Wednesday, November 24, 2021
Franklin commits to Cowboys over LSU, second in 2023 class Daniel Allen Staff Reporter
Oklahoma State has received its second commitment of its 2023 class. Three-star safety Kam Franklin, a native of Oak Grove, Louisiana, held offers from a plethora of notable schools such as LSU, Mississippi State, Arkansas, Tennessee and TCU. Franklin is 6-foot3, 185 pounds. He brings tremendous speed and field vision to the table, emphasizing how large of a recruiting victory this is for coach Mike Gundy and his staff. Kam Franklin (right) on his visit to Oklahoma State, pictured with safety Kolby Harvell-Peel.
via Twitter (@KamFranklin6)
sports.ed@ocolly.com
Caelyn Cox
The City of Stillwater is preparing not only for the holiday season but also, Stillwater Christmas Parade of Lights.
Christmas parade light up Stillwater Dru Norton Staff Reporter
Christmas lights and decorations. This year, everything returns to normal. Campbell said there will not be COVID-19 restrictions, such as enforced Collett Campbell has volunteered mask or vaccination requirements. as the Stillwater Christmas Parade of The parade usually gets 50- to 60 Lights coordinator for 22 years. entries every year, Campbell said. The parade is on Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. To participate in the parade, the and begins at 9th and Main Street and entry must contain lights. The parade travels through downtown Stillwater. also does not allow semi-trucks or candy Campbell said this is the first year to be thrown. Campbell said the best there will be over 150,000 lights shining place to view the parade is around 8th along Main Street in Stillwater. and Main Street, right by Louie’s. “The way the lights used to run in There are trophies for the best use Stillwater is each individual business did of theme, best use of lights and business their own lights,” Campbell said. “This champion. The community cash prizes year, there will be many more lights all are $100 for first place, $60 for second synchronized to music.” place and $40 for third place. Campbell said ProValue.net, a Because the parade takes place company originating in Stillwater that during dead week, there are notn’t many providinges high-speed internet to OSU-related entries, Campbell said. nearby rural areas, is responsible for “The Christmas parade is very coordinating these lights. The Ccity of small compared to the Homecoming Stillwater employees and volunteers parade, and we are only in the helped put up the lights around downtown area,” Campbell said. “It’s downtown. Onlookers can turn their very community-driven. Students from radio to FM 89.7 to hear Christmas other states or big cities may never get music synchronized to these lights daily, the chance to experience something like from dusk until dawn. this.” Christmas of 2020 bears a stark At the end of the parade, contrast to this year’s many Christmas Stillwater’s Merry Main Street events events, Campbell said. will provide hot chocolate, pictures with “Last year, we didn’t have Santa, carriage rides and more. a Christmas parade because of “It’s a whole different feel,” coronavirus,” Campbell said. “We had Campbell said. “You really get to see the only canceled the parade one other time Stillwater community come together.” since 1999, and it was because of the For more information on weather.” these Christmas events, visit www. Instead, Campbell formed a visitstillwater.org/stillwater-holidays. “reverse” parade. In place of a parade, spectators received a road map showing where to drive to view local businesses and homes decorated with bright news.ed@ocolly.com
There will be over 150,000 lights in along Stillwater’s Main Street.
Stillwater’s Christmas Parade of Lights gets 50-60 entries a year.
