The O'Colly, Thursday, August 24, 2023.

Thursday, August 24, 2023

US Department of Justice investigating racism in Kansas City Fire Department

interview.

Sherae Honeycutt, a Kansas City spokeswoman, confirmed the investigation and said the city was “cooperating fully.”

In August, he was interviewed again and told his deputy chief he was participating in the probe.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the Kansas City Fire Department over allegations of racial discrimination within the fire department, The Star has learned.

Three Black firefighters say they were interviewed within the last year about racism they have faced within the fire service and their complaints of a hostile work environment. They named others who have been interviewed, as well.

The inquiries began months after The Kansas City Star published a series of stories in December 2020 detailing systemic racism and sex discrimination within the department.

Lawyers for Battalion Chief Stephen Seals, 55, who is Black, made the first publicly known reference to a DOJ investigation in a lawsuit filed last week in Jackson County Circuit Court. He alleges he was retaliated against for speaking to DOJ investigators, among other things.

In the lawsuit, attorneys for the high-ranking firefighter said he was contacted by the Justice Department in January 2022 about its investigation into allegations of race discrimination and the department’s hiring and promotional practices.

Federal investigators were looking into the work environment and its “impact on African-American firefighters,” according to the lawsuit.

Seals spoke with the DOJ twice in January 2022, according to his lawsuit.

Since he alleged discrimination and spoke with the DOJ, he has “experienced additional retaliation by the KCFD,” according to the lawsuit.

Seals referred The Star to his attorneys at the law firm Siro Smith Dickson PC. They declined to comment, saying they do not discuss pending litigation.

Reached on Wednesday afternoon, Interim Fire Chief Ross Grundyson directed The Star to the city’s legal department, which did not respond to a request for comment.

The Justice Department declined to comment.

One Black firefighter, who requested that his name not be published for fear of retaliation, said he was contacted by a DOJ investigator about eight months ago. He later received an email that contained a Zoom link for a formal

The firefighter said he spoke with at least three investigators for about four hours. Their conversation focused on the firefighter’s experience with racism in the department, the promotion process and the treatment of other Black employees inside the fire service.

“It’s not just one person, but it is a multi-layer system” where there are no consequences for bad behavior, he said.

“They can treat you any kind of way.”

The firefighter said he is pleased that federal investigators are looking at the fire department. But he remains pessimistic that lasting reforms will occur.

“I’m glad they’re coming in to look but what results they’re going to get is yet to be determined,” he said.

“After all is said and done, nobody’s going to get fired and nothing is going to change.”

See Department on 6

to act

LOS ANGELES — As usual, California was ahead of the game.

It’s been two decades since lawmakers passed the first law to begin requiring electric utilities to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy. Nearly as long since Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called for 1 million solar roofs. A decade since the state first mandated large numbers of electric cars on the road, and four years since Berkeley became the first U.S. city to ban gas appliances in new homes.

None of those initiatives have protected the Golden State from the ravages of the climate crisis.

The eight largest wildfires on record have all burned in the last six years, collectively torching more than 4 million acres — and none of them was nearly as deadly as the 2018 Camp fire, which killed 85 people and destroyed the town of Paradise.

The coast has fared relatively better — but sea level rise grows ever more urgent. Cliffs are collapsing into the Pacific, rail lines are experiencing temporary shutdowns and waves are edging closer to toxic sites, threatening to poison nearby residents.

And there may be no more harmful consequences of global warming than extreme heat. Hundreds of Californians already die in heat waves every year, roasting in their homes and baking on asphalt streets with little shade. The toll will only rise as we continue to burn coal, oil and fossil gas, spewing heat-trapping carbon dioxide and methane pollution into the atmosphere.

and tens of millions of residents will need to work a lot harder — and be willing to accept a tomorrow that looks different than today. Los Angeles offers a telling case study.

File Photo

Trey Rucker likes the identity of the defense in defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo’s new scheme.

Rucker looking to build on bowl game performance

In Year 1 under new defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo, Trey Rucker wants to take a considerable leap.

