August 8, 2020 Issue, Page 4 of 8

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Page 4 The Elk City News, Elk City, Oklahoma Saturday, August 8, 2020 Opinion Page College back-to-school plans in flux “ElkCituNews The Oklahoman Last week ended with said instruction would in- stead be online only. it this way: “By the time the report is produced and Plans in Norman have met with some resistance. Serving Western Oklahoma since 1901 Oklahoma State University At Bowdoin College in a decision is made and an- A group of faculty and staff and the University of Okla- Maine, first-year students nounced, the situation has collected about 1,800 sig- Guest column homa on track to reopen their campuses to students will be among the only ones on campus for the fall semes- ter. Duke University is doing classes are to begin Aug. 17, changed yet again.” At Oklahoma State, where natures in July on a petition demanding more freedom Dog owners need to for the fall semester. Wheth- for them and students to students living in campus er the week ahead concludes something similar, limiting residence halls will be re- choose online courses. Last the same way is anyone’s campus housing mostly to quired to be tested at move- week, demonstrators held a control their canines guess. first-year students and soph- in. All students are being en- “die-in” in front of the build- Such is life amid the CO- omores. MIT’s campus will couraged to limit their travel ing where the regents were Stronger protections needed VID-19 pandemic. Plans include mainly seniors. The and self-quarantine for two created and implemented plan at Texas A&M Univer- weeks before returning to meeting, to protest reopen- ing policies. after long hours of study sity is for some students to Stillwater. OSU is transi- The Journal reported that, By Marilyn Johnson and discussion by those at tioning all classes online return to campus for small, per The Chronicle of High- On July 27, I went on my usual early morning walk. the highest levels of col- in-person classes while oth- after Thanksgiving but not er Education, 49% of U.: I was nearing the end of my walk when two dogs came leges and universities can be ers will take them online. requiring students to move schools plan to have in-per- changed in no time. It is hap- How big is the challenge? off campus at that time. running toward me. They were growling and barking, soI Michael Young, president of OU’s fall semester begins son classes, 13% will offer pening across the country. Ina story Wednesday, The Texas A&M, told the Journal Aug. 24. The school’s plan looked for a stick, but there wasn’t one. online instruction and 35% will offer a mix. They were going in circles around me and I tried to call Wall Street Journal explored that helping construct a plan includes mandatory COV- However, if the number to unite East and West Ger- ID-19 tests, before they ar- 9-1-1, but I don’t wear my glasses when I am walking some of the strategies col- many, as he did while work- rive on campus, for students of positive COVID-19 cases and I could not make the phone call. I started screaming lege administrators are pur- ing at the State Department, who are moving into campus continues to increase, as has suing. was easier than figuring out housing. “help” as loud as I could. Thankfully, a worker in the Fair- Spellman College in At- happened in Oklahoma and his school’s back-to-school Both universities have im- lawn Cemetery Shop heard me and ran to help me. The lanta announced July | that it plan. elsewhere, those percent- plemented strict face mask dogs then ran off down the street. would welcome students for A faculty member who policies and have made ages may very well change While I was calming down and calling Animal Control, the fall semester. Roughly helped with Cornell Uni- proper social distancing cen- considerably. Welcome to two weeks later, the school versity’s reopening plan put tral to their classroom plans. the new “normal.” an 89-year-old woman came up and she said she heard me An open letter to the Weather Channel but could not get there in time. She said she was almost bitten the previous week. I asked her if she had reported it Graphics Department: Do better and she said no. The man who saved me said he has had so much trouble with those dogs and had even told the owner he was going to kill the dogs if they came back in his yard. By Dan Sweeney, Sun age people aren’t very hap- berger seem convinced that locked in some sort of sui- T asked him if he had reported it and he said no. Sentinel py. They wanted this storm we'd all just love to see the cide pact with Mother Na- When I got home and was telling my husband about the Dear Weather Channel to be a monster, but it’s a hammer of God dumped on ture? I can’t blame us - sor- Graphics Department: dud. Will have beach ero- ourheads because more peo- ry, Umberger, et al., I know situation, he said those dogs had been in our yard, chas- We journalists all deal sion and some shrubs to pick ple will read. you'd like me to - but cover- with a lot of trolling in this up,” wrote one such reader, How could they have got- ing our cat. He said he followed the dogs to their home age of this storm in the Sun and talked to the owners about keeping heir dogs at home. age of social media. And Steve Umberger. “We have ten that notion? Sentinel, the Palm Beach I asked if he had called Animal Control and he said no. some of the trolling on the enough with this pandemic, That’s where we come Post, the Miami Herald and Sun Sentinel’s Facebook but believe it, they wanted back to you, Weather Chan- even the often more sensa- But he thought he had called Animal Control once when page during our coverage of more. It’s their only time to nel Graphics Department. tionalistic local broadcast those same dogs were causing problems on Country Club Hurricane Isaias has been a shine with ratings.” The Weather Channel, in news was pretty muted. Boulevard. little confusing. I’d like to This, of course, is untrue its coverage of Hurricane Heck, we even ran a story state in no uncertain terms in that the newsroom is, as Isaias as the storm barreled about how nobody in South In 15 minutes of time, I had talked with three people that I do not want my family far as I know, extremely toward Florida (note: Hurri- Florida particularly cared who have had problems with thoe same dogs and they had Killed, my home destroyed short on sociopaths. Maybe canes always “barrel” wher- about this hurricane. or my friends or extended one or two, tops. ever they go. It’s a key piece No, Weather Channel not reported it. Are we waiting until a child or an adult is family here in South Florida And besides, even if we of journalistic writing.), Graphics Department. I’m truly mauled or killed by dogs running the streets as they similarly imperiled in order take at face value the idea opted to use as one of its pri- afraid I blame you. Even the please before we start calling Animal Control? Such at- to increase revenue for the that more traffic means more mary graphics a screaming locals turn to the Weather South Florida Sun Sentinel. digital ad revenue - which red-and-white banner that Channel when hurricanes tacks have already happened more than once in our town. is not always as straight a read: “COVIDCANE 2020: I shouldn’t have to say start barreling toward Flor- T have read stories about it in our newspaper and heard that, but people seem to path as you might think- ev- BRACING FOR DISAS- ida, and when they see this personal testimonies of those who have been attacked. be thinking it is so. And, eryone in editorial’s getting graphic, they extend your Icalled the police station to report what happened. Ani- Weather Channel Graphics paid the same whether the Now, even at the storm’s seeming disaster-hunger to Department, I kind of blame Sun Sentinel makes bank or worst track, there were few us in local media who, like mal Control personnel did come. He found the dogs and you. not. There’s no personal in- people in South Florida who our friends and neighbors, then he followed them to their home. The woman let the It seems pretty obvious centive to pray for rain. were BRACING FOR DI- have to actually endure these dogs into her home, and the Animal Control person said that no one living in the And even if you're in ad- SASTER. I have a pretty hellspawns. path of a hurricane would be vertising sales and getting wide circle of friends that I So, in the words of sancti- all he could do was give her a ticket. He was just leaving rooting it on, and yet, to see paid on commission, no haven’t seen in months due when I drove up to speak to the dog owner about what these Facebook comments, amount is going to cover to the pandemic, and I know monious online trolls every- you'd think the entire news- the home insurance deduct- only one family that even where, I’d just like to say: had happened. I told her then and I still say, “That ticket room was popping cham- ible when a Cat 5 peels away bothered boarding up their Do better. is not enough.” pagne bottles as the storm your roof like the top of a home. Dan Sweeney is the dep- Our leash law doesn’t mean much in this town. Only wobbled in our direction. tuna can, So why are people con- uty opinions editor of the “The local weather cover- And yet, folks like Um- vinced that local media is South Florida Sun Sentinel. truly conscientious people follow that law. I propose that we should make it more necessary for people to be re- sponsible dog owners. I suggest that residents of Elk City Renewables