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  • School board election 2010 today

    Oklahoma's statewide school board elections are today, February 9, 2010. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Two Tulsa school board seats are being contested: Here is a PDF map of Tulsa School Board District 7 and here's a PDF map of Tulsa School Board District 4. District... [...]
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    Posted: February 09, 2010, 6:44am EST

  • Money Belt is mega-wet

    It's always interesting to see the Money Belt make an appearance in unexpected ways. The latest manifestation is in a map of water usage by neighborhood generated by the Tulsa World from city utility records. The neighborhoods with heaviest usage -- an average of 125,000 gallons per year and up... [...]
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    Posted: February 08, 2010, 10:53pm EST

  • Lois Jacobs for Tulsa school board

    This is encouraging news: Both Tulsa school board incumbents have drawn opponents for re-election. All too often school board members are returned to office with little if any scrutiny of their service. The election is this Tuesday, February 9, 2010. Because both seats drew only two candidates, there's no need... [...]
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    Posted: February 08, 2010, 11:33pm EST

  • Carless couple profiled in Tulsa Business Journal

    Kristin and Nathan Pickard, the Brady Heights couple whose 30-day experiment in commuting through Tulsa by bicycle is nearing its end, were profiled by Holly Wall in the latest (February 1, 2010) issue of Tulsa Business Journal. If you haven't visited their blog in a while, you'll want to get... [...]
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    Posted: February 07, 2010, 5:06pm EST

  • Tulsa activist and candidate training, Feb. 9 and 20

    American Majority's Tulsa candidate training seminar, originally scheduled for just before Christmas, will be held in two Saturdays, on February 20, 2010, from 8:30 to 4:00. It will be at the Tulsa Technology Center Lemley Campus, in the Career Services Center, at 3638 S Memorial. There is a registration fee... [...]
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    Posted: February 07, 2010, 11:18pm EST

  • Tulsa County GOP open meeting, rally, straw poll Saturday morning 9 am

    (Sorry to be so late in posting this.) The Tulsa County Republican Party is holding an open county-wide meeting at the Tulsa Technology Center Lemley Campus, Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010, 9 a.m. Party officials will give an update on local party activities, and many candidates running in 2010 will be... [...]
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    Posted: February 05, 2010, 10:32pm EST

  • Operation Slick Budget

    Listening to last week's radio reports of slick roads brought to mind a commercial parody from back when Michael DelGiorno hosted the morning show on 1170 KFAQ, back during Tulsa's last budget crisis, early in the Bill LaFortune administration. A 911 caller with a police emergency was told by the... [...]
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    Posted: February 04, 2010, 6:50pm EST

  • Sullivan challenges constitutionality of Obamacare insurance mandate

    Oklahoma 1st District Congressman John Sullivan has introduced a resolution (H. Res. 1063) targeting the individual health insurance mandate, one of the components of the Democratic Party health insurance proposal that passed the U. S. Senate in December, according to a news release on Sullivan's House website, issued today: "My..." [...]
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    Posted: February 03, 2010, 5:33pm EST

  • Oklahoma gets a C+ on initiative & referendum rights

    The Citizens in Charge Foundation has issued its 2010 report card on voter initiative rights in each of the states. (The full state-by-state report is an 8.2 MB PDF. The flag pictures are pretty -- I always like to see the old-fashioned font, with the arched A, used for OKLAHOMA,... [...]
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    Posted: February 03, 2010, 6:56am EST

  • PLANiTULSA district meetings

    A series of meetings about PLANiTULSA, the proposed new comprehensive plan for the City of Tulsa, will be held in each city council district starting tonight and continuing over the next two weeks, hosted by the district councilor. Here's the schedule: Day/Date Time Dist Councilor/Aide Location   Tues/2 Feb 6... [...]
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    Posted: February 02, 2010, 12:14pm EST

  • Tulsa budget info at JohnEagleton.com

    I've been negligent in reminding you about an excellent source for information about current issues at Tulsa's City Hall. Tulsa District 7 City Councilor John Eagleton has a personal website, johneagleton.com, where he posts some of the data and analysis that inform his decisions as a councilor. The latest article...' [...]
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    Posted: February 02, 2010, 6:55am EST

  • Tulsa blog roundup 2010/02/01

    Photographer Erin Conrad has decided to blog every day this month: That seems like an appropriate thing to do for the shortest month in the year. Blog every day of it. So perhaps I should try to do the same -- get back in the habit of posting on a... [...]
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    Posted: February 02, 2010, 11:53pm EST

