Vol. 57 No. 37 • Two Sections • 18 pages • January 26, 2024 $1 per copy
www.okcfriday.com facebook.com/okcfriday OKC’s only locally-owned legal newspaper with all local news Serving affluent far north Oklahoma City, Nichols Hills and The Village for 50 years
The Village, Nichols Hills announce April 2 council elections By Eric Oesch Staff Writer Voters in The Village and Nichols Hills go to the polls April 2 to elect council members for their respective city councils. Nichols Hills Ward 1 and Wards 4 and 5 in The Village are up for reelection. Village Ward 5 councilman Sonny Wilkinson, a non-profit
development officer, announced he would not seek reelection after serving on the council for the past nine years. He served three terms as Mayor. Current Ward 4 councilman, restauranteur Sean Cummings won a two-year term representing Ward 4 in The Village in 2022 with 67 percent of the vote over his opponent. The position was
previously held by his spouse, Cathy Cummings, who represented Ward 4 from May 2017 until she announced her candidacy for Oklahoma County commissioner in December 2021. In Nichols Hills, civic leader Sody Clements has represented Ward 1 since 2009. She is currently serving as mayor. While contests in The
Village regularly draw numerous candidates, incumbents in Nichols Hills rarely draw opponents. Council members in The Village are elected to serve two years, while their counterparts in Nichols Hills are elected to a three-year term. Filing dates for the offices of city council member in both Nichols Hills and The Village are Feb. 5-7.
Council members in both cities are elected at large by the registered, qualified electors of the entire city voting in their respective wards. Each candidate must live in the ward for which they are a candidate. Any person qualified as an elector may have their name placed on the ballot as a candidate by filing and paying the filing fee at the Oklahoma County Election Board.
Larry Stein named to statewide GIS council Antler girls net 3rd at Bruce Gray Invitational
using GIS technoloOklahoma Govgy to serve the pubernor Kevin Stitt lic and perform our appointed Okladuties faster, cheaphoma County er, better,” he conAssessor Larry tinued. “The extenStein to a four-year sive records are term on the State available online at Geographic Informno cost. More than ation Systems 23 milion people Council to reprevisit each year to sent county assesLARRY STEIN see information sors statewide. GIS is a technology system about property, market valthat analyzes and displays ues, taxable values and propgeographical-referenced infor- erty tax exemptions that can mation. It uses data that is save money or eliminate their attached to a unique location. property tax obligation.” He said the property in These are the same programs smart phones use to find Oklahoma County is worth directions to specific shopping more than $92 billion, the largest responsibility in the or eating destinations. “Being appointed by the state. “Oklahoma County proGovernor is an honor and I’m very proud to represent my vides more than 22 percent of assessor colleagues on this the state’s entire ad valorem important council,” Stein said. to support public education, “Oklahoma County has See STEIN, Page 7 been at the tip of the spear
Deer Creek’s Adriana Radinovic scores two of her 12 points in last weekend’s semifinal game against Holland Hall at the Bruce Gray Invitational. Radinovic also finished with a game-high 15 rebounds in the Antlers’ 49-47 loss to the Dutch. See Sports, Page 4
- Photo by Richard Clifton, rtcditigalimages.zenfolio.com
United Way honors three By Rose Lane Editor Robert B. Fields, Edie Roodman and David Rainbolt are to be honored during this Friday’s United Way of Central Oklahoma’s Snowflake Gala. The total of the organization’s annual campaign is also to be announced at the event beginning with cocktails at 5:30 pm. at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.
Roberta B. Fields is the Ray Ackerman Leadership Award recipient. Fields is a trial lawyer who regularly represents employers in all areas of employment law, including litigation in state and federal courts, in arbitrations, and before regulatory and administrative agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Department of Labor (DOL) See HONOREES, Page 7
JM alumni raise funds for Luper Plaza By Eric Oesch Staff Writer John Marshall high school alumni are working to raise funds for a $3.6 million Clara Luper Sit-In Plaza, planned for the intersection of Main Street and Robinson, the former location of Katz Drug Store in downtown Oklahoma City. The late Clara Luper was a civic leader, civil rights advocate and educa-
OKC FRIDAY: Fabulous at 50
Journalism education began at paper By Ray Hibbard Graduate Gourley School of Journalism Hard to believe that OKC FRIDAY could be celebrating its 50year anniversary. When it started I was a junior at Heritage Hall and had no idea at the time that I would go on to work for them for 14 years after graduating from OSU with a fresh degree in journalism. It turns out that the day I started work at FRIDAY was the day my education really began in jour-
nalism. I, too, am a proud graduate of the Gourley School of Journalism along with some of the best journalists ever in this state. Publisher J. Leland Gourley let me learn by making many mistakes, but he never lost faith in me and became my second father. Vicki will not let me call her a second mom because she is too young but we will stick with “big sis.” This great paper and its owners have been ground breakers for community journalism folks on a See 50, Page 7
tor at John Marshall High School in Fridayland. She is well-known for her sitins at downtown Oklahoma City’s Katz Drug Store in 1958. From 1958 to 1964 Luper was a major leader in the fight to end segregation in Oklahoma. Her peaceful campaigns to gain equal banking rights, employment opportunities, open housing and voting rights drew national and inter-
national attention during a turbulent period of American history. The Clara Luper Sit-In Plaza is to depict the 13 black children who participated in the first sit-in led by Luper. Her sit-in demonstrations were the first of their kind. Civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. adopted many of Luper’s peaceful campaign tactics. See LUPER, Page 7
FRIDAY’s Dog of the Week This is Maizie, a 2-year-old mini Golden Doodle. She was adopted the same weekend as her human sister, Dorie Clemens, so that they could celebrate adoption together. She is 18 pounds and loves popcorn and asparagus. Maizie thinks every kid is a member of her fan club and deserves kisses. Email Dog of the Week, Baby of the Week and Cat of the Week submissions to rose@okcfriday.com.