The redshirt senior safety appeared in just one game last season, recording an interception and three tackles in OSU’s loss to Wisconsin in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. With little to no game action in 2022, Rucker’s using his performance in the bowl game as a confidence booster for 2023.

“(The bowl game)

was very big. Very big for my team also, you know, because that’s who I’m gonna be playing with,” Rucker said. “So being able to play in that game and do what I was able to do, it meant a lot to me.”

Key players from the Cowboys’ secondary left Stillwater through the portal, but OSU still returned guys who have experience with the program. For Rucker, a guy who’s looking to have a sizable role this season and be on the field with those familiar faces, that’s where assurance kicks in.

The three driest years ever recorded came to a dramatic end this past winter, when record rain and snow wreaked deadly havoc, flooding farmworker communities and burying mountain towns. The precipitation filled reservoirs but did nothing to change the reality that California faces a frighteningly water-scarce future as rivers dwindle and groundwater levels drop.

Lisa Patel, a Stanford University pediatrician, saw the dangers firsthand during last year’s Labor Day weekend heat wave, when temperatures reached 116 degrees outside her hospital in Pleasanton. She worked two 24-hour shifts, and she was called to several deliveries where laboring mothers had fevers or other complications. She sent multiple newborns to intensive care.

“In retrospect, I don’t know if those moms had a true infection or if they just got overheated,” Patel said.

It’s not too late to stop climate change from getting worse.

But for California to lead the world toward a safer future, the state’s politicians, business leaders

The city is dominated by freeways built to serve gas-guzzling cars and trucks, and for decades its biggest electricity source has been a coal-fired plant in Utah. Ships and trucks belch toxic fumes into low-income communities of color. Many neighborhoods have precious few trees to protect residents from heat soaked up by the urban hardscape. There are too many grassy lawns, not enough protected bus lanes and far too many well-to-do white homeowners willing to fight dense housing construction near job centers. Elected officials are trying, at least, to make things better.

L.A.’s first-ever chief heat officer, Marta Segura, is working on efforts to plant trees, update building codes to keep residents cool and create an early-warning system for dangerous temperature extremes, with public outreach in English and Spanish. The port is aiming for a 100% zero-emissions truck fleet by 2035. City leaders have approved rebates for replacing grass with artificial turf or native plants, plus billions of dollars in spending to expand the Metro rail system ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics.

How bad the climate crisis gets is still up to us. We just have

Luke Nozicka, Glenn E. Rice and Mike Hendricks

The Kansas City Star

Parker Gerl Staff Reporter

Sammy Roth Los Angeles Times

Lights on Stillwater is an annual event that occurs on the first Wednesday of the fall semester. This is an open air event that allows the students to engage with local community, student organizations, food trucks and campus entities who reserved booths and spaces.

Monday - Wednesday: 10:00am - 10:00pm

Thursday - Saturday: 10:00am - 11:00pm Great

128 N Main St. Stillwater, OK 74075

Pearson partnering with Degree Deodorant for Change the Field program

Parker Gerl Staff Reporter

A Cowgirl soccer player is looking to make a change.

OSU senior goalkeeper Peyton Pearson and Degree Deodorant are partnering through an NIL deal called Degree’s Change the Field program with the mission to create safe and inclusive environments for girls of color on and off the field.

The program is a set of free training modules – coined as ‘Girls Can’ -- which focuses on equipping coaches, trainers and community leaders with knowledge in creating physically and mentally safe environments. The training series addresses issues affecting girls, such as gender equality, disability inclusion and anti-bias.

“I feel like diversity and inclusion training really helps teams or even coaches know how to respond better to certain situations, and it makes girls on your team of color really feel more valued,” Pearson said. “So, they feel valued and feel comfortable to really like just be themselves and not have to think about other obstacles that really may be in their way besides them being a woman of color, but just focus on them.”

A Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, native, Pearson is Native American and a part of the Osage, Cherokee and Kaw Nations. She hopes to use her background to tell a story and inspire the younger generation of girls.