  • Lech Walesa on the world's need for American leadership

    If you were paying attention to world news in 1980 and 1981, you know of Lech Wałęsa, the man who turned an illegal independent trade union into a force for freedom in communist Poland. Although his efforts directly resulted in his imprisonment and the imposition of martial law, in 1988... [...]
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    Posted: January 31, 2010, 9:23pm EST

  • Ice storm photos

    David Schuttler has posted some pretty pictures of Tulsa's January 2010 ice and snow storm.... [...]
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    Posted: January 30, 2010, 12:10am EST

  • Oklahoma ice storm on Twitter

    As the weather gets worse, it's less likely I'll be able to post here at BatesLine, but as long as I have a cellphone connection, I can post brief updates on Twitter. You can follow my "tweets" (Twitter updates) by clicking this link: @BatesLine. By consensus, tweets about the Oklahoma...' [...]
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    Posted: January 28, 2010, 8:39am EST

  • Ice forecast a little less bad

    I realize there are other things in the news tonight -- the FOP turning down the City of Tulsa's alternative to layoffs, the State of the Union show -- but my mind has been focused on getting my family ready for what could be a week or so without power.... [...]
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    Posted: January 27, 2010, 10:49pm EST

  • An inch of ice in Tulsa?

    The latest update from the NWS has the freezing rain zone shifted northward, with Tulsa County in the 4 and 5 zone. Nearly everything north of I-40 would be either SPIA 4 or 5, with little to no ice south of I-40. The latest forecast also drops the forecast snowfall... [...]
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    Posted: January 27, 2010, 12:02pm EST

  • Tulsa ice forecast update, stocking up

    The National Weather Service office in Tulsa posted another informative ice storm forecast briefing at 5 pm on Tuesday. This one is twice as long, shows the two weather systems that are on course to collide right over Oklahoma, explains some of the uncertainties in the timing of the storm,... [...]
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    Posted: January 26, 2010, 10:37pm EST

  • Bad ice, high winds, heavy snow on their way

    It's gonna be bad. Ice -- enough, with the forecast wind speeds, to cause significant power outages of the sort we had in December 2007 -- followed by lots of snow and single-digit temperatures. At least, that's what our local weatherfolk are predicting. Click the link to view a 7-minute... [...]
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    Posted: January 26, 2010, 11:30am EST

  • Tulsa blogger meetup

    Tasha Does Tulsa, Tulsa Project, and Art of Manliness are sponsoring a Tulsa Blogger Meetup at Joe Momma's Pizza, 1st & Elgin downtown, from 7 - 9 p.m. on Thursday, February 4, 2010. Click the link for details. Blogger meetups are great fun. It was five years ago this weekend... [...]
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    Posted: January 24, 2010, 10:31pm EST

  • Gilcrease Turnpike?

    On GetRightOK, Jason Carini reports on a bill from Sapulpa State Sen. Brian Bingman to authorize a toll road connecting I-44 near 49th West Ave to the L. L. Tisdale Expressway. The bill is SB 1764, and it adds the incomplete Gilcrease Expressway route, first sketched in 1956 (and then... [...]
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    Posted: January 24, 2010, 10:01pm EST

  • Join the March for Life

    Today is the March for Life, the annual event to protest Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that overturned abortion laws nationwide and that has resulted in the death of nearly 50 million innocent American children since that date. You may not be able to get to... [...]
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    Posted: January 22, 2010, 8:41am EST

  • Bartlett outlines cuts, layoffs in email to city workers

    Mayor Dewey Bartlett Jr sent an email on Thursday to city employees regarding the poll of AFSCME members, preferring layoffs to salary and benefit cuts, and regarding the state of negotiations with the police and fire unions. Click over to Roemerman on Record for the full text of Bartlett's statement.... [...]
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    Posted: January 22, 2010, 12:25am EST

  • Documentary on global warming alarmism tonight at ORU

    Not Evil Just Wrong, a documentary on the "true cost of global warming hysteria," will be screened tonight, January 21, 2010, at Oral Roberts University at 7 pm in Room 236 of the Learning Resource Center. The screening is free and open to the public, sponsored by Americans for Prosperity.... [...]
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    Posted: January 21, 2010, 12:16pm EST

  • PLANiTULSA, Mass. senate

    A busy evening -- was with over 200 Tulsans at the PLANiTULSA public forum, then had to come home to entertain the four-year-old so he wouldn't distract big sister, who had a writing assignment to finish for tomorrow. Thankfully the four-year-old was content to sit on my lap as we...' [...]
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    Posted: January 20, 2010, 12:18am EST

  • Massachusetts special Senate election coverage

    If you hadn't heard, there's a special election in Massachusetts tomorrow to fill the remainder of the late Ted Kennedy's term in the U. S. Senate. Attorney General Martha Coakley is the Democratic nominee, State Sen. Scott Brown is the Republican nominee. Polls show the race too close to call,...' [...]
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    Posted: January 18, 2010, 1:19am EST

