Robbie Dildine leads part of Monday morning’s exercise class at the new Barnsdall Community Center. Barndall Citizens Inc. organizes and hosts a full week’s worth of workouts and activities at the renovated center. Photo Rachel Anne Seymour/Bigheart Times

The Barnsdall Nutrition Center site, which many senior citizens rely on for food, was in danger of closing, sparking several locals to create a local non-profit to organize activities and promote the nutrition site. The group, Barnsdall Citizens Inc., renovated the former Osage Nation Head Start building and now holds exercise classes each morning, along with monthly potlucks.

Read the full story on The Bigheart Times website.

The annual, week-long Cavalcade Rodeo is back in Pawhuska. Here are a few of my favorites from covering the events, which included not only steer roping, barrel racing and bronc riding, but wild horse races, wild cow milking and bull riding.

A friend called to tell me a massive fire had started in one of Pawhuska’s lumber storage buildings. I unpacked my cameras – I was prepared to fly to a wedding the next morning. Just a few miles outside of Barnsdall, a 15 minute drive to Pawhuska, I could see the black smoke pouring into the air. I knew it was bad. The historic building also housed a flea market and storage for a construction company. It was all lost. Luckily, no one was injured.

The paper I work for covers five school districts in Osage County and so I have been shooting plenty of graduations. There are still a few more to come, but here are a few of my favorite photos so far from the Barnsdall (red) and Hominy (purple) graduations.

The Barnsdall Panthers earned their first ever Class 2A slow pitch state championship in Oklahoma City on Tuesday. They played three games, including the championship game, that day. These photographs are from games throughout the day.

Pawhuskan Duane Easley found an abandoned dog out on one of his oil leases almost two years ago. He named the dog Raymond, after the lease, which has since been sold. Just weeks after Duane took Ryamond in, Duane was diagnoses with diabetes. Raymond has been a calming and humorous source for Duane ever since. The two ride together from lease to lease throughout the work day, keeping each other company.

I took this portrait one morning (at 7 a.m.) before they started their work day.

The newspaper I work for has been covering the Kanke Family since December 2011, when doctors found a tumor in the youngest son’s neck. David, known as “Lil D” to most was diagnosed with cancer and beat it. He was four at the time the tumor was found.

A second tumor was recently discovered on the other side of his throat, but has since disappeared. Just a few weeks ago David, known as “Lil D’ to most, his mother and most of his brothers all shaved their heads during a fundraiser for St. Baldrick’s, which contributes to childhood cancer research. The event was the day after his sixth birthday.

The state wrestling tournament, or any state level competition for that matter, is a gold mine for reaction shots. Unless something strange or really different happens in an action shot, they all start to look the same to me.

Here are some of my favorite reaction shots from the state wrestling tournament last month.

Barnsdall Panther junior Caleb Hawes, who ranked No. 2 in the state, upset No. 1 ranked Heritage Hall senior Ethan Walker during the 195-pound state wrestling championship match in Oklahoma City Saturday. Hawes was runner-up last year. More state wrestling coverage to come.