Caelyn Cox
Caelyn Cox
Page 2 Wednesday, November 24, 2021
O’Colly
sports
Notebook: OSU ties school record in blowout win
Alicia Young
Ashton Slaughter Staff Reporter
points, shooting 6-9 from the field and knocking down one three and two free throws. “Just staying with the process, just It was a tale of two halves for being confident in myself and the work Oklahoma State in their 96-66 victory that I put in,” Anderson said. on Monday night against Charleston. Coach Mike Boynton says he’s In the first half, they had 12 seen this kind of thing happen before, turnovers and were outrebounded by and he’s optimistic for Anderson College of Charleston, only leading 43- moving forward though. 36 at halftime. “I think over time, the percentages In the second half, however, they and the numbers will be what they outscored the Cougars 53-30 in the should be, he’ll be a double-digit scorer second half, dominating them on both for us at the end of the day. I’m not the sides of the floor, while heading towards least bit concerned about where he is a blowout. right now,” Boynton said. Here are takeaways from the Tying the school record for blocks game. in a single game Avery Anderson’s Offensive The length and defensive grit that Showing the Cowboys have is always seen from Avery Anderson III is supposed to the tipoff to the final buzzer. be the man for the Cowboys. On Monday though, it was However, he hasn’t quite lived up especially seen, as they tied a school to expectations so far. record with a staggering 16 blocks, with Against the Cougars, however, Moussa Cisse leading the way with six Anderson had a relatively effortless 15 and Kalib Boone following close behind
with five blocks. “Obviously I think our defense showed it has the potential to be one of the elite ones in the country,” Boynton said. Boynton knows this can be a normal occurrence though, as he highlights that if they play like this every night, teams will struggle. “When we’re connected like we were tonight... teams are going to have a hard time getting shots off,” Boynton said. Looking forward to defending Max Abmas Oral Roberts’ Max Abmas is a projected NBA talent, and he faces off against the Cowboys on Friday. He definitely presents a challenge defensively for the Cowboys, as the Oral Roberts guard is averaging 14.7 points so far this season, after averaging 24.5 last season. When talking about the challenges facing Abmas brings, Coach Boynton admitted he’s not comfortable.
“You never feel comfortable defending the three against a guy that can shoot it from 40 (feet). That’s what makes him different,” Boynton said. Boynton even drew comparisons from Abmas to Stephen Curry, as he knows the Cowboys will have to use the length they possess to their advantage. “I’ve coached against another guy named Steph Curry who could do that and you’re never comfortable. So, we have to do a good job using our length, I think that may be an advantage for us on the perimeter,” Boynton said. Abmas had more high praise from Boynton, as he expects him to be aggressive against his Cowboys. “He led the nation in scoring... it wasn’t a fluke. He got 36, I think, in here last year... I’m sure he’ll be really aggressive looking for an opportunity to play against us again on his homecourt,” Boynton said. sports.ed@ocolly.com
THE GIFT OF GOD!
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Ro.6:23 NIV)
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“...all have sinned...” (Ro.3:23) Everyone has sinned and the payoff is death; eternal separation from God; a lake of fire. No matter how you paint it, it is a terrible, eternal state of being. The Bible talks of those who “because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath.” (Ro.2:5 NIV) Those who, with a hard heart, resist and reject God’s help; only store up their terrible wages for the judgment day to come. It is so important to consider and act on God’s love gift. The gift of God is eternal life. At the age of 12 years, my wife heard about God’s free gift of eternal life. In fact, the person sharing with a group of young people had a picture of a gift box with a big, colorful bow on top. God was offering her, that day, this gift, and she stepped out and received it. You see it is a gift. You can’t do enough to earn it, but you must receive it.