  • Carless in Tulsa

    A young couple, friends of ours from church, decided to mark their fifth anniversary* in an unusual way. Feeling the need for more exercise but not wanting to pay for a gym membership, they took the batteries out of their cars and began a 30-day experiment in getting everywhere by... [...]
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    Posted: January 16, 2010, 10:52pm EST

  • New City Hall and the budget crisis

    Late yesterday afternoon, I received an interesting e-mail from Fox 23 investigative reporter Emily Sinovic: This youtube clip has been getting passed around quite a bit recently. Do you have anything you'd like to say about what's happened since you raised these concerns about the unnecessary decision to move into...' [...]
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    Posted: January 15, 2010, 10:27pm EST

  • Historical Oklahoma aviation maps

    Via the Google Earth Library blog, I found a collection of historic navigational charts for air and sea travel on the website of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It's the Historical Map and Chart Project of the Office of Coast Survey. You can search the collection by state,... [...]
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    Posted: January 13, 2010, 10:54pm EST

  • Tulsa Sabre reunion, January 22, 2010

    Alumni of American Airlines' Sabre reservation system will gather Friday, January 22, 2010, at Mulligan's, in the Radisson Hotel on 41st St, between US 169 and Garnett Rd. Here's the text of the invitation that's going around by e-mail: 30 Years??? Seems like yesterday!!! Come celebrate the 30th anniversary of... [...]
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    Posted: January 12, 2010, 6:19pm EST

  • PLANiTULSA public forum, Tuesday, January 19, 2010

    PLANiTULSA, the process for developing Tulsa's first comprehensive plan in a generation, will hold a public forum a week from tonight: What: PLANiTULSA public forum, led by John Fregonese Where: Central Center at Centennial Park, on 6th St. west of Peoria When: Tuesday, January 19, 2010, 6:00 pm to 8:00... [...]
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    Posted: January 12, 2010, 5:19pm EST

  • Too tired to write

    I have a long list of things I should be doing tonight, and I started a lengthy post, but working graveyard shift four of the last five nights means the exhaustion is exceeding my ambition. Check out the BatesLine "headlines" pages linked at right for links to blogs worth your... [...]
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    Posted: January 11, 2010, 8:54pm EST

  • Grief, observed

    Two recent posts on the subject of grief, both by Oklahoma bloggers, deserve your attention. C. Michael Patton (the theologian from Edmond, not the recycler from Tulsa) lost a sister to suicide six years ago. He was encouraged to write a "grief letter" to his sister and to share it,... [...]
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    Posted: January 10, 2010, 12:39am EST

  • The Gospel according to Ann

    My friend Dave Russ sent along a link to Ann Coulter's latest column, saying it was "Ann Coulter at her smart-aleck best." Coulter takes Brit Hume's two or three sentences on Fox News about Tiger Woods, Christianity, and redemption as her starting point. Hume's words, being 100 percent factually correct,... [...]
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    Posted: January 10, 2010, 12:21am EST

  • Richardson on Roberts

    The latest episode of Goodbye Tulsa is an unusual one: Gary Richardson talks about meeting with Oral Roberts, in which Roberts asked Richardson to explain the legal problems of fellow televangelist Robert Tilton. At the end of the meeting, Richardson, in turn, asked Roberts for the opportunity to talk to... [...]
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    Posted: January 10, 2010, 12:00am EST

  • Oklahoma roundup 2010/01/08

    It's been too long since I've done this, and here I'm going to try to do it on three hours sleep. My day is just about to end as yours is getting started. Here are some posts of interest from blogs in Tulsa and around Oklahoma: Tasha Does Tulsa has... [...]
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    Posted: January 07, 2010, 6:49am EST

  • UTW's Hot 100

    I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I once again was named to Urban Tulsa Weekly's Hot 100 for 2010. The annual feature story lists Tulsa movers and shakers from all walks of life. I was even more pleased to see a number of friends and colleagues on the list... [...]
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    Posted: January 06, 2010, 8:33pm EST

  • Paintings of Tulsa's beautiful buildings, in blog form

    Amanda DeCort of the Tulsa Preservation Commission has a blog entry today about a blog devoted to paintings of Tulsa's buildings and streetscapes: Local artist Celeste Vaught is on a mission to paint as many of Tulsa's fantastic historic buildings as she can. You can check out her "Brick..." [...]
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    Posted: January 04, 2010, 5:29pm EST

  • Tulsa police on BBC: Good or bad?

