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Friday, April 10, 2026 - 5:15am

Arrestee Previously Charged in Texas With Online Solicitation of a Minor Under 14

Friday, April 10, 2026 - 5:15am

Building Emptied

News

The Seminole Utilities Authority, comprised of city council members, will consider an agreement with a private firm for management of the family entertainment center when it convenes for its regular monthly Tuesday evening.

Blake Cummings, a veteran of the oil/gas and telecom sectors, last week officially announced his candidacy for the Oklahoma House of Representatives in District 28, which encompasses all of Seminole County, as well as portions of Pottawatomie County.

Over 13,000 Oklahomans have changed their party affiliation this year ahead of the closed June primary elections, according to a state report.

On Saturday, May 9, letter carriers across central and western Oklahoma will collect nonperishable food donations from homes on their routes as part of the National Association of Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, presented by OG&E and American Fidelity.

Sports

NORMAN — For the first time in series history Oklahoma heads to Texas for a Southeastern Conference (SEC) series as No. 2 OU gears up for the first of two trips to the Lone Star State this month.

Ames, IOWA - Winners in eight of its last nine games, the No. 19/20 Oklahoma State softball team (25-10 overall, 7-5 Big 12) returns from its bye week with a road trip to Iowa State (23-15 overall, 4-8 Big 12).

Arcadia: April 6. Elevation is 1.5 ft. above normal and falling, water temperature 63°F and stained. (USACE Lake Level) White bass fair on spinnerbaits and spoons around channels and creek channels. Blue and channel catfish fair on cut bait and dough bait around flats and main lake. Crappie fair on jigs and minnows around brush structure and docks. Report submitted by Dalton Buley, game warden stationed in Oklahoma County.

Seminole Chieftains Compete at Annual 66 Golf Tournament

Opinions

The inquisitive nature of the human mind has been evident from the very beginning of time. After all, it was Lucifer playing upon Eve's inquisitive nature that got us into the fallen predicament the world finds itself in today. Inquisition, nonetheless, has driven innovations ranging from the archaic wheel for a simple cart to the Sojourner Mars rover and beyond. Each step along the way has been possible only through the utility of the gift of observation. Not only was observation key to Galileo's discovery of the moons of Jupiter in the early 7th century, but it was also key to Walther Flemming's discovery of cell division in the late 9th century. However, it was a 20th-century philosopher of science named Karl Popper who modernized the scientific method and revolutionized the process of scientific discovery through the methodology of falsification. Karl Popper (902994) believed all inquisitions (theories) fall into one of two categories-scien- tific or nonscientific theories. Scientific theories, he argued, should be distinguished by their hypothesis formulations, allowing for falsification. That is, any theory should be put forward in such a way that it can be proven false. Popper used the analogy of the black swan to explain his idea. Beginning from the hypothesis: "all swans are white," no matter how many white swans can be observed, one cannot prove that all swans are white. There is the possibility that one has not actually observed all swans in existence. However, if you found one single black swan, then that single black swan would disprove the hypothesis: "All swans are white." That is, since the hypothesis could be falsified in this way, it is considered a valid scientific hypothesis. Popper's criteria of falsifiability soon became the core principle of the sci- entific method. Following its inception, no scientific hypothesis or theory was considered legitimate if it could not be falsified. Today, falsifiability is so intricately interwoven into the fabric of the scientific method that the seeming inability to falsify string theory has created an ongoing firestorm of debate regarding its legitimacy as a scientific theory. Setting string theory aside, all other theories, then, can state whatever can be imagined; none can claim to be legitimate scientific theories unless they can possibly be falsified through observation. In the end, the criteria of falsification is a safeguard against claims, both reasonable and absurd, from being put forward that cannot be disproven. Having now touched upon the criteria of falsifiability in the scientific method, enter God. Of course, it is no rare thing to hear comments such as "Science has proven God does not exist." In fact, it is not at all uncommon to listen to critics of theism throw out words like science, evolution, proof, God, and does not exist, all in the same sentence. The problem, however, is best put by the cliché "You cannot put God in a test tube," which is precisely necessary to falsify the claim that God does exist and thereby "prove" atheism true. Scientifically falsifying the claim that God exists, and thereby "disproving" God, is logically impossible because the direct observability and knowability of a hidden God does not allow for the scientific method to collect objective evidence in order to potentially falsify the claim. In a sense, it is no different than scientifically disproving that unicorns exist, which cannot be scientifically done. If God cannot be experimentally observed, then the scientific method, including the criteria of falsifiability, is useless. That does not mean that God does not exist; it simply means that God's existence can neither be "proven" nor "disproven" by the scientific method. Nor by the same measure can atheism be "proven," or "disproven" either. Even so, it does not mean that an evidence-based probability concerning the existence of God cannot be strongly suggested (the power of logic is also a formidable tool often brought to bear on the debate concerning God. Interestingly, both the scientific community and theologians are in general agreement. That is because consummate scientists acknowledge that the sciences are not equipped to answer questions of God's existence and therefore refuse to comment, as scientists. Similarly, the physicist Steven Hawking once said, "One can't prove that God doesn't exist." So, it seems we are in a conun- drum of sorts. Since the existence of God cannot be "proven" or "disproven," what can be said about the matter from either side of the debate? What if it were that the elegance of mathematics could be harnessed to give a statistical probability of God's existence being true, and concurrently a statistical probability that atheism is false? After all, statistical probability touches every aspect of our lives through the decisions we make multiple times each day. What is the probability that I will have an adverse reaction to a new medication? What is the probability that my car will not start this morning? What is the probability that the airplane I board will crash before I reach my destination? Statistical probability can also play a role in helping to determine the probability of such complex questions as God’s existence.