“I think letting people know your background and where you come from, I’m more than just a soccer player,” Pearson said. “I have this whole history behind me and heritage that really makes me, (and) it’s really important to talk about and I think people are interested in it as well.”

The set of modules comes at a time where girls or color are reportedly dropping out of soccer at a rate twice that of white girls.

Pearson, one of seven student-athletes taking part in the program, has one message to young girls of color.

“If I can be out there, you can be just as well,” Pearson said.

sports.ed@ocolly.com

File Photo

OSU goalkeeper Peyton Pearson is one of seven student-athletes partnering in Degree’s Change the Field program, which aims to provide safe and inclusive environments for girls of color on and off the field.

Rucker...

“It helps (having familiar faces)

a lot because then I’m able to trust them,” Rucker said. “You know, I’m not worried about building trust. We already know what they’re gonna do, already know that we’re thinking on the same wave, so it makes it easier for me to move around and move around with them also.”

With the Cowboys’ season opener just over a week away, it’ll be the first look at Nardo’s first installment as OSU’s defensive coordinator. Although there’s still many questions about that side of the ball, Rucker feels like an identity is already there.

Speed and versatility.

“(The new defense) is very athletic. It lets us be in multiple positions at one time, allows us to be all over the field,” Rucker said. “It’s a very open defense, I think it will allow all of us to be very fast and precise.

Continued from 1 sports.ed@ocolly.com

201 S. Perkins Rd · 405-372-7170 Mon–Fri 9:30–6:30, Sat 9:30–5:30, Sun 1–5

Texas religious leaders urge districts to not allow chaplains in schools

Michael Williams The Dallas Morning

DALLAS — An upcoming law allowing unlicensed religious chaplains inside schools will be “harmful” to students, more than 100 Texas chaplains said in an open letter Tuesday, urging school districts across the state to not allow what they described as an attempt by the government to insert religion in the classroom.

The letter, organized by progressive religious groups, comes just before Senate Bill 763 is enacted into law Sept. 1. Signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in June, the law will allow individual school districts to “employ or accept as a volunteer a chaplain to provide support, services and programs for students,” and requires them to vote whether to do so within six months.

Chaplains would be subject to background checks but are not required to hold any license.

During debate over the bill, proponents said the chaplains could be used by students as a support system and to reduce school violence, shootings and mental health crises. They also pointed out that the law, instead of mandating chaplains, lets school districts decide on their own whether to use them.

But opponents described it as the latest attempt by Texas lawmakers to inject Christianity into the public school system without regard for students of different faiths.

They also criticized the idea that chaplains would be paid using funds earmarked for school safety and security — including employing licensed counselors and mental health professionals — as Texas schools face a shortage of such practitioners.

“Chaplaincy programs do not train chaplains on active shooter situations or to be public safety professionals,” said the Tuesday letter, which was organized by the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious

Liberty, Interfaith Alliance and Texas Impact, and signed by chaplains of different denominations and faiths across the state. “As trained chaplains, we strongly caution against the government assertion of authority for the spiritual development and formation of our public school children.”

Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, who authored Senate Bill 763, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment about the letter. Upon passage of the bill, Middleton said on Twitter it allows chaplains to play the role of “representing God’s presence within our public schools.”

The law also misapplies the title of “chaplain,” the letter said — qualifications for board-certified chaplains include an undergraduate degree, advanced study and clinical pastoral education. Cantor

Sheri Allen, who co-founded Makom Shelanu Congregation in Fort Worth and has worked

Courtesy of Tribune

as a hospice chaplain, said the fact nearly anybody can apply as a volunteer leads to a risk of proselytization in schools.

“Under the guise of being a chaplain you’re going to have some spiritual clergy that are going to impose their own brand of spiritual support on all kids,” Allen said.

news.ed@ocolly.com

The Texas State Capitol is pictured at dusk in Austin, Texas, in 2021.

Kansas City...