    I got a call yesterday from someone upset about "24 Hours in Tulsa," the BBC World Service documentary about Tulsa police officers. The documentary is based on Officer Jay Chiarito-Mazzarella's Street Stories podcast. Much of the 22-minute piece is Chiarito-Mazzarella retelling some of his stories, with a few words changed... [...]
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    Posted: January 02, 2010, 1:04am EST

  • Erin Conrad photography show Jan. 6

    Congratulations to my friend Erin Conrad, who will be holding a photography open house at Joe Momma's Pizza, 1st & Elgin, downtown Tulsa, this coming Wednesday, January 6, 2010, from 5 to 8 pm. The Rock Bottom Ramblers will be performing. The open house will mark the launch of a... [...]
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    Posted: January 02, 2010, 12:49am EST

  • The Other McCain moves to a new domain

    One the blogs I added to my list of favorites last year is The Other McCain. The eponymous author, journalist Robert Stacy McCain, was a long-time writer and editor for The Washington Times, a dead-tree newspaper that began a steep decline about the time of his departure. McCain began blogging,... [...]
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    Posted: January 01, 2010, 11:59am EST

  • The Mystery of the Muskogee Senator's Missing Name

    Jamison Faught has caught the Muskogee Phoenix newspaper in an interesting omission. It's in an Associated Press story (originating in the Oklahoman) on two Democratic Oklahoma state senators, Earl Garrison and Kenneth Corn, intervening on behalf of a Muskogee highway contractor named Craig Glover. Glover had been rejected by the... [...]
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    Posted: December 30, 2009, 8:42pm EST

  • Best-of-2009 lists

    'Tis the season for retrospectives. You won't want to miss Dave Barry's 2009 month-by-month review. John Hawkins at Right Wing News has put together a bunch of best-of lists for 2009, covering national politics from a conservative perspective: The 40 Best Political Quotes Of 2009 The Top 40 Conservative Blogs... [...]
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    Posted: December 30, 2009, 6:46pm EST

  • "You vote Obamacare, we'll vote you outta there."

    Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Ray Stevens, whose work spans a half century and ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous, has a topical new song with a straightforward message for our representatives in Washington:... [...]
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    Posted: December 30, 2009, 6:17pm EST

  • Tulsa police featured in BBC radio documentary

    BBC World Service will present a radio documentary called "24 Hours in Tulsa." For one police officer, patrolling the streets of Tulsa, Oklahoma, has become more than just a job. Jay Chiarito-Mazarrella has created a cult following for his self-narrated Street Story podcasts - fresh, funny and sometimes frightening insights... [...]
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    Posted: December 29, 2009, 12:07pm EST

  • Sudden death

    Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing Passing from you and from me Shadows are gathering, death beds are coming Coming for you and for me. An uncle of mine died this week. He was 70. He and my aunt were in the process of moving into a... [...]
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    Posted: December 28, 2009, 9:17pm EST

  • A quiet, white Christmas

    When I left work on Thursday at about 3, high winds were firing tiny ice darts (sleet, officially) into my exposed skin, as I cleared the car windows as quickly as I could. I stayed off the expressways and mentally charted a zigzag route home, avoiding any significant up- or... [...]
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    Posted: December 26, 2009, 11:58pm EST

  • Augustine Christian Academy Nutcracker video montage

    Augustine Christian Academy is blessed to have among its alumni a talented young videographer named Kenneth V. Jones. Kenneth produced several wonderful videos in connection with the ACA Junior Performing Arts Company's presentation of the Nutcracker. He does an amazing job of capturing the event. Here is a montage of... [...]
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    Posted: December 22, 2009, 11:36pm EST

  • Eldon, Tiny, and Merle: Columbus Stockade Blues

    From 1978, Merle Haggard and the Strangers perform "Columbus Stockade Blues." You'll hear Eldon Shamblin's distinctive style of rhythm guitar throughout (and you can see him to the left of the trumpeter at about a minute in). At 1:30, Tiny Moore takes a short solo on his Bigsby 5-string electric...' [...]
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    Posted: December 21, 2009, 12:16am EST

  • Nutcracker photos

    The school has posted some photos from Augustine Christian Academy's production of "The Nutcracker". Here are my three kids: The Prince, the Candy Flute, and their little brother. And here she is with one of her classmates and best friends: The Prince as the Nutcracker, with Herr Drosselmaier: The Prince... [...]
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    Posted: December 19, 2009, 8:22pm EST

  • Health care "reform": $2.5 trillion in the first 10 years

    Why on earth does anyone, left-wing or right-wing, think this is a good idea? In its real first 10 years (2014 to 2023), the CBO says that the bill would cost $1.8 trillion -- for insurance coverage expansions alone. Other parts of the bill would cost approximately $700 billion more,... [...]
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    Posted: December 19, 2009, 7:45pm EST

