Take atourinsideSodifel’sbig plantinInola. WORK&MONEY,PAGEE1
Leon Russell’s son TeddyJackis celebratinghis father with aTulsa show. SCENE,PAGED1
TulsaWorld Magazinefeatures thestate’s most beautiful places.
City says changes areinresponseto residents’complaints
TulsaWorld
Tulsans canexpecttheir water bills to lookdifferent by theend ofthe year,oneof severalsteps thecityistaking to makethem easier to understandand to improvethe overallbilling system.
CityFinanceDirector James Wagner saidtheeffortstarted inthe fallafterthecitybegan receiving ahigher-than-usual numberof complaintsfromresidentswho saidtheyeither could not getthrough to CustomerCare orhad extremelylong waits.
“SoTMUAaskedusif we could makesome adjustmentsinthe waywedo things,”Wagner said.
TredrickJohnsonhugshisson,Dedrickor“D.J.,”who survived afatalwreckduringanOHPpursuitin Tulsa ayearago.Johnson’s sisterLanise Dade andherdaughter,CamyeaMiller,werekilledwhen a14-year-oldboyfleeing OHPina stolentruckcrashedhead-onintothem.
In five-year span,15 pursuits killed 18 people. Eightweren’teluding
COREYJONES
TulsaWorld
Astate trooperchased a“possible stolen vehicle”atup to 125mphinto TulsaontheBrokenArrow Expressway basedonlyonthe word of amotoristat astoplight whohadpursuedthepickup truckin Coweta.
Thetruck’sdriver—a14-year-old boy—acceleratedasOklahoma HighwayPatrolLt.MarkWarrenfirstapproachedinhismarkedFordExplorer.
Some20miles away,a Tulsafamilywas
runningmiddayerrandsintheirneighborhood.
Thefleeing teen soonclipped avehicleandlateranotherone, weaving throughtrafficandspeeding recklessly throughanoccupied construction zone.Still,Warrenthoughtheandotherscould keepchasingandbringabout “a safe end”tothe pursuitdespiteseeingthehitsandnear-misses,according to OHP’smajor case file records.
Butthe 13-minutepursuitended whenthetruckslammedintothe Tulsa family’sSUV onthecity’seastside.The fleeingdriverexitedthewreckedSilveradoand collapsedclose by,quickly detained by Warren.
Lawenforcementpersonnelwork thescene of acrash followinga chase involvingOklahoma Highway Patrol troopersonFeb.25, 2021, that endedineastTulsa. Two uninvolvedmotoristswerekilledduringthepursuitofa stolen vehicle.
Fate of allegeddriver in doublefatalitycrash is behind federallaws
CURTIS KILLMAN
TulsaWorld
Over ayearafter a14-yearoldboywith atroubledjuvenile
delinquent past wasarrestedin connectionwith adouble-fatalityvehiclecrashin east Tulsa, his fate inthejusticesystemis known to few.
WhileEliasGabrielGonzales’ nameandchargesbecamepublicthemomenttheywerefiled instatecourt,suchmattersare closedtothepublicin the federal
court system, wherehisjuvenile delinquencyproceedingisbelievedtohavelanded. Assuch, duetothe casecombiningthe McGirt U.S. Supreme Courtrulingwith federaljuvenile justicelaws, nopublicinformation existsforhowGonzales’ case,ifitwas everfiled, wasresolved.
Oklahoma HighwayPatrol troopersarrestedGonzalesatthe sceneof aFeb.25, 2021,deadly vehicularcrash following apursuit by lawenforcementthatbeganinCowetaandendedinthe 10900blockofEast21stStreet. LaniseDade,31,andher
The TulsaMetropolitanUtilityAuthority, orTMUA,isa seven-memberbodythat overseesthecity’swater and sewer system.
Wagner’sreport to theauthoritylast weekshows thecityisstill
OUTLOOK2022
Tulsacontinues to reachnew heights. OurOutlook2022:A big-city renaissancespecial sectioninsidelooksatthe wayour cityisrefiningitsuniquedestinations,brighteningitsdining scene, expandingeducational access to higher degrees and flexingitsmusiccitymuscles.
SECTIONO
LVIV,Ukraine —AsMariupol’sdefenders heldoutthis weekagainstRussiandemands that theysurrender,the numberofbodies in therubbleof thebombardedandencircledUkrainiancityremained shroudedinuncertainty, the full extent ofthe horrornot yetknown.
Withcommunicationscrippled, movementrestricted andmanyresidentsinhiding, thefateofthose insideanart schoolflattenedonSundayand atheaterthatwasblownapart fourdays earlierwasunclear. More than1,300people were believedtobe sheltering inthetheater,and 400were estimated to have beeninthe art school.Mariupolhasbeen akey target thathasbeen pounded formorethan three weeks.
American,Ukrainianand EUofficialsallaccusedRussia of warcrimes.
NATO: President JoeBiden and NATO alliespledgednew sanctionsandhumanitarian aidonThursdayinresponse to VladimirPutin’sassaulton Ukraine,buttheiroffersfell shortofthemorerobustmilitaryassistancethatPresident VolodymyrZelenskyypleaded for.
CRASH: Investigatorsfound whatthey believeto bethe cockpit voice recorder in the wreckage of aChinaEasternflightthatcrashedinthe country’ssouth,anofficialsaid Wednesday. All 132peopleon boardare presumedkilled.
TALIBAN: Afghanistan’sTalibanrulersunexpectedly decidedagainst reopening schools Wednesdaytogirls above thesixthgrade, renegingonapromiseandopting to appeasetheirhard-line base at the expenseoffurtheralienatingtheinternational community.
Today’shighlight
OnMarch 27,1977, in aviation’s worstdisaster,583people were killed when aKLM Boeing 747, attempting to takeoff inheavyfog,crashedintoa PanAm747 onanairportrunwayon theCanaryIslandof Tenerife.
On this date
In 1513,Spanish explorer Juan PoncedeLeonsightedpresent-day Florida.
In 1625, Charles Iacceded to the Englishthroneuponthe deathof JamesI.
In 1794,Congressapproved “An Acttoprovide aNavalArmament” ofsixarmedships.
In 1912,firstladyHelen Herron Taft andthewifeofJapan’sambassador to theUnitedStates,Viscountess Chinda, plantedthefirst twoof3,000 cherrytrees giventothe U.S. as agift by themayorof Tokyo.
In 1945,during WorldWarII, General Dwight D. Eisenhower told reportersinParisthatGermandefensesonthe Western Fronthadbeen broken. In 1964,Alaskawashit by amagnitude 9.2earthquake(thestrongeston record in NorthAmerica)and tsunamisthat togetherclaimedabout 130 lives.
In 1968,Soviet cosmonaut Yuri
Volume117, Issue 195
Supreme Courtnominee KetanjiBrownJacksonlistens WednesdayasSen.TedCruz,R-Texas,speaksduring aSenateJudiciaryCommittee confirmationhearingonCapitolHillin Washington.Jacksonfaceddown abarrage of RepublicanquestioningTuesdayand Wednesdayabouthersentencingofcriminaldefendants.Jackson’s history-makingconfirmation vote asthe firstBlack womannominatedtothehigh courtisunlikely to garnermuch,if any, Republicansupport. Still,Democratscanconfirmherwithoutany bipartisansupport inthe50-50Senateas Vice PresidentKamalaHarriscancastthetiebreakingvote.
7,000 NATO estimatedon
Wednesdaythat 7,000 to 15,000Russian soldiers have beenkilledin four weeks of warinUkraine. Asenior NATO militaryofficial said thealliance’sestimate was basedoninformationfrom Ukrainianauthorities,what Russiahas released —intentionallyor not —andintelligencegatheredfromopen sources.
HE SAID ...
“Stablecoins,central bankdigitalcurrencies,anddigitalfinancemore generally,will requirechanges to existinglaws and regulation or evenentirelynew rulesand frameworks.”
FederalReserve Chair Jerome Powell, regardingnewforms of digitalmoneysuchas cryptocurrencies
THEWATERCOOLER
ALBRIGHT: MadeleineAlbright, achild refugeefrom Nazi-and then Soviet-dominatedEastern Europe whorose to becomethe first female secretaryofstate and amentor to manycurrent and formerAmericanstatesmen and women, diedWednesdayof cancer,her familysaid.She was 84.Assecretary ofstateunder BillClinton,Albright wasthe highest-ranking woman in the historyofthe U.S. government. She wasnotinthelineofsuccession to thepresidency, however, becauseshe wasbornin what wasthen Czechoslovakia.
STARBUCKS: Employeesat aSeattleStarbucksvoted to unionize,thefirstsuch vote inthecity whereStarbucksoriginatedand thelatestin apush to organize the coffeeshopchain.Theunanimous vote announced Tuesday isalsoanespeciallysymbolicwin as Howard Schultzreturnsasinterimchief executiveofficer,The Seattle Times reported.
Gagarin,thefirstman to orbittheEarthin 1961,died whenhis MiG-15jetcrashed during aroutine trainingflightnear Moscow;he was34.
In 1973,“The Godfather”wonthe Academy Award for bestpictureof1972,butitsstar, MarlonBrando,refused to accepthis Oscarforbestactor.LizaMinnelli won bestactressfor“Cabaret.”
In 1975 construction began on the Trans-AlaskaPipeline, which was completed twoyears later.
In 1980,123 workersdiedwhena North Seafloating oilfieldplatform, theAlexander Kielland, capsized during astorm.
In2019, Facebook saidit wasextendingitsbanonhatespeechto prohibitthepromotionandsupport of whitenationalismand whiteseparatism.
In2020,the Houseapproved a$2.2 trillion coronavirus rescue package; it wasimmediatelysigned by President Donald Trump.The Rev.Joseph E.Lowery, acivilrights leader who helpedtheRev.MartinLuther King Jr. foundthe SouthernChristianLeadership Conference,diedat98.
Tenyears ago: AJetBlueAirways
THOMAS: JusticeClarence Thomas wasdischargedfrom thehospital Fridayafter astay ofnearly aweek,theSupreme Court said.Thomas,73, hadenteredthehospital lastFriday eveningafter experiencing“flu-like symptoms.”He wastreated foran infectionwithintravenousantibiotics,the court saidSundayin announcing hishospitalization. He hadbeen expected to be releasedfromthehospital Monday or Tuesday.The courtdidnot say whyheremainedinthehospital longerthaninitiallythoughtor whatkind ofinfectionhe was treatedfor.Thomasdidnothave COVID-19,the courtsaid.
ALEXJONES: Citinghealthproblems,AlexJonesdefied aConnecticutjudge’sorder to show up foradepositionThursday in acasebrought by relativesof victimsofthe SandyHookElementarySchoolshooting who suedtheInfowarshostfor calling themassacreahoax.
captain ranthroughthe cabinofa New York-to-Las Vegasflight yelling aboutreligionand terroristsbeforehe wastackledand restrained by passengers. (Clayton Osbon wascharged withinterferencewith aflightcrew; he wasfoundnotguiltybyreasonof insanity.)Award-winningpoet AdrienneRich, 82,diedin SantaCruz, California. Artcritic HiltonKramer, 84,diedinHarpswell,Maine.
Fiveyearsago: U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions warned socalled“sanctuarycities”theycould lose federalmoneyfor refusing to cooperate withimmigrationauthorities;cityleadersvowed to intensify theirfightagainstthepromised crackdowndespitethefinancialrisks. NFL ownersmeetinginPhoenixapprovedthe OaklandRaiders’moveto Las Vegas31-1; Miami wasthe lone dissenter.
One yearago: On thedeadliest dayyet in acrackdownonprotests againstthe FebruarycoupinMyanmar,localmedia said securityforces killedatleast114people,including severalchildrenunder 16;aU.N. humanrightsexpertaccusedthe juntaofcommitting“massmurder.”
Anine-story apartmentbuildingin Cairo, Egypt,collapsed,leavingat least 25 people dead.
—AssociatedPress
ARABI,La. —Louisiana NationalGuardsmenand other responders wentdoor to doorinareasaround New Orleanson Wednesday asthe regiondugoutfrom overnight tornadoes,withGov.John Bel Edwardsdeclaringastate of emergencyand callingthe destruction“devastating.”
Othertornadoesspawned by thesame systemcaused so muchdamageinTexasthat the governordeclared adisasterin16counties.Buildings were shreddedinAlabama, wheretorrential rainfall was recorded.
Twopeople were killedand others were injuredasthe stormfrontblewacross the South,upendinghomesand thelivesofthe residentsin them.
ABORTION: Idahoon Wednesdaybecamethefirststateto enactalaw modeledaftera Texasstatutebanningabortionsafteraboutsix weeksof pregnancyandallowingit to beenforcedthroughlawsuits to avoid constitutional court challenges.
CHILDREN’SVACCINES: Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine worksinbabies,toddlersand preschoolers, the company announced Wednesday—a developmentthat could pave the wayforthelittlestkids to be vaccinatedbysummerif regulatorsagree.Thenation’s 18 millionchildrenunder 5are theonlyage groupnot yeteligiblefor vaccination.
NAVALNY: ARussiancourton Tuesdayconvicted topoppositionleaderAlexeiNavalny offraudand contemptof court, sentencinghim to nine moreyears inprisonin amove thatwas seenasanattempt to keepPresidentVladimirPutin’sbiggest foebehindbars foraslongaspossible.
—AssociatedPress
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Asthepasttwoyearshaveshown,notonlydowedependonourphysicians fortheircare,knowledgeandclinicalskills,wealsoadmirethesewomenand menfortheirwisdom,leadershipandstrength.
Onbehalfofourpatients,staff,volunteersandleadership,thankyoutoallof ourphysiciansforwhatyoudotofurtherthemissionofSaintFrancisHealth System.WeprayforGod’sblessingsasyoucontinuetoprovidecareforour neighborsandthecommunitiesweserve.
Tocurethesick, towelcomethem, toservethem, istoserveChrist.POPE FR ANCIS
JACOBFACTOR TulsaWorld
ElectionDay is nearing forthe Osage Nation.
IncumbentPrincipalChief GeoffreyStanding Bearischallengedinhis re-electionbid by current OsageNationCongress membersAngelaPrattand Joe Tillman. Health care,economicdevelopmentandaffordablehousing were at thetopoftheirlistsfor goalsiftheyweretowintheelection April 4. TulsaWorldspokewithallthree candidates to heartheirviews of thecurrent OsageNationand what eachhopes to accomplish or changeifelectedprincipalchief.
Tillman, sonofthelateformer OsageNation PrincipalChief Charles O. Tillman Jr.,has served inthe OsageNation Congressfor six years.
“Whatwehave nowis not working,”Tillman said ofhowthecurrentadministration isoperating.“We candosomuch better. I’mready.It’smytime.”
Ofthose thingsthenation can dobetter,Tillmanhighlighted economicdiversity.
In downtownPawhuska,“Pioneer Woman”ReeDrummond
Water FromA1
not responding to customer callsasquicklyas it wouldlikewhile call volume continues to be muchhigherthanthecity’s stated goal.
As ofthismonth,CustomerCare—or311 —was responding to only7%of callswithin 45 seconds; the targetis to improve thatnumber to 85%.The numberof calls to CustomerCare,meanwhile, reachedmorethan38,000 thismonth;thecitywants to seethatfigurereduced to nomorethan25,000.
To addresstheseissues —aswellasthe watercutoffsandothercustomer problemsthatprecipitated manyofthe calls —thecity planshire10morecustomer servicerepresentativesand asupervisor who willbededicated to assistingutility customers.
Thecityhasalready hired twotemporaryemployees whosesole jobis to helpcustomerswhose waterservicehasbeencut offorisabout to be.Inaddition,noticesarebeing hungoncustomers’doors.
Thecityisalsoworking onanautomated system that would contactcustomersbyphone.
The pandemichasmade lifedifficult foreveryone. At CityHall,thingswere complicated evenmoreby aransomwareattack early last yearthatshutdown manyofthecity’scomputer systems.Forutility customers, thatmeant fewerpaymentoptions.
To helpcustomers, the citystoppedcuttingoff customers’ servicefor late payments, butthatinevitablyled to somecustomershavingtrouble paying theirnew, largerbills when thecitybegancuttingoff serviceagain.
Addtothat messa new billing system— introduced by thecityinMay— and youhavesomeunderstandingof whatled to the increase in callsfromthe city’s140,000 watercustomers, cityofficials said.
“Ourbillingpeople couldaddupthenumbers andshowacustomerhow we gottothenumber,but the averagecustomer was havingtroublewiththis,” Wagner said.“That wasthe feedback wewere hearing
hascreated aswathofnewbusinesses, fromtheMercantile toa boutiquehotel,bringinginthousands of people to theOsageNation capital,butwhatdoesthe OsageNationhaveindowntown Pawhuskaintermsofbusiness enterprises?
“Nothing,” Tillmansaid. Hesaid gamingand federal fundsprimarilystemmingfrom the COVID-19pandemicare the primarysourcesofmoneyforthe nationundertheStandingBear administration.
Pointing to theCherokeeand Chickasaw nations,Tillman said theybringinhundreds ofmillion dollarsof non-gaming revenue per year.
“Wehavenothing,”hesaid.
“Everything we have attempted to do has failed.Thisadministration’sbusinessacumenhasbeen basicallynothing.”
Tillmanalsobroughtupthe needforbetterleadershipwhen it comestotribalhealthcare and Wah-Zha-Zhe HealthCenter,the nation’sonlyclinic.
“Ourhealth is so important to us,” he said.“We have aclinic, andit’s strugglingrightnow.
It’s strugglingbecauseoflackof leadership,andthatleadership startsinthe executivebranch.”
Atypicalcampaign formany tribes,“Come back to theNation” hasbeen aregularpush forcitizens to return to theirtribeand work forthe OsageNation,but Tillman saidtheHealthCenter haslostmanyOsage-citizendoctors becauseofthelackofsupport fromthe executivebranch.
“That’sourhealthclinic,” Tillmansaid.“We’ve gottoget that fix,andthat’s partofwhatI’m
Standing Bear,seekinghisthird termasprincipal chief,saidhe hopestokeepmomentumgoing in food security, medicalcareand affordablehousingprojectsthat have alreadybegun.
TheNation’sbison ranch, meatprocessing plantand“HarvestLand”greenhouseswillall aidinsustainably providingfood security forhispeople,StandingBear said.
“Food security andsustainability arereallyimportantin my administration’sgoals,” he said.
UsingARPAfundsfromthe COVID-19pandemic,hisadministrationisintroducing many new programs,Standing Bear said,but thefirstprojectbeingtackledisa newPrimaryResidential Treatment facility, whichwillhelp address alcoholanddrugabuse and mentalhealthwithinnative communities. Hesaid thenationwillbe closingonaproperty forthenewfacility injustafew weeks.
Afutureareaoffocus forhis administrationisaffordable housing,whichhe saidhasn’t beenaddressedyet.
“Wherewearenotbuilding whereweneedtoispublicassistancetobuildinfrastructuredevelopmentssoprivate businesses
cancomeinandbuildapartments andaffordablehousing,”hesaid.
“Here,thehousingpricesare increasing rapidly. There is alot ofpeople movinginto ruralareas.ReeDrummond isdoinga greatjobbringingpeoplein from aroundthe country; our casinos arebringingpeoplein; and we believe themovie‘Killers of theFlower Moon’is goingtobe bringing alot ofpeoplein. So we have arealneed foraffordable housingright now.”
AddressingtheeconomicdiversityTillman has focusedon during his campaign,Standing Bear saidthechief’soffice is supposedtoremain separate from anytribalbusinessenterprises, so otherthanappointingboard membersforenterprises,which thenneedcongressionalapproval,thechiefisnotsupposed to beinvolvedinenterprises.
Angela Pratt
Pratt,aneight-yearmember ofthe OsageNationCongressand currentspeakerof Congress, focused more onleadershipabilitiesand whatshebelieves thechief’s administrationshould prioritize. “I keep saying, ‘I’vegot athickspineandabig voice,’andI’ve beenusingboth ofthem foreightyears now,”she said.“Congressare the eyes,ears and voice of the people, so if I’m speakingup forthemat everyturn andit’sfalling ondeaf ears,now IknowIneedtobethe one over
actualusageforcustomers whose previousmonth’s bills were estimated,designationsclearly marked as“EST”for estimated readand “ACT”foractual read.
Dependingon whether theestimatewashighor low, Edwards said, “you mayget acreditormaybe
“Sowhat we didis,we said,‘Let’s just redesign thefront page ofthebill.’”
Manyof the complaints thecityhasbeen receiving from watercustomershave beenfromthe 1% to 2% whoare on paymentplans. Theproblemthey’ve been experiencing, Wagner said, has to dowithhowthebill islaidout.
Thebiggest,boldest numberonthebill,under “TotalDue”highonthe upperleft-handside,is forthatmonth’susage but doesn’tnecessarilyreflect everything aperson owes.Forthosecustomers on paymentplans,there is a“NextInstallment” amountlistedbelow, in smallernumbers.
And to add to theconfusion,theduedatefor eachamountisdifferent. Thenewbillwillhave one clearly marked“TotalDue,” withthemonthlybilland installmentplanamounts spelledoutinsmaller type. Bothwillbedueonthe samedate.
“It’s correct,”Wagner saidofthe existing water bills,“butitis confusing, becausewhy have twodue dates? We finally agreed —forgetaboutthat,let’s alignthe twodates.”
Is your water bill accurate?
ClaytonEdwards, directorofthecity’sWaterand Sewer Department, says thecity’smeter reader systemis99%accurate.
Buthe’salsoheard from customerswhodon’tagree.
“Ithink partofit was, sometimes when we have to estimatethe read,that could overestimateforthat billandthatmaybeoneof the reasons,” Edwardssaid. “And alotoftimesthere maybealeakintheir system. “Liketheflapper valve intheir toiletscouldbe leaking,andtheymay not
evenhave acluethatit’s leaking.”
Gettinganaccuratemeterread— ratherthanan estimated read —begins withhavingenoughmeter readers. Edwardssaid Friday that 14 of the city’s 17 meter readerpositionsare filled,butthefigurefluctuatesandmanyofthose whoare onthe jobhaven’t beenthereforlong.
“Thelackofmeter readersdoesnotallowustoactuallyreadmeters, so then those readsare estimated withthebilling system,” Edwardssaid.
Thatleads to another question: Howdoesthe city“estimate” acustomer’swaterusage?
Utilities SystemManager Troy Staffordsaidit’s all basedonprevioususage andthetimeof year.
Forthewintermonths, forexample,thecitygenerally looksatthecustomer’saverage usageforthat timeperiod over eachof thelastthree years. And forestimatesmadeduring thesummermonths,the citybasestheestimateon the averageusage overthe previous12months.
“Because,iftheyhave irrigation systems,ifthey usemorewaterinthesummertime,thatis amoreaccurateestimate,becauseit wouldincludesummerand wintermonths,and so you have amorerounded averagebecausepeopledon’t alwayswatertheirlawns everyyearorevery month,” Staffordsaid.
Staffordsaidit’s important forTulsans to understandthattheir watermeters work likeanodometer, providing acontinuous countofthenumberof gallonsof wateracustomer uses.Theydonotstopand resetevery month.
“Weonlybillthedifference betweenthismonth’s readandlastmonth’s read,”Staffordsaid.
Edwardssaidthatis why thecitycan go backand accuratelydeterminethe
there(aschief).”
Addressing concernswiththe Wah-Zha-Zhe HealthCenter, Pratt saidamid alotofgovernancechaos,Standing Bear “had his backturnedtoeverybody” because theleaders attheHealth Center were his ownappointments.
She saidshehasn’t seen the growthshe expectedseven years aftervotingin Congressfor growthinhealth care.
“I willcontinue to believe in supportingourhealthcare....It alsocomes down to thechiefhavingtheabilitytohirewhoeveris going to runtheclinicand whois going to have aseatonthe Health Authority Board,” Pratt said. Sheaddedelder care, whichfallsunder the Health AuthorityBoard,hasn’t hadthe prioritizationitneeds. Astheelderpopulationrises, therewerenoadequateplans to addresshealthandeldercare, so Prattsaidsheauthored abillfor assistedliving.Shesaidsherecommendedacolleaguefile abill foranursinghome,andshe was aco-sponsoronthenewPrimary Residential Treatment Facility Standing Bearchampioned.
“Thisadministration (ofStanding Bear)didn’t prioritizethatbefore CARESActorARPAmoney camein,” she said. “Allofthese shouldhavebeenprioritizedand planned forpriorto COVID. He hashadsix yearspriortoCOVID to prioritizethese.
“That’s whyIwanttobeinthat seat,tomakethese decisionsand move us forwardtoaddress our people’sneeds.”
jacob.factor@tulsaworld.com
billed somemore,butit willtrueup everytime you getanactual read.”
Long term,thecityplans is to go to anautomated meter reader system.But it won’thappen overnight.
“Ourplanis to replaceall ofourmeterswithAMR,” Edwardssaid. “And we are lookingat athree-to-five-
yearprogram,atleast.The quickest we candoitisfive years.”
Tulsans whohavequestions about their water bill areencouraged to email thecityatTulsa311@cityoftulsa.org.
kevin.canfield@tulsaworld. com
Thelonesurvivorinthecrumpled Tahoe —a7-year-oldboyin the back —criedasheheldupan arm while pinned inside. Hisaunt and cousin were dead,slumped overinthefront seats.
“Itjust seemedlike(troopers) were onanadrenalinerush;they justwantedtheperp,so theydidn’t care whathappened,”saidTredrick Johnson,the fatherofthe young boyinthe SUVwho survivedthe crash. “I feellikeiftheycared aboutthe safety ofthepeopleon thestreetstheywouldn’thavepursuedhimlikethat.”
LaniseDade,31,andher12-yearolddaughter,Camyea, were the thirdand fourthuninvolvedmotorists to die duringOHPpursuits inlessthan fiveyears in Tulsa County. Theyare partof abroader deadlytrendwiththestate’sHighwayPatrol.
In afive-yearspan, 15 OHPpursuits have killed18people —and at leasteightofthose killedweren’t theeludingdrivers.Fivewereuninvolvedmotorists, atleast two were passengersinfleeing vehicles, andone wasanOHPlieutenanton footstruck by anothertrooper’s cruiserathighspeed.
Allbutoneofthedeadlypursuits beganwithstolenpropertyortrafficviolationsasthe basis forthe chase, despiteagencypolicyrequiringtrooperstoweighwhether benefitsoutweigh apursuit’s risks and“promotethe safety ofallpersons.”
OHPCapt.JerryReagangave family membersa“minimalbriefing”atthehospitalabout five hoursafter Dadeandherdaughter were killed, accordingtoagency records.Johnson saidheandhis family didn’t actually learn until twodayslaterthatthechase began in Coweta on aword-of-mouth reportthat atruckpossiblyhadbeen stolen.
“Itjustmademeangry.That’s it. Ihatedthe whole world,”Johnsonsaid.“Literally, Ilostmybest friend to something that was stupid.”
Johnson’sfamilyisrepresented by SmolenLaw, whichprovided the TulsaWorldwithOHPdocumentationaftertheagencyfailed to respond to anopen recordsrequestsubmitted by thenewspaper more thana yearago.
TimTipton,thethirdDepartmentofPublic Safety commissionersincefall2017— whooverseesOHP —hasn’tresponded to the World’sinterviewrequests. He alsorefused to replytowritten questions.
The TulsaWorld’songoinginvestigationofthe HighwayPatrol hasuncovered recklesstrooper actions,shoddyrecord-keeping, failuretoaddress“alarming”concerns expressedbycommanders, and refusal to reviewafatalchase thatOHPundertookinwintry conditions eventhoughthestolen car’slocation wasbeingtracked electronically.
EliasGonzales,now 15,was chargedasanadultwithtwo countsoffelonyfirst-degreemurder,butthat case wastransferred outof TulsaCountyDistrictCourt.
If federalchargesare filed,they wouldbe sealedbecauseofhisage, according to aspokespersonforthe U.S. AttorneyGeneral’sOffice.
Thedeadlycrashhappenedat East21stStreetand South109th East Avenue,lessthan ahalfmile from Camyea’s grade school.
LaniseDadehelped raiseher youngerbrother.
Sheprotected Tredrick Johnson fromfights,encouraginghim to be betterandachieve goalsoutsidehis comfort zone.
Johnson,30,isreturninghis sister’schildhoodmentorship.
Hecares forher remainingchild, 15-year-old Cornelius,inaddition to his young sonwho survivedthe wreck, Dedrick.
“Sheshapedthe wayI am today;she reallychanged my life,” Johnson said.“EventhoughI had my mom and everything,my sister wastheremorethan my mom was becauseMomhad twojobs.
“Ialways had my big sister to lookup to.”
Johnsondescribedhissisterasa “foodie”whowasalways outhelpinginthe community.Shesported atough exteriorbutharbored asoft heart to helpotherswhoaredisadvantaged.
Dade talkedaboutstartingher ownday care ornonprofit.
Camyea, whose13thbirthday wasapproaching whenshe was killed, wanted to be adoctor.
Johnson saidCamyeadrewa doctor’scoatfor aschool contest —andthentheyhaditmade for her.Sheloveditand wore it everywhere.
“It’s stillhangingupinthehouse to this day,”Johnson said. “We
PROVIDED
can’tgetridofitbecauseit’sjust toohard.”
Johnson saidhismotherdoesn’t reallyliketotalk about whathappened Feb. 25,2021,andbreaks down everytimeshetries. She “shutdown”and wouldn’tcome outofher roomontheone-year anniversary.
“Nothavingthemthere,it’snot the sameenergyinthehouse,” Johnson said.“They were the onesthatbrought happinessand joyeverywhere. We’d besitting therequietly,andthey’dcomein the roomandbring joyandlifeto the whole room.”
Johnson saidtroopersdidn’t seem to expressremorse intheaftermath.Therewasno condolence letternor a“sorry” forthe deaths of his sisterandniece.
“They know what they did, and theyknowtheyshouldn’t have doneit that way,”hesaid.
The HighwayPatrolhas clammedupin the yearafterthe deadlypursuit.
OHP’sresponse—orlackthereof —isconsistent generallywithhow theagencyhasobfuscatedordenied TulsaWorld attemptstopeel backthecurtainsonmanyofits deadlyvehicular chasestolearn whathappenedand why.
The Worldpursuedlegal recourse in October2020overOHP’s refusal to turn overuse-of-force recordsfor ayearwhileoffering vagueand contradictoryresponses aboutprotocolsandpracticesin sporadic replies.AfterOHPproduceddocumentsandagreed to provideallpertinent records, the WorldagreedtodismissthelitigationinMarch2021.
No troopershavebeendisciplinedby OHPinthe 15 fatality pursuits, according to theagency recordsreleased so far.
Somepolicing researchersand strategistssay lawenforcement shouldn’tengageinvehicular pursuitsunlessaviolentcrimeis involved —fleeingitselfdoesn’t count —becauseoftheirinherent dangerstolifeand limb.
AttorneyDonaldSmolenII said the case isoneofmanyexamples ofhowtroopersandthe Highway Patrolareallowedtooperateunrestrained. Smolensaidmanylives wouldbe
savedifOHP were prohibitedfrom pursuing fornonviolent felonies andmisdemeanors—not worth thedangersthatchasespresent.