alone can’t save the planet call anytime a dog is seen freely walking the streets with- By Drew Johnson energy storage capacity to 30,000 Angelinos went sev- all U.S. electricity genera- out a leash and their owner. Give thema ticket the first Coalville wants to ditch rely entirely on renewables, eral hours without electricity tion -- up from 17 percent in fossil fuels. The Utah city according to energy consul- as temperatures reached 108 2001. Meanwhile, in 2018 offense, for all of us already know the law and it is be has pledged to draw its elec- tancy Wood Mackenzie degrees. U.S. coal consumption hit a respected and followed. On second offense, let the dog be tricity from 100 percent re- Several states have al- Cities can avoid nightmare nearly 40-year low. newable sources by 2030. ready struggled with the scenarios like these by em- Natural gas helped bring impounded until the owner owner puts up a strong fenced From California to New shift to renewables. For in- ploying natural gas along- US. energy-related emis- area for their dog with barbed wire at the top and bottom. Hampshire, dozens of cities stance, wind farms account side renewables. Compared sions to their lowest level in of the fence so the dog can’t dig or climb out of the fence. have set similar goals. for nearly a quarter of Texas’ to wind and solar power, 30 years. The United States But these cities can’t pro- electricity generation capac- natural gas has a much more When they have a fenced-in area built, they can pay the duce and store enough wind ity. But during a recent heat reliable supply and can emits 14 percent less carbon cost for the upkeep of their dog while it was impounded. and solar power to run solely wave, slow breezes caused more easily be produced in dioxide than it did in 2000, If we reported to uphold this law, then we could freely on renewables. As a result, the state’s wind power gen- a pinch. As a result, natural according to the Interna- their ambitious environ- gas would help cities avoid tional Energy Agency. U.S. eration to plummet. As tem- walk without fear in Elk City and not have to carry pro- mental policies could soon peratures in Dallas rose to an energy crisis when their emissions would have been tection with us to protect ourselves from repeated attacks leave them powerless. For- over 100 degrees, fear of a renewable energy sources 15 percent higher last year if from the same dogs. tunately, these cities can rely power shortage sent energy failed. natural gas hadn’t displaced Must I have to carry wasp spray, red pepper gun, mace on natural gas to supplement prices through the roof. The Contrary to what envi- coal, according to the IEA. renewables while still reduc- average wholesale price for ronmentalists claim, rely- Shifting to renewable en- spray and or walking stick to keep my self safe while I am ing emissions. electricity hit over $6,500 ing on natural gas helps the ergy sources may help peo- taking my morning walks? It takes much enjoyment from Renewable energy sources per megawatt-hour, an in- environment. The advent of ple feel more environmen- are frequently unreliable. crease of 36,000 percent. “fracking” has made cheap my walk because I must be prepared for when, not if, the Solar and wind-powered California has had similar tally conscious. But if city natural gas more widely officials want to help reduce next unleashed dog wants to attack me. grids can’t generate elec- problems with wind power. available. This abundance emissions without depriving Are we letting Elk City go to the dogs? Are you waiting tricity on still, cloudy days. One scorching day in July of affordable gas has en- until a child or adult is killed before you feel responsible A city, state, or country that 2018, electricity demand abled the American energy their residents of electricity, relies on renewables alone peaked at 5:00 PM and re- sector to move away from they can’t abandon natural enough to report the crime? We are being victims of ir- needs to store enough energy coal, a relatively dirty en- mained high through the gas responsible and disrespectful bullies when we allow them to power its grid when wind ergy source. Compared to night, but wind and solar Drew Johnson is a colum- to endanger our children and adults with the careless dis- turbines and solar panels production had peaked hours natural gas, coal generates nist and energy policy expert fail. Most cities can’t man- earlier, as Robert Bryce ex- twice as much carbon di- who serves as a senior fel- regard for others. age that. The country would plained in the Orange Coun- oxide. In 2018, natural gas low at the National Center Marilyn Johnson lives in Elk City. need 900 times its current try Register. More than accounted for 35 percent of Sor Public Policy Research.