  • Grace & Truth Books

    One message you've been hearing a lot this year is to shop locally. Shopping in your own town keeps money circulating in the community, which keeps your friends and neighbors employed, and generates sales tax to help fund local government. The Tulsa area has many unique local businesses that can...' [...]
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    Posted: December 19, 2009, 12:59pm EST

  • PLANiTULSA policy plan working draft

    On the PLANiTULSA.org website, there is a new working draft of the PLANiTULSA policy plan, a component of a new comprehensive plan for the City of Tulsa. The policy plan covers, in broad terms, city policy would be concerning land use, transportation, housing, economic development, and parks, open space, and... [...]
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    Posted: December 17, 2009, 11:09pm EST

  • Tulsa streetcar and interurban lines in Google Maps

    In response to a thread at TulsaNow's public forum, here is a map showing the routes of Tulsa's three streetcar/interurban lines: Red is the Tulsa Street Railway, blue is Oklahoma Union Traction, and green is the Sand Springs Railway. The latter two lines had interurban routes to Sapulpa and Kiefer... [...]
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    Posted: December 15, 2009, 12:30am EST

  • Dean McKinney Moore learns the answer to her musical question at last

    I received an e-mail today with a question about Billy Jack Wills, youngest brother of Bob Wills and a great western swing band leader in his own right. A search for the answer turned up the sad news that Billy Jack's sister-in-law, Dean McKinney Moore, had passed away on November... [...]
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    Posted: December 13, 2009, 10:16pm EST

  • The Nutcracker, this weekend at Augustine Christian Academy

    Augustine Christian Academy's Junior Performing Arts Company presents "The Nutcracker" this weekend, December 11-13, 2009. I attended last night's dress rehearsal, and it's a wonderful story told through dance, colorful costumes and sets, and the music of Tchaikovsky -- the party, the wind-up dolls, the snowflakes, the battle with the... [...]
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    Posted: December 11, 2009, 12:07am EST

  • Schooling for your school board race

    If you're thinking about running for school board but are hesitant because you don't know the first thing about campaigning for office, fret not. Help is on the way, in the form of American Majority's candidate training seminar on Saturday morning, December 19, 2009: What: Candidate Training Event When: December... [...]
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    Posted: December 08, 2009, 7:00am EST

  • Tulsa inauguration 2009

    I went to the new ballroom at the Tulsa Convention Center for today's swearing-in of our new mayor, auditor, and city councilors. Events like this bring together the diverse cast of characters that take an interest in local politics. There were federal, state, and local politicians, both current and former,... [...]
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    Posted: December 08, 2009, 11:00pm EST

  • Oklahoma school board filing, December 7-9, 2009

    The filing period for the February 2010 school board elections opens today, December 7, 2009, and closes on Wednesday, December 9. Filing takes place at the election board in the county where the school district is headquartered. There are two seats up for election in the Tulsa district, for board... [...]
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    Posted: December 07, 2009, 1:10am EST

  • Nominate your Tulsa A to Z for a chance to win a DVD

    UPDATE: I counted 14 discrete suggestions. The number 11 was selected from a range of 1 to 14 by the random number generator at RANDOM.ORG. And the winner is... Adam, who nominated "C is for the Center of the Universe." Thanks to all for the excellent ideas, which induced a... [...]
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    Posted: December 07, 2009, 11:25pm EST

  • TGOV online at last

    It's been a long wait, but TGOV, the City of Tulsa's government channel, is streaming video and offering archived video of city government meetings at tgovonline.org. You can read the city press release at Councilor John Eagleton's blog. This will make it easier for people interested in city government to... [...]
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    Posted: December 03, 2009, 7:18am EST

  • Liz Wright on the radio

    Pat Campbell interviewed not-ousted Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (TMAPC) member Elizabeth Wright on 1170 KFAQ Wednesday morning. It was an informative interview -- well done to both Pat and Liz. You can listen to the interview on the station's podcast: TMAPC's Elizabeth Wright interviewed by Pat Campbell, December 2,... [...]
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    Posted: December 03, 2009, 1:12am EST

  • A corner grocery for Brady Heights

    There's an exciting article in the latest Urban Tulsa Weekly about an effort by my friends Justin and Leah Pickard to establish a small neighborhood grocery in the Brady Heights neighborhood in a 1920s building on Latimer between Cheyenne and Denver Aves. (So strictly speaking, it's not on a corner.)... [...]
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    Posted: December 03, 2009, 12:35am EST