Coffeetime

…And Then What Happened?

DEAR ABBY: My 43-year-old daughter, “Patti,” a mom of two from different dads, is constantly in financial difficulties and periodically asks family members for money. Her live-in boyfriend earns a good living but is no help beyond paying the rent. Their partnership allegedly exists only for the kids’ benefit. The two schoolage daughters attend private school. The boyfriend’s older son (by another mom) is away at college. We have noted a pattern of frivolous spending -- including fancy birthday parties, hairdos and clothes for the kids, along with plastic surgeries for Patti. She filed for bankruptcy 20 years ago after amassing huge credit card debt. She invested a good deal of time completing an online course to become a nurse practitioner and has subsequently failed the state exam. She has no plan to move forward to finish up the work so she can obtain a better job, which was her original oft-stated goal. My ex-wife stonewalls me when I attempt to discuss Patti’s difficulties. Patti has rejected my offers to review her finances (as a precondition to financial assistance) and recently refused to attend free financial counseling. She reacted to that suggestion in a series of nasty, resentful emails. I am at a loss to know how to help this daughter, who seems to believe money will fix everything. -- DAD AT HIS LIMIT IN OHIO DEAR DAD: If you really want to help Patti, close the Bank of Daddy. Stop bailing her out. At her age (43!), your daughter has lessons she needs to learn on her own, with the help of a credit counseling and financial counseling service. Based upon what you have written, she will not stand on her own two feet until she is forced to. ** DEAR ABBY: I am in my early 50s and married. I have a few questions about married life when people get older. Is it normal to feel like two adults just sharing a house together? I understand that at some point the sex might stop. With us, the problem is physical -- it’s not that we don’t want to. Also, do couples stop telling each other they love each other, knowing they do love each other but just not saying it? I know these questions might seem strange, but I have had them in the back of my mind for a while now and never knew who I could ask. -- FIFTY AND CONFUSED DEAR FIFTY: Your questions are not “strange,” and thank you for coming to me with them. When I sometimes hear from spouses saying they feel they are just sharing a house together, I respond that the most important quality in a marriage is a willingness to communicate. Almost everyone wants to feel loved, accepted, understood and valued. Sometimes couples forget to verbalize their affection or show it in other ways. There are ways couples who no longer have sex can be intimate other than “the act,” but for their relationship to thrive, they must communicate.

Obituaries

Apr 11, 2026 - 05:41

Loeffelholz Carl Alan Loeffelholz passed away on April 8, 2026 at the age of 69 at home surrounded by family. He was born on May 25, 1956 in Wewoka, Oklahoma to Paul Anton Loeffelholz and Ella Jean (Bogan) Loeffelholz.

Apr 11, 2026 - 05:41

Cobb Charlene Sue Cobb, age 39 and a long-time resident of Konawa, Oklahoma passed away April 9, 2026 at Mercy Hospital in Ada, Oklahoma.

Apr 10, 2026 - 05:15

Tucker Milburn Edward Tucker, known to family and friends as “Tucker”, passed away with family by his side on March 12, 2026, in Paris, Texas, at the age 85.

Parker Billie “Bill” Houston Parker landed to begin his mission on November 1, 1933. He was cleared for his final takeoff, destination heaven, on April 4, 2026. Billie was born to James Houston Parker and Mary Ellen Hamlin Parker in Gladewater, Texas. He was the youngest, having two older sisters, Norma Lee and Marian “Louise.” Billie grew up in Seminole, Oklahoma, the hometown always near his heart. Having natural musical talent, he performed in band, often assisting the director. He also played the piano. Later in life Bill became proficient with the guitar often entertaining friends, family, and other audiences such as at retirement homes. He loved a good jam session. He even recorded a couple of well-loved classical guitar cds.