“It’s asystemic problemthat startsatthe top,”Smolen said. “NoonewithOHPthinksthere’s aproblem withtheirhotpursuit protocols,andthereis. The whole thingneedstobe revamped.”
No dash camera
Warren wasinterviewedbyOHP investigators 19 days afterthe deadlypursuit,according to OHP records.
Forunspecifiedorunknown reasons,Warren’spatrol SUVwasn’t equippedwithanin-car camera systemtoprovide arecordingof whathappenedthatThursday afternoon foraccountability.
Othertrooperswho were involvedpresumablyhaddash cameras, butthose recordingshaven’t been released yetbyOHP.
Thevideo camera’sabsenceis evenmorenotablebecauseofwhat couldbe apolicyviolation by Warrennotedin documents.
OHPprohibitstroopers from chasing afleeing vehicle“the wrong way in opposing lanes of traffic”whenthereare atleastfour lanes.
Anarrestaffidavitstatesthatthe eluderdrovethewrong wayon41st Street —a five-laneroadway. OHPdocumentsshownoindicationthat Warrenstoppedhis pursuit at thatpoint.
At anotherpoint,thefleeing driverexited U.S. 169viaanonramp to 41stStreet. Warren’sinterviewsummarydoesn’tspecify whether Warrenhimselfalsoused theon-ramp to exit,only thathe slowedto“safely navigatethe exit.”
Nowhereinthesummaryofhis interviewdoesitsaywhether Warrenknewhewaschasing ayoung juvenile.Nor wasthatissueaddressedinany other reportsfrom thetroopersinvolvedinthepursuit —some whowereinfronttrying to setupforspike strips whenthe truck passed.
Theagency’scollisionreport makesnomentionthatthecrash happenedamidanOHPchase.
At onepoint,thefleeingdriver swervedaroundspikestrips throwninfrontoftheSilverado ontheBrokenArrow Expressway.
Warren’sinterviewsummary spellsouttheextremedangersof thechase:Gonzalescuttingoff motoristsand passingonshoulderstoclipping twovehiclesand
PROVIDED
Lanise
speedingthroughanoccupied construction zone.
TheOHPlieutenant saidhe felt theneed forlaw enforcement to intervene to end thechase, rather than callitoff
“(Warren) continued to evaluatethepursuit,” according to his interviewsummary. “Hethought withTPDandtroopersnearbyand closinginonthearea,theyshould beable to bringthispursuit toa safe end.”
Tredrick Johnson saidhe feels likethetroopersmindlesslypursuedtheSilverado whileona “powertrip”despitetheapparent hazards.
Someonetrying to fleelawenforcementobviouslywillengage in recklessbehavior,Johnson said, butthatshouldn’tgivetroopers permission to continue achase that is greatly endangering the public.
“If you’re chasinganybody— youcould be going40mph —if you’re chasing anybody, they’re gonnado recklessstuff,” Johnson said. “You knowthatjustlikeI knowthat. Anybodythat panics does recklessstuff.”
Gonzales,theallegedeluder,reportedlywas recorded by atrooper on sceneasthe 14-year-oldspoke withanemergencymedical technician.
He expressedregretand remorse that he panicked,didn’tstopand wreckedinto the family.
“I took(thetruck) and thenit wasafuntimeatfirst, cause, and then Igotagitated,”Gonzales allegedlysaid. “I wasscared, soI tookoff,and wastrying to pull,I wasgoing to pulloverandrun,but Ididn’t.” Smolen saidOHPchasesusually involvestolen cars ortrafficinfractionsinwhichthedrivers aren’t driving recklesslyuntil atrooper triestopullthem over.
Restraintsonpursuits aren’t minimizingcrimes,Smolensaid, butareaboutensuringmoreinnocentpeopledon’tdieinunnecessary chaseswhentrooperscanuse investigative meanstoapprehend eluders.
“OHPinstigatesthe reckless conduct,andthentheyjust (drive) their patrolcruisersasfastasthey can,”Smolen said.
Trooper Warren wasstoppedat atrafficlighton westboundOklahoma51in Coweta when aDodge pickuptruck“withit’s(sic)lights on”approachedat a“high rate of speed.” Warren rolleddown his passenger-sidewindowtotell thedriver to slowdown.
“Asthedriverstoppedbeside
him,thedriverbegan telling Warrentherewas astolenpickupahead ofthem,”according to Warren’s interviewsummary. “Thedriver describedthestolenpickupasa silverChevrolet.”
That wasalltheinformation notedinOHP recordsthat Warren usedindecidingtogivechasewhen theSilveradospedoff atthesight of Warren’sExplorer.
Themotorist whotold Warren thetruck wasstolenprovideda statementtoCowetapoliceabout whathadhappened. He had seen aman“yellingandslapping”the truckasitleftthe carwash,and thatpersontoldthemotoristithad justbeenstolen.
“Iimmediatelyleftoutinpursuit to followand keep eyesonthe trucktonotify lawenforcementof thecurrentlocation,”themotorist wrote.
Securitycamerasatthecar wash recordedthetheft.
Foursuspectsexited ablack Hyundaiandpretended to drythe careventhoughtheyhadn’tgone throughthe washandthe car“was visiblydirty.”Thetruck’sdriver walkedoff to getacomplimentary towel,allowingoneofthe four suspectstogetintothetruckand backout.
The four had arrived to the businessina stolen car, too. That Hyundaihadbeen takenat gunpoint twodaysearlierin Tulsa by Gonzalesandanaccomplice, accordingtoallegationsin court records. Gonzales and another maleallegedlyforcedthevictimto drive at gunpoint untilthevictim parkedandfled.
Trooperslater foundoutthat Gonzalesin December2020had abscondedfromhishomeplacementthathadbeen approvedeither by the courtsorState DepartmentofHuman Services.
Tredrick Johnsonwas tidyingup paperwork duringhisfinalclassat acareer-readinesscenter when he received acallfromthehospitalaboutanaccidentinvolvinghis son.
Johnsonhadbeenbrushingup onhis resumeandinterviewskills attheurgingofhissister.Hetried repeatedlycalling Dade,butshe didn’tpickup.
“Me,personally, Ithought my sonwas dead,”Johnson said. “I thought ithadjust happened,and shedidn’thavethe heart totellme. Igot to the hospital,andhe was therebyhimself.”
Foramonth,Johnsonstruggled to even leavehisbed,often lying andcryinginstead.He quithis second jobtohavemoretimetocare forhisnephew.
He had agoaltobecome certified to operate aforklift —anothereffortcheered by hissister. He even promisedher.
Twomonthsafter Dade’sand Camyea’sdeaths,Johnsonheldhis forkliftlicense.
“It felt good,butthat good feelingdidn’tlast toolong,”Johnson said.“I couldn’texperienceit with her.I couldn’tshowthem that Iwas doingbetterin my life. Icouldn’tshowthemthat Iwas achievinggoalsthat Ihad set,even thoughshepushedmedownthat road.
“Itmademe feel good,butI couldn’tdonothingbutcryafterwards. Igothome; Ijustcried.”
corey.jones@tulsaworld.com
AARONMORRISON AND LISA MASCARO
AssociatedPress
“Senator,”shesaid,letting outanaudiblesigh.
Inthatsingularmoment, Supreme Courtnominee KetanjiBrownJacksonspoke forcountlessBlack women whohavehadtogatherallthe patience,strengthandgrace withintoanswerinsinuating questionsabouttheircredentials,qualificationsand character.
It wasDay Oneofquestioningatthe SenateJudiciaryCommitteeasthe Harvard-educated Jackson, thefirstBlack woman to be
FromA1
daughter,Camyea, diedasa resultofthe collision. Anotherjuvenilemaleoccupantinher vehiclesurvived afterbeinghospitalized.
OnMarch 4, 2021,prosecutorschargedGonzales asanadultin TulsaCounty DistrictCourtwithkidnapping,armed robbery, possessionof astolen vehicle, possessionof afirearmby anadjudicatedjuvenileand twocountsofmurder.
Gonzales’statecharges were publicbecauseOklahomalawconsidersjuvenilesage13to14charged withfirst-degreemurder to betreatedasadultsforinitialprosecutionpurposes.
Ajudgelater candecide whethersuchdefendants shouldbetreatedasyouthfuloffendersormoved to juvenile court.
Butthe TulsaCountycase wasdismissedbeforeitwent to trialor wasotherwiseresolved.
The case was closed Aug. 24 afterit wasdetermined thestateof Oklahomadid nothave jurisdiction to prosecuteGonzales,records show.
Gonzales’apparentaffiliationwith afederallyrecognized South Dakota tribe
nominatedforthenation’s highest court, wasmaking history.
The federaljudgehad to endurehoursofpublic scrutinyfromskeptics,namely the Republican senators whoare erecting awallof opposition to herlandmark nomination,thefirstinthe court’s 233-yearhistory, and mayvoteenblocagainsther confirmation.
“It wasreallytraumatizing to watch,”saidMelanie L.Campbell,presidentand CEOofthe NationalCoalitiononBlackCivic Participationand convenerofthe Black Women’sRoundtable.
Fromquestioningof Jackson’sviewofbooks oncriticalracetheory that drew herexasperatedsigh —“They don’tcomeup in my work as ajudge,” she said —totheloadedsuggestionthatthesentencesshe imposedonchild pornographydefendantsweretoo lenient,thequestionsfrom the Republicans tappedinto long-standingAmerican grievances over race,class andpublic safety.
Theinsinuationsthat Jackson, adistinguishedjuristandmotheroftwo,isa secret radicalliberalorposes adangertothesafetyofchil-
dren felt to somesupporters as yetanother exampleof highlyqualifiedBlackwomen havingtoendureindignities anddistortionsoftheircredentials,evenastheyshatter racial barriers inAmerican society.
“Myspirit feelsit wasto bringthisBlackwomandown becauseshe’sabout to break theglass ceilingthat,once broken,opensthedoor to more,”Campbellsaid.
DemocratspraisePresident JoeBiden’schoiceof Jacksonaslong overdue,a chancetostartmakingthe courtmorereflective of the diversenationitserves. But
case from stateprosecutors and werereviewingit for possiblecharges.
Althoughunusual,the admission wasunderstandablegiventhepublicnature ofthedeaths.
Butthat’s wherethe publicinformationtrail ends forGonzalesin federal court. Federalprivacy laws prohibitthedivulgingof courtinformationinvolvingjuvenilesinmost cases.
So it’s publiclyunknownif Gonzales ever facedcharges in federal court.
meant thestate didnot have jurisdiction to prosecute himas aresultofthe July 2020 McGirtruling.
ThelandmarkU.S.Supreme Courtdecision reaffirmedthe continued existenceof theMuscogee Nation reservationandthe state’slackofjurisdiction to prosecutecases whenitinvolves amemberof atribe within“Indian Country.”
The reservationsof theMuscogee,Cherokee, Chickasaw,Choctaw,SeminoleandQuapaw nations, together coveringnearly theentireeasternhalfof thestate,arenowoff limits
to stateprosecutorswhen eitherthevictimorsuspect areAmericanIndian,asa resultofthe McGirtruling.
Afterstatechargeswere dropped,Gonzales’ case entered apublicinformation blackhole.
Whilestatechargesinvolvingjuvenilesand even their pastencounterswith juvenile court authorities canbe publicin someinstances,nosuchprovision isallowedinfederal court.
On Aug.31the U.S. Attorney’sOffice in Tulsaacknowledged,in responseto aTulsaWorldquery, that prosecutorshad receivedthe
Messagesleftwiththe federalpublicdefender’s officeforanupdateregarding the case were not returned. Gonzales wasrepresented by apublic defender when he facedstate charges.
Still, federalcharges againstjuvenilesarerare.
Nationwide,federalprosecutorsfiled acollective 61 delinquencyproceedings againstjuvenilesinfiscal 2019, the most recent year forsuchfigures kept by the federalBureauofJustice Statistics.
Inthe NorthernDistrictof Oklahoma, whichincludes Tulsa, federalprosecutors hadn’tlaunched adelinquencyproceedingagainst ajuvenileinatleast10 years prior to the McGirtruling.
But by theendof2021, federalprosecutorsinTulsa
theyhavebeen slowtobolsterthejudge’snomination againsttheunrelentingattacksandinsteadallowed them to linger.
Overand overduringher hearings,Republican Sens. TedCruzof Texas, Lindsey Grahamof SouthCarolina and JoshHawley of Missourihammered Jacksonon ahandfulofthe many cases shehandledas ajudge,askingifshe regrettedhavinga record that, intheirview, is softonchildpornography defendants.
Nomatterhowmanytimes Jacksonasserted, forexample,that thechildpornogra-
had receivedabout 19cases involvingjuveniles fordelinquencyconsideration withchargesfiledinallbut aboutsix cases, the World haslearned.
Informationaboutthose federal cases, from whether chargeswerefiledtowhether thejuvenile wasadjudicated adelinquent,arenotsubject to publicdisclosure.
Onethingis certain: federalprosecutorshavenot referredanyjuvenile cases to thetribesincethe McGirtruling, according toa spokespersonforthetribe. Thedouble fatalitycollision occurredwithintheMuscogeeNation reservation boundaries.
Tribesmayonlyprosecute American Indians,exceptin instancesofdomesticviolence, datingviolenceand violationsofcivilprotection orders.
Prior to hismost recent arrest,Gonzalesamassed a lengthy juvenile delinquencyhistoryinarelatively shorttimeperiod.
Stateprosecutorsfiled 13 delinquencyproceedings againstGonzales,beginning whenhe was11,according to statejuvenile court records obtained following aformal TulsaWorld request.
Under Oklahoma law, juvenilecriminal recordsare subject to publicdisclosure
phycases were someof“the mostdifficult”ofher career ortriedtoexplaintheparticularsofthelaw,theGOPsenatorstalkedoverher,pasther andpushedonward intheir attempt to portray thenomineeastheywished.
“I canonlywonder what’s yourhiddenagenda,” asked Sen.MarshaBlackburn, R-Tenn., pointingtooneof thejudge’searlierwritings. “Isit to letviolentcriminals copkillersandchildpredatorsback to thestreets?... Isit yourpersonalhidden agenda to incorporatecriticalracetheoryintoourlegal system?”
afterthejuvenileischarged asanadultwithmurderor anothermajorcrime.
In2017, prosecutorsinitiated twojuveniledelinquencyfilingsagainstGonzales,one forpettylarceny from aretailerandtheother “interferingwith amotor vehicle.”
Prosecutorsfiledthree separate delinquencycases againstGonzalesin2018, alleging robbery, pointinga deadlyweapon,threatening aviolentactandpossession of astolen vehicle.
In2019, prosecutorsfiled four separate casesagainst Gonzales.Those chargesincludedattemptedautolarceny,larceny from aperson, possessionof astolenauto and joyriding. Prosecutorsfiledthree morecasesagainstGonzales in2020 forchargesranging frompossessionof astolen autotorobberywith afirearm to possessionof astolen vehicle.
Nearly onemonthafterthedouble-fatalityaccidentin February2021, prosecutorsfiledonemore charge againstGonzales for athird-degreeburglarythat occurredthreedays before the fatalcollision, records show.
curtis.killman@tulsaworld. com
EmptyArsenal: U.S. Sen.Jim Inhofe saidthe U.S. militaryis lowonmunitions,andcurrent productionisnot keepingupwith demand.
“For example,” Inhofe tolda SenateArmed Services Committeehearing,“we’re sendingthousandsofStingerstoUkraine,and we don’tevenhave ahotproductionline.”
OnMarch 16,the U.S. saidit wassendinganadditional800 Stingermissilesystemsand2,000 Javelins to Ukraine. Bothareportable guidedmissile systems,with the Javelinprimarilyananti-tank weaponandtheStinger capableof surface-to-airand air-to-airuse.
Thelatestallocationwouldbring to nearly 20,000thenumberof missilessent to Ukraineinthe past month, according to Forbes.That report saidthe U.S.stillhasplenty of Javelins,butnotedStingersare
Underthe dome:The comingweekis expected to be relativelyquietat the Capitolaslawmakersregroup foranotherroundof thelegislativeprocess.
Butit won’tstaythat wayfor long.Billsand joint resolutionsadopted inthe chamber of origin during thefirstsix weeksofthe sessionnow have until mid-Apriltoget through committeesontheopposite sideoftherotunda.
Thursday’s chamberof origindeadlineleftabout 280 Housebills andjoint resolutionsand470 Senate measuresongeneralorder, meaningtheycannolonger beheardthissession.
Around 700billsand jointresolutions remain active, but many of those areduplicatesornearly so.
Ayes: Amongthebills makingitthroughthe Houseand Senatelast week:
Senate Bill1860,by Sen.Greg McCortney, R-Ada. Although flying lowest belowthepublic’s radar,thismeasurehasbeen thesubjectofintenselobbyingfrom variousinterests involvedinthe prescription drugbusiness. SB1860isintended to preventprescriptionbenefitplansandchainpharmaciesfrom squeezing outindependentdruggists, with bothsides warningofdire consequencesandunfair businesspractices.
HouseBill2351, by Rep. Collin Walke,D-Oklahoma City. This one passedunanimouslyoff theHouse floor late Wednesdayafter the membershad wornthemselvesouton taxes, medical marijuanaand transgender athletes.
Thebill bars “anyindividualorentity or subsidiaryofanentitythatrepresentsastateofficial,a campaign forelectivestate office,oracampaignfora stateinitiative or referendum”frombeing awarded astate contract.Thebill hasimplications forseveralhigh-profilepolitical operatives.
SB 1535,bySen. Adam Pugh,R-Edmond.Itisan overhaulof teacherevaluationandprofessionaldevelopmentthat repealsthe TeacherLeaderEffectivenessevaluation systemand createsateachermentor program.
Tensemoments: Long days,emotionalissuesand maybealittlegrandstanding canshorten tempers. In Oklahoma’searly days,fist fights were notunknown ontheHouseand Senate floors,andmorethanone
outofproduction andthe Iowa munitionsplantthat manufacturesthe warheads forboth isundergoingmajorrenovations.
AfterInhofe’s comments,a high-ranking Pentagonofficialsaidhebelievesproductionofthe weapons systemcan be raised to replenishthe U.S. arsenal,according to DefenseNews.
Inhofe joinedotherRepublicansonthe SenateArmed Services CommitteeaskingtheBiden administration fora5%above-inflation boostindefensespending BlamingBiden: Oklahoma’s all-Republican congressional delegationcontinued to pileblameon President JoeBidenand Democrats forthe country’shighestinflation ratesin40years withoutacknowl-
edgingthelowestunemployment inmorethan50.
“Ratherthanencouraging Americans to getback towork andadvancingpolicies to getour economybackontrack,President Bidenand Democratshavesupported keepingpolicesinplace thatincentivizeworkers to stay homeonunemployment,”said4th District CongressmanTom Colein his weeklyemail.
While Coleacknowledgedthe lingeringeffectsofthe COVID-19 pandemicandtheRussianinvasion ofUkraine“factorin” to inflation, heputmostoftheblameonthe Democrats’$2trillionAmerican RescuePlan Act—mostofwhich hasnotactuallybeenspent yet,but that somethinkhas contributed to higher costs on suchthingsas buildingmaterialsand,perhapsin some cases,wagesand compensationasbusinessesvie forworkers
in atightlabormarket.
Dotsanddashes: Sen. James Lankfordsaid1.1millionimmigrantscouldsurgeacross the U.S. borderwith MexicoiftheBiden administrationdiscontinuesimmediateexpulsionsunder Title 42, asection oflawthatallows suchactionsduringpublichealth crisessuchasthe COVID-19pandemic.…SecondDistrict CongressmanMarkwayneMullinbecame aco-sponsoroflegislation to bantransgender womenfrom women’ssports. …ThirdDistrict Congressman FrankLucassigned ontolegislationhe saidwillgive rural communitiesmorefinancial flexibilityincombatinghomelessness. Cole wastheonlymemberoftheOklahomadelegation to publiclyacknowledgethedeathof former SecretaryofState MadeleineAlbright,telling constituents, “AsaproudAmerican,Madeleine
Albrightwillbemissedbyall.She servedAmericawithgrace,pride anddistinction.”… Inhofejoined aneffort to increaseimpactaid to schoolsfinanciallyaffected byfederalpresencethroughsuchthings asmilitarybasesandAmericanIndianreservations Lankfordcontinuedadvocatingfor moreAmericanmilitarysupport of Ukraine, while Democratsknockedhimand othermembers oftheOklahoma delegation forvotingagainstthis month’s$1.5trillionspendingbill thatincluded$13.6 billioninmilitaryandhumanitarianaid forthe besiegednation. …Lankfordwas among85membersaskingthe U.S. International TradeCommission to eliminatedutiesonphosphate fertilizerproductsimportedfrom Morocco and holdoff onnewduties forureaammonium fertilizer from Trinidadand Tobago. —Randy Krehbiel, TulsaWorld
muchdifferent. Last week,though,the stateDemocraticParty unloadedonPinnell,callinghim “PinnellWho?”, whilePinnell’soffice issueda coupleofpress releases,somethingit rarely does,endorsinglegislation thatlightens restrictions ontheuseof adjunctfacultyincommon education and wouldgreatlyexpand broadbandinternet access inthestate.
withinhis whitewashed communities, leadingfrom adistanceandcryingfamily values.”
Perhapsnot coincidentally, Pinnellis viewedas alikelyGOPgubernatorial candidatefour yearsfrom now, whenincumbent KevinStittis term-limited.
lawmakerwas conked by aninkwell.
Itdidn’tget to thatpoint last week in the House, but Democrats were outraged by Rep.SeanRoberts, R-Hominy, calling them the“PartyofDeath” severaltimesduringdebate on anabortionbill, evenafter beingadmonished by the presidingofficerasa violationof Houserulesagainst impugningothermembers.
Roberts,whois term-limitedandmounting along-shotcampaign to oust3rdDistrict Congressman FrankLucas,was accusedofusingthedebate as astumpspeech.
Oneday later, Rep.JustinHumphrey,R-Lane, describedtransgender people as “mentally ill,” which Democratstookasa slightagainstRep.Mauree Turner,D-OklahomaCity, whoistheLegislature’s onlynon-binary member.
Campaignsandelections: StateRep.Carol Bush, R-Tulsa, saidshe willnot seek reelection afterthree terms representing HouseDistrict70inmidtownandsouth Tulsa.
Bush’sannouncement cameataboutthe same time that Suzanne Schreiber,whoisleavingthe Tulsaschoolboardnext month,saidsheisacandidate fortheHD 70 seat.
“Myapproachisn’tcomplicatedor technical,” said Schreiber,whois running as aDemocrat.“We need to putpeople over politics, solverealproblemsand work together to choose practicalsolutionsthat makea realimpactinthe livesofallOklahomans.”
Schreiberisanattorney and seniorprogramofficerwiththe George Kaiser
SUNDAY NEWS SHOWS
ABC’s “This Week” —Sen.Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.
NBC’s “MeetthePress”— UkrainianAmbassadortothe U.S. OksanaMarkarova;Sens. RobPortman, R-Ohio,and Cory Booker, D-N.J. CBS Face theNation”— Rep.
FamilyFoundation.
RepublicanBradBanks,a paving contractor,has registeredanHD 70 campaign committee.
StateRep.Avery Frix becamethethird Muskogee Republican to jointhe fight to succeed2ndDistrict CongressmanMarkwayne Mullin, whoisrunningfor U.S. Senate.
Frix joinsMuskogee Police Chief JohnnyTeeheeandpharmacistChris Schiller.
Early in-personabsentee voting forthe April 5electionsbeginsThursday at countyelectionboardlocations.
Thursday isalsothe last daytochangepartyaffiliationbeforethe June28 primaryand Aug.23runoff elections.New registrationswill beaccepted through June 3.
U.S. Sen. JamesLankford announcedtheendorsementof fellowsenator TimScott of South Carolina. Scott campaigned withLankfordinEdmond on Friday.
POWhER PAC, apoliticalaction committeesupportingOklahoma Republicanwomen candidates, endorsed term-limitedstate Sen. KimDavid,R-Porter, whoisrunning forthe Corporation Commission.
Asanincentiveto donors, 1stDistrictCongressman Kevin Hern’sre-election campaignandthe campaignofU.S.SenatecandidateJacksonLahmeyer offeredchances to winan expense-paidtriptoDallas to seeformerPresident Donald TrumponMay9.
JoshuaHarris-Till, aformernational Young Democratspresident, said he is acandidateinthe5th
CongressionalDistrict. Harris-Till formerly ran unsuccessfully inCD2.
Lankford spoke in Sapulpalast week.
Matt-ering: Oklahoma lieutenant governorsgenerally arenot very controversialandthe current No. 2,Matt Pinnell,hasn’tbeen
To date,noDemocrat— or Republican, forthatmatter—ischallenging Pinnell forreelection, so it’s not entirelyclear whyhesuddenlypoppedintotheopposition’s crosshairs. They took someshotsathimlater inthe weekafter aFrontier reportabout athus-far failedinitiativeto establish destination-type restaurantsatsomestateparks.
“How has Pinnellmadea difference for freedom and choice in thecommunities he represents?”saidOklahoma DemocraticParty ChairwomanAliciaAndrews. “He’sthelieutenant forallOklahomans,notjust those he wantstohideout
Meetings and events: Heartofthe Party, theTulsa Chapterofthe Oklahoma Federationof Democratic Women,willmeetat 6p.m. April 4atBaxter’sInterurban,717S.HoustonAve.
Bottomlines: Gov. KevinStittbeginstheOklahoma City MemorialMarathon’sGovernor’s Relay Challenge with a2-mile trainingrunat6:15a.m. Monday …According to theOklahomaCouncil of PublicAffairs,anOklahoma StateUniversityassociate professorhas withdrawn, at least temporarily, alawsuitclaimingshewasdeniedpromotionbecause of theyearshe servedinthe Trumpadministrationand politicalviews atoddswith those ofherimmediatesupervisors.
Adam Kinzinger,R-Ill.;Marie Yovanovitch,formerU.S.ambassador toUkraine.
CNN’s“StateoftheUnion”— Markarova;Booker;Sens.Mark Warner,D-Va.,and JimRisch, R-Idaho; Rep. MichaelMcCaul, R-Texas;U.S. AmbassadortoNATO Julianne
Smith;JoséAndrés, founderof World CentralKitchen.
“Fox News Sunday” —Smith; Sen.RickScott,R-Fla.; Rep.Ro Khanna,D-Calif.
—AssociatedPress
HOGAN GORE
TheOklahoman
TISHOMINGO —Alongline formed to signsix woodencrosses in TishomingoonFridaynight,as residentsgatheredtomournthe deathsofsixlocalhigh school students.
Thegrandstandatthe town’s footballstadium wasfilledunder anOklahomasunset forthe candlelightvigil,butthelarge crowd wasnotablysilent,otherthan constantsnifflingand recurring heartbrokenembraces.
It wasasombereffortasthe grief-stricken communitycame togetherin ashowofsupport for eachofthe families wholosta lovedoneinantrafficaccidenton Tuesday.
Allsix teenagegirlsdiedthat afternoon,after atractor-trailer haulinggravel collidedwiththe students’ChevroletSparkatthe intersectionof U.S. 377andState Highways 22 and99.Thetruck driverwas notinjured.
Friday, those families satalong thestadium’sdirttrackbetween astage shared by achoir,students sharingmemoriesandlocal pastors praying forgrace and comfort withanentirecommunitystandingin respectbehindthem.
Thevictimsofthedeadlycrash were 15-year-olds JessicaGrace “Gracie”Machado,AustinDaniella HoltandBrooklynEnae Triplett; 16-year-oldMadison PatienceMichelle Robertson;and 17-year-olds Addison Joe“A.J.” Gratzand MemoryJadeBillyWilson. As schoolleadersand pastors spoke,it wasthe testimonyof classmates and friends rememberingthose whoweresupposed to belifelong companionsthat keptthecrowdintears.
“Eventhoughshe wastall,she would wearherplatformshoes. Justthis week,shehadonthe coolest blue and orange tennis shoes,”TishomingostudentLance
Thompsonsaidabouthisfriend Madison.“Shealwayshad asweet smileand somethingfriendlyto share.”
“She wassuch acommitted friend.She wasalsoaverycreative writer;shehad gorgeoushandwritingandwrotesomebeautiful poetry,”TrinityHunziker reflected aboutherfriend Memory. “You couldalmostalways findherin baggy sweats andslides,featuringdarkbrown,but sometimes red,andmost recentlybluecurls bouncingthroughthehall,and we wouldn’thavehadheranyother way.”
While somestudentsfocused onthecharacteristicsthatmade eachofthevictimsunique,others recountedhumoroushigh school hijinks.
“Sheleddancepartiesfirstthing inthemorningand gotallofus girls going,”two friendsofGracie’ssaid.“Shelovedbig, and we will foreverbegrateful forthe joy thatGraciebroughtintoourlives.”
“She wasalwayswilling to enjoy theoutside worldwiththegirls, evenifitmeantjust goingdown adirt road,”Austin’sfriend Aubrey Nancesaid.“Shealsohadan athleticand competitive sidethat mostdidnot see.”
“Shemayhavebeenshocked thatherfriendspulledherinto thedancingact forthechoirmusical‘Frozen’that everyoneloved,” Mariah saidofherfriendBrooklyn. “She wasalsoextremelypassionateaboutherartandhadsucha personalstyle.”
Othersspokeonthefutureplans andadventurestheyexpected to beable to share.
“Iam sorrywewillnever get to move intoourapartmentand attend collegetogether,” Brandon saidabouthis“always therefor me”friendA.J.“Igot my acceptanceletter,and Ihope Icanmake youproud.”
As the remarks came to a close, hundredsofpeoplesharedhugs
andsupport whilehelpingone anotherlight candlesthatlitup the eveningskyinplaceoftypical Fridaynightlights.
Thegrieving continuedwith many seeingoutfriendsandloved onesas afinalprayer wasdelivered beforethe towndispersed.
“Lord, we have abrokencity,a broken school systemandmany broken families.Lord, Ipraythat youtaketheburdenofthistragedyandmakeitablessinganda powerful experienceinourlives,” prayedoneofmanylocal pastors inattendanceFriday.“Thereare thingsupontheEarth we’llnever understand.”
TishomingoHigh Schoolwillbe in sessiononlyonThursday next week,outof respect forthefuneralsthatwill take placethroughout theweek.
BEN FELDER
TheOklahoman
OKLAHOMACITY —Betsy
Colton watchedherdaughterbecomeangryandanxiousaboutdeciding what towear,strugglewith outburstsand complainthatshe didn’tfeelbeautiful.
Assigned amaleatbirth,Gracie,now7years old, had always enjoyedplayingwithdolls,dressingupingirls’clothing,andemulatingheroldersister.Gracie’s parentsallowedher to playand dresshow she wanted,asfroman early agetheycould tellshedidn’t identify with the gender assigned atherbirth.
At theageof5,Gracie, whose birthname wasGray,toldher familyshe wanted anew name.
WhenthenameGracie wasdecided upon, her face “lit up like a Christmastree,”Colton said.
It wasadefiningmoment fora transgenderchildlearning to embraceherself.
“Itabsolutelyfelt right,”said Colton, wholivesinOklahoma City. “I just felt genuinelyhappy forheratthat partinher journey.”
But Coltonandother parents worryabout whatthat journey willlooklikeinthe yearstocome inOklahomaas somelawmakers seek to limitthe waytransgender childrengrow intotheiridentityand participateinthe world aroundthem.