  • Juggling in Grandfather's Mansion

    My son the juggler, during our visit to Silver Dollar City last weekend:... [...]
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    Posted: December 01, 2009, 10:02am EST

  • TU in the 1940s at Circle Cinema

    Tonight (November 30, 2009) also brings another fascinating glimpse of Tulsa's past to the Circle Cinema in Whittier Square, Admiral Blvd. and Lewis Ave.: RadioTU presents a screening of "Going to College", a film about life at The University of Tulsa in the forties, on Monday, November 30 at 7:00... [...]
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    Posted: November 30, 2009, 2:08pm EST

  • "Tulsa A to Z" premieres tonight

    Tonight at 7:30 on KOTV is a half-hour preview of the latest from Jack Frank's wonderful Tulsa Films series: "Tulsa A to Z." Each letter of the alphabet provides a jumping-off point for explaining a fascinating, often obscure aspect of Tulsa history and culture. The broadcast will air on OETA's...' [...]
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    Posted: November 30, 2009, 1:27pm EST

  • Karen Keith ouster of Liz Wright fails

    County Commissioner Karen Keith's attempt to oust Elizabeth Wright from the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (TMAPC) failed for lack of a second at this morning's Tulsa County Commission meeting. Barring another ouster attempt, Wright will continue to serve on the TMAPC until her term expires on January 18, 2011.... [...]
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    Posted: November 30, 2009, 10:49am EST

  • Karen Keith keeping Elizabeth Wright TMAPC accusations under wraps

    Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith has yet to supply Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (TMAPC) member Elizabeth Wright with a list of specific allegations justifying Keith's call to remove Wright from the TMAPC over a year before her three-year term is due to end, according to an email from Wright... [...]
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    Posted: November 29, 2009, 11:55am EST

  • Is the TMAPC a quasi-judicial body?

    In the course of the ongoing effort by Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith to remove Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (TMAPC) member Elizabeth Wright, I've heard and read the TMAPC described as a "quasi-judicial body." Accordingly, these same sources claim that TMAPC members are like "referees," that they are to...' [...]
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    Posted: November 29, 2009, 12:29am EST

  • A Thanksgiving reader

    The Wall Street Journal's Thanksgiving tradition, since 1961: The Desolate Wilderness: The New World in the words of the Pilgrims' historian And the Fair Land: A modern reflection on America's prosperity and challenges. Plus this story on Franklin Roosevelt's short-lived attempt (1939-1941) to move the date of Thanksgiving one week...' [...]
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    Posted: November 26, 2009, 12:20am EST

  • Anne Marie Dutcher at rest

    I gasped when I heard the news at Sunday worship, by means of an elder's prayer for the family of little Anne Marie Dutcher, who had died Saturday night, at the age of 37 days. It was the end of what her parents, Brandon and Susie Dutcher, had described as... [...]
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    Posted: November 25, 2009, 1:06am EST

  • Murphey calls for county government reform

    Via NewsFifty's Oklahoma news page: State Rep. Jason Murphey (R-Guthrie) is considering proposing legislation to reform the structure of county government in Oklahoma. In an Edmond Sun op-ed, Murphey sets forth his concerns. At the heart, the lack of adequate separation of powers when it comes to spending taxpayer dollars:... [...]
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    Posted: November 25, 2009, 12:06am EST

  • Vote against removing Liz Wright: An open letter to John Smaligo and Fred Perry

    I can't attend Monday morning's Tulsa County Commission meeting, so I sent the following letter to County Commissioners John Smaligo and Fred Perry urging them to vote against removing Liz Wright from the TMAPC. (I didn't figure there was any point in sending it to Commissioner Karen Keith, the lead... [...]
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    Posted: November 23, 2009, 11:56pm EST

  • Blast from the past: A truly rude TMAPC commissioner

    In February 2004, leaders of neighborhood associations and homeowners' associations showed up by the dozens for a 1:30 p.m. hearing before the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (TMAPC) on zoning protest petitions. Many of those present had to make special arrangements to be at a City Hall meeting in the...' [...]
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    Posted: November 22, 2009, 1:11am EST

  • Santa Claus, Stinky Cheese Man illustrator at Philbrook today

    Santa Claus returns to Tulsa's Philbrook Art Museum for the 25th anniversary of the Festival of Trees. Today (November 21, 2009) is the members' opening of the Festival; the Festival opens to the public on Sunday. Santa will be at Philbrook each weekend of the festival (including the Friday after...' [...]
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    Posted: November 21, 2009, 1:20am EST

  • Karen Keith's ex post facto crusade for unfair zoning

    Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith's bizarre and unprecedented campaign to remove Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission member Elizabeth Wright (for bogus reasons, a year before her term expires) reaches its climax on Monday, November 23, 2009, at 9:30 a.m., at a public hearing to be held as part of the... [...]
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    Posted: November 20, 2009, 12:20am EST

  • Texas Playboys' 1930s studio doomed?

