Troops return
Oklahoma National Guard Soldiers returned home after spending 9 months in Kuwait. Here are a few images from their homecoming.
Jenny Kramer gets a kiss from her boyfriend Barrett Alexander as the troops return from Kuwait to Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, Okla on Monday, August 10, 2009. By John Clanton, The Oklahoman
Sgt. Greg Brown (left), of Norman, Okla., gets a kiss from his wife Crystal Brown while Greg's brother Sherman Brown, Jr., (background) gets a hug from his wife Ashley Brown as the troops return from Kuwait to Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, Okla on Monday, August 10, 2009. By John Clanton, The Oklahoman
Brandon Weidner, of Ponca City, gets a hug from his father Ronald Weidner while his mother Lysetta Weidner (left) and grandmother Neva McGill look on as the troops return from Kuwait to Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, Okla on Monday, August 10, 2009. Brandon Weidner's younger brother was killed in a car wreck while Brandon was overseas. By John Clanton, The Oklahoman
-John Clanton
People on Sundays
Ronnette Jenkins (left) and JoJo Shells ride their horses near NE 50th and Post Road in Oklahoma City on Sunday, July 26, 2009. By John Clanton, The Oklahoman
Ronnette Jenkins dreams of starting up her own Round-Up club. Leather boots and saddles creak together as she stops her horse in an elementary school driveway on Sunday afternoon. Ronnette has been around horses her whole life. She convinced JoJo Shells to get on one about 3 years ago, and their sons are riding too. “It’s nature,” she says, “Peace of mind. It relaxes you when you got good horses.”
-John Clanton
VORTEX2 Destination Clinton, OK.
I heard from the Erik Rasmussen, co-chief investigator for VORTEX2, that the best staging area for Tuesday weather is in Clinton, Okla. The vehicles are leaving throughout the day to rendezvous in Clinton. I saw a team member in the parking lot of the Norman Holiday Inn putting Rainx on the windows of her vehicle. She is from Oklahoma City. Saw a guy carrying his computer around the parking lot and thought he was testing equipment. Turns out he is from Italy and was using his laptop web cam to show the radar and other vehicles to his friends and co-workers back home. Small World.
Jennifer Standridge with the National Center for Atmospheric Research puts rain shedding material on her vehicle as the group prepare to leave for Clinton, Okla. on the second day of VORTEX2 prepares to leave for Clinton, OK as a staging area from the Holiday Inn in Norman, Okla. on Monday, May 11, 2009. Standridge is from Oklahoma City. Photo by Steve Sisney, The Oklahoman
Gabriele Formentini from Italy uses his computer web cam to give a tour of the parking lot to his friends back home on the second day of VORTEX2. He and other scientists are preparing to leave for Clinton, OK to stage for Tuesday storms. The Italian audience get a tour of vehicles parked at the Holiday Inn in Norman, Okla. on Monday, May 11, 2009. Photo by Steve Sisney, The Oklahoman
Clinton residents Pauline Lee and her daughter Jennifer Lee couldn't help notice the Doppler on Wheels, command and support vehicles lined up in the parking lot of the Ramada Inn on the second day of VORTEX2 as the team arrives in Clinton, Okla. on Monday, May 11, 2009. Photo by Steve Sisney, The Oklahoman
Doppler on Wheels, command and support vehicles line up in the parking lot of the Ramada Inn on the second day of VORTEX2 as the team arrives in Clinton, Okla. on Monday, May 11, 2009. Photo by Steve Sisney, The Oklahoman
See Monday’s VORTEX2 gallery by clicking here
-Steve Sisney
VORTEX2 Holds Media Day
May 10, nearly 100 scientists and students from 16 different universities will use a 40 vehicle armada to track thunderstorms with funding from NOAA and the National Science Foundation. The program named VORTEX2 will record data to further the understanding of how tornadoes form and why some storms produce the violent whirlwinds and others do not. Oklahoman photographer Steve Sisney will accompany the group Sunday and report on their progress.
Josh Barnwell and Alex Gibbs, graduate students from the University of Nebraska, show a deployable pod which measures wind speed, pressure, relative humidity, and supports a camera and GPS equipment. The devices were shown during media day for the launch of the Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment 2 (VORTEX2) at the National Weather Center in Norman, Okla. on Friday, May 8, 2009.
Casey Letkewicz, North Carolina State University graduate student, releases a weather baloon during media day for the launch of the Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment 2 (VORTEX2) at the National Weather Center in Norman, Okla. on Friday, May 8, 2009. Photo by Steve Sisney, The Oklahoman
See a photo gallery by clicking here.
Steve Sisney
Meanwhile, in Columbia…
Oklahoma State is set to play Missouri in less than two hours. Look for pictures after the game.
Truman the Tiger greets Oklahoma State fans Mike Adams, of Tulsa, (standing) Evan Hathaway (left) of Dallas and Ted Bilodeau, of Oklahoma City (partially hidden) as they wait for friends in the parking lot outside Faurot Field prior to Oklahoma State’s game against the Missouri Tigers in Columbia, Mo. on Saturday October 11, 2008. BY JOHN CLANTON, THE OKLAHOMAN
-John Clanton