“It wouldbenaiveto ignorethe trendand patternof extremeanti-transandanti-queerlegislation we areseeingbroughtuparound the country,”saidLizCharles,a residentofOklahomaCitywhose daughter,Hadley, istransgender.
Onebillfiledthis yearinthe OklahomaLegislaturesought to preventdoctorsfromproviding transgenderhealth care to minors, evenwith aparent’s permission. Anotherbill passedbystate lawmakerslimitsthe participationof transgendergirlsinhigh school sports.
“She wasbornthis way, all ofourtranskids were bornthis way, andthereisnothingwrong withthem,”Colton said. “These arebeautifulchildrenand to try anddenythemanykindof care is gross, andit’s childabuse.”
LGBTQ+issueshave longbeen partofpoliticalculturewarsbut familiesandadvocatesworrya renewedpolitical focusacrossthe nationisputtingtransgenderchildreninharm’sway.
“It seems to be thelatestdivisive issuethat extremistscan createa wedgearound,”said Nicole McA-
fee, executive directorof Freedom Oklahoma,anorganizationthat advocatesfor LGBTQ+Oklahomans.“Justthediscussionofthese billshas reallynegative mental healthimpactsfortransandnonbinaryyouthwhoalreadyfacehigh ratesofsuicidalideation.”
Eighty-fivepercentoftransgender youth saytheintroductionof anti-transgenderbillshas anegative impactontheirmentalhealth, according to aTrevorProjectpoll releasedin January.
Across the country, nearly 150 anti-transgenderbillshave been proposedin34statesoverthelast year,the most countedbythe HumanRightsCampaign.
Last year,theArkansaslegislatureoverrodeitsgovernorin advancing abilloutlawing gender-confirmingtreatmentsfor minors, including sexreassignmentsurgery andpuberty-blockingmedication.Thebilliscurrentlybeingchallengedin court but asimilarlawis advancingin Idaho.
Lastmonth, TexasGov.Greg Abbottorderedinvestigations ofchildabuseintofamilieswith transgenderchildren receiving gender-affirming care.
InOklahoma, HouseBill3240, filed by Rep. TomGann, R-Inola, sought to bandoctorsandhealth insurancecompaniesfromproviding gender-affirminghealth care. Thebilldidnot receivea committeehearingbeforeaninitialdeadlinethismonth.
HouseBill4245,authored by
Rep. ToniHasenbeck, R-Elgin, banstransgendergirlsfrom competinginhigh schoolsports.
Thebill, which wasadvanced outof committee earlierthis month,issimilar to legislation introducedthis yearinmorethan 20otherstates.
“Thisisanattackonchildren anditwillbe aharmfulattack,” said Rep. EmilyVirgin,D-Norman, whovotedagainstthebill.
Whennews storiesappear on televisionabout variousanti-transgenderbillsandpolicies, Coltonisquick tochangethechannel,wanting to shieldherdaughter.
“Shehasnoideathatthereare peopleouttherewho have aproblemwithher,”Colton said.“I want to protectherfromthat foraslong as Ican.”
But Coltonknows she canonly protect her daughter forsolong.
In afew years, shewillbegin to explorehormone-blockingmedicationandotherhealth care that willhelpGraciedevelopintoafemalebody.
It’s those next stepsthat Colton worrieswill forceher familyoutof Oklahoma.
“Myhusbandand Iarerooted hereinOklahoma,we love thestate ofOklahoma,”Colton said.“ButI wouldn’tthinktwice—wewould be gone.”
Thetransgendercommunityis small,butnotnonexistent. Nearly 2%ofhighschoolstudentsidentify astransgender,according to the
Centersfor DiseaseControland Prevention.
While some Oklahomalawmakershavereferred to transgender peopleashaving a“mentalillness,” mostmajorhealthorganizations saytransgenderidentityiscommonandthat gender-affirming care canbethebest response,especiallyforadolescents.
“Beinginthetransor gender diversecommunitydoesnot mean youhaveamentalhealthproblem, butit canbeabusiveto live in asocietythat says somethingiswrong with you,”saidAmandaSummers, alicensedtherapistat Tulsa-based AnchoredBehavioralHealthConsulting.
“Weoversimplify (gender)and putourkidsin abox and sayyou need to meetthesecriteria,butif akid can’tmeetthat expectation theyare sad,they struggle and they arehurt.”
Summerssaidinsteadofproposingand passinglegislation thatmakestransgenderpeople feel“lessthan,”lawmakersshould push forpoliciesthatincrease transgendertrainingin schools and requirehealthinsurancecompanies to coverevidence-based care.
“Wealsoneed to stopmaking decisionsthatimpactthetransgender communitywithoutthem beinginthe room,”Summerssaid.
“That seems likeano-brainer.”
Politicalfodder
Charles,theOklahomaCity mother to Hadley, whoistransgender,oftenlies awakeat night
thinkingaboutthefutureher daughterwillgrow upin.
“Ihave spentmanyhoursinthe middleofthenighttrying to think through aplanA,B,CorD,ifsome ofthese(anti-transgender)laws arepassedthat wouldcriminalize meaffirming my child’sgender identity,”Charles said.
LivinginOklahomaCity, Charlesandherdaughterhave found a supportive community through LGBTQ+advocates, neighborsandthelocal school system.
Butasanti-transgenderbills areproposedinstatesacross the country, Charles feelslikeher daughterhasbeenturnedintoa political pawn. “Itisnot easy livingin astate thatisactively using yourchild’s identityaspolitical fodder to score politicalpoints,”Charles said.
Theuptickinanti-transgender laws includesthe returnofbills that were defeatedinprevious years. While a bill to ban gender-affirming care failed to advanceoutof committeethis year, thestateLegislaturedidapprovea bill this weekthat banstransgendergirlsfrom competinginhigh schoolsports.
Asimilarbillstalledlast year when SenatePresidentProTem Greg Treat,R-OklahomaCity,said hedidn’tbelieve thebilladdressed arealproblem.OnThursday,Treat joined amajorityofsenatorsinadvancingthebill calledthe“Save Women’sSportsAct,”advancing it to the governor.
Summers, the counselor who workswithtransgender youth, saidtheproposalofthesetypesof laws also discouragespeoplefrom enteringthe counseling profession at atime whenmoreare needed.
“Somelawmakerswant(mentalhealth)providerstolose theirlicenseforproviding evidence-based care.It’spolicieslike thatmakepeopleshyabout gettingintothisfield,”Summerssaid.
Charlesisglad eachtimeone ofthesebills fails,butsheisn’t surewhattoexpectinthe years to come.
“It’s kindofbittersweetbecause alaw mayfail but youlookat what ishappeningacrossthe country, anditdefinitelyseems likea trend,”Charles said.
Charles recentlyaskedher daughter whatshe would want otherstoknowaboutlivingasa transgenderperson.Hadley’sanswer wasthatit’s not easy feeling likeyou haveto “fight to exist.”
“Mykidjust wantstodothe thingsthat everyotherkid wantsto do,” Charles said.“But we aretrying to legislate howthesekids can showupand existin theworld.”
TEHRAN,Iran—Iran’stop diplomat said Saturday thatthe country’s paramilitary RevolutionaryGuard acceptedtheidea of continuingtobesanctioned by theU.S.ifitmeantthe restoration of Tehran’snucleardeal withworld powers.
Iranian Foreign Minister HosseinAmirabdollahian’sremarkin astatetelevisioninterviewmay signalapossibleopening over thestalemated Vienna talks. It alsoappeared timed foravisit Sunday by aEuropeanUnion diplomatinvolvedin thenegotiations.
Sanctionson theGuardhave beenoneofthe remaining stickingpointsoverrestoring thetatterednucleardeal,outsideofRussia’sdemandat the 11thhourofguarantees over itstrade relationshipwithIran amid Moscow’swar onUkraine. TheGuardrepresentsoneofthe majorpowerbasesin theShiite theocracy.
NEWYORK —New York City officials areplanningtoremove makeshiftshelters setupby homelesspeopleoncitystreets, mirroringsimilarefforts in otherliberalmetropolisesthat hadpreviouslytoleratedtheencampments.
MayorEricAdamsdisclosed theinitiativeinaninterview with The New York Timeson Friday,but providedfew details. It comes amonthafterhe announced apushtoremove homelesspeoplefromthecity’s sprawlingsubwaysysteminresponse to assaults and other aggressive behavior.
“We’regoingtoridtheencampmentsoff ourstreetand we’regoingtoplacepeoplein healthyliving conditionswith wraparoundservices,” he told the Times. Adams expectedtheeffortto beginwithin twoweeks.
BRIEFLY
RESIGNATION: Republican U.S. Rep.JeffFortenberryofNebraska onSaturdayresignedfromoffice after aCaliforniajuryconvicted himof lyingtofederalauthoritiesaboutanillegalcampaign donationfromaforeignnational. Fortenberry wasindictedinOctoberafter authoritiessaidhe liedtoFBIagentsintwoseparate interviews abouthisknowledge ofthe contribution.
WILDFIRE: About 19,400 Colorado residentswereordered to evacuateSaturdaydue toa fast-movingwildfirewhichhad grownto122acres by lateafternoon,according to theBoulder Office ofEmergencyManagement.Protectedwildland was burningneartheNationalCenter forAtmospheric Research.
MARINES: Thebodiesof four Marines whodiedin amilitary aircraft crash duringa NATO exerciseweretransferred back to the U.S. Friday. TheU.S.Marine CorpssaidanOspreyaircraftcrashedonMarch18ina Norwegian townintheArctic Circle, killingthe four Marines. Officialssaidhundredsofservice membersandcivilians rendered finalsalutestothefallenMarines in Bodø, Norway,early Friday.
COLLAPSE: Severalfloorsofa downtownBostonparkinggarage that wasunder constructioncollapsedSaturdayevening, killingaconstructionworkerand sending asecondpersontoan area hospital.Multiplefloorsof theGovernmentCenter garage camedownaftera cranecollapsed.
CRASH: Chinese authorities officiallyconfirmedSaturday thattherewerenosurvivors inthecrashof aChinaEastern 737-800 earlier this weekwith 132peopleonboard.Theflight fromKunming,China,on Mondaysuddenlynosedivedshortly beforereachingits destination. Thecause ofthecrashremained amystery.
IRAQ: Iraqilawmakersfailed for asecondtimeon Saturdaytoselectaheadofstate,furtherdeepeningapoliticalcrisisspurredby infightingfollowingfederalelections fivemonthsago. Thepolitical vacuum alsopreventsthe appointmentofaprimeminister. —AssociatedPress
Three-nation trip aims to reassure region of security commitments
MATTHEWLEE AssociatedPress
WARSAW,Poland —U.S.Secretary ofStateAntonyBlinkenwill trytouse histhree-nation tourof the MiddleEastand NorthAfrica to reassurewaryIsraelisandArabs thattheBidenadministrationis committed to the region’ssecurityatatime when Washington is confrontingmultiple foreign policychallenges.
U.S. preoccupationwithRussia’sinvasionofUkraineandbolstering NATO’s presencein EasternEuropehasfueled concerns thatAmerica’sattentionmaybe stretchedthin.Indeed,Blinken’s trip wasrescheduled severaltimes due to developmentsinUkraine, andhearrivedlateSaturdayin
Israelfrom Warsaw afterbreakingoff fromPresident JoeBiden’s Ukraine-dominatedvisit to Belgiumand Poland.
Blinken’svisitalsocomesas talksoversalvaging alandmark nucleardealwithIranarewindingdownamid fearsinIsraeland amongGulfArabnationsthat anagreementmaynotbe tough enough to curbTehran’sregional aggressiveness.
Israel wasstronglyopposedto the2015agreementbetweenIran and worldpowersand welcomed then-President Donald Trump’s decision to unilaterallywithdraw fromthedeal.Israelhas warned against revivingtheagreement and says itwillnotbebound by anynew one. Underscoring regionalanxieties,Israel’sgovernmenthas hastilyarranged ameetingof top diplomatsfromArabcountries thathave normalized relations withIsrael.
Inaddition to BlinkenandIsraeli Foreign Minister YairLapid, their counterpartsfromBahrain, Moroccoandthe UnitedArab Emirateswillattend.
Those three countriesnormalized relationswithIsraelin2020 inthe so-calledAbraham Accords brokered by theTrumpadministration.
Israel’sForeign Ministrysaidin anannouncement Saturdaythat Egypt,thefirstArabstatetorecognizeIsrael, will send representativestothe gathering to beheld at akibbutzinthe NegevDesert. The two-daysummitis to begin Sunday.
Anofficialinvolvedintheplanning saidshared concernsabout Iranandthenucleardeal were suretobepartofthediscussions withtheAmericans.The goal was to bring togethermoderateArab partnerstodiscussa vision for “how theregionmovesforward” togetherwiththe UnitedStates,
saidtheofficial, whospokeon conditionofanonymity.
TheBidenadministrationhas welcomedtheAbraham Accords and expressedinterestinnegotiatingadditionalonesdespite frosty reactionfromthe Palestinians.Theyhavewatched unhappilyasArabnations recognize Israel whiletheir ownstatuswith Israel remainsdisputed.
The U.S. hasrepeatedlysaidit supportsatwo-stateresolution to theIsraeli-Palestinian conflict and,after seeingIsraeliPrime Minister Naftali Bennettin Jerusalem,Blinkenwillmeet PalestinianPresidentMahmoudAbbasin Ramallah,onthe WestBank, to reaffirmthatposition.
FromIsrael,Blinkenwilltravel on to Morocco and Algeria. Apart from seeing senior MoroccanofficialsinRabat,Blinkenwillalso meettherewithAbuDhabi’s crownprince,Sheikh Mohammed binZayedAlNahyan.
JAPANPM, US ENVOYPRAYINHIROSHIMAAMIDNUCLEAR FEARS
U.S.Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, center,with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, center right, lays awreath at thecenotaph for the atomic bombingvictims at the Hiroshima PeaceMemorial Park on SaturdayinHiroshima, Japan. Kishidaescorted Emanuel to his hometown Hiroshima on Saturdaytopay respects to atomic bombing victims andwarnedthat theworld is again facingthreats of nuclear attacks stemmingfrom Russia’sinvasion of Ukraine.Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “highlights the harshroadtoward achievingaworld without nuclear weapons,”Kishida said. “Asprime minister from Hiroshima, Imustfirmlysendamessage (ofpeace) to therest of theworld.”
AHMEDAL-HAJAND SAMY MAGDY AssociatedPress
SANAA, Yemen —ASaudi-led coalitionfightingIran-backed Houthi rebelsin Yemenunleashed abarrageofairstrikesonthe capitaland astrategic RedSea city,officials said Saturday.At leasteight people were killed.
The overnightairstrikeson Sanaaand Hodeida —bothheld by the Houthis —came aday after the rebelsattackedanoildepot inthe SaudicityofJiddah,their highest-profileassault yetonthe kingdom.
Brig.Gen. Turkial-Malki,a spokesman forthe Saudi-led coalition, saidthestrikes targeted “sourcesofthreat” to SaudiArabia,according to thestate-run SaudiPressAgencyorSPA.
KATHYGANNON AssociatedPress
ISLAMABAD,Pakistan —Afghanistan’sTalibanrulersrefused to allowdozensof women to boardseveralflights, including some overseas,becausetheywere travelingwithout amaleguardian, twoAfghanairlineofficials said Saturday.
Theofficials,whospokeon conditionofanonymityfor fear of repercussionsfromthe Taliban, saiddozensof women who arrivedatKabul’sinternational airport Fridaytoboard domesticandinternationalflightswere toldtheycouldn’t do so without
Hesaidthe coalitioninterceptedanddestroyed twoexplosives-ladendrones early Saturday. Hesaidthedrones were launched from Houthi-heldcivilianoil facilitiesin Hodeida,urgingcivilians to stayaway fromoil facilities inthecity.
Footagecirculatedonline showedflamesandplumesof smokeoverSanaaand Hodeida.
AssociatedPressjournalistsin the Yemeni capitalheardloud explosionsthat rattledresidential buildingsthere.
The Houthis saidthe coalition airstrikeshit apowerplant, afuel supplystationandthestate-run socialinsuranceoffice inthe capital.
AHouthimediaoffice claimed anairstrikehithouses forguards ofthe socialinsuranceoffice in Sanaa’sHaddahneighborhood, killingatleasteightpeopleand wounding fourothers, including womenandchildren.
Theoffice sharedimagesit said
were fromtheaftermathofthe airstrike,showingwreckageinthe courtyard of asocialinsuranceofficewiththeshatteredwindows of anearbymultiple-storybuilding.
HamoudAbbad, alocalofficial withthe Houthisin Sanaa, said the facilityislocatedclose toa buildingused by theU.N.agenciesinthe capital.He claimedthat U.N. vehicles were seenleaving thearea priortheairstrikes.
In Hodeida,the Houthimedia officesaidthe coalitionhitoil facilitiesinviolationof a2018 cease-firedealthatendedmonths offightingin Hodeida, which handlesabout 70%ofYemen’s commercialandhumanitarian imports. Thestrikesalsohitthe nearby Port Salif,alsoonthe Red Sea.
Al-Malki,the coalitionspokesperson, saidit targeteddrones beingpreparedin Hodeida to be launchedonthekingdom. He accusedthe Houthisofusingcivilian infrastructure,suchas Hodeida’s
portsandthe Sanaaairport, to launchattacksonSaudioil facilities,according to SPA.
AU.N.mission overseeingthe Hodeidadeal voiced concern abouttheairstrikesandurged warringsides to “maintainthe civiliannatureof theportsand avoiddamagetocivilianinfrastructure.”
Theescalation, which comes onthe seventhanniversaryofthe Saudi-ledcoalition’sintervention in Yemen’swar,islikelytocomplicateeffortsby the U.N. special envoyfor Yemen,HansGrundberg, to reach ahumanitarian truceduringtheholymonthof Ramadanin early April.
It comesastheGulf Cooperation Councilplans to hostthe warringsides fortalks latethis month.The Houthishowever have rejectedRiyadh —the Saudi capital wheretheGCCisheadquartered —asavenue fortalks, which areexpected to includean array of Yemeni factions.
amaleguardian. Someofthe women were dualnationalsreturning to their homesoverseas,including some fromCanada,according to oneof theofficials.Women were denied boardingonflightstoIslamabad, Dubaiand Turkey onKamAirand thestate-ownedArianaAirline, saidtheofficials.
The order camefromthe Talibanleadership, saidoneofficial.
By Saturday,some womentravelingalone were givenpermission to boardanAriana Airlinesflight towestern Heratprovince,theofficialsaid. However, by thetime thepermission wasgrantedthey
had missedtheir flight,he said.
Theairport’s presidentandpolicechief,bothfromthe Taliban movementandbothIslamicclerics, were meetingSaturdaywith airlineofficials.
“Theyare trying to solveit,”the official said.
It wasstillunclear whetherthe Taliban would exemptairtravel fromanorderissuedmonthsago requiring women travelingmore than 45 milestobeaccompanied by amalerelative.
Talibanofficialsdidnot respond to multiple requests for comment.
Thelatestassaulton women’s
rights comesjust days afterthe governmentbrokeits promiseto allowgirls to return to schoolafterthesixthgrade.
Themove enragedtheinternational community, whichhas beenreluctant to recognizethe Taliban-rungovernmentsince thegroup swept into powerlast August, fearingtheywould revert to theirharshrule ofthe 1990s.
The Taliban’srefusal to openup education to allAfghanchildren alsoinfuriatedlargeswathsofthe Afghanpopulation.On Saturday, dozensofgirlsdemonstratedin theAfghan capitaldemanding theright to go to school.
fficials: Women blockedfromflightsinAfghanistan
At leasteight killed in retaliatorybarragefor attack on oildepotU.S. EMBASSYVIA AP
ANDAAMER MADHANI
AssociatedPress
WARSAW,Poland —President JoeBidendeliveredaforcefuland highlypersonal condemnationof Russia’sVladimirPutinon Saturday, summoning acallfor liberal democracyand adurable resolve among Westernnationsinthe face of abrutalautocrat. Ashe capped afour-daytrip to Europe, ablendofemotive scenes with refugeesandstandingamong other worldleadersingrand settings, Biden saidofPutin:“For God’ssake,thisman cannot remaininpower.”
It wasadramaticescalationin rhetoric —Bidenhad earliercalled Putin a“butcher” —thatthe WhiteHouse founditselfquickly walking back. Before Biden could evenboardAir ForceOne to begintheflight back to Washington,aides were clarifyingthathe wasn’tcalling foranimmediate change in governmentin Moscow.
KremlinspokesmanDmitry Peskov quicklydenouncedBiden, saying“it’s notup to thepresident ofthe U.S.andnotuptotheAmericans to decide whowill remainin powerin Russia.”
WhileBiden’sbluntlanguage
grabbedheadlines, inotherpieces ofhis roughly30-minutespeech beforeWarsaw’siconic RoyalCastleheurgedWesternallies to brace forwhatwillbe aturbulent road aheadin a“newbattle forfreedom.”
He alsopointedlywarnedPutin againstinvading even“aninch”of territoryofaNATOnation.
Theaddresswas aheavybookend to aEuropeanvisitin which Bidenmetwith NATO andother Westernleaders, visitedthefront linesofthegrowing refugeecrisis and evenheld ayoungUkrainian girlinhisarmsashe sought to spotlight someofthe vast tentaclesofthe conflictthatwilllikely definehispresidency.
“Wemustremain unified today and tomorrow andthedayafter, and forthe yearsanddecades to come.Itwillnotbe easy,” Biden saidasRussia continued to pound severalUkrainiancities.“There willbe costs,butthepricewehave to pay, becausethedarknessthat drivesautocracyisultimatelyno match fortheflameoflibertythat lightsthe soulsoffreepeople everywhere.”
Bidenalsomadethe case that multilateralinstitutionslike NATO aremoreimportantthan
President JoeBidendeliversaspeechabouttheRussianinvasionof UkraineonSaturdayatthe RoyalCastlein Warsaw,Poland.
everifthe Westanditsalliesare going to successfullypush back againstautocratslikePutin.
Inoneofthemostpoignantmomentsofhistrip,Bidenon Saturdaybentdownandpickedupa younggirl, aUkrainian refugeein apinkwinter coat,andspokeof howshe remindedhimofhis own granddaughters.
“Idon’tspeakUkrainian,but tellher Iwanttotakeherhome,” Bidenasked atranslator totellthe
smilingchild.
Hourslater,Biden wasinfront of acrowd of a1,000 —including recentUkrainian refugees —atthe RoyalCastle, aWarsawlandmark thatdates backmorethan400 yearsand wasbadlydamagedin WorldWarII.Hemadeclearthat the West wouldneed to steelitself forwhatwillbe alonganddifficult battle.
“Wemust commitnow, to bein thisfight forthelonghaul,”Biden
said. TheBidenadministration, whichhasbeen selective about putting toogreatofimportanceon anysinglepolicyspeech,sought to elevate whatWhiteHouseofficials billedas amajoraddress. Biden spokewiththegrand palacebehindhim to aninvitedaudience— onebiggerthanjustaboutanyhe’s spoken to duringhispresidency.
He singledoutLech Walesa, the Polishlaborleader wholed thepush forfreedominhis countryand waseventuallyelectedits president,and connectedthemoment to theformer SovietUnion’s historyofbrutaloppression,includingthepost-WorldWarII militaryoperations to stampout pro-democracymovementsin Hungary, Polandand what was then Czechoslovakia.Andhe urgedEurope to heedthe wordsof Pope John PaulII, thefirstpontiff from Poland:“Be notafraid.”
Earlierintheday, asBidenmet with refugees,Russia keptupits poundingofcitiesthroughout Ukraine.Rocketsstruckthe westerncityofLviv, areminderthat Moscow is willing to strikeanywhereinUkrainedespiteits claim to be focusingitsoffensive on the country’seast.
JOSHBOAK AssociatedPress
WASHINGTON —President Joe Bidenintends to propose aminimum taxof20%onhouseholds worthmorethan$100millionand cutprojectedbudgetdeficitsby morethan$1trillion overthenext decade,according to afactsheet released Saturdaybythe White Housebudgetoffice. Theintroductionoftheminimum taxonthe wealthiestAmericans would represent asignificant reorientingofthe taxcode. It wouldapplytothe top0.01% ofhouseholdswithhalfofthe expected revenue comingfrom households worth$1billionor more.Theminimum taxwould effectively preventthe wealthiestsliverofAmericafrompay-
inglowerratesthan families who thinkofthemselvesasmiddle class,whilehelping to generate revenues to fuelBiden’sdomestic ambitionsand keepthedeficitin check relativeto the U.S.economy.
Inhisproposalexpected Monday, thelower deficitsalsoreflect theeconomy’sresurgenceasthe UnitedStatesemergesfromthe pandemic.It’sasignthatthe government’s balance sheet will improveafter ahistoricburstof spending to combatthe coronavirus.
The fadingofthe pandemicand thegrowthhasenabledthedeficit to fallfrom$3.1trillioninfiscal 2020 to $2.8trillionlast yearand aprojected$1.4trillionthis year. Thatdeficitspending paidoff in the formoftheeconomyexpand-
ingat a5.7%pacelast year,the strongestgrowthsince1984.But inflationat a40-yearhighalso accompaniedthose robust gains as high prices have weighed on Biden’spopularity.
FortheBidenadministration, theproposalforthebudget year thatbegins Oct. 1shows thatthe burstofspendinghelped to fuel growthandput governmentfinancesin amorestableplacefor yearstocomeas aresult.One WhiteHouseofficial, whospoke on condition of anonymity, said theproposalshows that Democratscan deliveronwhatRepublicanshave promisedbeforewithoutmuchsuccess:fastergrowth and fallingdeficits.
YettheBidenbudget would pledgetodosothrough akindof
wealthtaxthatmany Republicans saywould hurttheeconomyby diminishingprivate investment in companiesthatcreate jobs and causethe wealthytoputtheir fortunes to work abroad.
Republicanlawmakershave saidthattheBidenadministration’sspending overthe past year hasled to greatereconomic pain inthe formofhigherprices.The inflationthat camewith reopening the U.S. economyastheclosures fromthe pandemicbegan to end hasbeenamplified by supplychain issues,low interest ratesand,now, disruptionsintheoilandnatural gasmarkets becauseofRussia’s invasionofUkraine.
SenateRepublicanleader Mitch McConnellof Kentuckypinned theblame solelyonBiden’scoro-
navirus reliefas wellashispush to move away from fossilfuels.
“Washington Democrats’ responsetothesehardshipshasbeen asmisguidedasthe waronAmericanenergyandrunawayspending thathelpedcreate them,”McConnell saidlast week.“TheBiden administrationseems to bewilling to tryanythingbut walking back their owndisastrouseconomic policies.”
Bideninheritedfromthe Trump administration abudgetdeficit that wasequalinsizeto14.9% of theentireU.S.economy. But the deficitstartingintheupcoming budget yearwillbebelow5%ofthe economy,puttingthe countryona moresustainable path,according to people familiarwiththebudget proposal.
Guns at statefair andother billsmiss deadline forpassage
RANDYKREHBIEL
TulsaWorld
Lookslikenomixingof corndogs andhog legsatthis year’s TulsaState Fairafterall.
HouseBill4138,bystate Rep. SeanRoberts, R-Hominy, which wouldhave legalizedfirearmsat the TulsaandOklahomastatefair events,wastheonlybillonThurs-
day’sflooragendanotbrought to thefloor forconsideration.
So HB4138,and severalhundred otherbillsand joint resolutions not votedoutofchambersoforiginThursday,becamedormant for the remainderofthe session.
It’s unclear whyHB4138wasn’t heard— twobillsnotonthe agenda were —butthebilldid tend to makefairofficials’hairstandon end,though TulsaCountySheriff VicRegalado saidhe wasfinewith it.
Amongothermeasures failing Thursday’s deadline:
HB3008,byRep.KenLuttrell, R-PoncaCity, wouldhave amendedthestate’stribal gaming compactstoallow on-sitesports betting.
Luttrell, aCherokeecitizen and former contractlobbyist for someofthetribes,saidhehoped HB3008 would getthestateand tribesatleast talkingagain. Apparentlyitdidn’t.
HB3283,byRep.Justin Humphrey,R-Lane, wouldhave knocked cockfightingdownfrom afelonytoa misdemeanor.Humphrey saidthat wouldonlybefair
giventhenumberof felonies reduced to misdemeanorsbycriminaljusticereform.
Oklahoma voters outlawed cockfightingthrough a2002state questionthatbecameanissuein that year’sgubernatorial campaign.
HB3432, by Rep. DelKerbs, R-Shawnee, wouldhave transferred schoolnutritionprograms fromthe DepartmentofEducation to the Departmentof Agriculture. The reasoningbehindtheshift wasa littlehazy.Kerbssaidit was to getmorelocallygrown food
intothe schools,butthesubtext seemed to be Republicandissatisfactionwith schoolsdistributing so manyfreemealsduringthe COVID-19pandemic.
HB3475,byRep.JimGrego, R-Talihina, wouldhave allowed publicofficials to denyOpen RecordsAct requeststheydeem“an excessive disruption”or“repeated requests… intended to disrupt otheressentialfunctions.”
Gregosaidthebill wasprompted by frequentand repetitive requests
How accurateare backyard rain gauges,and isthereanything we candotohelpthembemore accurate?
—Phillip, Tulsa
Volunteersinvolvedin weather communitiesare instrumentalinhelpingthe weather servicetrackand record data. Meteorologists, such asme,alsoleanonthose individuals foraccumulation totals, storm reportsand variousdata when reporting to thepublic.
Anyoneiseligible to helpdo it,butthereare certain parametersthatmustbe followedin order to collectaccuratedata.
Rain gauges canbethe easiest tool to help record data,but itmustbedone acertain way. First,the gaugeitself shouldbe anopenmouthwithstraight sidesinorder to accuratelycollect rainwater.
FROM STAFFREPORTS
TheU.S.BureauofLandManagementhostedanadoption event forwildhorsesandburros Friday and SaturdayattheRiverbend ArenainInola. As partofeffortstofind good homes forthe120animals,the agencyoffered up to $1,000 to incentivizetheadoptionoftheuntrainedhorsesandburros. Theanimals,adultand yearlinghorsesandburros,once roamed free on public lands in the West.Since1971,theBureauofLandManagement hasplacedmorethan280,000of theseanimalsinapprovedhomes
across thecountry. Aminimum of400 squarefeet of corralspace peranimalis requiredinaddition to otherbasicnecessities
WATCH: To seemore fromtheadoption event, pointyoursmartphone’s cameraattheQR code, thentapthelink.
ABureauofLand Management employee sorts wild horses duringan adoption eventFridayinInola.
ArkansasCity, justnorthofthe Kansasborder,intime forJuly
Fourth celebrations.
HowTulsa accidentally blocked bigplansfor theArkansasRiver
Takingadvantageofhigh waterintheArkansas River, asteamboatpushed upstreamfromLittle Rockin June1885withplans to reach
Thetrip generated considerable excitementin communities alongthe way, includingthelittle townof Tulsa, wherethe first generalstorehadopenedonly twoyears earlier.For settlerson theruggedprairie,thesightofa paddle-drivenriverboatbecame quiteasensation,according to newspaper reportsfromthe time.