Continued from 1

A former high-ranking firefighter, who is Black, also said he was interviewed by DOJ investigators for about four hours several months ago.

Another fire department source told The Star that the DOJ last year interviewed an entire recruit class.

Separately, the Justice Department last year launched a formal investigation into the Kansas City Police Department’s employment practices. That probe came months after a Star investigation into racism faced by Black officers.

The Star’s year-long investigation of the fire department found a pattern of systemic racism and harassment that had been tolerated by its leaders for decades.

For generations, white men dominated the fire service, the newspaper found. Black and women firefighters were ostracized and put in danger, shut out of the most desirable fire stations, and passed over for promotions.

The Star also reported that in a city where 30% of residents are Black, only 14% of the fire department was. Of the 48 highest-ranking firefighters, only three at the time were Black.

A KCFD member since 1995, Seals was among those who sued the department, alleging he was repeatedly passed over for promotions in favor of white candidates. In 2021, Kansas City agreed to pay him $250,000.

Before that, Seals filed a lawsuit in 2017, saying he was retaliated against for reporting on behalf of a Black cadet that a white classmate used a racial slur. That lawsuit was dismissed.

In his new lawsuit, Seals alleges he was passed over for a job and retaliated against because he had sued the city previously and spoke out about discrimination when he joined diversity and inclusion task forces created in 2021 by then-Fire Chief Donna Lake.

A less qualified and younger employee, who is also Black, got the shift deputy chief job that Seals sought, according to his lawsuit. He also claimed one of his current responsibilities — scheduling physical exams for KCFD personnel — was taken away from him.

Seals filed a grievance that was

denied months later, in 2023. Since then, he has experienced continuous acts of discrimination, retaliation and discipline, his lawyers say.

Seals is also alleging retaliation in violation of a state employee whistleblower law. An initial hearing in the lawsuit has been set for December.

As a result of The Star’s investigation, the city commissioned two studies. One conducted by the law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, which cost the city up to $300,000, has never been released. When it was completed last October, City Manager Brian Platt said the full report was a closed record and would not be made public because those interviewed had been promised anonymity.

“But we are going to try to summarize and sanitize something for public consumption in the coming weeks,” he said in an Oct. 19 email to The Star. That “sanitized” version was never released to the news media or the civil rights leaders who requested it.

Gwen Grant, president and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, said Wednesday the “ongoing” race and gender discrimination at the fire department warrants DOJ attention.

“I hope they extend their inves-

tigation to include all city operations,” she said. “Numerous lawsuits and outof-court settlements indicate that we have a far-reaching problem that will continue as long as (Mayor Quinton) Lucas and Platt are in charge. Federal oversight is our only opportunity for redress.”

In February, a city council committee heard public testimony from a consultant who was hired to study the department’s culture. That 163-page cultural assessment described a fire department rife with discriminatory behavior and practices in hiring and promotions due to a power imbalance between management and the firefighters unions.

According to that report:

“Many male and female KCFD members who were White and Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) shed tears and/or were visibly distraught in discussion groups and interviews as they relayed accounts of people who had been ostracized and ridiculed for not supporting Union or dominant group positions, or who had tried to talk about what they perceived as many instances of unsafe practices or harassment related to race or gender.”

news.ed@ocolly.com

Courtesy of Tribune

A Kansas City, Missouri, firefighter waves a Kansas City Chiefs flag atop one of the city’s fire engines on Feb. 5, 2020, during a Super Bowl celebration parade in Kansas City, Missouri.

Continued from 1

And that Utah coal plant? It won’t be around much longer. The L.A. Department of Water and Power has an ambitious plan to fuel the city with 100% climate-friendly energy by 2035, largely by using solar farms, wind turbines and lithium-ion batteries.

“This is a new direction — it’s kind of a new world order,” said Marty Adams, general manager of the Department of Water and Power. “We’re learning as quickly as we can, but there are a lot of things that are kind of like ground zero.”

None of it is enough. But at the same time, we’ve reached a point in history when almost nothing is enough.