This gift is found in one place (person); in Jesus Christ. It is found nowhere else. You only access God through Christ. (Jn.14:6) You need to trust God’s word and turn to Christ, ask and receive his free gift of eternal life. What is included in this eternal gift? You receive the forgiveness of all your sins; they are never to be remembered by God. (Col.1:14, Heb.8:12) You also receive a new life; you are born of God. (Jn.1:12) As you continue to trust in Christ, he will work in and through you his very life given freely to you. When you leave this life in physical death, you will go into his presence forever. (2 Co.5:8)
O’Colly
Wednesday, November 24, 2021 Page 3
sports
Winners and losers Texas continues to slide, officially bowl ineligible Abby Cage
Ashton Slaughter Staff Reporter
The conference championship race has narrowed down, and there are teams that have clinched a bowl game spot, are already eliminated or will be fighting for one next week. 10: Texas Tech – Lost 23-0 against Oklahoma State From the first Texas Tech drive, they look outmatched. The first Red Raiders drive lasted just over a minute, was three plays, and they only managed one yard out of it. From there, it was efficient Oklahoma State offense and lockdown defense. The Red Raiders finished the game with only 108 total yards, their
lowest total in 31 years, as the passing game was not pretty, but the run game was completely inexistent. Quarterback Donovan Smith had a 31% completion rating, with 83 yards and a QBR of 13.3. Somehow though, the Red Raiders rushing attack was worse, as on 26 carries they only managed 25 yards. Although the Cowboys offense didn’t put up an absurd number of points, they still had 427 total yards, and managed the game well, completely owning the time of possession game. 9: Texas – Lost 31-23 against West Virginia There goes Texas’ bowl game chances. The Longhorns found themselves down 21-10 at halftime, mainly
resulting from their poor offensive showing I the first half, as their first four drives resulted in punts. They came out in the second half more prepared though it seemed like, as they had taken out starting quarterback, Casey Thompson, for backup, Hudson Card. They then cut the West Virginia lead to four, and then after the Mountaineers scored again, they cut it back to five. Then, with minimal time left in the fourth quarter, the Longhorns had a turnover on downs, resulting in the Mountaineers obtaining possession, which seemed like the end of it. However, after they turned the ball over on downs, the Longhorns had a last ditched effort with 30 seconds left, but it was too little, too late. 8: Kansas State – Lost 20-10
against Baylor Overall, pretty ugly game for Kansas State. The Wildcats only got on the scoreboard in two of their nine offensive drives, with the rest resulting in punts, turnovers and a missed field goal. Even with these offensive struggles, running back, Deuce Vaughn, did his part, rushing for 128 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Not only that, they couldn’t contain Baylor’s offense, even with an inexperienced quarterback entering the game, as they gave up 387 total yards.
See Winners on 4
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Page 4 Wednesday, November 24, 2021
Winners...
O’Colly
sports
Continued from 3 Potentially the biggest blow though, is losing Skylar Thompson to a left leg injury, as had to get carted off the field from his last home game as a Wildcat. 7: Kansas – Lost 31-28 against TCU Kansas has been involved in many close contests this year, and although they usually come out on the losing side of the, one can’t help but admit that they like to keep games interesting. What this game boiled down to was the Jayhawks not being able to get the same kind of breaks they got in the first half on defense. For example, after an early first quarter touchdown, the Jayhawk defense held the TCU offense to two punts, an interception and, a turnover on downs in their last four possessions of the half. This had the Jayhawks up at half, with a score of 14-7. However, the Horned Frogs would go on to score 4 out of their 5 offensive possessions in the second half, breaking down the Jayhawks defense. The offense didn’t help much though, as due to their combined 39 yards on their first two drives of the second half, the Horned Frogs had the Jayhawk defense on the ropes, scoring 21 unanswered points. After this run, the Jayhawks were all but done it seemed like, until they started to mount a comeback. The Jayhawks ended up tying it up with just under five minutes remaining, but were defeated on a last second field goal. 6: Iowa State – Lost 28-21 against Oklahoma When going down the game stats, it seems like Iowa State could have, or even should have won this game. Although they forced a Caleb Williams interception, they gave up three turnovers of their own, as it ended up being too many empty possessions for the Cyclones to overcome. Two of these turnovers were from Brock Purdy, one of which being an interception, and the other a fumble. The other turnover came from backup quarterback, Hunter Dekkers, who replaced Purdy for two possessions and threw an interception on one of them. 5: TCU – Won 31-28 against Kansas It was a tale of two halves for TCU. After an early score the Horned Frogs couldn’t find their way offensively in the first half, as they ended the half