    As with Tulsa's struggle over applying new fire codes to older buildings, Dallas is experiencing a battle between historic preservation and downtown revitalization on the one hand and strict enforcement of building codes on the other. The building in question is at 508 Park Avenue, a three-story Art Deco building... [...]
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    Posted: November 19, 2009, 1:02am EST

  • Take the downtown housing survey

    The city's economic development planners would like your thoughts on housing in and near downtown, and they've set up an online survey to collect your input, now through November 23. They want to find out who would be willing to live within the IDL and the neighborhoods immediately to the...' [...]
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    Posted: November 19, 2009, 12:31am EST

  • Buy Christmas gifts from crafty Tulsans

    I've noticed a surge of interest among Tulsa's young adults in arts and crafts. You'll find their creations on sale at local boutiques and coffeehouses and at special events like last month's Indie Emporium, which featured handmade knitwear, jewelry, clothing, accessories, toys, art prints, photographs, greeting cards, and much, much... [...]
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    Posted: November 17, 2009, 10:59pm EST

  • Help make a wish come true

    A note from Joe Kelley, KRMG Morning Show host and chairman of Oklahoma's Make-A-Wish Foundation: My Friends, Six weeks ago, I accepted the call to become Chairman of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Oklahoma. As a two-time childhood cancer survivor, the mission of the Make-A-Wish Foundation is very personal to me.... [...]
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    Posted: November 17, 2009, 12:08pm EST

  • Morris Udall's Congressional Reports

    I was "chasing a rabbit," looking for info on how Oklahoma apportioned seats in the State Legislature among counties prior to a 1964 Federal court mandate (which to this day overrules the text of our State Constitution). What I found was a set of newsletters on the University of Arizona... [...]
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    Posted: November 17, 2009, 11:00pm EST

  • Turnout turned off

    Turnout in the City of Tulsa mayor's race fell from 77,341 in 2006 to 66,632, a drop of nearly 14%, albeit still higher than the turnout for 2002's Bill LaFortune-Gary Watts contest of 65,592. The most turned-off precinct in raw numbers was Precinct 168, between S. Sheridan and S. Memorial,... [...]
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    Posted: November 16, 2009, 12:02am EST

  • Adelson improved vote share in Senate 33

    There's a lot of analysis yet to be done on this election, but here's one bit of data that's somewhat interesting. Tom Adelson's share of the vote in State Senate district 33 may be one of the few positives in last Tuesday's results for the Democratic mayoral nominee. In 2004,... [...]
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    Posted: November 15, 2009, 8:10pm EST

  • Sunday brunch at Escargot's

    Last Sunday, as an early birthday lunch, my parents took us out to eat downtown at a new place that's been around for a while. Escargot's is a catering establishment at 8th and Main, in the old Harrington's / KOME building. The dining room has long been used for special... [...]
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    Posted: November 15, 2009, 1:06am EST

  • Election 2009: A couple of thoughts

    Work, homework, laundry, and more have occupied my time the last couple of days. My son is working on a five-paragraph essay for his writing assignment. He decided to write about Saul Alinsky and the ongoing influence of his Rules for Radicals. (Had a birthday, too. Got a DVD collection... [...]
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    Posted: November 13, 2009, 12:08am EST

  • A result that really matters

    As generally pleased as I am with Tuesday's election results, the outcome that's most on my mind is this one. Please pray. UPDATE 2009/11/11: After coming off ECMO, Anne Marie Dutcher's numbers are good and stable, much to everyone's amazement. Her mom, Susie, blogs that God has done something extraordinary.... [...]
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    Posted: November 11, 2009, 1:30am EST

  • Tulsa 2009 general election info

    Click the "continue reading" link to find links to helpful essays on BatesLine, my endorsements, voter information from the Tulsa County Election Board, multimedia, and candidate questionnaires, all to help you as you get ready to vote (post-dated to remain at the top until polls close). ("I Voted" sticker courtesy... [...]
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    Posted: November 10, 2009, 7:00pm EST

  • Mark Perkins rebuts Bartlett Jr 2nd Amendment attack

    Here's yet another slimy political attack from the Karl Ahlgren-Fount Holland factory. Dewey Bartlett Jr sent out a postcard to voters claiming, "Mark Perkins wants to take away our Second Amendment right to bear arms." Mark Perkins stated in a debate on KFAQ that he supports the 2nd Amendment as... [...]
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    Posted: November 09, 2009, 5:17pm EST