Earth is likely headed beyond 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming — the goal urged by scientists and endorsed by nearly every nation at the 2015 Paris climate summit. Keeping average global temperature increases below that target would require slashing carbon pollution nearly in half by 2030 — not impossible, but nowhere close to current economic and political trends.

The 1.2 degrees of warming we’ve already felt have brought plenty of pain and suffering, especially for Black, Latino and Native American communities and nations in the Global South. Every additional tenth of a degree of warming will bring even more pain and suffering — and every tenth of a degree we avoid will mean better lives for billions of people.

So what more can California do to get its own house in order and possibly bring other states and countries along for the ride?

For one thing, California can prove it’s possible to phase out fossil fuels without badly disrupting daily life.

Hundreds of thousands of households and businesses got a taste of the difficulties in summer 2020, when state officials were forced to implement brief rolling blackouts during a brutal heat wave. There simply wasn’t enough power to supply tens of millions of air conditioners after sundown, when temperatures remained high but solar panels stopped producing electricity.

Residents barely avoided more outages the next two summers — and only then because they heeded pleas to use less power.

“We all want to accelerate the elimination of the gas,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said during a September 2022 heat storm. But the fact that gasfired power plants still provide much of the state’s on-demand power is “a sober reminder of reality.”

Newsom has made climate and clean energy top priorities, likely knowing any future presidential campaign could flourish or fail on his performance. Like many leaders in Washington, D.C., the governor has urged permitting reform to make it easier to build the massive number of renewable energy facilities the state will need to ditch fossil fuels. He has also led a push to keep California’s Diablo Canyon nuclear plant open past 2025, so that it can keep generating emissions-free electricity.

There are many actions regular Californians can take to push the state forward, too: installing rooftop solar panels, replacing gas furnaces with electric heat pumps and gasoline cars with electric models and hardening their homes against wildfire.

Golden State residents can also think more broadly about how their lifestyles line up with climate imperatives.

Do you have an opportunity to take public transit to work, or to work from home?

Would you support devoting more space on your neighborhood’s streets to buses and bikes, even if it slows down

your car-based commute? Do you really want to move from a city to a rural or suburban area surrounded by forests when there’s a decent chance flames will come for your home?

Of course, living more sustainably would be easier with support from politicians and business executives — cheaper housing within cities, better bus and rail options, corporate policies that don’t require employees to drive to faraway offices.

“There is no more important issue for the world,” said Mike Feuer, formerly L.A.’s city attorney, during an unsuccessful campaign for mayor last year. “If we were to look forward to a conversation that our kids or grandkids might have in 20 or 30 years, they’re going to look back on us and say, ‘What the heck were you thinking?’ ”

No matter how hard California’s 40 million residents might work to reduce their own emissions, there’s nothing more effective they can do to fight climate change than to put pressure on elected officials to take more sweeping action. That action should begin with aggressive measures to confront the fossil fuel industry, many activists say.

Under a bill pending in the state Legislature this year, California’s two big public employee pension funds — the nation’s largest — would be required to divest billions of dollars from oil and gas companies. Other proposals would require major corporations of all kinds to publicly report their heat-trapping emissions, as well as the risks that climate change poses to their operations.

But at least thus far, the deep-pocketed fossil fuel industry has largely been able to stave off transformative change.

Pumpjacks continue to suck oil and gas from the ground in and around Los Angeles, Kern County and elsewhere — polluting the air and contributing to asthma, pre -

term births and reduced lung function. Lawmakers voted last year to ban new drilling within 3,200 feet of homes, but the ban would do nothing to address existing wells — and it may never take effect.

It’s paused through at least November 2024 after oil and gas producers secured enough signatures to send it to the ballot for voters to decide.

Another bill that would have made fossil fuel companies financially liable for the health problems of people living near wells died a quiet death in the Legislature in May, when a powerful lawmaker blocked the legislation from even getting a full vote.