Abby Cage
with four empty possessions. In the second half though, they came out rolling, led by their dominant rushing attack. The Horned Frogs ran for 326 yards on the day, as four different players had 50+ yards and a touchdown. The leading rusher for the team was running back, Kendre Miller, who ran for 112 yards on 12 carries, with a long of 56 yards. Not far behind was other running back, Emari Demercado, with 89 yards and a touchdown, and quarterback, Max Duggan, with 74 yards and a touchdown. This ground and pound playstyle got the best of the Jayhawks, as the Horned Frogs had a 14 play, 67-yard drive to take up the last few minutes of the game, before hitting the game winning field goal. 4: West Virginia – Won 31-23 against Texas West Virginia keeps their bowl hopes alive... while killing Texas’ hopes. The Mountaineers did so by having an all-around solid offensive showing, playing well in both the passing and rushing attack. Quarterback, Jarret Doege, threw for 290 yards and three touchdowns, while running back, Leddie Brown, carried the ball 33 times for 158 yards and a touchdown. The Mountaineers also dominated the time of possession battle, having the ball for more than 17 minutes than the Longhorns. To add onto that, they also won the turnover battle, as they played smart and had zero turnovers compared to the Longhorns one. 3: Oklahoma – Won 28-21 against Iowa State Big 12 and Sooner fans are used to this now– biting their nails at the end
of the game, wondering if their team will hang on... which, to their credit, they usually do. The Sooners did just that, holding off Iowa State in a game where they could never get their offense rolling, but the defense stepped up. Caleb Williams had a lackluster passing performance, throwing 8 for 18 for 87 yards and a touchdown, with an interception to go along with it. However, his production on the ground made up for it, as he ran for 67 yards and a touchdown. Kennedy Brooks had a big day though, as he had 17 carries for 115 yards, averaging nearly seven yards a carry. The Sooner defense did their part and more, forcing three Cyclones turnovers, which ended up being the difference in the game. The gamechanging play was actually a fumble returned for a touchdown by the Sooners, as they punched the ball out of Brock Purdy’s hands, and Jalen Redmond took it to the house, putting the Sooners up 14-7 at halftime. 2: Baylor – Won 20-10 against Kansas State It wasn’t the cleanest performance by any means, but it got the job done. For starters, when your starting quarterback (Gerry Bohanon), injures his right leg in the second quarter, that’s never a good sign. Then, when his backup (Blake Shapen), has only thrown three passes on the season, it’s somewhat unsettling, especially against a solid Kansas State program. However, the Bears pulled through, as Shapen played well and helped manage the game towards a victory for his team. The offense was quite balanced for the Bears, as they had 213 passing yards, 137 of which were from Shapen, and 174 rushing
yards, as three players ran for 40+. The Bears defense also did their job at containing Skylar Thompson, as before the senior quarterback was carted off the field late in the game due to a left leg injury, he only had 158 yards and had less than a 50% completion percentage. 1: Oklahoma State – Won 23-0 against Texas Tech Utter domination. The Oklahoma State defense (once again), shows why they’re regarded as one of the top defenses in the nation. After shutting out Texas Tech, they’ve now held their last four opponents to a combined 23 points. They held the Red Raiders finished the game with 108 total yards, nearly four times less than their total yards (427). Clearly the Cowboys defense was the highlight of the game, but the offense wasn’t too shabby either, as that great defensive play turned into points on the scoreboard. The Cowboys had a very balanced offensive attack, throwing for 239 yards and rushing for 188 yards. The two offensive standouts were both receivers, once of which was Tay Martin, as he had a great showing, grabbing seven receptions for 130 yards, averaging 18.6 yards per catch. The other being John Paul Richardson, who is a freshman that has seen his snaps increase throughout the course of the season. He got the starting nod for the game due to Brennan Presley needing a game off from his receiver duties, so he took full advantage, grabbing six catches for 41 yards and a touchdown. sports.ed@ocolly.com
O’Colly
News
Wednesday, November 24, 2021 Page 5
Stillwater businesses prepare for Black Friday sales
Wllistean Bennett
For Pete’s Sake is expecting more shoppers not only because of Black Friday but also, the Bedlam football game.