More importantly, the voyage
‘Several little incidents’ prompt challenger to run
LENZYKREHBIEL-BURTON
TulsaWorld
Voters in TulsaPublic Schools’ fareastsidewillbeasked to head to thepollson April 5toconsider their representationoptionson thedistrict’s boardofeducation.
E’LenaAshleyandincumbent
Shawna Kellerarevying forthe District 4seat, which represents Cooper,Disney, DoloresHuerta, Kerr,LewisandClark, Lindbergh, Peary andSkellyelemen-
taryschools;East Central Junior High Schooland East Central High School.
Early walk-in
votingis scheduledfor Thursday and Fridayatthe electionboard officesfor Tulsaand Wagoner counties.
Aveteranofthe U.S. Army’s militaryintelligenceprogram and aparentofthreeadultchildren, Ashleyhaslivedineast Tulsafor 15 yearsand wasprevi-
ouslyasubstitute teacher forTPS. Shealsopreviouslyworkedfor TulsaJob Corps andthe Departmentof Veterans Affairs. She saidshe decided to run after aseriesofinteractions,including fast-food workers struggling to count backchangeaccurately,promptedher to lookinto the test scoresamongTPSsites. “It wasseverallittleincidents,” Ashleysaid. “AsIlookedat my
district,it’s inthesingledigits as farasacademicproficiency.I wanted to justcry.”
Ifelected,she saidshe wants towork withthe restoftheboard to investigatethe causesbehind severalissues facingthedistrict, includingslumping test scores overthelastdecade,student attendancerates andstaffing shortagesamongboth certified teachersandsupportemployees.
“Speakingwith teachersand supportstaff,theyfeellike they’re beingunderpaidand
The National Weather Service uses8-inchdiameteropenings, butsuggeststhat4-inchdiameteropeningscanbeaccurateas well. Nottoworry, if youown araingaugeyou love thathasa smallerdiameteropeningthan 4inches,itcanstill collect very accuratemeasurementsaslong asappropriateplacementis followed.
Itmustbeplacedon aflat surfacewithnoobstructions suchastrees,buildingsorrooflinesinthe way. This couldaffectwindflowandtheamount of rainwatermakingitintothe openmouthofthe gauge.
The typicalruleofthumbis to placethe rain gaugeatahorizontaldistanceoffourtimesthe heightofthenearestobstruction. Forexample,ifyouhavea 5-foottreeinour backyard,the rain gaugemustbeplaced20 feet away fromit.
The gaugeshouldalsobe2 to 5feetabove thegroundona singlepost. Most often afence postisthe easiest solution for this.
Andfinally,makesuretodispose of watercollected every24 hours. Also, checkthe gaugefor anyobstructions,suchas twigs, leavesor evenhornetsnests, which cancomeaboutbetween rain events.
If youare interestedin joining aweather communitytohelp
OnSundays, Tulsa WorldMeteorologist KirstenLangwill answer readers’ questionsabout weather.Contacther by phone oremailwiththosequestions. Followheronsocialmediato keepupwithall of herstories and forecasts.
Phone:918-581-8354
Email:kirsten.lang@tulsaworld.com
Facebook:facebook.com/MeteorologistKirstenLang
Twitter:twitter.com/kirstenlangwx
OnApril25,1932,a blonde,blue-eyedbaby girlwasborntoVictorand Florence Meltonof Topeka, Kansas.When Mary Alice turnedsixyearsold,the familymovedto Miltonvale, Kansaswhere Mary Alice attendedthe ManningSchool, aoneroomschoollocated ontheland thatherfather, Victor,farmed. Mary Alice, havingbeensuch aproficient reader andgood student, completed hereightyearelementaryeducationin sevenyears.Aftergraduatingfromthe ManningSchool, Mary Aliceattended Miltonvale RuralHigh School where shegraduatedwiththeclassof1949.
Whileinhighschool, Mary Alice continuedwhatwouldbecomeher life-longloveofmusicbyparticipating inthemarchingband,cantata,and gleeclub.Sheplayedthesaxophone aswellasthepianowhichshebegan at agefive. Mary Alicewas activein manyotherhighschoolactivitiessuch as student council,cheerleading,and Future HomemakersofAmerica;her involvement at such ayoungagewas anindicatorofthelifelongcommitment she would maketovolunteerism, participationinorganizations,her career, andas ahomemakerfor her family.
Duringhersenioryearofhigh school, Mary Alicebeganemployment at CitizensStateBankin Miltonvale and eventually marriedCarmanRauch withwhomshewouldhavesixchildren:Brad,Viki Lyn, Patrick, Mark, KimberleeandCraig.After Craig’s birth,thefamilymovedtotheKansas Cityareawhere Mary Aliceproceeded tobuild acareerand raiseherfamily afterherdivorcefromCarman. Her bankingcareer whichbegan at CitizensStateBankin Miltonvale expandedinKansasCitywheresheservedin variouscapacities at Rosedale, Westport,andCityNationalbanks.
In 1970, Mary Alicemovedthefamilyto Yukon,Oklahoma,whenshe beganemploymentwithRockwell International.AtRockwell International, Mary Alice eventuallybecamean accounts executivewhichrequiredher totravelthroughoutthe UnitedStates and Mexico. It wasononeofthese businesstripsthatMaryAlicemet
Lawrence Mancini. Mary Aliceand LawrencemarriedinLincoln Park,NJ on Feb.27,1988wheretheymadetheir homeuntiltheyretiredto Ponte Vedra Beach,FL, where Mary Aliceworked at Ponte VedraBeachBank.While living intheNew YorkCitymetropolitan area, Mary Aliceworkedforseveral prestigiousfirms,includingMONY, Arthur Young,and General Mills. Her focuswasalwaysfinanceandbusiness law. Afterretirement, Mary and Larry livedmanyyearsin Ponte VedraBeach, FL,and eventuallymovedto Tulsa, OK,tobenearchildren and grandchil-
Eleanor Evans Feldmannwas bornin Paris, France, November 14,1927fromparents, General FredericDahl Evans andSarah Page Evans.Shelivedin Paris, Londonand Naplesherfirst fouryearsbefore herfamilymoved to WashingtonDCwhere shehad many interesting experiences,including attendingWhite Housebirthday partiesas aresultofherfriendship withFDR’sgranddaughter.Eleanor graduated valedictorianfromCathedral HighSchoolin1945 thenattended WellesleyCollegewheresheattaineda BA in History. Eleanorloved Wellesleywhereshemademanylife-long friends.Shegreatlyenjoyedherclass reunions.While at Wellesleyshemet her husband Howardof64years ata danceinBoston. Upongraduationin 1949,shemarried Howardandmoved to Tulsa,Oklahomawhichbecame her homefortherestofherlife.She loved Tulsa’sfriendly,relaxed culture and mademany friendswhogaveher greatjoy.Uponarrivalin Tulsashe taughtschoolfortwo years at Holland Hallbeforebecoming afulltimemom raisingfourchildren.Afterheryoungeststartedschool,Eleanorreturned toteaching,a vocationsheloved.She taught(mostlyfirstgrade)inthe Tulsa Public Schoolsystemfor20+years beforeretiring.
Eleanorhad astrong Christianfaith. Shewas amemberofthe
dren. Afterretirement, Mary Alicewasactiveinthechoir at ChristChurchof Ponte VedraBeach,FL,PEO,and St.Barbara’sGuild at St. John’s Episcopalin Tulsa, OK.Shewasan excellent cookandhomemakerher entirelifeand herfamily alwayscamefirst.Shewasa single motherholding down acareerwhilesuccessfully raisingfivechildrenonherownina timewhenitwasn’t easyforwomen to advancein theworkplace.Herchildrenfondlyrememberthatinaddition to workingallday, therewasalways ahotbreakfastbeforeschool,ironed sheetsonthebed,and ahomecooked mealfordinner.
Mary Alice passedawayonMarch 19,2022,surroundedbyherhusband, childrenandgrandchildrenin Tulsa, OK.Shewas predeceasedby herparents,herbrothers,Robert and Frank Melton,threechildren,Brad,Viki Lyn and Patrick,andonegranddaughter, AngelaReneRauch. Sheissurvived byherhusband, LarryMancini,her sons MarkRauch(DennisCreedon)of OklahomaCity, Oklahoma,andCraig Rauch(GregByers)ofOklahomaCity, Oklahoma,andherdaughter,Kim Rauch Knapp (Steve Knapp)of Tulsa, Oklahoma,aswellasherstepchildren Lawrence Mancini,Jr.,VivianStevens, and FrancineMancini.Additionally, shewillberememberedandmissedby her10grandchildren(LeviRauch,Sara Heermann,CodyRauch,AustinRauch, AlexRauch,KatieDupre,Brett Knapp, JoshuaRauch, Hannah Short,and Tabitha Rauch), twostep-grandchildren(NinaCastand NathanStevens), her12greatgrandchildren, andmany niecesandnephewswhomsheloved dearly.
Herchildrenwillalwaysremember herastheyoung,blondemotherwho tookflyinglessons,wouldwakethem upearlyon afallSaturdaymorning to go tothewoodstocookbreakfast over acampfire,wasa CubScout denmother, nevermissed aschool honororperformance,madethebest paellaandbiscottiyou evertasted, andgavethemmorethanenoughlove for twoparents.Whateveryoucalled her: Mary Alice, Mary,Mernie, Mom, Grandma,orGigi,shewastherock ofthisfamilyand her impact willbe feltfor generationstocome. Herwish wastobecrematedandinurnedwith herhusband, Larry, at Ft.Gibson,OK, NationalCemeteryinaprivate,family gravesideservice,followedbya picnic whichsheplanned.Rememberher spiritandgoodwillbymakingdonationsto P.E.O. Educational Funds,St. Anthony’sCatholic Churchin Miltonvale,KS,oranycharityregarding childrenorveterans.
Episcopal Church at St.Lukesand St. Johnsandthe Anglican Church ofthe HolySpirit. Shegreatlyenjoyed churchfellowshipwhile she pursuedextensive bible studies, volunteeredfor programslike Mealson Wheels, andtraveledtothe Holy Land. Other interestsincludedhergrandchildren, gardening,worldtravel,sailing, bridge andreading.
Shewasprecededindeathby herbelovedhusband Howardandher sonDanielEvans Feldmann.Sheis survived by hergratefulsons James Howard (wife LeslieSacha),William Coulter (wife JanetVanDusen)and daughter Mary Page Evans.Shewas blessed withsevendevotedgrandchildren:Benjamin Howard,GregSmith, James Ryan, MatthewAaron,Sarah Page,LaurenEvansandErikWilliam and twowonderfulgreat-grandchildren,AdrianLucasand Juniper Star. Herlove,optimismandenergy will be misseddearlybyherfamily,friends andformerstudents. Serviceswillbeheld at 10 am on June25,2022 at the Churchof the HolySpiritAnglican,12121East41st Street, TulsaOK.Inlieuofflowers, donationstothe Churchof the Holy Spirit NewParishCenteraremuch appreciated. Moore’s Southlawn918663-2233sharememories at www. moorefuneral.com
Dr.Christopher Ryan Mastinwasbornin Tulsa to PatsyandRick Mastin andpassed fromthislifeon March19,2022. He grewup in Tulsa,graduatingfrom Jenks HighSchoolin 1993, andearly on cultivated hispassionfor racing –jet skisandmotocrossmostly. Duringhigh schooland college, Chriswonthe Tulsa Shootout,was rankedinthe Top20ofNoviceandExpertsonthe Budweiser JetSports National Tour andcompetedin theIJSBAWorldFinals. That passion expandedtoinclude flyingandearning hisprivatepilot’s license.
Chris attendedthe Universityof Oklahoma,earning aBachelor’s in BusinessAdministrationin1998 andhisDoctorateofDentalScience in2003. He knewearlyonthathe enjoyedthechallengeofmedicineand dentistryandplannedtobecomean oralsurgeon. Chriscompleted aoneyearresidencyatLosAngelesCounty Hospitaland thenwasacceptedinto theOralSurgeryprogram at the UniversityofSouthernCalifornia
After graduating in 2008, he returnedtoTulsa to beginhisprivate practice. In addition tohispractice, Chriswason staff at Saint Francisand St. John Hospitalsandhis exceptional skillsandtrainingasanoralsurgeon, aswellashisunparalleledcommitmenttoeachpatient,werewellknown andrespectedbyothermedicalprofessionals. He quicklybecametheoneto callforcomplexandchallengingtraumacases,sometimesresultinginfacial reconstruction. Chriswas amember oftheAmericanAcademyofOraland MaxillofacialSurgeons,theAmerican Dental Associationand Component SocietiesandtheAnesthesiaCommit-
teefortheOklahomaBoard ofDentistry.Additionally, heservedontheExecutive Committeeand the House ofDelegatesfor the Tulsa CountyDentalSociety and regularlyvolunteeredfor EasternOklahomaDonated Dental Services. Chrishadanabundance of extraordinaryskillsand talents –perfectionist, precise,smart,competitive, disciplined,dedicated,persistent, compassionate –thatallcontributed tohissuccessas afather,anoralsurgeonand ahumanbeing.However, the mostimportantqualityChrishad was ahugeheart. He didn’t justtakecare ofhispatients,hetookcareofhisemployees,friends,closefamilymembers aswellas extendedmembers. Chris lovednothingmorethanthesixyears hespentcoaching Ryan’s lacrosseteam andbeingRiley’sbiggest cheerfan!
Chriswas adevotedsonandbrother, alovinghusband, aloyalfriendand boss,and aproudandgratefulfather. He willbetremendouslymissedby allwhowerefortunatetoknow him, especiallyhiswife, Jennifer;his two children, RyanandRiley, hisparents, PatsyandRick,andhisbrother,Richard.
Becausehis childrenarehisgreatest legacyandeducationwas incredibly importantto Chris,aneducationfund hasbeenestablished withColeKidwell at EdwardJonesforthebenefitof RyanandRiley Mastin. To contribute tothefund,please call918-477-7787.
Aviewingwilltakeplaceon Tuesday, March29from4:00-6:00pmandthe funeralservicewillbeon Wednesday, March30 at 10:00am at Floral Haven, 6500S. 129thEast Ave.
KarenJeanGarrison
Karen Jean(Holt)Garrison wasbornonDecember24, 1947, in Hawthorne,California,to CharlesandBillie Holtandpassed away on Saturday, March19,2022. In 1963,thefamilymoved to BrokenArrow,Oklahoma, whereKarenresidedforthe remainderof herlife.She wasa 1966graduateofBrokenArrow HighSchool.On January9,1971, shemarried Bob J. GarrisonofBixbyandfromthis unionwasbornone daughter, Kelli Jean(Garrison)Biddle.Karenloved working at McDonnellDouglaswhere shewasemployedformanyyearsuntil the Tulsaplantwascloseddown.She had afew otherjobsafterward,but shealwaysfondlyremembered her
Jeanne KDragoopassed away WednesdayMarch9, 2022in Tulsa,Oklahoma at theageof80years, 6months and15days. Jeannewasborn August22,1941in Haddam, KansastoRay Lillibridge and VirginiaE“Ginger” (Skipton) Inskeep.
Jeannemarried Lyle DragooonAugust21,1960 inBelleville,Kansasand enjoyed61yearsofmarriage together.
time at Douglas. Karenissurvivedbyher daughter,KelliBiddle,and son-in-law, Matt Biddle,of Owasso,Oklahoma;one granddaughter, Cassidy Long,ofOwasso;onesister, Kathy(Holt)Coleman,of BrokenArrow; aniece, KristieColemanand anephew, AlexColeman,bothof BrokenArrow; anephew, Steven F. Carter,Jr.,ofCoweta; severalnieces, nephews,andcousins; andherlong.timepartner,Kevin Talley, whoseloveanddevotionmeantso verymuchtoher.
Karenwaspredeceased by her parents, ayoungersister,Karla (Holt) Carter,and anephew, MatthewCarter. www.floralhaven.com
Jeanne K. Dragoo
Jeannewas astay-at-homemom. Afterhergirlswereinschool,she workedas aMother’s DayOutpre-
schoolteacherwhichallowed hertobewithhergirlsany timetheyweren’t inschool. Jeanneissurvivedbyher husband LyleDragoo,her daughter’s RobbinDixonand SanDeeDragooallof Tulsa. Jeannewasprecededin deathbyherfather RayLillibridge,motherVirginiaE “Ginger”(Skipton) Inskeep, stepfatherDavidGibson “Dick” Inskeepwho raised Jeanneandherbrother JerryLillibridge. www.floralhaven.com
Formerlongtime Tulsaresident Chuck Newstrompassedfromthislife on WednesdayMarch2,2022. He will berememberedas alovinghusband, father,grandfather,andgreat-grandfather.Familywashis everything. Chuckservedinthe U.S.Air Force, had asuccessfulcareerintheareospaceindustry-retiringfromRockwell Internationalin1994. He wasan instrument ratedprivatepilotand flight instructor.Chuck lovedhunting, fishing, reading,and golf.Throughhis manygamesof golfhefinallycaptured aholeinoneonhisfavoritecourse at WhiteBluff Resort--Whitney, TXwhere
heand Madalinehavelivedthepast23 retirementyears.
Chuckissurvivedbyhiswifeof 65 years, Madaline;hissons,Steveand wife Jennifer,Jeff andwife Lori;his daughter JaneandhusbandCraig; 10grandchildrenand10greatgrand children.
He isprecededindeathbyhisson Bryanand agranddaughter Megan. He will bemissedbyall.
Acelebrationoflifewill takeplace April2,2022 at 12:00noon at Skelly DriveBaptistChurch-8504E.Skelly Drive Tulsa,OK 74129
Willidean Rogers
Allison, JoanneA., 94, homemaker,died Saturday, March12. Rosary at 9:30a.m. Saturday, April 2,andfuneralMassat 10a.m.,CavalryCemetery MausoleumChapel. Fitzgerald Southwood Colonial Chapel.
Willidean,born
November1,1928in Tulsa,diedpeacefully at home March 17th after abriefillness& reunitedin Heaven with Clell,herhusbandof 71 yrs. Shespentherlife as aloyalandfaithful wife,loving Mother andfaithful Christian.
Willideanand Clell workedside-by-sideon everythingtheydid. Shedrewhouseplans forthelast2homes they built,oversaw constructionand helpedbuildthem.
Beforemovingback to Tulsain1985they livedinthesuburbsof Denversince1962.
Survivedbyher son, Dennis,ofMannford, daughter, Devra,of Tulsa, 5Grandchildren and 7Great-Grandchildren. No serviceswillbe held.
Baker, David Michael, 72, retired sales,died Wednesday, March23.Celebrationoflifepending. No flowers;donations to Meals onWheelsorStreetCats. Fitzgerald Southwood ColonialChapel.
Bales, CecilleL.,95,retired Ackerman-McQueen advertisingandmarketing executive,died Friday, March25.Servicepending. NindeBrookside.
Billingsley, Donald, 79, truckdriver. died Friday, March18.Service11a.m.
Monday, Schaudt’s Tulsa Funeral Service.Graveside servicetofollow at Booker T. Washington Cemetery, Muskogee. Burke, Francis J.,86, structuraldesignengineer with BoeingandAir Force veteran, diedFriday,March 25.FuneralMassat10a.m.
Tuesday, St. PiusX, Tulsa. Moore’sSouthlawn Funeral Home. Hill, Jeff,48, Action Dentworks,Inc.owner,died Sunday, March20. Private family service. Moore’s Southlawn Funeral Home. Hill, Michael, 74,attorneyandArmyveteran,
diedThursday,March 24. Servicepending. Moore SouthlawnChapel.
Kirberger, RobertEarl Jr., 96,teacherand coach with TulsaPublic Schools andWWII Navy veteran, diedSunday, Jan.30.Service1 p.m. Tuesdayat Memorial Park Cemetery. MooreSouthlawnChapel.
McCrackin, Lloyd W.,76, machinist, died Wednesday, March23. Graveside service2 p.m. MondayatWoodland Cemetery, SandSprings. Mobley-Groesbeck.
Morgan, Robert S.,72, retired partnerwith Deloitte,died Tuesday, March 22. Servicespending. Fitzgerald Southwood Colonial Chapel.
Nyander, Stuart, 75, SackandAssociates,Inc. retiredcivilengineer,died Thursday,March 24.Private familyservices.Ninde/ Mosaic.
Ransom,Lester Dale,87, retiredAmericanAirlines mechanicandArmyveteran, diedThursday, March 24. Servicepending. Ninde Brookside.
Young, GaryL., 76, retiredONEOK gascontrollerandArmyveteran, diedThursday,March 24. Service11a.m. Saturdayat TrinityEpiscopalChurch. Ninde/Mosaic Memorial.
Funeralhome, church and cemeterylocationsare
inthecityunder whichthe deathnoticeislistedunless otherwisenoted.
Bixby Cotner, CharlesE.,88, retired teacherandMarine Corpsveteran,died Wednesday, March23. Visitation 2-4p.m.Sunday, Leonard-MarkerFuneral Home,and service2 p.m. Monday, Leonard-Marker Chapel.
Broken Arrow
Garrison, Karen Jean, 74,died Saturday,March 19. No servicesplanned.Floral Haven.
Miller, Enoch“Notchy,” 75,unioniron worker, died Friday, March25.Service 11a.m. WednesdayatHayhurstChapelinBroken Arrow.Hayhurst Funeral Home.
Munson,Kelly, 54,retiredSouthwestern Bell customersupport representative,died Tuesday, March22. Celebrationof lifeservice1 p.m. Saturday, OakGrove BaptistChurch, Catoosa.Hayhurst. Roberts, JerryD.,85, CoastGuardaccountant, died Tuesday, March22. Memorial service11a.m. Saturday, Saint Patrick’s EpiscopalChurch. Moore’s SouthlawnChapel, Tulsa.
Whiten, Judy Kay, 81, retiredbookkeeper,died Friday, March25.Visitation5-8 p.m. Tuesdayat Schaudt’s TulsaFuneral Service. Service1 p.m.
Deathnoticesincludebasicinformationaboutthedeceased: theperson’s name,age,occupation, dateofdeath,place of death,visitationandserviceinformation.Theyare available onlytofuneralhomes.Feesarewaived when afullobituary is publishedorincasesinwhichfuneralhomeshave waived feesdue tohardship.Funeralhomescansubmitdeathnoticeswithanonlinesubmission form. If thereare questions abouttheonline form,call918-581-8503forassistance between 8a.m.and 5p.m. MondaythroughFriday. Funeral homesalsocancall 918-581-8347forassistancebetween 5p.m. and 8p.m.sevendaysaweek.Deathnotices mustbe received by 8p.m.toappearinthe followingday’s paper.
WednesdayatNorthside ChristianChurch. Schaudt’s TulsaFuneral Service.
Glenpool
Ables, Vernon Woodward,78, retiredAssembly ofGodminister,died Saturday, March26. Visitation noon-2p.m. followedby service2 p.m. Tuesdayat Newspring FamilyChurch, Jenks.Schaudt’s Glenpool Funeral Service.
Sapulpa
Frevele, CharlesLewis Jr., 82, journalist,died Sunday, March20.Viewing10a.m.-5p.m. Monday, Dillon Funeral Service, SandSprings, and service
10a.m. Tuesday, FirstBaptistChurch, Tulsa.
King,FrankE.,59,owner of King’s QualityConstruction,died Tuesday, March 22. Visitation6-8 p.m. MondayatTraditions FuneralChapelin Kellyville. Service2 p.m. Tuesdayat Angus AcresBaptistChurch
in SandSprings.Traditions FuneralandCremation Services.
McCullough, Everett “Mac,” 87,public school educatorandArmyveteran, diedTuesday, March 15.Service10a.m. Saturday, FirstUnited Methodist Church.Interment,Green Hill MemorialGardens.
Sperry
Forehand, David Paul, 63,journeymanelectrician, died Friday, March4.Memorial service10:30a.m. Saturday, StokelyEvent Center,Tulsa. Moore’s Southlawn Funeral Home, Tulsa.
Terlton
Vaughan, Phyllis,71, nurse tech,died Saturday, March 19.Memorial service 3p.m. Wednesday, Chapman-Black Funeral Home Chapel,Cleveland,Okla.
J. PATCARTER,AP
Ifyouown araingauge youlove thathasasmallerdiameter openingthan 4inches,itcanstill collectveryaccurate measurementsaslongasappropriateplacementisfollowed.
FromA15
sharedatawithlocalauthoritiesandmeteorologists, CoCoRaHSisagreat program.Itisanacronym forCommunity Collaborative Rain,Hail,andSnow Network.Itis anonprofit, community-basednetwork of volunteerswho work together by measuringand
FromA15
fromanindividualona publicbodyinhisdistrict, butit drew the opposition ofmembers ofboth parties concernedabouttransparency.
HB3890,byRep. TammyTownley, R-Ardmore,wouldhavedesignated theBibleastheofficialstate
FromA15
wassupposedtoprove that the Arkansas couldbe used as atrade route, connecting southernKansasthrough IndianTerritory withthe greatMississippi,andfrom theretotheGulf and the restofthe world.
“Flour,meat,hay, etc., willbe takendown”the river, aKansasnewspaper proclaimedat thetime.
FromA15
undervaluedas awhole,” Ashleysaid.“Weneed to findout what we candoto supportthemand getthem the resources… so theycan do whattheylove.” Kelleris afourth-generation residentof east Tulsa. Inaddition to servingonthe schoolboardfor eight years, sheisalsoon theboardof directorsfortheEast Cen-
mappingoutprecipitation. This canberaingauges, butalso snowtotalsorhail. CoCoRaHSoriginatedin 1998atthe ColoradoClimateCenteratColorado StateUniversity. Theynow have expandedwith volunteersinall 50states. If youare interestedin learningmore,visit cocorahs.org fordetails. kirsten.lang@tulsaworld.com
book.Another measure, Senate Bill1161, by Rep. George Burns, R-Pollard, that wouldhaveeffectively madetheKing JamesVersionoftheBibletheofficial Bibleofthe Oklahomapubliceducationsystem,diedin committee earlier.
HB3903, by Rep. John Pfeiffer,R-Orlando, would have reducedthe Pardon andParoleBoard’slatitudein capital convictions.Thebill
“Coalandlumberbrought back.”
Designedspecificallyfor theshallowwatersofthe Arkansas,thesteamboat waschristenedthe“Kansas Millers”andmeasured 16 feetwideand 75 feetlong whiledrawingonlyabout2 feetof water. It could reachspeeds up to 18milesanhour. But whenit reached Tulsa, thesteamboat couldn’t fitunderarailroadbridge that hadbeen constructed
tralAlumniAssociation. Since2006,shehas taughtat Owasso Public Schools’alternative site, Ram Academy. She said thatdual rolehassubstantiallyshapedhowsheapproachesherobligations as ateacherandas aboard member,asshe saidshehas had to remindothersofthe practical,classroom-level applicationsoftheboard’s policydecisions. Thatdual rolealsoimpactswhatshe seesasthe
Datanotes: At theoutsetof2021,OSDHdiscontinued reportingpersonsunderinvestigation forCOVID-19,changingthe consistencyofhospitalizationdata.Otherchangesthataffectthe Tulsa World’sdatatabulation:InMay2021,OSDHswitched to reportingrecentthree-dayaveragesof COVIDhospitalizations ratherthandaily counts. InApril2022,OSDHstopped reportingrecentthree-dayaveragesof COVIDhospitalizationsoneach weekday, instead releasinga three-dayaverageon Thursdaysonly.
LOSANGELES (AP)— TaylorHawkins,for25 years thedrummerforFooFighters andbestfriendoffrontman DaveGrohl,hasdiedduringa SouthAmericantourwiththe rock band.He was50.
Therewerefew immediatedetailsonhow Hawkins died,althoughthe band said in astatementFridaythathis deathwas a“tragicand untimelyloss.”
Colombia’s Prosecutor’s Office released astatement
wasfranklypresentedasa response to theboard’shandlingoftheJuliusJonescase, whichresultedinaconvicted killer’s deathpenaltybeing commuted to deathwithoutparole.The Attorney General’sOffice andothers arguedtheboardexceeded itsauthoritybyessentially retryingthe case morethan 20 yearsafterthemurder occurred.
HB 3994,byRep.Mike
across theriveronlya couple of yearsearlier.The Kansas Millershad to wait severaldaysforthe water to go down,which keptit from reachingArkansas Cityuntilmid-July, according to newspaper reportsatthetime.
Kansasofficials askedthe federal government to pay fora taller railroadbridge near Tulsa,arguingitwas theonlysignificantobstaclein theway ofdeveloping an“inlandport” that would
greatestchallengefacing thedistrict.
“Asa boardmember,the rightanswerisCOVID-19 andthelearningloss our studentsare facingandthe mountainthat we haveto climb,” she said,acknowledgingthatthe pandemic wipedout someofthedistrict’s progress onimproving test scoresandstudent attendance.“However,the teacherinme says thegreatestchallengeis theLegislature, someofthecrazy
Saturdaysayingtoxicological testsonurinefromHawkins’ bodypreliminarily found 10psychoactive substances andmedicines, including marijuana, opioids,tricyclic antidepressantsand benzodiazepines.Itdidnotprovide acauseofdeath,andinvestigations are continuing
FooFighters hadbeen scheduled to playata festival inBogota,Colombia,onFriday night.Hawkins’ finalconcert wasSundayatanotherfestival
Dobrinski, R-Kingfisher, wasanattempttohelpautomobiledealersfeeling squeezedbymanufacturers, butitturnedintoa causefor electric vehicle ownersand fansbecause of aprovision that wouldhaveclosedfactory-owned EV servicecenters.
SB1142, by Sen. Rob Standridge,R-Norman,in itsfinal form, wouldhave allowed anyparentorguard-
proveinvaluable to agricultureandindustryacross theGreatPlains.
Inmid-August,however, whiletrying to bring aload offlourdownstream,the Kansas Millersbecame strandedon asandbarnear whatisnowPoncaCity, about 70 milesnorthwestof Tulsa.It wasn’tthelast time asteamboat tried to make the trip, butitprovedwhat detractorshadbeen saying allalong —the Arkansas simplydidn’thaveenough
thingsthey’re talkingabout anddoingand gettingpeopleginnedupabout.
“Maybeit’sjustbecause they’re in session …butit feelslikeit’scomingatus from everydirectionasa teacherand aboard member.Those areourbiggest fightsrightnow, andthey shouldn’tbe.” Both womenacknowledgedthatthe rapidgrowth among someofthesites withinDistrict 4posesa uniquechallengewhenit
inSanIsidro,Argentina.
“Hismusicalspiritandinfectiouslaughterwill live on withallofusforever,” saida message on theband’sofficialTwitteraccountthatwas also emailedtoreporters. “Ourheartsgoouttohiswife, childrenandfamily.”
The Bogotamunicipal governmentissueda statement Saturday thatthecity’s emergencycenterhad received areportof apatient with“chestpain”andsentan
ian to demandthe removalof anybookfromtheirchild’s school.Theoriginalbillincluded aminimum$10,000 aday fine and atwo-year employment banforthose judged in violation of the law.
SB 1381, by Standridge, wouldhaverequired“homelesscamps” to meetmunicipalbuilding andsanitation codes —effectivelybanning homelesscampswithincity
waterfor safe navigation. Thedreamofan“inland port”wouldhaveto wait until January1971, whena bargecarryingnewsprint madethefirstcommercial trip up the McClellan-Kerr Navigation System.The 445-mile waterway had taken20years and$1.2 billion to build,withboats passingthrough18locks anddamsbetweenthe MississippiRiverandthe Port ofCatoosa,the mostinland portinthe UnitedStates.
comes to maintaining consistent communicationwith families.