“Fossil fuel executives have known for decades that drilling in neighborhoods puts our communities at risk,” said Nicole Rivera, government affairs director at the Climate Center, a Santa Rosa-based nonprofit, after the bill was defeated. “Instead of acting to protect public health and our shared climate, they’ve lobbied and spent millions of dollars convincing elected officials to look the other way.”

The political sparring over gas furnaces, water heaters and stoves has been equally intense.

Berkeley’s 2019 ban on gas hookups in new homes and businesses spurred a nation-

wide trend, with dozens of cities across the U.S. following its lead — including Los Angeles. The fossil fuel industry pushed back hard, led by the nation’s largest natural gas utility, Southern California Gas Co. A recent court ruling called into question the legality of some of the bans.

Will Californians be willing to give up cooking with gas? Will they support cutting down on fossil fuel production, even if doing so means higher prices at the pump? Can they learn to embrace a future of more densely populated, less car-centric cities?

And equally important: Will they vote for politicians determined to stand up to one of the world’s most powerful industries?

Because at the end of the day, the main barriers to climate action are more political than anything. Studies have shown we have most of the technologies we need to stop burning fossil fuels. The costs of clean energy have fallen dramatically. We know how to redesign our cities — and reshape our patterns of development — to get carbon pollution mostly under control.

The climate crisis is here to stay. How bad it gets is still up to us.

news.ed@ocolly.com

Courtesy of Tribune

Vehicles are submerged in floodwaters on Ave. 56 near Central Valley Highway 43, a few miles north of Allensworth, California, where residents fortified the levee protecting their neighborhood.

Turtles’ Time to Shine

Mutant Mayhem Rebranded

franchise to new heights, or rather, depths.

From the murky sewers to the bright lights of Manhattan, Seth Rogen’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” is a shell-shocking adventure that brings the ‘teenage’ back to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, complete with a breathtaking animation style and a fresh take on the beloved franchise.

In the heart of New York City, a quartet of unlikely heroes emerges from the shadows of the sewers. And they’re not your typical teenagers.

This is the premise of Seth Rogen’s latest venture as producer, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” a film that takes the iconic

The film follows the journey of the turtle brothers, who, after years of living in seclusion of the city’s sewers, decide to venture out into the world above ground. Their goal? To win the hearts of New Yorkers and to be accepted as normal teenagers. It’s a tall order for four mutant turtles, but with their new friend, April O’Neil, by their side, they’re ready to take on the challenge. Rogen, known for his comedic genius and aptly self-proclaimed title of “Permanent Teenager,” brings a fresh perspective to the iconic franchise.

The turtles in this adaptation are not just crime-fighting mutants, they’re authentic teenagers, complete with humor, angst and brotherhood that comes with the territory. This emphasis on the ‘teenage’ aspect of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles adds a layer of relatability for children that has been missing from previous iterations of the turtles.

The film’s animation style is nothing short of breathtaking.

Drawing inspiration from the groundbreaking animation of “SpiderMan: Into The Spider-Verse,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” presents a unique visual experience that sets it apart from its predecessors.

The cityscape of Manhattan is rendered in vivid detail, from the grimy, graffiti-covered walls of the sewers to the dazzling lights of Times Square.

The turtles themselves are a marvel of animation, their movements are fluid and their expressions are emotive. It’s a visual feast that’s sure to captivate audiences.

But it’s not all pizza and skateboarding for our heroes.

The turtles soon find themselves entangled in a battle against a mysterious crime syndicate. The action sequences are thrilling, the stakes are high and the turtles’ martial arts skills are put to the ultimate test.

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” is more than just a film about an iconic franchise; it’s a celebration of adolescence, a tribute

to friendship and brotherhood and a testament to the enduring appeal of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as a franchise. It’s a shell of a good time, filled with laughs, action and plenty of heart.

In the end, the turtles’ quest for acceptance is a journey we can all relate to in a sense. After all, isn’t that what being a teenager is all about? Navigating the complexities of life, finding your place in the world and realizing that it’s okay to be a little different.

