Perry Daily Journal

09/09/2026

09/08/2026

PHS GRADUATE RETURNS HOME TO INSPIRE YOUNG READERS

Submitted by
Perry Public Schools
Perry Lower Elementary students recently welcomed a special visitor when Perry High School graduate Jeffrey Brand stopped by to spend time with the school’s second-grade classes during leave from the United States Navy.
Brand, a 2024 graduate of Perry High School and the son of Russell and Angela Brand, visited the second-grade classrooms to share a love of reading and connect with students. Because the second grade classes are currently studying the ocean, an ocean-themed book, Who’s Afraid of the Light?, was chosen for him to read with the students.
For the young students, the visit provided an opportunity to hear a story from someone who grew up right here in Perry and is now serving his country. Brand has been a member of the U.S. Navy for nearly two years and is currently stationed in Virginia.
His Navy career will soon take him to a new assignment in Hawaii, where his title and duties will change. He will serve as an AM3, Aviation Structural Mechanic Petty Officer Third Class.

Read the full article on page 2A of Wednesday's 9/2 edition.

09/08/2026

WEANING CALVES DURING HOT, DRY WEATHER

Paul Beck, Oklahoma State

University Extension

Beef Cattle Nutrition Specialist

Many producers have considered starting to wean their calves early this year due to drought and declining forage quality. As Mark discussed in recent Cow-Calf Corner article from August 3 (https://extension.okstate.edu/programs/beef-extension/cow-calf-corner-the-newsletter-archives/2026/august-3-2026) early weaning is an effective drought-management tool to reduce the nutrient requirements of the cowherd, preserve cow body condition, and reduce forage demand.

Weaning is a stressful event in a calf’s life and we need to consider the added stress caused by hot weather. At weaning calves are separated from their dams, moved to a pen from the pasture they have been their entire life, and are presented with new unfamiliar in feed and water sources. Processing, vaccination, transportation and commingling occur at the same time. Adding severe heat stress to this list must be avoided. Our objective is not to just get the calves weane…it is to get them weaned, eating, drinking and healthy during the most stressful period they will experience.

Read the full article on page 3B of Wednesday's 9/2 edition.

09/08/2026

Morrison Public Schools cross country runners compete at the Prague meet.

Morrison Public Schools cross country runners compete at the Okemah meet, putting their endurance and determination to the test on the course.

See cutlines on page 10A of Wednesday's 9/2 edition.

09/08/2026

📚✨ SEPTEMBER 8 IS INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY! ✨📚

How important is reading and writing? Important enough that UNESCO created an entire day for it. 🌎

International Literacy Day was proclaimed by UNESCO in 1966 and was first celebrated in 1967. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the observance! The whole idea is to remind the world that literacy isn’t just about being able to read a book — it gives people access to education, information, opportunities, independence and other basic rights. UNESCO considers literacy a fundamental human right. (UNESCO)

And here’s something REALLY cool…

📖 Oklahoma has produced some seriously impressive literary voices.

🏆 N. Scott Momaday was born in Lawton, Oklahoma, and in 1969 he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for House Made of Dawn. He was the first Native American to win a Pulitzer Prize. The novel was published in 1968 and follows Abel, a Native American World War II veteran struggling to reconnect with his community and identity. (The Pulitzer Prizes)

📚 Ralph Ellison was also born in Oklahoma and became one of America’s most important literary figures. His novel Invisible Man won the 1953 National Book Award for Fiction. The book was his first novel and remained on the bestseller list for 16 weeks. And despite the title, the book isn’t actually about being physically invisible — it’s about a Black man struggling with identity and being seen as an individual in American society. (National Book Foundation)

🔥 And here’s a MUCH more recent Oklahoma connection…

Daniel Nayeri immigrated to Oklahoma with his family when he was just 7 years old after spending part of his childhood as a refugee. In 2025, his book The Teacher of Nomad Land: A World War II Story won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. The story follows orphaned siblings who become educators while traveling through Iran during World War II and encounter a Jewish boy hiding from the N***s. (National Book Foundation)

Three completely different writers. Three very different stories. And all connected to Oklahoma. ❤️📚

That’s the power of literacy — someone puts words on a page, and decades or even centuries later, someone else can pick them up and see the world through a completely different set of eyes.

So let’s celebrate the books that stuck with YOU. 👇

📖 What is one book you read that you STILL think about years later?

Or… if you’re not much of a reader, what book do you wish you had read sooner? 😂

Drop the title in the comments! Let’s make a little Oklahoma reading list together. 📚❤️