Wllistean Bennett Staff Reporter
the other’s OSU and that’s fun seeing the rivalry, and everybody’s always glad to say that’s one’s one and one’s Black Friday for some the other,” Sample said. is one of the most anticipated Hunter Smith is the shopping days of the year, but owner of Stillwater Summit for Stillwater merchants, the Co., an outdoor gear shop Bedlam football game can aimed to bring the Colorado take it to a new level. feel to the middle of Stillwater shops are Stillwater. preparing for sales day on Smith is expecting the Black Friday, but that’s store’s projected sales to be not the only thing that will 10-15,000 during this year’s attract people into stores. Black Friday weekend, and a The Bedlam game next day large crowd compared to last can usher in shoppers. Store year. Bedlam will play a huge owners have different ways part alongside Black Friday of dealing with one of the for these sales. busiest shopping days of the “It’s massive, anytime year. there’s a game and it’s a Sharon Sample is the little colder out, our sales go manager of For Pete’s Sake, through the roof,” Smith said. an Oklahoma State apparel Crystal Wintle is the and gifts store. Shoppers manager of District Bicycles, who visit For Pete’s Sake on and does not participate Black Friday can enter into in Black Friday to avoid a drawing for a chance of competition with larger stores getting 15% to 50% off select and to encourage customers items. to get outside. Sample said tee-shirts “We just want our are a popular item during customers to enjoy the day the sale with both University and get outside to ride their of Oklahoma and OSU fans bikes,” Wintle said. buying them. “We have a lot of couples where one’s OU and news.ed@ocolly.com
Stillwater Summit Co. is an outdoor gear shop in downtown Stillwater.
Wllistean Bennett
HIMALAYAN GROCERY STORE
Monday - Wednesday: 10:00am - 10:00pm Thursday - Saturday: 10:00am - 11:00pm
128 N Main St. Stillwater, OK 74075 Great selection, prices, & staff!
405.372.5080
Page 6 Wednesday, November 24, 2021
O’Colly
Lifestyle
Taco the town Ted’s to open first Stillwater location
Courtesy of Ted’s press release Ted’s Tacos and Cantina will open its fourth location next spring in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The store is located at 502 N Main Street and will serve specialty tacos, including The Wet Taco, and drinks.
Ellen Slater Lifestyle Editor With packed tables and wait lists being a weekly occurrence at many of the Stillwater Mexican restaurants, it can be assumed that Stillwater-ites are always in the market for a new Mexican joint. Ted’s is famous in Oklahoma terms- and the state-wide chain’s newest location is going to be in
Stillwater. “It’s been a goal of ours for a very long time to find a home in Stillwater and serve the amazing community there,” said David Foxx, Ted’s Chief Operations Officer. “It’s an incredible town that we’re eager to open our doors up next spring.” Ted’s is familiar to many students that come from Oklahoma City, as that is where its flagship store is located. The location that is opening in Stillwater will operate under a slightly different name- Ted’s Tacos and Cantina. Despite the name change, the fast-casual concept will be operated by the same people behind Ted’s Cafe Escondido, It will be located at 502 N Main Street, standing less than a mile from Boone Pickens Stadium and
Game Day Ready with Greige!
away! e d i H inal g i r he O t t ou k c e Ch
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Stop in for fresh Fried Mushrooms or Pizza made to your liking!
Oklahoma State University’s campus. “Whether you’re looking to pick up food for the family or get drinks with your friends, Ted’s Tacos and Cantina is truly a place for everyone,” Foxx said. “Our team is thrilled we will be able to bring this fun, new concept to the Stillwater area.” The Cantina has plans to feature two Happy Hours during the day. One will be in the late afternoon and another an hour before close. Plus, Happy Hour runs all day every Sunday. If plans go accordingly, the doors will open next spring.
entertainment.ed@ocolly.com
O’Colly
Wednesday, November 24, 2021 Page 7
Classifieds
FOR RELEASE NOVEMBER 24, 2021
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Houses For Rent Business Squares Church Meetings Spacious 1100 sq. ft. 2 bedroom home. Recently remodeled, Wood floors, CH/A, Nice yard. 2214 E. 6th Ave., Scarlett bus route. 405-372-7107
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Business Squares Come check out the wide variety of elegant clothing at Formal Fantasy! Located on 121 E. 9th Ave, Downtown Stillwater The best selection of beer, wine and liquor that Stillwater has to offer! Perfect for all your game day needs, come to Brown’s Bottle Shop located on 128 N. Main $100/year parking on East side of Campus, near Eskimo Joe’s. Call Salem Luteran at 405-372-3074 and leave message.