Forexample,according to student countdatafrom theOklahomaStateDepartmentofEducation,the enrollmentatLindberghElementarySchoolincreased by 53studentsfromthe 2020-2021 school year to the2021-2022school year.
At Disney, theenrollment climbed by 33 students duringthat samewindow.
“Weneed to engagethe
ambulance,though aprivate ambulance hadalreadyarrivedat thehotelinnorthern Bogota. Health workerstried torevivehimbutwereunable to do so.
After Grohl,Hawkinswas themostrecognizablememberof thegroup,appearing alongsidethe lead singerin interviewsandplayingprominent, usually comic,rolesin theband’smemorablevideos andtheirrecenthorror-comedyfilm,“Studio 666.”
limits. Also failingwereseveral billsbanningorlimitingprivateemployers’publichealth requirementsfortheiremployees.Althoughprompted by COVID-19 vaccination andothermandates,some wouldhave applied to any sortofinoculationorother preventative measure. randy.krehbiel@tulsaworld. com
More than87million tonsof cargohas passed throughtheportinthedecadessince,pumping$300 million ayearintothestate economy. Butof course,the navigationchanneldoesn’t go allthe waytoArkansas City. Tulsa, whichhad once dashedhopes forcreating an inlandport,endedup benefitingthemostfromit. michael.overall@tulsaworld. com
communitymore,”Ashley said.“Thatmaybeforums, newslettersor mediaattention to askformoreengagementfrom parentsand evenbusinessesinthe community.”
“Imightnotalways have theanswer, butwill atleasttrytoput them (constituents) in contact with someone whodoes,” Keller said. lenzy.krehbiel-burton@ tulsaworld.com
TIMSTANLEY TulsaWorld
Commemorativeprograms and afreefilm screeningare amongtheactivitiesplanned forTuesdayinobservanceof NationalVietnamWarVeterans Day.
The MilitaryHistoryCenterinBrokenArrow willhost itsannual commemoration startingat 7p.m.at First United MethodistChurch, 108E. CollegeSt.
Organizersinviteall veteransandtheir families to attend,butespeciallyany veterans whoservedonactive dutyany timefrom Nov. 1, 1955,toMay 15,1975,regardlessoflocation.
LarryGallo,aVietnamveteranwiththe173rdAirborne, willbethe featuredguest.
AlsoonTuesday, Circle Cinemain Tulsawilloffer free screeningsof“Last Days in Vietnam.”
Showingsare 2p.m. and 7p.m.atthecinema,10 S. Lewis Ave.,with aprerecordedmessagefromfilmdirector Rory Kennedyplaying beforeeach.
The award-winning2014 documentaryfocusesonthe chaoticlastdays ofthe war andtheeffort to evacuate Saigon.
MemorabiliafromOklahoma Vietnam veteranswill beondisplayinthecinema lobby, courtesyofthe Keith
CHICKHARRITY,AP
TheAmericanflag is furledat ceremoniesmarkingofficial deactivationoftheMilitaryAssistanceCommand-Vietnamin Saigonon March29,1973.
MyersTraveling Military Museum.
InOklahomaCityonTuesday, theOklahoma History Centerwillhold apinning ceremonyfor Vietnam War eraservicemenand women. It’s setfor10:30a.m.noonatthecenter,800Nazih ZuhdiDrive.
The ceremonywillinclude awelcome by TraitThompson,executive directorofthe OklahomaHistoricalSociety, followedbyremarks from John Nash,newly appointed secretaryofmilitaryaffairs; Capt. BobFord, ahelicopterpilotduringthe Vietnam War;and Michael Do,representingthe South Vietnamesecommunity.
All Vietnamand Viet-
nam-eraveteransareeligible to receivea pin.ThatincludesanyU.S.veteran who servedonactive dutyor in the reservesatanytimefrom November1, 1955,toMay 15, 1975,regardlessoflocation. Pinsareprovided by the Vietnam WarCommemorationorganization. Family membersofany veterannot able to bepresentmayalso receiveapin.
NationalVietnamWarVeterans Day wasestablishedin 2008as partofthe National DefenseAuthorization Act.
Itmarks theanniversary ofthedepartureofthelast AmericantroopsfromVietnam —March 29,1973. tim.stanley@tulsaworld.com
ANNA CODUTTI
TulsaWorld
Tulsapoliceare investigating ahomicideafter awoman wasfounddead during awell-beingcheckat her south Tulsaapartment.
Officersresponded around 2p.m. to the Avondale Apartmentsnear71st Streetand Peoria Avenue after afemaleinher50s was
reporteddead,according to Sgt.BrianLiang. Familymembershad reportedlyasked fora well-being check from the woman’shomehealthnurse, Liang said.
Thenurse alongwith EMSA responded to findthe womandeadwith whatofficers called“obvioussignsof homicide.”
Amemorycarecommunity
It’sdifficult, we know,toask forhelp.Butit’sokay. We’vehelpedthousands of familiesfacingmany of thesame challenges. Please call 918.351.7995 to startthe conversationor to schedule atour.
Furtherdetails were not available.
The woman’sdeathappearstobethecity’s18th homicideinvestigation so far this year The previous day, awoman wasfound deadon aporchnear Turleywithapparentgunshot wounds.
anna.codutti@tulsaworld.com
Letusshowyou whatmemory care with awhole lottaheart is allabout.
LAURAN NEERGAARD
AssociatedPress
Scientistsaregettingtheirfirst peekatthegenesofnearly100,000 Americansin what’s considereda uniquelydiverse genomicdatabase —partof aquest to reducehealth disparitiesandend cookie-cutter care. The NationalInstitutesof Health recentlyreleasedthedata to help researchersstartunravelinghowpeople’sgenes,environmentsandlifestylesinteract to drive theirhealth.Andhalfthe study’sparticipantsare from racial andethnicgroupshistoricallyleft outofmedical research.
Thatdiversity“willadd akind ofknowledgethatjustisn’tout there,”saidDr. Josh Denny, who
headstheNIH’smassive “Allof Us”studythat eventuallyaims to have suchdatafrom1million Americans.
Untilnow, morethan90%of peopleinthe world’slargegenome studieshave beenofEuropeandescent, alackofdiversitythathindersscientificprogress,hesaid.
Researchershavebeen awaiting the geneticinformation to study someofthemostperplexing healthdisparities.
Forexample,AfricanAmericanshave afour-foldhigherrisk ofkidneyfailurethantheir white counterparts,“everythingelsebeingequal,”saidDr.AkinloluOjoof the UniversityofKansas Medical Center.
“Wewill forthefirsttimebeable
toteaseout whataretheunderlying genetic factors”behindthat difference,he said.
“Thisisnotjust asnapshotin time,”Ojo added, sayinghehopes finallytotrackhowgenesand other factorsworktogether to explain whysomepeoplesurvive for yearswithdamagedkidneys while othersrapidly worsen.
Today’shealth care ispretty one-size-fits-all.Mosttreatments arebased on what workedbest for the averagepersoninshortstudiesof afew hundredorthousand patients.
“Allof Us”ispartof apush toward precisionmedicine, away to customizecarebased onthe complexcombinationsof factorsthat determinehealth,including your
AssociatedPress
Climatechangehasalreadymadeallergy season longerandpollen counts higher,but youain’tsneezed nothing yet.
Climatescientistsatthe UniversityofMichigan lookedat 15 differentplant pollensinthe UnitedStates andused computersimulations to calculatehow muchworse allergy season willlikelyget by the year 2100.It’senoughtomake allergysufferersevenmore red-eyed.
Asthe worldwarms,allergy seasonwillstart weeks earlierandendmanydays later —andit’llbe worse whileitlasts, withpollen levelsthat couldasmuch astriplein someplaces, according to anew studyin the journal NatureCommunications.
Warmer weatherallows plantstostartblooming earlier and keeps them bloominglater.Meanwhile, additional carbondioxide intheairfromburningfuelssuchas coal,gasolineand natural gashelpsplantsproducemorepollen,saidstudy
co-authorAllisonSteiner,a UniversityofMichiganclimatescientist.
It’s already happening.A studyayearago fromdifferent researchersfoundthat from 1990 to 2018,pollen hasincreasedandallergy seasonisstarting earlier, withmuchofitbecauseof climatechange.
Allergistssay thatpollen seasoninthe U.S. used to startaroundSt. Patrick’s Day andnowoftenstarts around Valentine’sDay.
Thenewstudyfoundthat allergy season wouldstretch evenlongerandthe total amountofpollen would skyrocket. How long and howmuchdependsonthe particularpollen,thelocationandhowmuchgreenhousegas emissionsareput intheair.
Withmoderatecutsin greenhousegasemission fromcoal,oilandnaturalgas, pollen season wouldstart20 days earlier by theendofthe century.Inthemostextreme andincreasinglyunlikely warming scenario,pollen seasoninmuchofAmerica willstart40days earlierthan whenithas generallystarted
inrecentdecades.
Already about30%ofthe worldand40%ofAmerican childrensufferpollenallergies,whichhurttheeconomythroughlost work days andmedical costs,said UniversityofMichiganclimate researcher YingxiaoZhang, leadauthorofthenew study.
Allergiesare especially difficult forthe25million Americanswith asthma. Thiscouldmakethe problem much worsefor them, said Amir Sapkota, aUniversity ofMarylandenvironmental healthprofessor,whowasn’t part of the research.
Whileallergysuffering willincrease acrossthe United States, the Southeastwillbehithardest, said Steiner.
Thestartofaldertreepollen seasonwillmove most dramatically, anissueinthe Pacific Northwest. Cypress treepollen —whichisespeciallybadin Texas—will seeamongthebiggestincreases.
Ragweedandgrasses— commonpollenallergies— willalsohavelonger seasons andhigherpollen countsin thefuture,Zhang said.
genes,habitsand whereyoulive as wellasage, genderand socioeconomics.
Thestudyisrecruiting volunteersfromall walksoflife—both thesickandthehealthy— to share DNAsamples,medical records, fitnesstrackingandanswerhealth questions.Researchersalsowill cullenvironmentalinformation about participants’ communities.
Whilethe pandemicdelayedenrollment,theNIH saidmorethan 474,000have agreed to participate so farandmorethan325,000have providedbloodor saliva samples forresearcherstostartanalyzing.
Thedatabasethatopenedon Thursday containsnearly 100,000 whole genome sequencesofthe first volunteers—meaninginfor-
mationonalltheir genes rather thanthemorecommonpractice ofstudying asubset.
Aswithother genomicprograms,theNIH teamprotects studyparticipants’ privacyby removingallidentifyinginformationfromthedata. U.S. scientists seeking to usethedatabasefor their researchmustmeetstrict requirements.
Participantscan request to learn the resultsoftheir owngenetic testing.Last year,theNIHprogrambegan releasingancestral information to participantswho asked.Plansareunderwaytoalso notifyparticipantswho bear certain well-known genetic variants that causeinheriteddiseasesor triggermedicationproblems.
LINDSEYTANNER AssociatedPress
CROWNPOINT,Ind. —Whentheir11-year-old sonstartedlosing weight anddrinkinglotsofwater, TabithaandBryanBalcitis chalkeditup to agrowth spurtandadvicefromhis healthclass. Butunusual crankinessandlethargy raisedtheir concern,and testsshowedhisblood sugarlevels wereoff the charts.
Justsixmonthsaftera mild case of COVID-19,the CrownPoint,Indiana,boy wasdiagnosedwith Type 1diabetes.His parents were floored it didn’t runinthe family, butautoimmuneillness didand doctorssaidthat couldbe afactor.
Couldhisdiabetesalso belinkedwiththe coronavirus,wondered Nolan’s mom, arespiratorytherapist. Turnsout scientistsin the U.S. andelsewhereare askingthe samequestion andinvestigating whether anyconnectionismore than acoincidence.
It’s clearthatinthose whoalready have diabe-
tes, COVID-19canworsen the conditionandlead to severe complications.But thereare otherpossible links.
Emerging evidence shows thatthe coronavirus —likesomeotherviruses— canattackinsulin-producing cellsinthe pancreas—a processthatmighttrigger atleast temporarydiabetesinsusceptiblepeople.
Rising casesmightalsoreflectcircumstancesinvolving pandemic restrictions, includingdelayedmedical care forearly signs ofdiabetesorunhealthyeating habits andinactivityin people already at risk for Type 2diabetes.
ACentersforDisease
ControlandPrevention report lookedat twolarge U.S. insurancedatabases thatincludednewdiabetescasesfromMarch2020 throughJune2021.Diabetes was substantially more commoninkids who’d had COVID-19.The report didn’t distinguishbetween Type1, which typically startsinchildhood,and Type 2, the kind tied to obesity.
Ratesofboth types of diabeteshave risenin U.S. kidsin recent years, but reportsfromEuropeand some U.S.hospitalssuggest the pace mayhaveaccelerated duringthe pandemic.
“Ithinkwe’re all alittle worried,’’saidDr.Inas Thomas,a specialistatthe UniversityofMichigan’s MottChildren’sHospital.
Herhospitalhas seena 30%increase in Type1, comparedwithpre-pandemic years, Thomas said. Itisnotknownhowmany had COVID-19 at some point,butthetimingraises concernsthattherecould be aconnection,she said.
Type 1diabetesoccurs whenthe pancreasproduceslittleornoinsulin, ahormonethat regulates bloodsugar.Itisthought to involveanautoimmune reaction,withthebody attackinginsulin-making cells in the pancreas. Patientsmustusemanufacturedinsulin to manage the chronic condition.
Expertshavelongtheorizedthat someprevious infectionmay triggerthat autoimmune response.
Hi/Lo/WHi/Lo/W
Abilene 92/60/pc92/62/s
Albuquerque 79/47/s75/48/c
Anchorage 41/34/pc41/34/c
Atlanta 62/42/s67/51/s
Austin 85/56/s84/62/pc
Baltimore 47/25/pc 42/22/pc
Bismarck 43/26/pc54/36/pc
Boise 74/47/pc 64/46/sh
Boston 50/26/pc35/20/c
Buffalo 31/16/sf27/17/sf
Burlington,VT 40/16/sn 26/18/c
Charleston,SC 68/43/s67/47/s
Charleston,WV 43/21/pc 44/24/pc
Cheyenne 70/45/pc73/45/pc
Chicago 36/22/s38/29/pc
Cincinnati 41/20/pc46/28/pc
Cleveland 29/20/sf 31/19/pc
Concord,NH 48/21/c29/15/c
Dallas 91/58/pc 85/65/pc
Denver 76/47/pc81/47/pc
Oklahomaisourhome,and we believe allour friends,familiesand communitiesdeserve the best. Thisiswhytwo ofourhospitalshave been namedthebestformaternitycare.
Visitus at saintfrancis.com
bestformaternitycare. Onemorereason to smile.
Improvedconditions lead to better fishing
KELLYBOSTIAN
Forthe TulsaWorld
Thedifferenceaday makesis whatevermakesfishhungry.
The waters ofGrandLakeO’the Cherokeesfinallystoppedrising and awickedspring coldfront became athingof apastSaturday, andall fiveanglerswhosurvived the secondknockout roundofthe
MajorLeague Fishing Redcrest Championshipputmoreweight across thescalesthanthe topdog on Friday.
Friday’sstress-fest gave way to Saturdaysuccess storiesanda setup fora Sundayslugfest forthe Redcresttitleandthe$300,000 prize.
Thelake’sloadofplentiful3to 6-poundnorthernlargemouth bass areready to cooperatewitha fieldofboaterspackingheavyresumes.It’saloadofrepeat-seek-
ing worldchampionsand veteran anglersand adangerous fewwho have comeoh so close inthe past.
JordanLeeofCullman,Alabama, toppedthe Saturday fieldwith11fish for33pounds,2 ounces.Onlythreeother weights have beenaslarge throughoutthe tournament,andoneofthose was his own34-14 thatthatbrought himupfromthebottomofthe field to fourthplaceon Thursday. He againused forward-facing sonarand ajerkbait to luresus-
pended feeders, as severalhave done.Butlate in thedayheslid intosomeshallows,droppeda -ouncejigthrough amatofleaf debrisand sawit engulfed bya 3-pound, 2-ouncebutterballin just afew inchesof water.
“Imightneed to bringtheflippin’stick tomorrow.” he saidwith agrin.“Bringtheheavystick.”
He repeatedthatstyleofcatch in shallowwateraroundbuck brushabout20minuteslater,and showedpre-spawnconditionsare
Athletes move on from college, but neverfromfamily
Rodriguezpumped 225
poundsofiron 36 rapid-fire timesintheOklahomaState weight roomlastThursday morning.It wasverylikelythe takeaway moment forthe30or so NFL evaluatorsonhand for OSU’sPro Day.
Therewas abetter one, though. It happened about 20 minutes after Rodriguez’s feat of strength. Idoubt any NFL personnel saw it, but then it wasn’tfor them. It wasn’t staged.
It wasRodriguezand his mom, Shanna, walking with their arms around each other across the street from Boone Pickens Stadium to the Sherman E. Smith Training Center Shanna wasinlockstepwith her sonashemadehis way fromthelifting-and-jumping activitiesinsidethestadium’s weight room to thesprinting-and-drilling setupinside theSmith Center.
Rodriguezhadheadphones danglingfromhis ears,hismom
BRYCEMCKINNIS
TulsaWorld
Aheadofhisfirstspringatthe UniversityofTulsa,men’sbasketball coachEric Konkolalleviated someofhis roster’sambiguitybymotivating SamGriffinIII to withdraw hisnamefromthe transferportal.
Lessthanone weekintohis tenureat TU,Konkol secured the team’stop returning scorer, Griffin,onThursday.Griffin said Konkol factored“probably 100%”intohisdecision to stay.
“Coaches cansell youon manythings, but whathe said, and whatitmatchedupagainst his resume,italladdedup.So he wasreallyhonestwithme,” Griffinsaid.
At 4p.m.Tuesday,anhourand ahalfbeforeKonkol’sintroductory news conferencethatdrew
morethan500 fansintothe Reynolds Center,Konkolmet withhis team forthefirsttime. He reassuredGriffinabouthis opportunitiesatTU.
“It wasalljusthonesty. He wasn’tsellingme adream,”Griffin said.“Hewas arealdude. He wasa standupguy.”
Konkol’sstyleofplaycaught Griffin’sattention.Duringthe Tuesdaynewsconference, Konkol saidhis teams would take advantageoftransition scoring opportunitieswith“anumber ofguys that canpushthe basketball.”
Griffinisexpected to bean integralpieceofKonkol’soffensive gameplanafter scoring 14.6 pointsper gamelast season,trailingonlygraduateJeriah
had apairofOSU earrings. Theywereboth smiling the whole way. “You’re contending,”Shanna told her son. “You’re contending.”
“She has been in my corner ever sinceIcan remember,” Rodriguezsaidlater at the completion of his day. “She’salways therefor me.”
That’s what Thursday was all about. As adozenformer Cowboysvied forthe attention oftherightNFL coach, scout orfrontoffice type whomight allowthem to makefootball theirprofession, afew dozen familymembersandlovedones did whattheycould to lend support.
It wasconversation,mostly.
Theplayers would walk over to the“familyandagents”areaoff to onesideoftheSmith Center betweentheirstations,seeking reassurance.
DevinHarper gotthatplusa hugfromhismother,Alacia.
“Shedrove12hoursyesterday. Icouldn’tthankhermore forcoming,”Harper said.“She’s my heart, to behonest.”
Youhearthis sentiment fromplayers allthetime.The daytheysignwith acollege program,orthedaytheymake theirfirst collegestart,orthe daytheybecomethestoryfor their collegeteam.
Well,itdoesn’tjuststop when collegedoes.Theplayers
nowconfirmedinatleast apart ofthelake.Itmeans bass arepreparing to move up to the banksto spawnindaysto come,not weeks. Itmeanstheyare hungryandneed to fueltheirbodies forthe task ahead.
Leeisoneof sevenpast world championtitleholdersinSunday’s10-anglerchampionship round,oneofthreewithmultiple titles,andamong severalwhohave
ELILEDERMAN TulsaWorld NORMAN —BeforeTheo Weasevolunteeredthedetailsof hisoffseason, therewas somethingOklahoma’sredshirtjunior wide receiverhad to makeclear.
“First,I’llstart by sayingI neverwanted to leaveOklahoma,” Wease told reporters Thursday.“Ilovethisplace.”
Weasemay nothave wanted to makeanOU exit.Butlatelast fall,the Sooners’6-foot-2pass catcher wasready to go.
Sidelined forthebulkofthe 2021 season by alower-body injury he reaggravated in fall camp,Wease wasalready mulling amovefromNormanbefore LincolnRiley’sdeparture.Then aday afterthehead coach who recruitedhim to OU left forUSC on Nov. 28,2021, Weasejumped intothetransferportal.
Intheportal,Ole Miss emerged amonghismostattractive transferdestinations.Earlierthis month, Weasetold OU tightend Brayden Willisonthe“The PodcastonthePrairie”thathe was particularly intrigued by acertain Rebelsoffensive coordinator: Jeff Lebby.
Whenthat same coordinator joined coachBrent Venables’ first staff at OU, Wease pulled hisnamefromtheportalwith hisdecision sealedon areturn forYear4withthe Sooners.
“Theturningpoint Iwould definitelysay wasCoachLebby, justhisphilosophyandhowreal he mademe feel,”Weasesaid.“It wasjust afamily-likefeel Igot fromhim”
BIXBY— TheBixbyfootball dynasty’smovefromClass 6AII to 6AIdoesn’tbegin during August scrimmagingor thespring-practiceperiodin May.
Themove began weeksago withthestartof coachLorenMontgomery’soffseason strengthprogram.Eachday afterlunch,thereisaperiod during whichBixbyfootball athletes join basketballand track-and-fieldclassmates for strengthtraining.Theairis jammedwiththe combination ofmusicandthe soundsof heavyweightsbeingdropped backontothe rackorthe floor.
Afterhavingbeenstate championsinthe sevenoftheir eight seasons of6AII competition,the footballSpartans take astate-record49-gamewin
streakintotheirfirst seasonof 6AImembership. This semester,AustinHavensisoneof fivevarsityfootballathletes whotransferred intotheBixbyschooldistrict. Also, therewas thearrivalofa 6-foot-5eighth-graderfrom
the Dallasarea. The6-foot-4,207-pound Havensis particularly interestingbecausehe’sa quarterbackandbecausehehadbeen at Owasso,wherehemade22
Corey Seager: The two-timeAll-Starshortstopand2020 WorldSeriesMVP gotthe richestdeal, a$325million,10-year contract to leavethe Dodgersforthe TexasRangers. He joinedGoldGlove second basemanMarcus Semienin Texas.Semien, whohit 45 homers forTorontolast season, gota$175 million, seven-year contractfromtheRangershours beforeSeageron Dec. 1.
Freddie Freeman: The2020NLMVPisout of AtlantaafterhelpingtheBraveswinthe WorldSeries,headinghome to playforthe Dodgers,whogavehim a$162 million, six-yearcontract. Freeman’sdecision to leavecameaftertheBravesacquiredfirst basemanMattOlsonfrom Oakland.
JavierBaez: The two-timeAll-Starand GoldGlove-winningshortstopsigneda $140million,six-yeardealwith Detroit beforethelockout. He finishedlast season withthe Mets after atradefromtheCubs.
Manyfamiliarfaceswithimpressive resumesareinnewplacesfollowingoneofmajorleaguebaseball’swildestfree-agentfrenzies.
ROBMAADDI| AssociatedPress
Max Scherzerand CoreySeagergot megadealsbeforethelockout. Freddie Freemanhad to waituntilspringtraining to gethislucrative contract. TrevorStoryjumpedleaguesandchangedpositions.NickCastellanosswitched redpinstripes.KrisBryantstayedintheNL West.CarlosCorrea stayedintheAmerican League.Otherstarsendedupwithnewteamsviatrades.MattChapmanwentfromthe A’stotheBlueJays.TheMarinersgotoutfielderJesseWinkerandthirdbaseman EugenioSuarezfromtheReds.OaklandalsotradedMattOlson,sendinghimto theBraves.The Yankees gotJoshDonaldsonfromthe Twins. Fansmayneedtopullouttheirprogramstogowiththosecoldbeers,hotdogs andCracker Jack to keeptrackofwhoendedupwhere.
Here’s alookat someofthemanymoves.
Nick Castellanoshit34homersanddrove in100runsfortheReds lastseasonbeforesigningwiththePhilliesduringtheoffseason.
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
Trevor Story: Thefour-timeAll-Star shortstopin Coloradosigned a$140 million,six-yearcontractwith Boston to playsecond base.Hejoinsshortstop Xander Bogaertstoform apowerful middleinfield.
KrisBryant: The Rockiessignedthe versatile2016NLMVP,givinghim a$182million, seven-year contract. Bryant wastradedfromtheCubsto theGiantslast seasonaftermakinghis fourthAll-Star game.
RobbieRay: Theleft-hander gota$115 million, five-year contractfrom SeattleafterwinningtheAL Cy Young AwardinToronto.
Carlos Correa: The two-time All-Star shortstopand2015ALRookieofthe Yearleft Houston forMinnesota,getting a$105.3 million,three-year contract.But Correa canoptoutafterthe 2022and2023 seasons to becomea freeagentagain.
Nick Castellanos: The2021All-Staroutfielder gota$100million,five-year contractfromthe Philliesafter acareer seasoninCincinnati.
Castellanosjoinedslugger Kyle Schwarber, who received a $79 million, four-year deal fromPhiladelphia.
KenleyJansen: Thelongtime Dodgerscloser andthree-timeAll-Starwith 350career saves joinedthedefendingchampionBravesona one-year,$18milliondeal.
Jorge Soler: The2021 WorldSeriesMVP remainedintheNLEast,signing athree-year, $36million contractwiththeMarlins.Soler ledtheALwith48homersin2019forKansas City.
Large East All-Stateselectionsannounced
BARRYLEWIS TulsaWorld
Unionand Tahlequah
have twoplayers eachonthe
OklahomaGirlsBasketball
CoachesAssociation’sLarge
East teamannounced Friday night.
Union’sselectionsare
TK Pittsand SydniSmith. Union’sJoe Redmond was theLarge Northeast’s Coach ofthe Year.Tahlequah is represented by Smalls Goudeauand FaithSpringwater.
All-Stateselectionsalso includedthe World’sMs. Insidewinner,Bristow’s CamillePritchard(Middle East),andMs. Outsidewinner,Bishop Kelley’sRachel Avedon(Large East).
LARGE EAST
TK Pittsand SydniSmith, Union;SmallsGoudeau and FaithSpringwater, Tahlequah; JourneyArmstead, SandSprings; TaleyahJones,BrokenArrow; StevieStinchcomb,McAlester; AunistySmith B.T. Washington;Rachel Avedon,Bishop Kelley;ChrissenHarlandStillwater.
MIDDLE EAST
CamillePritchard,Bristow; KylieEubanks,Keys; JayleeLopezIdabel;BaileyLayman,Cleveland; AvaGreer,HollandHall; Racheal Watie, Roland; JennaWhiteley,FortGibson; KyleighOrtiz,Kansas; Kaydrin Scott,Hugo;Shayla Wofford, Ada.
SMALL EAST
SamanthaShanks, WebbersFalls;Maggie Sockey, Crowder; MikaScott, Pocola;Raelyn Delt,Shiloh FletcherandMaddieRamsey, Howe;MakenzieGill and Faith Wright, Dale; TarynBatterton,Latta; Alexus Belcher,Vanoss; AbbyHarelson,Okemah; GraceGoins,Fairland; TrinityWiseman, Pittsburg; Kelsie McCollom,Ripley; Austyn Wright,Whitesboro.
LARGEWEST Toni Papahronis,Ed-
mond North;RandiHarding,Mustang;Ashlyn Evans-Thompson,El Reno; KarleyJohnsonand Talia Pogi,Mustang; Jaki Rollins, Norman;Carly Gasaway, Choctaw;Azharia Jackso, LawtonMacArthur; A’munique Holmes,PutnamCity; TangeeGagau,NWClassen.
MIDDLEWEST StorieDriver. Hadley PerrimanandMadiSurber, Tuttle;Braylee Dale, Perry; Lauryn Scalice, Bethany; RaylandGarnerandAllison Green, Kingfisher; Reagan Fox,Blanchard;Carmella Jefferson,Clinton;Hunter Bayless, Weatherford.
SMALLWEST AbbyBates,Navajo; Jena Bay, Shattuck;Brooklyn Bayless, Arnett;Kria Berkey and Rees Berkey,Hydro-Eakly; HensleyEaton, Lomega; JaedynGetman, Stratford; CorkyHall,Duke; DevynnHarris,Amber-Pocasset;AlliHarvey, Lookeba-Sickles;AshlanLight, Garber;Lexie McLemore, Cyril; Jaime Peffer,Merritt; HollieStalder,Hooker; JadynWatkins,Vici. 2022OGBCA WINNERS
Hallof Fameinductees
Vernon Johnson, HowardRay,ChrisBrown; Jerry Ward,ChuckLondon. CharlesK. Heatly Awardwinners East —MarkMcKenzie
(Pocola); West —Christy Edelen(Arapaho-Butler).
Bertha Frank Teague Awardwinners
East —Kaylee Byrd (Frontier); West —Taylor Young (Kingfisher).
Region Coachesofthe
Year
Large:Joe Redmond, Union; KendraKilpatrick, Stillwater; Jarrod Owen, McAlester; Pete Papahronis,Edmond North; Kyle Richey, CarlAlbert;Kate Smith,Mustang.
Middle: JustinBrown, T. Sequoyah; Tara Satterfield, Bethel;Glen Cone,Stilwell; PaulDuncan, Perry; Jenni Holbrook, Jones;BrianLester, Tuttle.
Small: JustinGoins, Fairland;EricSmith, Dale; Jim Jenson, Pittsburg; BradyHamar,Seiling;HaleyMitchel,Okarche; Jeff Daugherty, Merritt.
Coachofthe Year East —Kendra Kilpatrick, Stillwater; West —Brian Lester,Tuttle.
Assistant Coachofthe
Year East —Scott Wilson, Dale; West —Jamie Combs, Mustang.
JuniorHigh Coachof the Year East —Jim Wingfield,Vanoss;West —Zac Coulson, Piedmont. barry.lewis@tulsaworld.com
MaxScherzer: Thethree-time Cy Young Awardwinnerandeight-timeAll-Star returned to theNLEast,signing a$130million,three-yeardealwiththe New York Mets. He’s comingoff a15-4, 2.46ERA seasonsplitbetween Washingtonandthe LosAngeles Dodgers.
NelsonCruz: The veterandesignatedhitteris backintheNL, wherehespenthisfirst season in2005with Milwaukee.The Nationals gave the41-year-oldCruz a$12million salaryfor this season,andthedealincludes a$16 million mutualoptionfor2023witha$3millionbuyout.
KevinGausman: Thethirdtime wasacharm fortheBlue Jays,whosignedGausman away from San Francisco with a $110 million, fiveyear contract.Theright-handerhadspurned freeagentoffersfromTorontoeachoftheprevious twooffseasons.
