OKC FRIDAY $1 per copy
Vol. 56 No. 3 • One Section • 12 pages • May 27, 2022
www.okcfriday.com facebook.com/okcfriday OKC’s only locally-owned legal newspaper with all local news Serving Oklahoma City, Nichols Hills, The Village, Quail Creek, The Greens and Gaillardia for 48 years
Village council split on benefits of providing public transportation By Eric Oesch Staff Writer For years, The Village City Council has toyed with the idea of entering a partnership with Oklahoma City EMBARK to provide public transportation to residents of the city. Last week upon the invitation of Vice Mayor Wynter Griffis, Jason Ferbrache, administrator/director for
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EMBARK shared a Transit Rider Profile, a proposed budget and answered questions from the council. Ferbrache proposed an extension to Route 007 that would bring service to The Village by extending the May Avenue bus north from NW 63 to Hefner Road. The bus would then encircle the city traveling Pennsylvania Avenue to Britton and Britton west to May Avenue
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Four to receive Sister Cities Visions Awards Four well-known Oklahomans are set to receive Global Vision Awards presented by Sister Cities International Oklahoma City on Nov. 18 at the Embassy Suites at the OU Medical Center. They are Secretary Bill Lance, Justice Yvonne Kauger, Major General Rita Aragon and Dr. William Parry. Sister Cities International OKC Board of Directors voted unanimously to expand the Global Achievement awards to reflect the continued growth of Oklahoma City as a national leader in global cooperation at the municipal level, promoting cultural understanding and stimulating economic development. Chickasaw Nation Secretary of Commerce Bill Lance is the recipient of the Global Vision Philanthropist Award. Lance is the longestserving Secretary of Commerce in the history of the Chickasaw Nation. Since he was first appointed to the role in 2009 annual net income generated by the nation’s businesses more than tripled, with a compounding annual growth rate of 11 percent. Prior to his tenure as Commerce Secretary, Lance served as administrator of the nation’s health system where, under the leadership of Governor Bill See AWARDS, Page 11
before returning south towards downtown. The EMBARK Transit Rider Profile reports 61 percent of riders were born between 1960 and 1989 with 80 percent reporting a 2020 household annual income of less than $19,999. He shared that 47 percent of riders do not own cars, 40 percent use transit for work and 86 percent walk from home to the nearest bus stop.
The proposal would provide bus service every 30 minutes at bus stop locations to be determined. Estimated time from The Village to the downtown transfer terminal is 30 minutes. Ferbrache presented an estimated budget of $1.63 million with EMBARK purchasing a new bus totaling $550,000. EMBARK would also cover the annual $857,245 cost to run the route.
The Village would cover the cost of bus stop signage estimated at $12,518 with an annual route cost to the city at $217,600. “The Village is a prominent and critical part of the Oklahoma City metro and providing new ways to connect with our neighbors is a no-brainer,” said newly elected Mayor Adam Graham. See VILLAGE, Page 5
Our graduates are off to prestigious colleges Heritage Hall graduates Olivia Ross and Allie Lathrop are all smiles as they receive honors during the school’s annual awards ceremony. See our Salute to the Class of 2022 in this week’s edition to learn more about students’ achievements.
By Rachel Dallalio Student Intern The 2022 high school graduates are preparing for higher education. OKC FRIDAY’s nearly 100 All Stars included in the Salute to the Class of 2002, in today’s edition, are planning to attend 43 individual colleges, including two Ivy League schools. Many of these schools are considered highly prestigious or close to the Ivy League level. The majority of the schools are outside of Oklahoma representing 22 differ-
ent states from the East to West Coasts. These colleges range from extremely familiar to utterly unique catering to the students' choice in career path. This includes places such as Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va. There are also three students attending two of the top eight Ivy League schools: Princeton and Harvard. These schools are followed by highly prestigious colleges such as the University of
Chicago and the University of Georgia which require above a 4.0 GPA for acceptance. This is alongside two schools ranked Tier 1 for education which includes Rice University in Houston, Texas and Southern Methodist University in Dallas. There are multiple other universities held in high prestige which these graduates plan to attend including the state’s own University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University and the University of Central Oklahoma.
Bishop McGuinness student a finalist for OKC Broadway’s Kelli O’Hara Awards By Rachel Dallalio Student Intern Bishop McGuinness student Matthew Fowler is an OKC Broadway 2022 Kelli O’Hara Awards finalist for outstanding performance by
an actor. These awards are meant to highlight the students and teachers within the performing arts program across Oklahoma. If Fowler is chosen as the winner for the overall Best
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Actor Award, he has the opportunity to participate in the National High School Theatre Awards also known as The Jimmy Awards. The National High School Theatre Awards take place virtually where Fowler
would be able to receive professional training. Winners then have the chance to compete and perform in front of a national audience in New York City, June 18-28. This program has over
100,000 applicants annually and Fowler is one of 10 finalists from all over Oklahoma. Fowler was to attend the awards along with the rest of the finalists Thursday in celebration of his theater achievements.
Cats of the Week Four of our students are going to I was a young mother, and they call me April. Can you promise me I'll never have to live in an attic again? My adoption fee is waived. Lola, Lucy, Liam and Levi — look in these faces and say you're not smitten. They can come to your home as soon as they're altered and their fee is waived! Call Kadin at the Village shelter, (405)751-9518.
This sponsorship is available! Call (405) 755-3311 for details.
college on National Merit Scholarships By Rachel Dallalio Student Intern The National Merit Scholarship Corporation has announced its 2022 National Merit Scholarships winners. There are four Fridayland high school seniors who were awarded the $2500 scholarship, funded by the National Merit Corporation. These students were specially selected by a committee of college admissions officers and high school counselors for their high academic and community achievements. The NMSC has a goal of shining a light on the younger generations' achieve-
ments inside and outside of the school environment. With this knowledge in mind, here are the four Fridayland high school students recognized as National Merit Scholarship winners. Garrett Baumert, a Crossings Christian School graduate, is planning to study chemical engineering. Heritage Hall’s Gary Smith’s major is computer science. Divya Chandrasekaran, from Casady School, wants to be a journalist. Aishwarya Swamidurai See MERITS, Page 2