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Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis
ACROSS 1 Little __ Muffet 5 Roger Bannister, famously 10 Speaker in Cooperstown 14 Elvis or CocaCola 15 “The L Word” co-creator Chaiken 16 Whisper 17 Interstate hauler 18 Ad prizes 19 Dramatic opener 20 Adagio and allegro 22 Leave the city to evade arrest 24 Like some tanks 27 Where the old woman lived 28 Permits to enter 30 Title of respect 31 Exec, slangily 33 Schoolmarmish 35 List to-dos 39 Intense anger 40 It has just one 64-Down 42 Shapiro of NPR 43 Delivery, as of a baby 45 Inter __ 46 Recipe word 47 Relieved (of) 49 Comes to light 51 Secret fraternity member 55 Party or wild follower 57 Bit of encouragement 59 Vinyl-covered, as a floor 61 Worldwide: Abbr. 62 Absinthe flavor 65 Half a round on the links 66 Ohio’s lake 67 R&B family name 68 Budget sister company 69 Runs out of juice 70 “It’s true!” 71 Guido of Baroque art fame DOWN 1 Light fog 2 Relatives of Slurpees 3 Server with a blush?
11/24/21
By Dave Taber and Laura Moll
4 Piece of prose 5 A hot one can be problematic 6 Laid up 7 Island necklaces 8 Long, thin soup mushroom 9 Viscous plant substances 10 “Bingo!” 11 Japanese electronics company 12 Cut down the middle 13 “Goosebumps” series author 21 Gomez’s furry cousin 23 French capital 25 Road trip game 26 Approximately 29 Nabisco brand name 31 Jem, to Scout Finch 32 Psychic Geller 34 Ballerina Shearer 36 Completely dominates 37 Med. injury detector 38 Title for two Beatles 40 The good dishes
Tuesday’s Puzzle Solved
©2021 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
41 Discomfort cause 44 Makes four into twelve, say 46 Advanced course offering 48 Hold for questions 50 Take care of a kitty 51 Went down a slippery slope 52 Matisse of the art world 53 Knot again
11/24/21
54 Old-time laundry soap brand 56 Red Square figure 58 Place for singles 60 He loved Lucille 63 Cinque e uno 64 Watcher ... and homophone of a letter that appears exactly once in every clue and all but two answers
Daily Horoscope
Nancy Black Tribune Content Agency Linda Black Horoscopes
Today’s Birthday (11/24/21). Grow through communication this year. Disciplined, polished creative work raises your status. Power and confidence flow anew this winter, recharging your health and work next spring. A reflective summer adapting around changes leads to autumn’s inspiring visions, dreams and plans. Express your heart. To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging. Aries (March 21-April 19) — Today is an 8 — Long-distance communications improve over three weeks, with Mercury in Sagittarius. Expand territory. Follow your heart where it calls. Investigate possibilities. Make bold discoveries. Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Today is an 8 — Set long-range financial targets. Building family savings comes easier for three weeks, with Mercury in Sagittarius. Do the numbers and track spending. Simplify. Gemini (May 21-June 20) — Today is an 8 — Listen and learn. Support your partner, with Mercury in Sagittarius over three weeks. Ignore petty stuff and pull together. Rely on each other. Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Today is a 9 — Create and discover efficiencies. Learn valuable physical skills with an excellent coach. Communication benefits your health and work, with Sagittarius Mercury for three weeks. Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is an 8 — Words of love flow freely, with Mercury in Sagittarius. Get excellent advice from loved ones. You’re especially persuasive and charming. Express your heart. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is a 7 — Discuss household renovation and improvements. Plan and research options over three weeks, with Sagittarius Mercury. Uncover forgotten treasures. Settle into your cozy nest. Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is a 7 — Friends offer interesting ideas. Begin a three-week intensive study phase, with Mercury in Sagittarius. Indulge curiosity. Investigate assumptions. Consider ethics and consequences. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is an 8 — Money flows out as fast as in over three weeks, with Mercury in Sagittarius. Monitor to maintain positive balances. Marketing efforts flourish. Discuss lucrative possibilities. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Today is a 9 — Over three weeks, with Mercury in your sign, you have an intellectual advantage. Ask probing questions to learn from an expert. Improve skills and talents. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today is a 7 — Inspiration animates a vision quest. Enter a three-week philosophical and spiritual phase, with Mercury in Sagittarius. Contemplate beauty, goodness and natural wonders. Make creative plans. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Today is a 9 — Social connections spark, with Mercury in Sagittarius. Accomplish greatness together over the next three weeks. Pull with a talented team. Collaborate for ease and fun. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is an 8 — Professional opportunities arise in conversation, with Mercury in Sagittarius. Let others know what you want. What you say benefits your career. Weave your charms.
