A television crew from the program visited Sallisaw High School Jan.13 as students and the community took part in a Crystal Darkness watch party. The crew met with graduates of the Sequoyah County Drug Court and “Oklahoma Horizon” executive director Rob McClendon. McClendon said he believes Sallisaw is a good example of how law enforcement, the school, and community leaders are working together to solve a problem that affects everyone.
Featured in the show, which will begin airing Sunday on OETA, will be a segment on how Sequoyah County’s drug court is helping keep families together by getting drug offenders off drugs and out of prison.
“Everyone we talked to about addiction for this week’s show told us that this is a problem we can’t solve solely with punishment. If we are to break the cycle of crime and punishment, we have to put more effort into rehabilitation,” McClendon said.
“Oklahoma Horizon” is a weekly television show that showcases contributions made by individuals, companies and other organizations across the state to benefit Oklahoma’s economic development and quality of life. For those living in featured area the best time to see the program is Sunday afternoon on OETA, and then Sunday night on KRSC (the PBS station out of Claremore on cable channel 21). All of the story segments should be streaming on www.okhorizon.com starting Friday and are there for unrestricted use to link to them.
McClendon said the show that begins airing Sunday will feature:
—Sinners and Saints: McClendon said, “We go behind prison walls to see first hand how students in a skills center program are gaining a new faith in themselves by helping others.”
—Prison Redemption: “If there’s a path that leads to prison, drugs would most certainly be on it. We meet two men who are serving sentences that have put them on the long road in search of redemption,” McClendon said.
—Youthful Offenders: “Lowering our state’s recidivism rate is the goal of the youthful offenders program in Oklahoma. Breaking the cycle of crime and punishment while also providing trained workers for high growth and high demand jobs,” McClendon said.
—Crystal Darkness: Oklahoma prisons are bursting at the seams due to one thing, drug related offenses and methamphetamine, the drug of choice, which is why state leaders began a new push earlier this year to steer young people away from a drug that wrecks lives, illustrated by the program taped at Sallisaw High School, McClendon said.
—Drug Courts: One Oklahoma county court judge in Eastern Oklahoma says the answer to the drug problem does not lie in punishment or legislation, but in a supportive system of rehabilitation. This segment was taped at Sequoyah County Drug Court, McClendon said.
The 30-minute weekly production is a partnership between the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry and the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education. “Oklahoma Horizon” is broadcast on a network of stations reaching 150 million homes. The show debuts at 3 p.m. Sunday on OETA. Oklahoma Horizon also airs on local cable stations, nationally on RFD-TV and in Europe on the Global Broadcasting Network.
Repeats of “Oklahoma Horizon” are shown throughout the week on OETA’s new OKLA Channel - 13.2; OETA Channel 13 in Oklahoma City and on Channel 11 in Tulsa at 3 p.m. Sunday; on CUTV, Cameron University, Lawton, Channel 11 at 4 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; on KOMI-TV, Woodward, Channel 24 at 6 p.m. Thursday; on KRSC-TV, Claremore UHF Channel 35, Channel 19 in Tulsa and an additional 75 cable systems at 10:30 p.m. Sunday; on Pegasys Community Television in Enid, Channel 11 at 9 p.m. Monday and 8:30 p.m. Friday; on TV 31, Stillwater, Cable Channel 3 at 8:30 p.m. Monday and 8 p.m. Wednesday and Friday.
The is also aired nationwide on Dish Network Channel 231 and on DIRECTV on Channel 345 at 2:30 p.m. Thursday and 12:30 a.m. Friday. Check local listings for show times at http://www.rfdtv.com/schedule.asp.
Visit the “Oklahoma Horizon” Web site at www.okhorizon.com to view program lineup. For more information about the shows and stories contact the CareerTech Communications and Marketing Division at (405) 743-5104.