  • Preserve Midtown surveys the candidates

    Preserve Midtown, a group working to protect the unique character of midtown Tulsa's neighborhoods through compatible infill development, sent a very short and sweet three-question survey to the candidates for Mayor of Tulsa and the four contested City Council seats. The questions deal with the city no longer paying INCOG... [...]
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    Posted: November 08, 2009, 9:03pm EST

  • Auditor: For Preston Doerflinger

    If you weren't convinced a year ago that Tulsa needed a new City Auditor, you should be now. The incumbent, Phil Wood, has held the job since 1988, and he's the only auditor we've had under the 1989 City Charter, which gave the Auditor's office a great deal of independence... [...]
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    Posted: November 08, 2009, 8:28pm EST

  • Council candidates need your help

    UPDATE: Roscoe Turner's volunteers will gather at the Turner home at 3415 E. Haskell St. at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 7, 2009. Phone 918-834-7580 to see how you can help. And all campaigns are going to need help on election day: Driving voters to the polls and making last...' [...]
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    Posted: November 06, 2009, 6:44pm EST

  • My wife wants a Maria Barnes yard sign

    My wife asked me the other day if we could put a sign in our yard for Maria Barnes, the former Tulsa District 4 city councilor who is seeking to take back that seat. For my wife, the decision comes down to this: Incumbent councilor Eric Gomez, who defeated Barnes... [...]
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    Posted: November 06, 2009, 5:03pm EST

  • Mark Perkins rates his chances

    Mark Perkins, independent candidate for Mayor of Tulsa, forwarded an e-mail that he sent to the KRMG Morning News team. In it, he provides his analysis of his chances, explaining how relatively small voter shifts away from his opponents and from the undecided column -- entirely possible given the new... [...]
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    Posted: November 05, 2009, 9:49pm EST

  • Kathy Taylor's Trail to revenge: Martinson defeat financed by Lobeck, associates

    What many of us suspected was confirmed by the post-primary ethics filing from Tulsa District 5 City Councilor-elect Chris Trail: Trail was Mayor Kathy Taylor's instrument of revenge against City Councilor Bill Martinson, who opposed her on the ballpark improvement district, raised concerns about the overly rosy revenue projections in... [...]
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    Posted: November 05, 2009, 7:18am EST

  • PAC contributions in city elections

    Several political action committees have contributed to City of Tulsa candidates during the current election cycle: BOK BOK Financial PAC: Dewey Bartlett Jr, $1,000; Chris Trail, $1,500; (Eric Gomez received $1,500 and Phil Lakin received $2,000 before the primary, in addition to contributions from George Kaiser, BOK attorney Frederic Dorwart,... [...]
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    Posted: November 03, 2009, 12:53am EST

  • Million-dollar mayoral race: pre-election contribution reports

    City of Tulsa contribution reports for next Tuesday's general election were due today to the City Clerk's office at 5 p.m. Three of the four mayoral candidates have filed their paperwork, and it indicates that Democratic nominee Tom Adelson has a funding advantage fueled by a personal loan of $850,000... [...]
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    Posted: November 02, 2009, 6:00pm EST

  • Charter amendments: Against 1 and 2, for 3

    As I was pulling out of the driveway on Saturday, a neighbor ran out into the street and flagged me down. She wanted to know what I thought about the three amendments to the Tulsa City Charter on the November 10 ballot. (You can find sample ballots with the text... [...]
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    Posted: November 02, 2009, 5:57pm EST

  • Karen Keith trying to bully neighborhood leader off planning commission

    UPDATE 11:40 a.m. 2009/11/02: Liz Wright called earlier this morning to tell me that the County Commission voted to approve the November 23 public hearing. Karen Keith based her call for a hearing on the need for geographical balance and her desire to make her own appointment, neither of which... [...]
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    Posted: November 02, 2009, 12:07am EST

  • The story of Mt. Zion Baptist Church

    Pastor J. H. Dotson during the construction of Mt. Zion Baptist Church. The photos appear to show the remnant of the ruins of the 1921 structure, which had been roofed in 1937 and was being used for worship, being incorporated into the new structure, c. 1948. Beryl Ford Collection/Rotary... [...]
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    Posted: November 01, 2009, 1:54am EST

  • New York Times profiles Tom Coburn, damages barn

    New York Times reporter Mark Leibovich traveled to Sen. Tom Coburn's Muskogee farm for a profile which appears in today's edition: As the health care overhaul heads to the Senate floor, Mr. Coburn is preparing for what he considers a career pinnacle of havoc. Enacting the proposal, he says, would... [...]
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    Posted: October 30, 2009, 6:03pm EDT
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