Level 1
2
3
4
Solution to Tuesday’s puzzle
11/24/21 Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit sudoku.org.uk
© 2021 The Mepham Group. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency. All rights reserved.
Page 8 Wednesday, November 24, 2021
O’Colly
Lifestyle
Not home for the holidays Some students stories of staying in Stillwater this holiday season Olivia Bloomfield Staff Reporter
Willistean Bennett
Alejandra Lozano is a Junior at Oklahoma State University. She usually celebrates Hanukkah each year with her family. For her, Hanukkah is special because her family spends time together, away from all other distractions. “Traditionally… we say a prayer as we light the Menorah. Then we have dinner together. For the 8 nights of Hanukah, we usually give gifts every night. It’s really just a good time for us to spend time with family. We’ll all be off our phones and we’ll play games with each other. [For] my family, we are all usually doing our own thing… and aren’t around each other a whole lot. So when it comes to these types of holidays, we like to actually spend quality time with each other,” Lozano said. For Lozano, the holidays will look a lot different this year. She works on campus and because Hanukkah starts the Sunday after Thanksgiving, she will have to keep working and going to class instead of focusing on celebrating and spending time with her family. Even though school and work are holding Lozano back from celebrating like she normally does, she is still dedicated to celebrating in a semi-normal way. “I have a little Menorah here that I got freshman year that I am going to light every night. This year, I am going to Facetime my family and we are still going to do the same stuff. We might all have dinner together over Facetime and we are definitely going to light the Menorah and say the prayer all together, but I don’t think we are going to be able to spend as much [time together],” Lozano said. While some students are not spending time at home for the holidays, many are still dedicated to keeping the holiday spirit alive and celebrating in new ways. For Hakanen, this means showing her family around Stillwater, and for Lozano, this means celebrating unconventionally over FaceTime.
While thousands of students will travel back home for the holidays after completing this semester, they will be getting excited for moments with their loved ones such as sitting by the fire, opening presents, and drinking hot cocoa. This is not the case for all students though. Some students do not get to go home. Juniors Saara Hakanen and Alejandra Lozano are two of these students who do not get the luxury of travelling back home for the holidays. Saara Hakanen is a Junior at Oklahoma State University. She has come from Finland to OSU to study for a degree in Sports Media while also running for the Oklahoma State Women’s Track and Field team. As an international student, Hakanen has spent a lot of time away from her family. She wishes that she could return to Finland to celebrate in the way she used to when she was younger. “It’s pretty traditional in Finland… for especially younger people to have what’s called ‘Little Christmas’ [where you] have a gathering, make good food, have some drinks, and have fun celebrating with friends,” Hakanen said. Even though she cannot experience a typical Finish Christmas this year, she is luckily still celebrating with her family. This year it has more meaning to her because her brother will return from the military immediately before they fly to Stillwater. “We will probably just hang out and drive around while playing a Christmas CD. [I’m just happy] to hang out [with them] because we haven’t all seen each other in such a long time,” Hakanen said. While Hakanen gets to spend time with her family despite it being thousands of miles away from home, other students will also stay in Stillwater, but for them, they do not get to spend time with entertainment.ed@ocolly.com loved ones.