StarlingMarte: TheMetsgaveMarte$78 million forfour yearstobe theircenterfielder.He ledthemajorsinstolen baseslast seasonbut hasbeenslowedthisspring by anobliqueinjury. Their big splash before the lockout also included signinginfielderEduardoEscobarto a$20million, two-year dealandgivingoutfielder/first basemanMarkCanha$26.5 millionovertwo years with acluboption.
ELILEDERMAN TulsaWorld STILLWATER —Intheminutes after MirandaElishpitchedOklahomaStatetoits sixth consecutive win,thefirstandonlymistakethe Cowgirls’right-handermade Saturdayafternoon wasstillnagging ather.
“It reallysuckedthat Igaveup thathomerunandtheywereable to tieitup,” Elish saidpostgame.
Elish(7-4) fanned fiveTexas Tech battersandallowedthree hitsandonerun over fiveinnings at CowgirlStadium.Andthe OSU batsofferedplentyofsupport, blasting fourhomerunsoff Red Raiderpitching to take themiddle gameofthe weekend series by run rule,9-1.
Butafterward,Elish wasstill thinkingaboutthe soloshotshe surrendered to TexasTech’sAlannaBarrazainthe secondinning, evenifshemadeup foritherself.
ElishclampeddownafterBarraza’s homeruntiedthe contest at 1-1, retiring10ofthelast11 Red Raiderswho came to bat.Andnot longafterBarrazaroundedthe bases, Elishmadeanimpactat theplatewithher ownhomerun, whichbouncedoff theglove of TexasTech centerfielder Peyton Blythe and over the centerfield fence.
“I wasjusttrying to do what Icoulddowith my battoput us in aposition to getthatrun back, andthankfullythe centerfielder bumpedit overthe fencealittle bit,”she said.
Elish’ssecondhomeruninas manygamessparkedthefirstof eight unanswered runs for OSU (23-6)inGame 2Saturday.
Chyenne Factor joinedthehome run paradeinthethirdinning,and blastsfromKatelynnCarwileand Sydnie Penningtoninthefifth
FromB1
Horne’s16.1.
“OnceIhadthe conversationwith Coach Konkol, andhowhewasandthe way he sawme,it washardfor another school to gettothat typeoflevel,”Griffinsaid.
By theendof Tuesday, Griffinhadnolingering doubts about his future at TU.Hesoughtadvicefrom his father,Samuel, whom Konkoloffered to speak with.
“Mydad talked to coach Konkol,as well,”Griffin said.“Hemademe feel comfortable,and my familywas comfortable too.I’m fromMiami,Florida,and I’mallthe wayinTulsa, so hedefinitelyhad to havea niceway of talking.”
Griffinfirstcontemplatedtransferringafter former coach FrankHaith’s resignationMarch12. He
helpedclose out TexasTech.The Cowgirls —whohave scored 8.5 runsper gameduringtheircurrent winstreak—will seek to close out the series sweepatnoonSunday.
ForElish,theperformance markedthelatestin astringof consistent efforts as the former nationalplayerofthe yearfinds her forminthemonthofMarch.
She caughtRileyEhlen swinging towork outof afirst-inning jam and rolledsmoothafterBarraza’s second-inninghomerun.
“I thought that Elish was pretty good,”said coach KennyGajew-
enteredthetransferportal last Mondayafter reading reportsofpotential candidates to replacehis former coach.
“I wasn’tfamiliarwith theirstylesandthings,” Griffinsaid.“I wasgoing to exploremyoptionsas well as,youknow, decideifthey gotacoachhere, Iwould probablycomeback.”
Duringhisbrieftimein theportal,Griffinheard from schools in the SEC, Big12andBig Ten,he said.
KonkolandtheGolden Hurricane’s2022-23team beginon-courtactivities Monday. The teamwill bedown fivegraduates— Horne, ReyIdowu,LaDaviusDraine, Darien JacksonandCurtisHaywoodII —plusGavynElkamil, who confirmedon Twitterhe enteredthetransferportal Thursday.
TU expectsonesignee for theclassof2022,6-foot-9 CharlesChukwu, acenter
ski. “I didn’tthinkshe washer best,but Ithoughtshe wasgood enough.When you’ve gotstuff likethat,if youjust competein the zone, you’ve gotareallygood chance.”
Sincea rockystart to her OSU careerin Februaryafter ayearlonglayoff from softball,Elishis roundingintoformasBig12play begins.
She gave up 14 runsinherfirst sixappearancesas aCowgirl.AfterSaturday, Elishhasallowed just twooverherlastsixoutings, astretchthatincludes apairof
fromKaty, Texas. DJ Jefferson, a6-5 forwardfrom Richardson, Texas, also signed to playatTU, but he announced on Twitter hisde-commitmentfrom the schoolonMarch 13.A universityofficial toldthe Tulsa World that Chukwu stillneeds areleasefromhis NationalLetterofIntent to remove hisobligation to TU.
TheGoldenHurricane expectstohavethree to five open scholarships,dependingontheoutcomesofthe aforementionedsituations, the sameofficial toldthe World.
“I want to seeguysthat cancomeinhereandfight, guys thathave skill sets, guys thatarelocal,”Griffin said.“Honestly, Ijust want ateamthat’s going to play hardandhave achanceto win everytime we stepon thefloor.”
bryce.mcKinnis@tulsaworld. com
no-hitters—the fourthandfifth ofher collegecareer.SinceFeb.20, OSUhaspickedupwinsin eachof Elish’slastsixstartsinthecircle.
Thedifference,according to Gajewski?
“Justone word,” he said.“Confidence.”
Elish,anAll-AmericanatOregonand Texas, optedoutofthe 2021 seasonat Texasbeforeresumingher collegecareerin Stillwaterthisspring.ShehascreditedGajewski forbringingher to OSUin2022. Now, lessthaneight weeksintoherdebut seasonwith
startsfortheRams.
ANorthCarolinanative whose family movedtoOwassobeforehis ninth-grade year,HavenshasattendedBixby High Schoolfor aboutthreeweeks andwillbea seniorduringthe2022 season.
Initsfirsttripthrough6AI,Bixby’s openingopponentisOwasso.Regardless ofthequarterbackstoryline, thisoneis remarkablyspecialbecauseBillBlankenship’sRamsalways aregoodandbecause Montgomery’s Spartans willattempt to score what would betheir50thconsecutive victory.
However, asHavenshas switchedfrom theOwasso side to theBixbyside,the plot has thickened.
IfHavenshappens to bethe Bixby starterthatnight, he’llbe motivatedto play the best gameofhislife. Meanwhile, theOwasso defensewillbejust asmotivatedtomakehim miserable andendthe Bixbystreak.
High schoolfootball,college football, theNFL —itdoesn’tmatter. Inthesport as awhole,therewon’tbea more compellingopener thanBixby-Owasso.
“Itwouldbeareallybig game,”Havens says.
Montgomery’sprogram isloadedwith capableQBs.NothingispromisedtoHavens.He’llhaveto competefortherightto quarterbackthestate’s most accomplished programsince 2014.
“Myfamily duringtheoffseason —we decided what to do,” Havens explained. “Wesaw agoodopportunityatBixby. Theyhaveagreatwinningpedigree. We decidedit wouldbeinthebestinterestsof meand ourfamilytomovehere.”
Havenshas aseventh-gradebrother whoalsoisafootballathlete.
“Wealllove ithere at Bixbyso far,”said Havens,who,ifhedoesbecometheBixby starter,hewouldbethe tallestQBduring the Montgomeryera thatbeganin2010.
Inadditiontoactually movingintothe Bixby district,partofHavens’transfer processwassharingthedecision with Owassocoaches andteammates.
“Theclosefriends Ihad onthe team— theyunderstoodwhen Iexplaineditto them,”Havens said.“Some peopledidn’t understand. They feltlikeI wasbetraying them.”
In eachofitsfinalfour seasons of 6AII competition,Bixby wasthe statechampion.Therewas aseniorQB in2020 (Mason Williams)and in2021 (Christian Burke).
Montgomerydidn’t talkspecifically aboutHavens’abilityorpotentialimpact. Instead,the coachdiscussedwhy an athletemightwanttobeapart of theBixby culture.
“We’ve gottons of peoplewho’ve movedintothe community andaremovingintothe community,”Montgomery
the Cowgirls,Elishis settlingin. “Idon’tthinkit’s really anything physical,”Elish said.“Ithink Ihad itphysicallyfromthestart.Maybe my stuff is getting alittlebitbetter as Igetmorecomfortable.
“But alotofit wasjustmental formeand Iwasjustin my own head.Therewerealotof talkswith (Gajewski) whereI wascrying.But hejust keptbuildingmeupand tellme Igot this.That wasreally huge.” eli.lederman@tulsaworld.com
Class 6AI
District1:Bixby, BrokenArrow,Enid,Jenks, Moore, NormanNorth,Southmoore, Westmoore.
District2:EdmondMemorial, Edmond North, EdmondSanta Fe,Mustang,Norman, Owasso,Union, Yukon.
Class 6AII
District1:Bartlesville, Booker T. Washington, Muskogee, OKCU.S.Grant,PutnamCityWest, SandSprings,Stillwater,Tahlequah.
District2:Choctaw, DeerCreek,Lawton,OKC CapitolHill,OKCNorthwest Classen,Ponca City, PutnamCity, PutnamCityNorth.
said.“Peoplerecognize thatBixby isa greatcommunity to live in.
“We’ve gotgreat athleticsprogramsand academicprograms.Theirkids’potential is goingtobemaximized.”
Currentlyscheduled forFriday, Aug. 26, at Owasso Stadium,the Bixby-Owasso showdownmay be movedtoThursday, Aug. 25,may be televisedandmay be packagedin amanner comparable to the MidFirstBank Backyard Bowl (JenksUnion)andthe FoldsofHonor Patriot Bowl sponsored by theJimGloverAuto Family (Owasso-BrokenArrow).
Bixbyand Owassoofficials continue to discussa possibledatechange,a possible venueswitch to theUniversityofTulsa’s H.A.ChapmanStadium, andthepossibilityofpartneringwith asignaturesponsor.
“Idon’t know that ourprocessisgoing to change from 6AII to 6AI,”Montgomery saidofBixby’s demandingoffseason program.“It’s howwetrainkids,how we developkidsand howwewant to maximize theirpotential. Abigpieceofthatishere in theweight room ..Ourkidsaregoing to getonlyfive weeksoff intheentireyear fromtheweight room.”
Withinthe next coupleofweeks, there willbetheBixbyannual ritual:thepresentationofchampionshipringstothe 2021Spartanplayers and coaches.To paraphrase afamousquotefroma famous formerNFL coach,those ringsare why youliftallthem weights.
OnThursday,Havens andBixbysenior-to-betightendLukeHaszwere workout partners.
“I’ve seen him play on social media (video) and 7-on-7 tournaments,”said Hasz,anArkansas commit.“Weplayed againsthimlastsummerina 7-on-7at Owasso.Hehas abig arm. Ithinkhe’llhelp ourquarterback room.”
They won’tplayrealoffensive football untilspringpractice,butHasz andHavens have been togetherfor passing sessions. Asked to describe thefootballasitleaves Havens’right hand,Haszsmiledandreplied,“It’sfastandit’s accurate.” bill.haisten@tulsaworld.com
KELLYHINES TulsaWorld
Akeyoffseasonpersonneldecision forOklahomaStatewasmoving veterandefensive assistant JoeBobClementstolinebackers fromdefensive line, apositionhe coached fornine seasons.
“Thatallowedustotransition rightintodefenseintheoffseason, andnowwehaveacoachat every positionthatknows our system,” head coach Mike Gundy saidlast week.“Ithoughtthat wasa smart move onour part so therewasn’t anyadjustment forthelinebackers to haveto transition anew coach thatdidn’tknowour system.”
Thelinebacker corps, coached previouslybydefensive coordinatorJimKnowlesbeforehe departed forOhioState,hasbig shoes to fillin2022.While former startersMalcolm Rodriguezand DevinHarperarepreparing for theNFL,up-and-comingplayers arelooking to stepintothose roles.
“We’ve gotgood,youngplayersatthatpositionthatdon’t have anyexperience,”Gundysaid.
“That’s whatit comesdown to Theseguysare going to haveto grow upquick.
“Thespringwillbe very important forthem.But Iwill say this:They’re bigenough.They’re fastenough.And we’llfindoutthis springifthey’re tough.Iftheycan fitthose threecriteria, we’ll teach themhowtoplay. I’mnot worried aboutthe rest.”
Mason Cobbisthelone returninglinebacker whohasstarted
agame forthe Cowboys. He has appearedin 19 gamesin twoseasons,beingusedonspecial teams whilebreakingintothe rotationon defense.
“(Thelinebackersare)young, buttheyjustneed some experience,”defensive end TylerLacy said.“I feellikespring ballis really going to helpthem —especially Mason Cobb.I feellikehehasthe
chance to shineandbringus toa championshipthis season.”
Asignificantboost to thelinebackersarrivedthisspringinthe formofjunior-collegetransfer Xavier Benson, whostarted10 games as a redshirt freshman at TexasTechbeforeoptingoutof the2021 season.Last yearat Tyler(Texas)Junior College, Benson led the NJCAA with 120 tackles in
12 games. “Ifhe cancatchupand get going,hegivesusexperience,” Gundysaid.“He’s237 pounds. Hecanrun. He’s physical. Youget somematuritysoa youngguyhas achancetogrowanddevelop,and we don’thavetothrow himinthe firelikewedidlast yearwiththe wideouts.”
Oftheotherlinebackerswho
areback, LamontBishop,KamrynFarrar,Na’DrianDizadareand Jeff Robersonhavesome experience, while NickolasMartinand DonovanStephensarecoming off aredshirt season. Freshman GabeBrownenrolled early forthe spring,andthepositiongroupalso has fivewalk-ons.
kelly.hines@tulsaworld.com
trying to transitionintothe pros need all of the encouragement theycan get. Theyrely on it from those whohaveencouraged them the longest.
Youhavereadabout Shanna andher husband Roman’s encouragement of Rodriguez before, datingback to when Rodriguezwrestled, rantrack and played quarterback for Wagoner High School. That doesn’tstopnow “Weknowhow hard he has trained andpreparedfor it,” Shanna said as her sonfinishedupPro Day.“So youjust want to seeeverything come to fruition.”
ShannaRodriguezdescribed herfeeling as “nerv-ited,”a mixtureofnervousnessand excitement.You couldsense that throughout thefamily section, wheremoms anddads used theirsmartphones to time theirboys’ sprintsand shuttle runs
IANMAULE,TULSA WORLD
Oklahomawide receiver Theo Wease (10) runs upfield after acatchduringthe Cotton Bowl against Florida at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Dec 30,2020
FromB1
Thisspring,Weaseisbackinthe
foldat OU and readytoresumehis playmaking roleintheoffensenow led by Lebbyin2022.
In Wease,the Soonersreturn awide receiver whohauledina joint team-best 37receptionsthe lasttimehe wasatfullstrength in2020.Now healthyforthefirst timein afull year,he’sready to contributeinthe passing game onceagain.
“I’llgiveyouascalefrom 1-10 —I’d probablysay 11,”Weasesaid ofhisstatusinthefirst weekof spring camp.
Thelast five-star recruitstandingfromOU’sclassof2019,Wease nowseeshimselfas aleaderwithin the Soonerswide receiver room. Sophomorepasscatcher Jalil Fa-
rooq saidthis weekthat Weasehas “always been aguy Ilookedup to.”
Andonthefield, Wease’spresencebringsOUneededexperience attheposition.Ofthe Sooners’ current receivers, onlyMarvin Mimshasmorecareer catches to hisnamethan Weaseandhis 45 receptions.
With Weasefullyfitagain, heoffersOUandquarterback DillonGabrielloadsofpossibilityin2022.It’s anopportunity that comesinthe wake ofa challenging2021 campaignthat featuredinjury, turnoveranda journeyinandoutofthetransferportal.
“It washard,”Weasesaid.“I wentthroughtheinjury, missed the whole seasonandthenthe coachingchange.It washard,but my familystayedwithme.They upliftedmeand everything,and my teammatesstill talk to me
Upnext: 4p.m.Sundayvs.SacramentoRepublic FC,Heart Health Park,Sacramento, California
Records: FC Tulsa2-1-0,6points(5thplace, USLEastern Conference);SacramentoRepublic FC1-1-0, 3points(9thplace, USL Western Conference)
TV: My41/ESPN-Plus
Notable: FC Tulsaplays Sacramentoforthe
about everything.It washard,but attheendofthedayitwas apretty easy decision.” Thatdecision wasa bigone for the Sooners. Lebbytakescharge oftheoffensethisspringmissing OU’s topthree passcatchersfrom ayearago in JadonHaselwood, Mario Williamsand Mike Woods. Thefirst-year coordinatorofferedexcitementabout the role he feelsWeasecanplayinhis up-temposchemethisweekand creditedthe fourth-yearjunior forworkinghisway backthis spring.
“Guyisoperatingat ahighlevel as farasjustbeing ahuman,” Lebbysaid.“Being aguy that’s donethingsright everysingleday. He’s beenincrediblycompetitive. He’s beenincrediblybought-in. He’s workedhisbuttoff ingetting to thispoint. “We’re twodaysintospring ball,
firsttimesincea1-1draw inthe2020opener at Sacramento—the lastmatchbeforethe COVIDpandemic resultedin afour-month schedulehiatus.Rodrigoda Costa scored Tulsa’sgoal, assisted by LeboMoloto, and SeanLewishad sevensaves.Tulsais 0-8-2 intheall-time serieswith Sacramento Both teamsplayed SanDiego LoyalSC in theirlast previousmatch. Sacramento lost 2-0onMarch 19,while Tulsawon 1-0on Wednesday. Sacramento,8-12-12lastyear, addedforthis season goalkeeperDannyVi-
so (I’m) excitedabout wherehe’s atandproudofhim,becauseof his work ethicandhowhe’sledin that room. Ithinkhe canfitin ina greatway.” Anylingeringeffectsfromthe injurythat kept Weaseoff the fieldlast fallarebehindhimnow, he explained. Like the restof OU’s receivers,hespentthefirst weekof spring campfindinghislegsand adjusting to thenewpaceofthe Sooners’offense.
Butas Weasesettles backin for 2022, he returnswithperspective gainedfromthe past year.
“I’mgrateful fortheinjurybecauseitbrought somethingout of myself,” Weasesaid.“Iknew Ihaditinme,butbeinginjured andbeingoff thefieldmademe digdeeperandactuallyfindthat andputit towork.”
eli.lederman@tulsaworld.com
tiello,whohad 14 cleansheetsovertheprevious twoyears forPittsburgh,and former OKCEnergyFCcaptain Conor Donovan.... Thisis thefirsttimesince2018thatTulsa hasplayedCalifornia teamsinconsecutive games DarioSuarez’sgoalonWednesday washis19thinthisdecade—themostofany FCTulsaplayer. .FCTulsareceivedastrong 37minutesoffthebenchfromKemboKibato onWednesday.“Kemboisoneofmanyplayersthatcan comein andchange the game,” FC Tulsacoach Michael Nsiensaid.“Hecan
Josh Sills’ momaudibly celebrated herson’sshuttle performance. Israel Antwine’s dad narrated Israel’sdefensive lineman agility drillbysaying “Good jobgood jobgood job ” “Nerv-ited” indeed. With someunflinchingfaith mixedin.
“AmI nervous?No,”Roman Rodriguezsaid.“BecauseI knowfor afactthatmysonis goingtodohis best.”
Thatwasprettycool.The whole scene was.
The6-foot-6,325-pound Sills walkedoutofthe Smith Centerstraightinto abearhug from hismom, Kim.Sills playfully teasedhisdad, John, to thepointthat Johnlaughingly jokedwith anearbyOSU securityofficerto“arrestthiskid.”
ThentheSillstrio walked across thefield thatShanna andMalcolm Rodriguez strode earlierintheday. One family leavinginthe samemanner anotherhadarrived. Together. guerin.emig@tulsaworld.com
alsostartthegameandbeeffective,I don’t want to downplayhis value by thinkinghe’s just aplayerthat comesonandprovidesenergy.Heisaplayerthat,atanymoment,can changethegameforus.Yousawinthegame, he wasisolated alotdefensively,won alotof 1-on-1 tackles,anddrovethe ball forward. Whenguys aretiredand youhaveaplayer withhisenthusiasmandspeed,he’salways going to pose aproblem.” ...Thiswillbe FC Tulsa’sthird matchinninedays.
—Barry Lewis, TulsaWorld
Samuelsscores16 to lead Wildcats past Houston
ASSOCIATEDPRESS
SANANTONIO —JermaineSamuelshad16points and10reboundsasVillanova advanced to itsthirdNCAA
Final Fourinthelastsix
NCAA Tournamentswitha grind-it-out 50-44 victory over Houstoninthe South Regionfinal Saturday.
Caleb Danielsadded 14 pointsforthe Wildcats(307),andfifth-yearseniorCollinGillespie’sonlymadefield goal wasaclutchshotlate.
Withboth teamswilling to limitpossessions,thefirst spotforthisyear’sFinalFour inNewOrleanswassettledin agamethatwasuglytowatch withallthemissedshots.
Villanovashot28.8%from thefield(15of52).The Cougarswereonlyslightlybetter at 29.8%(17 of 57),missing theirlast fiveshotsand10of 11overall,andtheymadeonly oneoftheir20attempted 3-pointers.
The Wildcatsand coach Jay Wright won’tcomplain ashe seekstoadd athirdnationaltitletotheoneshewon in2016and2018.Villanova willplayeitherKansas,the onlyNo. 1seed remaining, or10th-seeded Miamiinthe
Final Fournext Saturdayin New Orleansasit seeksits fourthchampionshipoverall.
Taze Moorehad 15 points and10 rebounds forthe Cougars(32-6), whowere deniedmaking consecutive
Final Fourappearances for thefirsttimesince1982-84 duringthePhilSlama Jama era.Thestarting fivewas
completelychangedfromlast season,includingMooreand twootherseniornewcomers.
After Villanova missed threeshotsonthe same possession —and wasstill withoutanysecond-chance pointsinthe game —Moore gotthelong reboundonthe break. Afterinitiallyslowing thingsdown, Moorescored on adrive againstGillespie, getting Houstonwithin4240with5:25left.
ItwastheclosesttheCougars hadbeeninthe gameat AT&TCenter,onlyabout200 milesfromtheir campus, andthecrowdwasin aloud frenzy when Wright called timeout.Theynever gota chancetotakethelead.
Gillespie, whoplayedin thenationalchampionship game forthe Wildcatsin 2018,was 1-of-6shooting. Buthisonlyfield goal came
Ex-Jacksonville coachWilliamsdies
JoeWilliams,who coachedArtisGilmoreandtiny Jacksonville Universitytothe 1970 NCAA Tournament championship gameagainstmightyUCLA,died Saturday. He was88.
Williams,whoalsocoachedat FurmanandFlorida State, diedinEnterprise, Mississippi, whileinhospice care after alengthybattlewith cancer,his sonJoe Williams Jr.said.
TheDolphinswereoneofthetrueCinderella teamsin NCAA Tournamenthistory. Led by the 7-foot-2Gilmoreandunranked to startthe season,theybeatWestern Kentucky,Iowa,KentuckyandSt.Bonaventureontheir waytothe championship game.Theyscoredmorethan 100points18timesthat season,includingthreetimes inthe tournament.
onthepossessionafterthe timeoutwhenhesteppedinsidethe3-pointlineandhita jumperwith5:02left.
Therewas anearly two-minutescoringdrought before Justin Mooremade twofreethrows, with afoul by J’Wan Robertsbailing out the Wildcats with the shotclockabout to runout. Those were theironlysecond-chancepointsinthe entiregame.
Villanova had scoredthe first fivepointsofthe game, including a3-pointer by Samuelsonthefirstshot.
Villanova’s Mooresuffereda lowerleginjurywhen he slipped while dribbling in thefinalminuteofthe game and wasoncrutchesduring the Wildcats’postgame celebration.
10th-seeded Miamitakes on last survivingNo.1
ASSOCIATEDPRESS CHICAGO—JordanMiller playedforGeorge Mason for three seasonsbeforetransferring to Miami. So Miller waswellawareofHurricanes coachJimLarrañagalongbefore he switched schools.
“BeingatGeorge Mason, it’s hard not to hearabout hissuccessthere,”Millersaid Saturday.“CoachL,actually, when Ifirsttalked to him,he actuallysaid,‘Doyouknow about my success atGeorge Mason?’”
Sixteen yearsafterhedirectedthePatriotstoamemorable Final Fourrun,theaffableLarrañagahasanother double-digit seedonthe brinkofthenational semifinals.Standinginhis wayis KansasandBill Self,another highlysuccessfulcoachlook-
ing to makehis ownhistory. Larrañagaand Selfhave neverfacedoff ashead coaches,butthatchanges Sundaywhenthe10thseededHurricanes(26-10) and top-seeded Jayhawks (31-6)meetintheEliteEight.
“WhenIthinkofhisteams, Ithinkof well-coached,but Ialsothinkoffreedom,”Self said.“Seemsliketomehe always hashis teamsplaying withjoy,withafreemindand aggressiveoffensively,which
Ithinkis agreat trait to have as acoach.”
Self,59, islooking forhis first Final Foursince2018 and No. 4overallin 19seasonsatKansas.Hereceived whatamountstoalifetime contractabout ayearago, evenasthe school awaitsa decisionfromanindependent panelinvestigating five LevelI infractionsalleged by the NCAA.
Selfisoneof fivecoaches inNCAADivisionIhistoryto
takethreedifferentschoolsto theEliteEight,butheis3-7 inthat roundofthe tournament.
“That’s notgoodenough,” Self said.“Itis adifferent gamebecause it’s thehardest gameinthe tournament to notwin. Youcan talk aboutfirst round, youcan talkabout whatever,it’sthe hardest game.Thenational championshipfinals,atleast you’re playing foritallor whatever.”
The Jayhawksare thelast No. 1seed leftinthe tourney aftertheyadvancedwitha 66-61victoryoverProvidenceonFriday night.Led by Big12Playerofthe Year Ochai Agbajiand arejuvenated Remy Martin,they havewoneightin arow datingtoa74-64lossatTCUon March1.
Larrañagahas seven20win seasonsinhis11 years at Miami. He has recorded sevenoftheprogram’s11 winsinthe tourney.
In thefinal,theyfaced aBruinsprograminthemiddle ofcoach John Wooden’sdynasty. UCLA won80-69for itsfourth consecutive nationalchampionshipandsixth in sevenyears. Williams wasan assistant coachat Furman whenhe tookovertheJacksonvilleprogramin1964,andtheschool playedinthe NAIA foronemoreseasonbeforemoving to theNCAA, whereitquickly rose to prominence.
NW Missouri StatewinsDII title
EVANSVILLE,Ind.—TrevorHudginshitfive 3-pointersandfinishedwith31pointsto helpfifth-seeded Northwest MissouriStatebeatAugusta67-58 Saturday andthe Bearcats becamethefirstprograminhistoryto winthree consecutive DivisionIInationalchampionships.Northwest MissouriState(34-5)improved to 4-0 inchampionship gamesandhas wonfourofthelast five titles,beginningwiththeprogram’sfirstin2017.
—AssociatedPress
Friday, Philadelphia
St.Peter’s 67,Purdue64
North Carolina 73, UCLA66
CHAMPIONSHIP
Sunday, Philadelphia
St.Peter’s vs.N. Carolina, 4:10 p.m.
SOUTHREGION
FIRSTROUND
Michigan75,Colorado St.63
Tennessee88,Longwood56 Arizona 87,WrightSt. 70
TCU69, SetonHall42 Ohio St.54, Loyola Chicago41
Villanova 80,Delaware 60
Illinois54,Chattanooga53 Houston 82, UAB68
SECOND ROUND
Michigan 76,Tennessee68
Arizona85,TCU80,OT
ASSOCIATEDPRESS
PHILADELPHIA —America lovesMarchMadnessbecause Americalovesanunderdog.
One twist:Whiletherun to the cuspofthe Final Four by tinySaint Peter’shasbeenriveting,it’s also thelatest exampleofhowsomethingthatoncefeltlikeamiracle atthe NCAA Tournamentmight begrowingmorecommoninyears to come. The Peacocks,whoplayNo. 8seed NorthCarolinaonSundaywith atrip to New Orleans ontheline, have joinedFlorida Gulf CoastandOral Robertsas thethirdNo. 15seedin adecade to makeittothe second weekendofthe tournament.Sincethe bracket expanded to 64 teamsin 1985,the 15seedshave a14-140 record.Eightofthose 14 winshave comesince2012. CoachShaheen Holloway’s Peacocksare thefirst 15 to make it to theEliteEight.And while Americais embracingthe Saint Peter’sstory —who wouldn’tlove
a2,200-studentcommuterschool
on abusystreetin Jersey Citytrying to putthe screws to Tobacco Road? —the Peacocksthemselves aresoakingitinwithout taking that seeding so seriously.
“Someoftheseguysfeellike theybelongat schoolslikethat,” said Holloway,whose team started thisrunwith awin over Kentucky andbeatPurdueon Fridaynight.
Four yearsago,theunthinkable duringMarchMadnessstopped beingunthinkable. A16seed, UMBC, topped No. 1Virginiain thefirst round.This year,three ofthe four No. 1s weregoneafter the Sweet 16.OnlyKansas,which plays 10th-seeded MiamionSunday, remains.
Explanations forever-increasing parityincollegehoopscome fromallangles. Hollowayisamongthose who saytheeraoftheone-and-done, stemmingfromtherulethatallows players to entertheNBAdraft afterone yearof college,might have subtlyshiftedtheadvantage to programsthatdon’tpursue those kindofplayers and,thus,
spendtime togetherbuildinga team.
“You getthe Kentuckysofthe worldwithallthesegreatplayers,” FloridaGulf CoastathleticdirectorKenKavanagh said. “Yeah,it workedout wellwithCarmelo Anthony(at Syracusein2003), butother teams,ithasn’tworked outas wellbecauseyou’re playingolder teams,teamsthathave playedtogether forfour years.”
Another factorarethe recently liberalizedtransferrulesthatallowplayers to changeschools withouthaving to sitout fora year.Some seethatasanelementthatalsocouldalsodegrade team-building.
“It’s kids wanting to getback closertohomewho went away,” said Miami coachJimLarrañaga, wholedGeorge Mason to the Final Fourasan11 seedin2006.“Or, ‘I’msittingonthebench someplacebut Ithink Icouldstartat theother school.’”
Another partofthis evolution comesfromtheproliferationof AAUandsummerleaguesthat
makeallplayers familiar to each otherbeforetheyeversteponto acollegefloor.Thoughtheirprograms couldnotbemoredifferent, Sundaywillnotmarkthefirst timetheplayers from Saint Peter’swill go againsttheguys from NorthCarolina;the TarHeels rosterincludesthree McDonald’s All-AmericansinCalebLove,R.J. DavisandArmandoBacot.
“Wedefinitelyplayedagainst mostoftheseguys,”Peacocks forwardKCNdefosaid.“It’s just basketballattheendoftheday.”
Nothing,however, seems to makebasketballmorebeautiful than when teams come“fromout ofnowhere.”
NorthCarolinaisan 81/2-point favoritesagainst Saint Peter’s,according to FanDuelSportsbook.
