us: Poverty in Oklahoma City Neighborhoods.”

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‘Last Unicorn’ author touring through the state in April

To the Editor:

There are few films that continue to evoke the same sense of wonder and enchantment in me now as they did when I was a child.

However, when the vagabond Molly Grue in the 1982 classic, “The Last Unicorn,” beholds the titular creature for the first time and cries in despair, “Where have you been?” a chill never fails to run up my spine, nor an answering tightness to form in my throat.

“Where were you when I was new? When I was one of those innocent young maidens you always come to? How dare you! How dare you come to me now, when I am this?”

There is a part within all of us, I believe, that will always be waiting for the magic that ran like an undercurrent through the most beloved stories of our childhood.

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Renters insurance affordable, covers personal belongings

If you are currently renting or plan to rent soon, we recommend you contact an insurance agent to discuss renters insurance. While it is the landlord’s responsibility to fix the building if something like a fire or tornado damages the home, your personal belongings will be your responsibility to replace.

In addition to personal belongings, some policies also will cover living expenses if your apartment or home is uninhabitable due to damage caused by a covered peril.

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State health department encourages measles vaccinations

To the Editor:

The Oklahoma State Department of Health is urging Oklahomans to ensure household members and loved ones are vaccinated against measles.

OSDH is encouraging preventative measures and reminding everyone vaccination is the best way to protect against measles. In 2014, the U.S. saw 644 cases of measles, the most cases since measles was eliminated in 2000. As of Feb. 6, there have been 121 people from 17 states reported to have measles.

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OK Humane Society’s feral cat program a worthy cause

To the Editor:

As an animal advocate, I’m happy to see a new trend in the state — the Trap-Neuter-Return program for feral cats.

The program, already being used by Oklahoma City Animal Shelter and Midwest City Animal Welfare, operates on the premise that euthanizing feral cats, protected under the state’s anti-cruelty laws, serves no good purpose.

“Animal control’s endless, cruel cycle is extremely costly to taxpayers,” according to a handout from MCAW.

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