And in the case of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a little different means being a pizza-loving, nunchakuswinging crime-fighting mutant. But at the end of the day, they’re just teenagers trying to find their way, one slice of pizza at a time.

So, grab a slice, sit back and join the turtles on one of their most exciting adventures yet. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” is a shellshocking, heartwarming and ultimately an utterly unforgettable ride.

entertainment.ed@ocolly.com

Donnie, Mikey, Leo and Raph in Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies present a Point Grey Production “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.”

Michael Clark Staff Reporter

Come check out the wide variety of elegant clothing at Formal Fantasy!

Located on 121 E. 9th Ave, Downtown Stillwater

The best selection of beer, wine and liquor that Stillwater has to offer! Perfect for all your game day needs, come to Brown’s Bottle Shop located on 128 N. Main

“The Original Hideaway, located on the corner of Knoblock and University. Serving quality pizza and more since 1957.”

Murphy’s Department Store

815 S Main, Downtown

Open 10-6

Monday thru Saturday

Houses for rent

Spacious 1100 sq. ft

2 bedroom home. Recently remodeled, CH/A, wood

floors, nice yard. 2214 E. 6th Ave., Scarlett Bus Route. 405-372-7107.

Guaranteed Parking!

$100 for year!

Salem Lutheran Church, Corner of Duck & Elm

Monday-Thursday 9-Noon 405-372-3074

Daily Horoscope

Nancy Black

Tribune Content Agency

Linda Black Horoscopes

Today’s Birthday (08/24/23). Widen your exploration this year. Strengthen collabora tive efforts with regular practices. Autumn bestows fruitful bounty your way, before winter educational adventures take a new twist. Adapt around income changes next spring for an especially lucrative summer. Your studies, research and education reach new heights.

To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most chal lenging.

Aries (March 21-April 19) — Today is a 9 — Romantic overtures could backfire over the next three weeks, with Mercury retrograde. Clarify misunderstandings right away. Find your sense of humor, and reconnect.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) — Today is an 8 — Review papers, photos and posses sions. Clean, sort and organize at home, with Mercury retrograde. Maintain equip ment and backup files. Revise and repair household infrastructur

Gemini (May 21-June 20) — Today is a 7 — Launch creative projects later. Take ex tra care with communications, as Mercury stations retrograde for three weeks. Clarify misunderstandings immediately. Review plans and preparations.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Today is an 8 — Monitor cash flow closely. Expect delays or complications. Allow extra for travel, transport, payments and collections, with Mercury retrograde. Review numbers over three weeks.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22) — Today is an 8 — Edit communications carefully. Consider consequences before speaking, with Mercury retrograde in your sign. Review what’s working or not. Reaffirm commitments. Upgrade your brand.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Today is a 6 — Avoid misunderstandings, with Mercury retrograde. Revise and refine plans. Anticipate mechanical or digital delays or breakdowns. Review lessons from the past. Private rituals soothe.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) — Today is an 8 — Nurture friends and connections. Team practice makes perfect over three weeks, with Mercury retrograde. Have patience and humor with communication snafus. Repeat the message.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) — Today is an 8 — Review professional data closely, with Mercury retrograde for three weeks. Misunderstandings could cause delays. Guard against communication breakdowns. Backup hard drives and archives.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) — Today is a 9 — Review educational plans and itineraries, with Mercury retrograde. Schedule for potential travel delays. Edit communications carefully. Keep confidences and secrets. Make your deadlines.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Today is a 7 — Consider financial strategies with your partner to secure what you have. Review accounts for errors or delays, with Mercury retrograde. Expect the unexpected.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) — Today is an 8 — Support each other for shared goals. Patiently resolve misunderstandings, especially with your partner, with Mercury retrograde for three weeks. Regroup and try again.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Today is an 8 — Keep equipment repaired. Delays, misunderstandings or mistakes could frustrate your work and health over three weeks, with Mercury retrograde. Slow to finish faster.

Susan Gelfand

Solution to Wednesday’s

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9. For