“Yes,we’re theunderdogs. Yes, we’retheCinderella team,” Hollowaysaid.“Butattheend oftheday, we’reateamthat’s rampingupjustlikeanyoneelse. Youtakethenameoffthefront ofthe jersey,itreallydoesn’t matter.”
Bueckers, Williams help Huskiesadvance to 16th straight regional final
ASSOCIATEDPRESS BRIDGEPORT, Conn. —Over the past25 years, UConnhas beenknown forputting together lengthyscoringrunsthatturn tight gamesintoblowouts.
PaigeBueckersandtheHuskies put together aclassicone to begin thesecondhalfagainstIndianaon Saturdayandmove into theprogram’s16th consecutive regional final.
Bueckers’3-pointer to openthe thirdquarterbeganthe 16-0onslaughtandtheHuskies ranaway fromIndiana 75-58intheBridgeport Regional.
“We started pushing the ball in transition more; we got a few easy bucketsthere,” Bueckerssaid.“I thoughtweplayedwithalotbetter pace andjusta lotbetterenergy.”
BueckersandChristyn Williamseach scored15pointsand Azzi Fuddhad 13 to lead UConn, which facestop-seeded North CarolinaStateonMondaynightin anattempt to earn a14thstraight trip to the Final Four.
Butit wasinthelane wherethe Huskiesdominated.Olivia Nelson-Ododahad adouble-double with10pointsand 14 rebounds and Connecticut(28-5)outscored the Hoosiers46-32inthe paint. UConnalsooutreboundedIndiana 39-27including 15-2 onthe offensive end.
“Throughoutthe season reboundinghasbeen apointof emphasis,especiallyfromthe coaches,” Nelson-Ododa said. “Just goingouttheretoday, stayinginanaggressive mentalityand just keepattacking,keepcrashing theboardswas really hugeforus.”
AliPatberg,inherseventhyearof collegebasketballthankstotransfer andCOVID-19rules,had16points forthethird-seededHoosiers,who finishtheir seasonat 24-9.Grace Bergerhad13pointsandMackenzie Holmesadded12 forIndiana.
Indianaopenedthe gamewith an8-2run,but UConn came back to lead 37-33atthehalf.
NO.5NOTRE
DAME 63: Raina Perezdecided to come back foronemoreseason andhopefullyliftthe Wolfpack to newheights. The seniorguard didjustthat,helping N.C.State advancetoits first regionalfinal in 24 years.
Perezstolethe ballatmidcourt andmadeago-aheadlayup with 14 secondsleft to sendthe Wolfpack(32-3)toacomebackvictory overthe FightingIrish(24-9)in Bridgeport, Conn.
It’s N.C.State’sfirsttrip to the EliteEightsince1998 whenthe Wolfpack reached theFinal Four.
N.C.State hadlostinthe Sweet 16 thepreviousthree tournamentsandlookedasifit wasgoing to makeitfourstraightuntil thelate rallyled by PerezandKai Crutchfield, whoalsocame back forthe extraCOVID yeargranted by the NCAA.
N.C.State advanced to theregionalfinal Mondaynight whereit will facesecond-seeded UConn.
WICHITAREGIONAL
NO.1 LOUISVILLE 76,NO. 4TENNESSEE 64: HaileyVanLithhad 23pointsandsixassists, Emily Engstlerhad20pointsand10 rebounds,andtheCardinals(28-4) heldoff theLadyVols(25-9)in Wichita,Kan., to reachtheElite
Eight forthe fourth consecutive time.
KiannaSmithalsohad12points forLouisville, whichblewmost ofan early 15-pointleadbefore pulling away lateinthe fourth quarter to setupadatewith No. 3seedMichigan foraspotinthe Final Four.
RaeBurrellled Tennesseewith 22points, butshedidn’tgeta wholelotofhelpfromher team, whichhad18turnovers.Jordan Walker contributed10pointsbut had fiveoftheturnovers.
TheCardinalshave becomeone ofthenation’sdominant women’s programsundercoachJeffWalzbut arechasingtheirfirstnationaltitle.
PETE IACOBELLI AssociatedPress GREENSBORO,N.C.—
SurprisingCreightonison the NCAA Tournamentrun of alifetime.Theonlything standinginthe wayofa first triptothe Final Fouris No.1 SouthCarolinaandthenation’smostdominantplayer inAliyahBoston.
The10th-seededBluejays (23-9)believe they’reready forthatnext,very hugestep.
“Ithinkwhatwehavedone alreadyprovesthatwecanbe here,” Creighton senior PaytonBrotzki said Saturday. “It’s obviously, atough task, butIthinkwecantrustinour preparation,our coaching, andjustthe faithand confidencewehaveineachother.”
So far, that’s carried Creightonas farasany double-digit seedin NCAA historyexcept No. 11 seed Gonzaga,which reachedthe regionalfinalsin2011before falling to Stanford.
South Dakota,a 10th seed inthe WichitaRegion,plays No. 3seed Michiganon Saturdaynight foraspotinthe EliteEight.
IfCreightonpullsitoff, thewin wouldsurelyjointhe listofbiggest collegeupsets everliketinyChaminade onthemen’ssidedefeating powerful top-ranked VirginiaandstarRalph Sampsonin1982or Appalachian StateFCS football taking downfifth-ranked MichiganattheBig Housein2007.
Creighton coachJim Flanerysees achance,not unlikehow 15th-seededSt. Peter’sbeatKentuckyand Purdueonthe waytomen’s EliteEight.
“Ithink we’reunconventionalenoughoffensively ,” Flanerysaid,“tocreate someissues forthem.” Goodluck. SouthCarolina,ledbythe 6-foot-5 Boston, hasanswered everychallengethis season.TheGamecocks(32-2) havegone12-0againstranked opponentsthis yearafterde-
featingNo.17NorthCarolina 69-61hereFridaynight.That totalincludeswinsoverapair of remaining No.1 tournamentseedsinNorthCarolina Stateand Stanford.
“Idon’tthink we canget caughtupinanythingbut what we have withinour team,”said ZiaCooke,South Carolina’sthirdleading scorerat 11pointsagame. “IknowCreighton,they have greatshooters.They’re superaggressive.Soweare preparing forthat.”
Creightonhasalready defeated No. 2seed Iowa and No.3seed Iowa State,taking a13-pointleadinthe fourth quarteronthe Cyclonesina 76-68Sweet 16 win Friday night.
TheBluejaysuse amotion attackthat forcesopponents to guardtheperimeteror pay. They leadthe country inassistsatmorethan20 agameandaresecondnationallywith10.3 3-pointers per contest.
It’saneffective,andnecessary,stylegivenCreighton’s lackofsize.TheBluejays don’thaveaplayerthan6-1. SouthCarolinahas sevenat leastthattall—onthebench.
“Clearly,wedon’thave that,”Bluejaysjunior forward Carly Bachelor,allof six-feet, said.
“But Ialsothinkthat’sa strengthofours,”Bachelor continued,“nothaving to
rely onsizeandjust everybodybeingable to shootand cutand score.”
Bostoncanshootand cutand score,alongwith rebound.She went for28 pointsand22reboundsinthe NorthCarolinawin,her27th straightdouble-double.She alsohit12of13foulshotsand scoredall 13 points forSouth Carolinainthefourthquarter to hold backthe TarHeels.
The self-effacing,modest Bostonwillnotbragonherself,onlyworks to getbetterandhelptheGamecocks achieve theirmuchstated season’sgoalofanational championship.“That’s been ourmain focustheentire season,”she said.
SouthCarolinacoachDawn Staleyhas seentruegrowth fromhersuperstarthis season,bothonandoffthecourt. Herfirsttwo seasons,Staley said,Bostonwaslargelyabout “books,basketball,andreally, Netflixand takingnaps.”
Bostonhas evolved,Staley says,tobecomemoresocial andoutgoing,finding asuccessful balancethis season to success andfun.
Cookewatched Boston’s gameagainst NorthCarolinaand wasamazedather dominanceandeffortatthe mostcrucialoftimes.
“Ithinkshesurprisesus eachand everyday,” Cooke said.“She continues to makehistory.”
NO.3 MICHIGAN52,NO.10SO.DAKOTA ST.49: NazHillmonhad 17 pointsand10 rebounds,andLaila
Phelia scoredthe go-aheadlayup inthefinalminuteforthe Wolverines(25-6), whobeatthe Coyotes (29-6)in Wichita,Kan., to reach theEliteEight forthefirsttime.
Phelia scored14 pointsand LeighaBrownadded10 forMichigan.
The WolverineswillplayLouisvilleon Mondaywith atrip to the Final Fouratstake.
South Dakota wastrying to becomejustthefifthdouble-digit seed to reachtheEliteEight,but fellshort.HannahSjervenhad 17 pointsandeight reboundsbefore foulingout, whileChloeLamb, theSummitLeaguePlayerofthe Year whoaveraged16pointsper game, washeld to justsixpoints.
The Wolverines gotoff toa roughstartin what wasessentially aroadenvironmentand scraped out awindespiteHillmon going scorelessinthefirstquarter.
Anglerofthe Yeartitleson various protours.
He isoneofonlythreeanglers to win back-to-backBassmaster Classics,andhe wonthe2020 General Tire MLF WorldChampionship.
Edwin EversofTalalaisthe onlyanglerinthe worldwithboth BassmasterClassicand Redcrest trophies,wonin2016and2019.
Spokane, Washington, angler LukeClausenisoneofonlyfive inthe worldwith aForrest Wood Cup,wonin2004,and aBassmasterClassictrophy, from2006.
Dustin ConnellofClanton,Alabama,isthedefending Redcrest 2021championandis comingoff awininthemost recentMLFBass ProTour eventatAlabama’sLewis SmithLake.BryanThrifthasthe 2019Forrest WoodCup to his name.
JacobWheelerlandedhis Forrest WoodCupin2012.
BobbyLane wasthe2017MLF General Tire WorldChampion. Theotherthreearehungryfor thewinincluding Michael Neal of Dayton, Tennessee, whoistops inthe Tackle WarehousePro Circuitandplaced secondinthe2021 Redcrest.
ZackBirge ofBlanchardmade thecut forchampionshipSundayinthe past twoRedcrestsand placed fourthbothtimes.
Blacksburg, SouthCarolina, anglerAndyMontgomerymadeit to thefirstknockout roundinthe
GROUP BKNOCKOUT ROUND
Angler,Hometown, Fish, Weight
1. Jordan Lee, Cullman,Ala., 11 bass, 33 pounds, 2ounces
2. MichaelNeal,Dayton,Tenn., 12 bass, 31-09
3. Dustin Connell, Clanton, Ala. 10 bass, 31-05
4. BobbyLane,Lakeland, Fla., nine bass,27-13
5. Jacob Wheeler,Harrison, Tenn., sevenbass, 26-11
The fiveproseliminated from competitionSaturdayare:
Angler,Hometown, Fish, Weight, Winnings
6. Mark Davis, Mt.Ida, Ark.,eightbass,21-02,$10,000
GARRICKDIXON,MLF PHOTO
Jordan LeeofCullman,Ala., hustles one of his catchesback to thereferee on his boat Saturdayasheworkstocome out on topinthe second knockout round of theMajor League FishingRedcrest Championship on Grand LakeO’the Cherokees.
MLFREDCRESTANDOUTDOORSPORTSEXPO
TODAY(10-angler finale)
6:45a.m.-4:30 p.m.: Competitionscheduleand LiveStream coverage
continues
10 a.m.: Doorsopen at OutdoorSports Expoat SageNet Center,Expo
Square
4:30 p.m.: ClaytonAnderson concertatMossy OakMusic Stateat
SageNetCenter
5:45p.m.: Anglersarrivevia helicopter at SageNet Center
6p.m.: General Tire Post Game ShowonMain Stage at SageNet Center with championship trophyawarded
7p.m.: Toyota TundraGiveawayonMain Stage at SageNet Center
2021 Redcrest,butheisalsoveterananglerwith fourBassmaster Classicand four Forrest WoodCup appearancesunderhisbelt. Everssaidthelevelofcompe-
titionandthe factthat everyone startschampionshipSundaywith azerobehindtheirnameleaves itallwide-opennomatter who caught whatthe past weekorthe
7. CaseyAshley, Donalds, S.C.,two bass, 5-13,$10,000
8. Greg Vinson, Wetumpka, Ala., twobass, 4-09,$10,000
9. ScottSuggs,Alexander,Ark., one bass, 4-02,$10,000
10.Brandon Coulter,Knoxville,Tenn.,no bass, 0-00,$10,000
The 10 anglerswho will competeinSunday’s ChampionshipRound are:
Jordan Lee, Cullman, Ala.; Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn.; BobbyLane,Lakeland, Fla.; DustinConnell, Clanton, Ala.; Jacob Wheeler,Harrison, Tenn.; Luke Clausen, Spokane,Wash.; Andy Montgomery, Blacksburg,S.C.; Edwin Evers, Talala; BryanThrift, Shelby, N.C.;Zack Birge,Blanchard
pastdecades. “Youlookatthe wholefieldand anybodycanwin,”hesaid.“Major League Fishingput togetherthe bestfield everassembled.That’s whatit’s builton.Anyoneofthem isjustas capableofwinningasthe next.”
Evenwith ascore-keeperonthe boat tellinganglerswheretheyare inthestandings, theanglersjust haveto focusontheir gameanddo theirbeststart to finish,he said.
Evenafter experiencingthe tough conditionswith afield Fridaythat caughthalf whatthe top
ofthefield caught Saturday, it’s not atime toworry. Hesaidhe feels goodabout whatheknows goingintothefinale.
“It’s super exciting to makeit,” he said. “You’ve gottobein it to winit.”
Lee reflectedonthe resumesin thefieldandechoedthat whatwill-come sentimentinfrontof the RedcrestcrowdlateSaturday.
“You reallydon’tknow, and nobodyinhefielddoesuntil you getoutthere,”hesaid. “Andthen someone canturnitoninthelast period, so youneverknow.”
JENNAFRYER
AssociatedPress
AUSTIN,Texas —BradKeselowski wasoptimistiche can overcome aknee-bucklingpenalty thatpotentiallyendedanychampionship chances amerefive races intohisfirst seasonas aCup team owner.
NASCARthis week saidaninspectionatitsNorthCarolina facilityuncoveredanillegalmodification to the No. 6 Ford a major infractionundertightenedrules forthenewNextGen racecar. The NextGenisprimarilyaspec car
made upof vendor-supplied parts and NASCARwillnotpermitany tinkering.
Keselowski,nowaco-owner ofRFKRacing, wasdocked 100 pointsand plummetedfrom 16th inthecurrent standings to 35th.
He goesintoSunday’sraceatCircuitofthe Americasasthelowest rankedfull-timeCup Series driver.
“No, it’s notcrippling.It’s not what we want.Nobodywantstobe inthisposition,”Keselowski said afterqualifying26thon Saturday.
“We’regoing to getoutofthis
what we makeofit.And we canuse thisas amoment to drowninour owntears,orgetstrongerandbe better.I’m committed to thelatter ofthe two.” RFK wasalsodocked100 owner pointsonthe No. 6Ford, while crew chiefMatt McCall wasfined $100,000andsuspended forfour Cup races. Should Keselowski recoverto maketheplayoffsfora ninth consecutive season,the2012 Cupchampionwillbedocked10 pointsatthe reset. Keselowski wouldnot reveal what NASCARhasaccusedRFK
Racingofdoing to itscarahead oflastSunday’sraceatAtlanta, citingtheappealprocess. Hiscar failedpre-raceinspectionat Atlantaand waschosenfor adeeper teardownat NASCAR’s R&D facility.
NASCARhasalsonot toldthe industrywhat partsormodifications were found to bealteredon the Ford,and NASCARPresident StevePhelpstoldTheAssociated Pressthatwithholdingtheinformation wasadecisionmade by competitionofficials.ButPhelps reiteratedthat teams werewarned
duringtheoffseasonthat anew punishment systemwouldbe severe.
“Theyknewwhatthepenalties were upfront formanipulation of aspec part,”Phelpssaid Saturday.
DennyHamlin wastheonly driverinthe garage to copto knowing whatRFKmodifiedbut saidhisinformation wasonly “hearsay.” Otherscalledon NASCAR fortransparency.
“Ifit wasthatbigof adeal,I thinkitshouldbepublic,” said KevinHarvick.
(918)419-1079
AssociatedPress
WiththeNBA boominginthe 1990sand women’ssportsin the headlinesfollowingthe1996 Olympics, CommissionerDavid Stern feltit wastime to starta professional women’sbasketball league.
Forittobesuccessful,Stern connectedit to theNBA —starting withthe name.
“It wasverydeliberatedecision to callittheWNBA to bring the core brandintothe league name,”saidformerleaguePresidentVal Ackerman, whowas part ofthegroup thathelpedfoundthe WNBA.“Itwasariskthat,ifthings didn’tworkout,itcouldhave been ahit,butitwasalsoawaytotellthe worldthattheNBAwasverymuch apartofit.”
It worked.Whilethefight for genderequitycontinuesaround thesportsworldasthe NBAcelebratesits 75 anniversaryseason, 26 yearsafterit waslaunched the WNBAis oneofthelongestrunning professional women’ssports leagues.
Sternwasn’t theonlyone lookingtocapitalize on women’s sports.
Anotherwomen’s professional basketballleague—theABL—also wasstarting at that time.Butwith Stern’sdeterminationto show the worldthe WNBAwas a“major leagueeffortliketheNBA,”theABL wasnomatchoff thecourt.
“Itsoundsbignowanditwasbig then,”Ackermansaid. “Given all thatwas goingonwiththeNBA at thattime.Frankly,itwasaveryexcitingtimeto bepartoftheleague. Everyarrow waspointingupward backinthelate’80s,early ’90s andmid ’90s.Theinternational businesswasstarting to takeoff becauseoftheDreamTeam.
“Interestintheleaguewassurgingwithrivalriesandstarplayers andthe WNBA wasyetanother significantdevelopmentthatnot onlymarkedahistoricalstep for theNBA but amilestoneinthe sport of basketball.”
WNBACommissionerCathy
Engelbertstill gets “enormous supportfromtheNBA,”andunderstandsthe valueofthe relationship.
“Nodoubtin my mindthatthe
NBAsupportiswhy we arethe longest-tenured women’sleague insports,” Engelbert said.
Duringthelate1990s, Ackerman remembersSternhad two sub-committeesreviewingupstartleagues.One fortheWNBA andanotherfor whatisnowthe NBA’sGLeague.Hewantedbothto launchatthesametime,butchose theWNBAtogofirst.
Sterndecidedtoride“thetideof what washappeningelsewherein women’sbasketballwithwomen’s college basketballat ahighpoint and,ofcourse thenational team,” Ackermansaid.“We hitchedour wagontothe nationalteamin 1995-97.”
WithWNBA teamsplaying in NBAarenas,alongwithtelevision dealsandsponsors, within two yearstheABL wasout ofbusiness.
Therehadbeen afew women’sbasketballleaguesbefore the WNBA,buttheyhadallfailed.The plan wasforWNBAgames to be playedduringthesummer when arenas were looking to filldates. Thetimeframealsoavoidedthe college basketball season andallowedplayers whowereplaying overseasin thewintertocompete.
Ackermansaid“causemarketing”was apriority fortheleague fromitsinception.
“Itwas about women andempowerment,”she said.“Supportinghealthinitiatives,breastcancer research,fitness.Jumping allover thatfromtheget-go.Wehadno socialmedia.”
But causemarketing couldonly
take theWNBAsofar; theplay wastobeits stayingpower. The on-courtproducthasgottenmuch better.Asaresult,players havea platformtoaddressissuesoff the court,including socialandpolitical concerns.
“IthinkweallknewaboutMaya Mooreandhercriminaljustice reformstance,butpeopledidn’t know asmuchaboutthebroader 144players oftheWNBA,”Engelbertsaid.“One ofthe fewgood thingstocomeoutofthepandemic wasthatit reallyputtheplayers onthemap aroundtheirimpact ofnotonlyjust socialjustice,but thethingstheywantedtoadvocate forlikevotingrights.”
AckermansaidSternremained an avidsupporterofthe league until his death two years ago. She shared with The Associated Press anemailhesenther afew months
before hedied in 2020,whichshe included inhereulogyathisfuneral.
“Everywomen’sleaguehas goneoutofbusinessatleast once, buttheWNBA isstillheregiving collegiate players areasontokeep improving,”Sternwrote.“Demonstratingthatthelessonsofsacrifice,discipline,physical conditioningandteamworkare notjust forboysgiving voicetothenotion thatcompetitioncanhelpaspiring female executivesaswellas their male counterparts.” Hesummeduptheimpactofthe WNBA whenheclosedwith: “Timeshavechanged,and it’s nowinapositiontobenefit greatlyfromthe recognitionofits attributesandimportance.Especiallybythe corporateworldand itsfans.”
JIMMIE TRAMEL TulsaWorld
Co-starshavebeenannounced for“TulsaKing,”a Paramount+ seriesstarring SylvesterStallone thatwill soonbeginfilmingin TulsaandOklahomaCity.
MaxCasella(“The Tender Bar”), DomenickLombardozzi (“TheIrishman”), Vincent Piazza(“BoardwalkEmpire”) and Jay Will (“TheMarvelous Mrs. Maisel”) have joinedthe cast.
JIMMIE TRAMEL TulsaWorld
Justlookatthose eyesand you know: TeddyJackisthe sonof LeonRussell.
TeddyJack,askedifhe getsa lotof“youlooklikeyourdad” comments, saidthis:“Oh yeah. It’s amazing. Iwasin the recordingstudiotheotherdayand Isaw (Tulsa-born drummer)Jim Keltnerand Iwalkedup to himand he freakedout. Ihadn’tseenhimin 20,25years.Andhe said,‘wow, youlookjustlikeyourdaddid thedayImethim.’Andit totally freakedhimout.It wassofunny.”
TeddyJackfollowedhis Rock &Roll Hallof Fame fatherinto the familybusinessandwill perform Friday, April 1atthe VenueShrine.Thegigwill follow, by one week,thelaunchof the websiteteddyjackmusic. com.
TeddyJack scheduledthe showtocelebratewhatwould have been amilestonebirthday forhis father.
Russell wasborn April2, 1942, anddiedin2016. LeonLifers (his“super fans”)areheaded
to Tulsafor weekend events plannedin conjunctionwith what wouldhave beenRussell’s 80thbirthday,including aSunday, April 3concertathisalma mater,WillRogersHigh School.
“There’sabout10or 15 things goingonthat weekend,but Ijust feltlikeIshouldplay,”TeddyJack said,indicatingduring aphone interviewthatheislooking forward to seeing everyone.“Thisis
afamilyreunionmorethananything.”
Speakingof family, Teddy Jack’sgodfatheris Tulsaactor GaryBusey.
TeddyJack wasnamedafter acharacter(TeddyJackEddy) brought to lifebyBusey ona late-night Tulsatelevisionprogram(“Dr.MazeppaPompazoidi’sUncannyFilm Festivaland Camp Meeting”)inthe 1970s. TeddyJack saidhehas seenvideo ofBusey(withGailardSartain andJim Millaway, aliasSherman Oaks) on“Mazeppa.”
TeddyJacksharedstories aboutBusey andothers— Willie Nelson,ClintEastwood,Bill Monroe —intheentertainment world,but,first,here’sa question:Ismusichereditary?
“TulsaKing” follows New York mafia capo Dwight“The General” Manfredi (Stallone), who, afterheis releasedfrom prisonafter25 years, is exiled by hisboss to setupshopin Tulsa. Said anewsreleaseaboutthe series:“Realizingthathismob familymay nothave hisbestinterestsinmind,Manfredislowly builds a‘crew’fromagroupof unlikelycharacterstohelphim establish anew criminalempire in aplacethat to himmightas wellbeanotherplanet.”
CasellawillplayArmand Truisi,anambitiouscriminaloperatingunderthe patronageofthe Invernizzifamily.
Lombardozziwillplay Charles “Chickie”Invernizzi,underboss andde factoheadoftheInvernizzicrime family.
PiazzawillplayVinceAntonacci,Chickie’shenchman.
WillwillplayTyson,a quick-wittedand eagle-eyed college graduate who acts tougherthanheactuallyisand longsfor alifefar fromhis roots.
“TulsaKing”wascreatedby TaylorSheridanof“Yellowstone”and is thelatestaddition to Sheridan’sexpanding Paramount+empire,whichincludes the service’stop-two-performingoriginalseries,“1883”and “Mayorof Kingstown,”aswell astheupcoming series“Lioness,”“LandMan,”“1932”and severalprojectsindevelopment.
AcademyAward nomineeand Emmy Awardwinner Terence Winter(“The Sopranos,”“The WolfofWallStreet”)is serving as executiveproducer, writer andshowrunnerof“Tulsa King.”
A“TulsaKing”scene witha prisonguardisset to befilmed MondayinOklahomaCity.Filmingin Tulsawill take placeTuesdaythroughThursday.
jimmie.tramel@tulsaworld.com
JAMES D. WATTSJR.
TulsaWorld
ForJaapvan Zweden,themusic directorofthe New York Philharmonic,theprospectof returning to theOklahomaStateUniversityStillwatercampusis abitlike cominghome. VanZwedenandthePhilharmonicwerethe featuredguests fortheopening weekendatthe McKnight Center forthe PerformingArts, the concerthall complexthatopeneditsdoors in October2019.
“Wewereso honored to bea partofthat wonderfulmoment,” vonZwedensaid,and to perform for“aproud audience, aproud city.”
“That we willbedoing aresidencyevery yearinOklahomais specialtous,”hesaid,“because we areproud to come back to that really great,newhome.”
Earlierthis week, theMcKnight Centerannounced anew partnershipwiththe New York Philharmonicthat wouldincludethe
orchestraconductingmulti-day residencies over thenextthree years.
During theseresidencies,the orchestrawillperform several concertsincluding agalaevening, alongwithotherpublicperformancessuchas ayoutheducation concert.
Thefirst residencyisset for Sept.23-25,andwillincludeas partofthe gala concert aperformanceofBeethoven’sSymphony No. 9, the“Choral.”Thechorus forthis concertwillbemadeup ofabout100 OSUmusicstudents. RenownedviolinistGilShaham andpianist Conrad Taowillalso be featuredin concertduringthe inaugural residency.
Inaddition,orchestramusicianswill conductmasterclasses forOSU musicstudentswhilein Stillwater, and aselectgroupof studentmusicians willbeable to travel to New York City, to beable to studyfurtherwithPhilharmonicmusicians.
Theseactivitiesbeyondthe
concertstage“speak to our commitment to provideeducational activitiesthattransformindividuallives,”saidMarkBlakeman,the MarilynnandCarlThomaExecutive Directorofthe McKnight Center.
“It’s such arareopportunity
forcollegestudentstolearnfrom
sucheliteperformers,”Blakeman said.“Notonlywillthoseselected to go to NewYorkbeable to takea deeperdive intotheir ownmusicalstudies,theywillhave access to what goesonbehindthe scenes at aprofessionalorchestra,from
theadministrativeofficestothe rehearsalhall.
“Whereelsecan yougotoschool andhave access to somethinglike that?”he said.
Forthe New York Philharmonic, aregular residencyintheheartof the countryofferssome unique benefitsfortheorchestra, said Deborah Borda, executive directorofthe New York Philharmonic.
“Thisis amodelthat we likea lot,”Borda said.“Foronething, we’removing away fromtheold ‘whistle-stop’kindof touringthat used to be common-place.One reasonisthattheorchestratravels with125peopleand some100,000 poundsof cargo. When youthink ofthe carbon footprintthat represents, it’s obviousthis sortof touring takesatollnotjustonthe people,butontheenvironment.
“Butmoreimportantly, we can have agreater socialandartistic impacton acommunityandits musiciansif we settledownin
The returntrip: Goodbye, Hawaii.Hello,Italy.And welcome back,JenniferCoolidge.The actress/comedian’s performance asTanyaMcQuoid inHBO’s“The WhiteLotus”earnedher several awardnominations.And ever sincethe premiumcable network renewedthe socialsatirefora secondseason,Coolidge’sreturn hadbeenexpectedthoughnot officiallyconfirmed—until recently.
We nowknowthatCoolidge’s characterwillbeamong the guests vacationingatanexclusiveItalianresortinSeason2, which,despitethe changeof locale,shouldfeature asimilar formattothefirst installmentset inMaui,Hawaii.
Otheron-screen guestsinclude BertDiGrasso,playedbyF.MurrayAbraham (“Homeland”),who istravelingwithhis sonDominic (MichaelImperioli,“TheSopranos”)and grandsonAlbie(Adam DiMarco,“TheOrder”);Tom Hollander(“TheKing’s Man,” 2021)asQuentin,anEnglish expatwho is vacationingwithhis friendsand nephew;and Haley LuRichardson(“TheEdgeofSev-
enteen,”2016)asPortia,ayoung womantraveling withherboss. AubreyPlaza(“Parksand Recreation”) wasoneofthefirst announcedstarsoftheshow’s secondseason.Shewillplay theroleofHarperSpiller, whois vacationingwithherhusband, Ethan(WillSharpe,“Flowers”), andanothermarriedcouple, Daphne(MeghannFahy,“The BoldType”)andCameron Babcock(Theo James,2014’s “Divergent”).NewcomerLeo Woodallalsohas arecurring roleas a“magnetic”guest. Filmingbeganlastmonthin Sicily, wheretheluxurious Four SeasonsSanDomenico Palace inTaorminaisreportedlystandinginforthenextplushWhite Lotushotelproperty.Theformerconvent-turned-five-star-resort hasbeenclosedtoguestsin ordertoaccommodatefilming butisslatedtoreopenlaterthis week.
J.HudTalks: Freshoffher recentwinsatthe2022NAACP ImageAwards,JenniferHudson (“Respect,”2021)remainsone TonyAwardshyofachieving covetedEGOTstatus.Butif that’struly agoal,itwillhaveto wait,becausetheactress/singer
hasonceagainsethersightson daytimetelevision.
Already aDaytimeEmmy winnerforherroleasanexecutiveproducerof“BabaYaga,” theOscarandGrammywinner hasteamedupwithWarner Bros. tolaunchherveryown syndicateddaytimetalkshow, “TheJenniferHudson Show,” whichissettodebutonFoxandHearst-ownedstationsthis fall.
“TheJenniferHudsonShow” willfillthevoidleftby“TheEllenDeGeneresShow”onthose stationsoncetheflagshiptalk show endsitsrun.Thisalso meanstwo “AmericanIdol” alumnaewillbefrontingdaytimeshowsthisfall,when“The KellyClarksonShow”slidesinto thesoon-to-be-vacated“Ellen” timeslotonNBCstations.
Hudson’stestshow was shotonthe“Ellen”stageand overseenby“Ellen”executive producersAndyLassnerand MaryConnelly,butitwon’tbe arepackaged“Ellen”: J.Hud and WarnerBros.executives insistthat“TheJenniferHudson Show”isan entirely different/ newconcept.
“Peoplefromaroundthe worldhavebeenapartofmy
journeyfromthebeginning… andI’msoreadytojointheir journeyaswesitdownandtalk aboutthethingsthatinspire andmoveusall,”Hudsonsaid in astatement.“Ihavealways lovedpeople, and Icannotwait toconnecton adeeperleveland letaudiencesseethedifferent sidesofwho Iam,thehuman being,inreturn.” Shefinishedbysaying,“I couldn’tbemorethrilledto doitalongsidethisincredible team.We’reabouttohavea
lotoffunandshakethingsupa littlebit!”
Million-dollar‘Survivor’: Nowinits 42ndseason,CBS’s “Survivor”isstillgoing strong andisalready activelycastingfor Season43,tobetaped sometime betweenmid-May andearly July (accordingtothecasting call).
Butitseems NBCnow wantsto getintothe game —and it wants touptheante,too.
NBC’s“MillionDollarIsland” isbeingtoutedasasupersized
versionof“Survivor”because it willfeature100 contestants(insteadof16to20) whowillspend 50days(insteadof39)competingonthe island.Althoughthis supersizedapproachwon’tapply tothegrandprize,which is$1 million—the sameamount awardedbyCBS toeachSole Survivor.But thetwo showsdiffer in afew otherways.
AccordingtoNBC,contestants on“MillionDollarIsland”must “forgefriendshipsand buildalliancesastheyplottostayona remotedesertislandforupto50 daysandcompete towintheir shareofthe ultimate$1million prize.Uponarrival,eachcontestantisgivenabraceletworth $10,000.Duringtheirtimeonthe island,contestants gainandlose braceletsthrough variouschallenges,but when aplayerleaves theisland,theymustchoosewho willreceivetheir portionofthe money.Inthisintensecompetition,the strengthofyourpersonalbonds isjustasimportant asbeingthe ultimateplayer.”
AlthoughNBCisclearly hoping toreplicate“Survivor’s”rating success,“MillionDollarIsland”is actuallybasedona Dutchreality showthatpremieredearlier this monthinthe Netherlands.
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NCIS:LosAngeles
(6) CBS 7p.m. WhenDOJAgentLanceHamilton’s (BillGoldberg)partner iskilledinthisfirstoftwonew episodes,Sam(LLCoolJ)dons hispreviousundercoverpersona of“Switch”tofind the culprit. Later,theteaminvestigatesa high-endartrobbery.
WeakestLink
Fillinthegridsothat everyrow,everycolumn, andevery3x3box containsthedigits1 through9.
Last’s week’s solution
(2) NBC 8p.m. Jane Lynchhoststhisintense teamtrivia-showrevival,in whichcontestantsanswer questionsinordertobankmoney.Attheendofeachround,the teammembersvoteouttheir underperforming“weaklink,” untilonlythetoptwoplayers remain.
Bob’s Burgers (23) FOX 8p.m. BigBobiscomingtodinnerso that Tinacaninterviewhimfora schoolprojectin anewepisode ofthisanimatedcomedy.While the family waitsfor PopPopto arrive, theytaketurnscoming upwiththeirownversionofa storyfromhisyouth.
KandiAndTheGang
BRAVO 8p.m. Thisnewrealityshowcontinues tonightwiththeseries’fourth episode,followingthelivesof KandiBurruss,ToddTuckerand the“OldLadyGang”behind thescenes attheirfamedAtlantasoulfoodhotspot,OLG,
asthecrewfacemuch-needed changes.
Winning Time:The RiseoftheLakers
Dynasty
HBO 8p.m. Anewepisodefrom thisdrama series,basedonJeff Pearlman’s book“Showtime:Magic,Kareem,Riley,andtheLosAngeles LakersDynastyofthe1980s,” followstheriseofoneofthe NBA’slargestbrandsofthepast 40years.QuincyIsaiahstars. SuperPumped:The BattleforUber SHOW 9p.m. Travis(JosephGordon-Levitt) findshimselfontrialatApple HQ fightingfor Uber’sexistence in anewepisodeofthisbiographicaldrama.Heexplains theteam’sstrategytoconquer fraudstersinChinaanddeal withtheirbadpressproblem.
JAMES D. WATTSJR. TulsaWorld
Auditionsbegin April 1for theTulsaPAC YouthChoir, anew communityperformance programdesigned for students ages 11 to 18.
Jeremy Stevens, director of communityengagement forthe PAC, will directthe choir,whichseekstopromote achievementthroughquality musiceducation,community engagementandthepursuit ofartistic excellence. Auditionswillbe conductedvirtually through April 29.For complete auditioninformation:tulsapac. com/p/engagement/youthchoir.
Thoseselected forthe choirwillbeannouncedinMay andrehearsals willbeginin September.Two publicperformancesarebeingplannedandscheduled, as wellasadditionalvarious performancesthroughout thecommunity. Opportunitiestolearnfromandperformwithtouringartistswill alsobeavailable. TheTulsaPerformingArts Center alreadyhas various engagementprogramsin placeto aidTulsansinlearn-
ingabout,seeingand taking partintheperformingarts, suchasOrbit Arts,which providesfreeartclassesand performanceopportunities; AnyGiven Child, which presentstheatricalshows to allkindergartenstudentsin TulsaPublicSchools;andthe ImaginationSeries,whichis gearedforfamilieswithchildreningrades 1-5.
Thenew TPAC Youth Choirisdesignedforthe age groupthathasbeena bitleft outbytheotherprograms, saidTPAC CEOMarkFrie.
“Equalaccess to theartsis somethingI’mverypassionateabout,”Friesaid.“I’mvery excitedabout launchingthis programbecauseitwillgive childrenaccess tohighlytrained choralmusic educatorswhile givingthema chancetoperformandmakenew friends.”
TheTulsaSymphonyOrchestra willperformthree well-lovedorchestral works at itsupcoming concert,titled“Titan,”7:30p.m.Saturday, April2,atthe Tulsa PAC,101E.Third St. Theconcerttakesitsname
fromthe SymphonyNo. 1by Mahler, to whichthenickname“Titan” hasbeenaffixed.Mahlerhimselfused thatname forthe symphony in earlyversionsofthe work, whenhe referred to itasa symphonictone poem,with eachofthemovementshavinganambiguousdescriptive phrase. Mahlerwouldlater dispense withthe programmaticnotesand the“Titan” nameoncethe symphony reached itsfinished, four-movementform.But themusicofthe Symphony No. 1certainlyfulfillsthe expectations ofthename “Titan,” asit evolvesfrom
bucolicsoundsofnatureto afrenziedfuneralmarch.
The concertwillalso featurethe SymphonyNo. 25in GMinor by Mozart,a piece written whenthecomposer wasonly17.Itisperhapsbest knownasthemusicusedfor theopening creditsofthe film “Amadeus.” Also onthe programisthe thirdovertureBeethoven wroteforhisonlyopera,which he wasstill calling“Leonore.” Hewouldwriteafourthoverture,titledafterthenewname fortheopera,“Fidelio,”when he realizedhis“Leonore” OvertureNo. 3workedbetter as astand-alonepiece. JamesBagwell, former
TulsaWorld
OKMMusic, whichbegan life 37 yearsago as theOK MozartInternational Festival,willshowcaseaneclecticarrayoftalentfor its38th annual festival, June9-13in downtownBartlesville.
The festivalwillinclude classical,country, bluegrass and jazzartists, as wellasa seriesoffreeeventsaimedat youngeraudiences.
Thefestivalkickoff will be June 9atthe TowerCenteratUnitySquare,outside theBartlesvilleCommunity Center,300S.E.AdamsBlvd.
Tulsajazz singer Sarah Maudandherbandwillperform,alongwith theTulsa BaroqueHonors Orchestra and the Bartlesville Civic Ballet.Theeveningwillalso includeanoutdoorshowing oftheclassicmusical“Top Hat,”starringFredAstaire and Ginger Rogers with songsbyIrving Berlin.
The festivalwillmoveto WoolarocMuseum &Wildlife Preserve for“Country
Night,”June10,featuringthe acclaimedwesternswingtrio HotClubof Cowtownalong with15-year-oldMadiMaguire, whose firstsingle, “WhatGirls AreFor,” was releasedin2021.
Grammy-nominatedjazz artistCatherine Russell comestothe Bartlesville
Community Center June 11 for“An Evening of Jazz,” while bandleaderandbanjo playerAmandaCook brings her brand of bluegrass to the festivalJune12.
Thefestival’sMainstage seriesconcludeswitha “ProgressiveClassical Concert,”which willtakeplace June 13 inandaroundTulsa’s PhilbrookMuseum ofArt,
2727 S. RockfordRoad. Two chambermusicensembles, theVeronaQuartetandthe BalourdetQuartet,will perform,alongwith theTulsa Baroque Honors Orchestra andharpistLoreleiBarton.
The festival’sShowcase Concert serieswill feature fourdiverseactsperforming freematineeconcerts. Maguirewillperform June10 inadvanceofthe Woolaroc “Country Night” concert. Theotheractswillperform attheBartlesville CommunityCenter:theAdLibSingers, andtheOpus 76 String Quartet,June11;andtheKing CabbageBrassBand,June12.
TheOKMMusic“EspeciallyforKids”programming
withbepresentedJune3-9at variouslocationsinBartlesvilleandTulsa.Theeventsincludestorytelling,hands-on artsactivities,puppetshows andperformances by local youngartists. Mostofthese eventsare free,but seatingis limited, so early reservations areencouraged. Forticketsandmoreinformation:okmmusic.org. james.watts@tulsaworld.com
musicdirectorofLightOperaOklahomaandafrequent guestwiththeTulsaSymphony,returnstothepodium to conduct.
Ticketsare $20-$70. 918584-3645,tulsasymphony.org.
‘Opera in Bloom’
TulsaOpera’s Filstrup
ResidentArtists willbe featuredat“Opera inBloom,”a fundraising event forTulsa Opera, 5p.m. Tuesday, March29, atInnerCircle VodkaBar,410 N. MainSt.
The eveningincludesa silentauction, twoperformancesbythe Filstrup ResidentArtists, as wellas speciallycreated cocktails. Aportionofall barsales,
includingpurchasesof“The Soprano,”madewith peach and rosemary-infused vodka,peach schnapps, cranberryjuiceandlemonade,and “TheTenor,”a blendofcarrot,honeyand lemon-infusedwhiskeywith gingerale, willbenefit Tulsa Opera’seducationand outreach programs. TulsaOpera’sfinalmain stageproductionofthe seasonwillbeauniquelyimmersiveversionofRichard Strauss’“Salome,”conceived anddirected by Tulsanative ThaddeusStrassberg.For more information:tulsaopera.com.
james.watts@tulsaworld.com
“Equal access to theartsis somethingI’m very passionate about.”
Mark Frie, TPAC CEO
FROM STAFFREPORTS
AbooksigningintheRiverHawk Shoppewill followafter ESPNhostand Paralympian gold medalist VictoriaArlendelivers the2022LarryAdair Lectureat 2p.m.March31inside Webb Auditoriumat NortheasternState UniversityinTahlequah.
Thelectureisfreeandopen to thepublic.Seatingwillbelimited, andin-personguestsare strongly encouraged towearmasks. Arlenwillsharehow she found hopeandinspirationdespitebattling tworareconditionsthatleft her“locked”insideher ownbody.
Shewillalsodiscusstheperspective individualsgiveto obstacles in theirlivesandhowtoovercome those roadblocks. Herbookistitled“Lockedin:The Will to Survive andthe ResolvetoLive.”
In2006,an11-year-oldArlen losttheabilitytospeak, eatand move aftershesuddenlydeveloped TransverseMyelitisand AcuteDisseminatedEncephalomyelitisthatleftherin avegetative statefor four years.
In2010,Arlen regainedtheabilitytospeak, eatandmove again and todaysharesherstorytouplift andencourageaudiencesthrough
hermessage “FaceIt,EmbraceIt, Defy It, ConquerIt.” Arlen wenton to become acompetitive swimmer,earningmedalsatthe2012London ParalympicGamesand settingmultiple American, PanAmericanand worldrecords.Shetransitioned fromathletetoESPNhostin2015.
PeggyGlenn,executive directorofthe NSUFoundation,said Arlen wasanexcellent candidate to invitetospeakas partofthe lectureshipseries.She said the institutionisplacingan extra emphasisthis yearoncelebratingindividualswithphysical,
“Those withsuch conditions have anamazing capacityforgrit andareexpertsatovercomingobstacles to succeed,and everyone canlearn so muchfromthose experiences,” Glenn said.
“I knowaudiencememberswill be movedandinspired by Victoria’spersonalstoryofawaking from along-term comaandhaving to learn to walkagain,winning goldmedalsat Paralympic competitions,thenappearingon ‘DancingwiththeStars’relatively soonafter takingthose firststeps.”
Oklahoman’sproject brings long-agotribal leader’s poetry to life
IANMAULE,TULSA WORLDFILE
Horses grazeatTulsa Boys Home.A KentuckyDerby-themed eventwill raise funds forTulsa Boys Home
FROM STAFFREPORTS
TulsaBoysHomewillhostan
18thannualRun forthe Roses
Kentucky Derby-themedfundraiserMay7attheExpo Square Pavilion. The event, which features food,livemusic,prizes,a silentauctionandhorseracing, willbeheld inperson forthefirst timesince2019.
Run forthe Roseswillbegin at1:30 p.m.andwill concludeat approximately5:30p.m.afterthe runningofthe Kentucky Derby.
Guestswillbetreatedto the sightsand soundsofChurchill Downs,including asimulcast of allafternoon DerbyDay raceson
giant screensandtheopportunitytoplace bets on races.
AsOklahoma’soldest nonprofit residentialtreatmentfacility fortroubledboys,Tulsa Boys’Home has beenthebeneficiaryofcommunitysupport since1918.Proceeds fromthe fundraiserwillhelp coverthe costofanannual$262,500food budget for64residents.
Reservationsandsponsorships areavailable. Visittulsaboyshome.orgfordetails.Also, forsponsorshiporregistration information, contact Roxanne Cookat918-245-0231,ext. 5004.
Oklahomamusicartist Scott Hutchisonhas released acollaborativeproject that wasnearly 200 yearsinthemaking.
“Peter Pitchlynn: Poems to Songs”showcasespoemswritten more than 191years agobyPitchlynn, whowasprincipalchiefof theChoctaw Nationduringthe Trailof Tears.
SongsontheCD were inspired by threepoems foundinthebook “Peter Pitchlynn:Chiefofthe Choctaws,” written by W. David Bairdin 1972. Hutchison, aChoctaw tribal member,readthebookandit motivated him to do a musical project withthepoems,which were settomusicwith vocals andguitar. Hutchison saidhe wasinspiredbytheChoctawpeople ofthe past —theirvisionand endurancetokeepthe Choctaw Nationalive andbuildafuture. He wanted to usePitchlynn’s
wisdom to makesongstoshare withtheChoctaw tribeand all peopletoday. ThetracksfeatureHutchison’sdaughter,Norah Hutchison,onvocalsalong withTanya Maksood,plusGarethLaffelyon Native Americanflutes(highand low),NativeAmericandrumand Irishdrum.
Hutchisonplays guitaronall trackswithHankCharleson bass
guitar.
Theartonthe exteriorand interioroftheCD coverisby renowned Choctaw artist Jane Semple-Umsted. HutchisonsaidtheCD canbe purchasedat PiersonGallery, 1313 E. 15thSt.,SuiteA,theChoctaw NationalMuseuminDurantand via aFacebook page,PeterPitchlynn Poems to Songs, Hatchootuckee.
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94th Academy Awards ceremony is setfor Sunday
JIMMIE TRAMEL TulsaWorld
It’stimetohandoutafresh batchofOscars. The94thAcademyAwards ceremony will take place Sunday,March 27 andwill airliveonABC.Oklahoma country musicsuperstar RebaMcEntirewillbepartof the ceremony. Shewillperform“SomehowYou Do,”a bestoriginal songnominee from“FourGood Days.”
Amongbestpicturenomineesis“CODA,” thefirst filmshownatCircleCinema whenTulsawasasatellitesite forthe2021SundanceFilm Festival.
Afilmshotinandaround Tulsawasamongbestpicture nomineeslast year.“Minari” didn’twin,butit wasanice featherinthe capthat somethingfilmedinthe backyard wasjudgedtobe amongthe
bestofthebest.Yuh-JungYoun of“Minari”tookhomeanOscarforbestsupportingactress. Sinceit’sOscartime again, let’srecall fivegolden moments fromOklahoma’s AcademyAwardshistory.
Champion cowboy
Howmanypeople have Oscarwinnerand world championrodeocowboyon their resumes? BenJohnsonis that rare bird.
Bornin Forakerand raised inOsageCounty,Johnsongot hisstartinthefilmindustry by transportinghorsesto Hollywood. He transitioned fromwrangler to stuntman to actor,winninganAcademyAwardforbestsupportingactorforhisworkin1971’s “TheLastPictureShow.”
Interestedin learning more abouthim?Visitthe BenJohnsonCowboyMuseumin Pawhuska.
Four in arow
TulsaactressJenniferJones (bornPhylisLeeIsley) was
In2019, Tulsa Worldmovie criticMichaelSmith compileda listofmorethan30peoplewith Oklahomatieswhohad wonor beennominated forAcademy Awards.Anupdatedlist:
TevinThomas: ACentral HighSchoolalum, Thomas wasnominatedfor abestsong Academy Awardfor“RaiseIt Up,”from the2007movie “AugustRush.”
CandyClark: TheNorman-bornactress wasnominatedforbestsupportingactressnomination forhersecondmovie,“AmericanGraffiti.”
A.D. Flowers: Raised in Sayre, Flowersbecame an expert intheuseof explosives increatingvisualeffects.He wonOscarsfor re-creating thePearl Harborbombingin “Tora! Tora!Tora!”anddisastersrangingfromfire to water in “ThePoseidonAdventure.”
EricHeisserer: ANorman native, he was nominated for
bestadaptedscreenplayfor 2016’s “Arrival.”
K.K.Barrett: Agraduate ofMemorialHigh Schooland Oklahoma State University, Barrettwas nominated for bestproductiondesignfor 2013’s“Her.”
BradPitt: BorninShawnee, Pitt wonOscars asan actor(bestsupportingactor, “OnceUponaTimeinHollywood”)andas aproducer(“12 Yearsa Slave”).
RonHoward: TheDuncan native wontwo Oscarsfor “A BeautifulMind” —bestdirectorandbestpicture.
TerrenceMalick: Raisedin Bartlesville,Malick wasnominatedasbestdirector for“The Thin RedLine” and for“The Tree of Life.”
Ed Harris: The four-time actingnominee wasaNorman residentandstudieddramaat theUniversityofOklahoma.
Matthew Mungle: The
an awardsshowdarlingin the 1940s,whenshe earned AcademyAwardnominations four consecutiveyears.
Jones wonbestactress in 1944for herworkin“The Song of Bernadette”and,in ensuingyears,she secured abestsupportingactress nominationfor“SinceYou WentAway”andbestactress nominations for“Love Letters”and “Duelinthe Sun.” Shepickedupa fifth nomination(bestactress) in 1956 for“Love is aMany-SplendoredThing.”
Jones’secondhusband wasDavid O.Selznick,a producerwhopickedupbest picture Oscars for“Gone WiththeWind”and“Rebecca.”
Onceupon atime
In2020,Shawnee-born Brad Pittbecame thefirst OklahomansinceBen Johnsontowinan Academy Awardfor acting.
Pitt wonbestsupporting actorfor hisportrayalofa professionalstuntmanin
Atokanative andmakeupexpert hasbeennominated for his work fourtimes(he wonfor 1992’s “Dracula”).
SteveLaPorte: TheOklahomaCitynativewon the bestmakeupOscar for1988’s “Beetlejuice.”
JamesGarner: ThebelovedactorfromNorman was nominated fora bestactor Oscarfor 1985’s “Murphy’s Romance” oppositeSally Field.
Margaret Avery: The Mangumnativewasup for best supporting actress for 1985’s “The ColorPurple.”
AlfreWoodard: The Tulsa nativewasnominatedforbest supporting actress for“Cross Creek” in 1983.
BudS.Smith: Thelongtime filmeditorwasbornin Tulsa, andhewasnominated fortwo Oscars— 1973’s “The Exorcist” and 1983’s “Flashdance.”
BlakeEdwards: Born in Tulsaandnominatedforbest
QuentinTarantino’s “Once Upon aTimeinHollywood.” Pitthadpreviously been nominatedforbestsupportingactorin1995’s “12 Monkeys” andbestactorin 2008’s “TheCurious Case of BenjaminButton”and 2011’s “Moneyball.”Pitt wonasaproduceron2013’s best-picturerecipient“12 Yearsa Slave.” Though Pitt wasborn in
adaptedscreenplayfor 1983’s “Victor/Victoria,”Edwards tookhomeanhonoraryOscar in 2004.
CarolLittleton: TheMiami native wasabest-editingOscar nominee for1982’s “E.T.:The Extra-Terrestrial.”
GaryBusey: The Tulsan andNathanHaleHighSchool graduatestarredin 1978’s “TheBuddyHolly Story”and wasnominated forbestactor.
AynRobbins: TheTulsa lyricist wasnominatedfor the best-songOscartwice, including for “Gonna Fly Now from “Rocky”in 1976.
WesStudi: TheNative Americanactor waspresented anhonoraryOscarforcareer achievementin2019.
Gray Frederickson: The OklahomaCityfilmmakerproducedand wonhis Academy Awardforbestpicturewith 1974’s “TheGodfather Part II.”
BenJohnson: The Foraker
Oklahoma, he wasraisedin Springfield, Missouri.
Van-tastic SomeonefromtinyWalters,Oklahoma,oncewon an Oscar. That’s whereVan Heflin wasbornin1908. Youperhaps recognizeHeflinfrom Westerns like“Shane”and “3:10 to Yuma,”buthe won an Academy Awardfor best
nativeraisedinOsageCounty wonhis Academy Awardfor bestsupportingactorin 1971’s “TheLastPictureShow.”
LucienBallard: TheMiaminativewasnominated for abestcinematographyOscar forthe 1963 drama “The Caretakers.”
Michael Wilson: TheMcAlester native won an Academy Awardforhisscript for1951’s “A PlaceintheSun.”
ElmoWilliams: Born in Lone Wolfin westernOklahoma,Williams wonthe best-editingOscar for1952’s “HighNoon.”
JoanCrawford: Thelittle girlwholivedinLawtongrew uptowinabest-actress Oscar for“MildredPierce” in 1945.
Ralph Blane: TheBroken Arrow nativewasnominated twiceforbestsong, including “The TrolleySong” in“Meet Me in St.Louis.”
JenniferJones:BorninTulsa
supportingactorin“Johnny Eager,”a pieceoffilmnoir from 1941.
Honorary Oscar OklahomaactorWesStudi waspresented an honorary Oscarforcareerachievement atthe Academy’s Governors Awardsin2019. It wasreportedthenthathe became thefirstNative American actor to win an Oscar. “StudiisaCherokee-Americanactor who has appearedinmorethan 30films,becoming known forportrayingstrong Native Americancharacters with poignancyand authenticity (andwho)becamedeeplyinvolvedwithNativeAmerican politicsandactivismaftera tourofmilitaryservicein Vietnam,”the Academy said initsofficialstatement.
Studi’sfilmographyincludesrolesinthe AcademyAward-winningfilms “Dances With Wolves”and “Avatar.” jimmie.tramel@tulsaworld.com
in1919,JonesreceivedfiveAcademyAward nominationsand wonforbestactressin 1943’s “TheSongofBernadette.”
VanHeflin: Bornin Walters, Heflin wonhis bestsupporting actor Oscarforthe 1941film noir “JohnnyEager.”
Gene Autry: RaisedinOklahoma, he receivedanOscar nomination forbestsongfor hissinging-cowboymovie “Ridin’ on aRainbow.”
Jack Oakie: Raisedinthe Muskogeearea, Oakiewas nominated forbestsupportingactor forCharlie Chaplin’s 1940 “TheGreatDictator.”
Bud Thackery: The Shawneenative’sOscarnomination came forbestspecialeffects (photographic)forthe1940 film “Women in War.”
GeneHavlick: TheEnidbornHavlickwas nominated for best editing three times, including1939’s“Mr.Smith GoestoWashington.”
“Well,that’s agoodquestion,” he said.“Idon’tknowifit’shereditaryasfarasit’s in yourspirit orbecauseIwas arounditevery day. Isithereditaryor isitenvironment orisit both?I’ve been going to arenaconcertssince Iwas ayearold. Imean,if you take akidthatdoesn’thavemusical parentsandputhiminthat environment everyday ofhislife, yougottabeabletotakea little bitfromthat, youknow?”
Bestguess: BecauseTeddyJack attendedarenashows as ababy, his fate wassealed.
“Basically, Ididn’treallyhave achoice,”hesaid. “After my parentsdivorced, Ilivedwith my mom(MaryMcCreary)and Iwasn’treallyaround my dad foraboutasix-orseven-year span.Then, when Iwas 17,when Igraduatedhigh school, Imoved to Nashville.AndthefirstdayI walkedinthestudio,he’slike, ‘OK, you’regoingtobea producerandengineer,and you’re going to learnhowtodothisand that’s theendofit.’I didn’thave achoice. He just said,‘youhave to knowhow to dothis.’ I’m17, so I’mlike,‘cool.’” Actually,TeddyJack sortofhad achoice. Dadsaidhewould pay forTeddyJack to go to Pepperdine andbecomealawyer—oryou can go onthe roadwithme.
“In retrospect,I probably shouldhave become alawyer,” TeddyJack said,laughing.
TeddyJack spent10 yearswith his fatherin Nashville,playing inhis bandand servingas arecording engineer andproducer.“I probablymade400or500 songs withhim.”
Cool story from that time period: TeddyJack was18whenhis father said“I want youtomeet someone.” Theyheaded to the Long HollowJamboreein Tennessee“and we go intothisroom andthere’sprobably300or400 peopleinthereand everybody’s eating.Itlookedlikeachurch servicetome.And so I’msitting thereandthenall of asudden, he goes,‘Hey, Iwant youtomeet my friend.ThisisBill.’I turned aroundandBill Monroe was standingthere.”
Monroegrabbed TeddyJack, pulledhimclose andsaid,“You’re apicker,aren’tyou? Ican tellguitarplayers,man.”Positive vibes fromthe fatherofbluegrass? Priceless.
“Thatwasoneofthemost incredible experiencesof my life,” Teddy Jack said. “Now, at thetime, Ididn’tunderstand the weightof even whoBill was. Withinthenext year,after Imet him, Igotallofhis stuff and went, ‘oh, my God.Theguythatinventedbluegrass.’ Thenitdawned onme,the weightofthatmeeting, youknow?”
Willie Nelsonand TeddyJack’s father gowayback.If youstand next to Nelson foraday,you’ll meet celebrityafter celebrity justbecauseofwho heattracts, according to TeddyJack.For instance,ClintEastwoodonce joined Russell, Teddy Jack and Nelsononthe countrysinger’s tourbus.When fans gotagreen light to seekautographs,a female fanwas so thrilledtomeetNelson thatshenudgedEastwoodaside inclearing apath.
“Shedidn’tevennoticehim,” TeddyJack said.“Thatshows me howfamousWillie is.”
MaybeTeddyJackhas athousandstoriesaboutmemorable encounters.
“Yeah,man,I do,becausemy dad tookme everywhere,”he said.“Fora10-yearspanof my life. Iwasstandingnext to my dad everysingleday everywhere he went. He insistedonit, you know?”
TeddyJack lovedworkingwith
his fatherandbeinghisdrummer, butheleftNashvilletotry to get his owncareerjump-startedin LosAngeles. The Tulsashowwill be sort of ahomecomingbecause, though TeddyJackattendedhigh schoolin PalosVerdes,California,helivedinthe Tulsaareaoff andonthroughouthischildhood.
“Tulsahasalways been agreat place,”hesaid. “It’s kindoflike it’s almost my vacation town. When Iwant to decompressand de-stress, IcometoOklahoma.”
Another reason TeddyJack islooking forwardtothe Tulsa show is because he’s ready to playmusic, period. He said he has beenonthe couch fortwo years, thankstothe pandemic.
Hibernation wasproductive.
TeddyJack saidhe gotthree recordsdoneandis releasingaseven-songEP whenheperformsat the VenueShrine.
Threealbums?“Imean,the songshadbeenwritten.I’ve got 200mastersonmyharddrivesof stuff I’ve been workingon.ButI reallyhad to be confidentwith themusicI’mreleasingand reallyworkonitand really have it be what Iwantedit to be. Ifinally gottothatplacetowhere I’mreallyproudofitand,onceIgot to thatplace, Ipromised myselfI would putitout.”
TeddyJack saidhewillplay someofhis father’s songsin Tulsa,butwill mostly performhis ownmusic. “AndI’malsoplaying alotofmusicofpeoplefrom Tulsa.It’s kindof celebratingall the Tulsamusicians,too.”
Askedaboutmusic career goals,TeddyJack saidhe wants to makemusicthatmakespeople feel good —andthat’s it.
“That’s all Iwanttodo, because that’s whatmusicdid forme asa kid.Itmademe feelbetter,you know?And so if Icandothat for someone,that’s it,man. Idon’t
toptalent.
have anyother taskson earth.”
Followinguponthat topic, TeddyJack saidmusic savedhim. Hesaid certain albumshelped himand, withoutthose albums, hedoesn’t knowif he wouldbe alive now. Asked to elaborate,he said,“Well, everybodyhas asuitcase filledwithcrap, andnoone’s isheavierthananotherperson’s. So, throughoutlife,thereare typicallymomentswhererecords, songs, musicor films comeinto yourlifeanditmakes youwant to keep going.”
Anysongin particular?
“Oh man, it could be a multitudeofthings. Imean, Ilisten to metal,I’mametalhead. Ilistento reggae. Iwasinto Dylan.I love all kindsof rock. Imean, ‘64to‘74, everyrecordthat cameoutfrom ‘64to‘74,that’s whereIlive. Before ‘64iscool, but it’s justnotas cool. After‘74, itkindoflostme, but‘64to‘74,that10 yearsisthe soundtrackof my life.”
Musicalinfluences?
“Oh, my God. Just sayaname ofanymusician.I’minfluenced by it all,butif youwantmeto go down alist —Bob Marley, BobDylan,LedZeppelin,Bad Company. Metallicawas ahuge influenceonmyguitarplaying.I
listen to everything. PeterTosh. The Dead. IloveJohn Mayer.I love Sheryl Crow.I love George Jones.I love Waylon Jennings.I love MerleHaggard.Itgoeson andon.It’s everyone, really.”
Amulti-instrumentalist,Teddy Jackplayedeverythingon atwosongmusicalprojectwithBusey in 2018andtheyhavecollaboratedon four songssince.
Russell“apologizedprofusely everyday”for selectingBusey as TeddyJack’sgodfather,according to TeddyJack.Want to changeyour name?Goahead,Russell said.
Nah.All good.
“Ilove Gary,”TeddyJack said. “He’sabeautifulbrother.You know,hehad atraumaticbraininjury.Buttheguyisamazing. He’s almost80.Hestilldrivesaround, stilldrinkswhiskey,stillsmokes cigars. He’s anincrediblehuman, and,as‘outthere’asheis,I love himdearly.”
WasRussell joking whenhe apologized to TeddyJack formakingBusey his godfather?
“Well,I’ll youwhy:Because RingoStarraskedifhe couldbe my godfather,andhe saidhehad already toldGary. He toldRingo ‘no,’ and Ihavenever forgivenhim forthat.”
Russell,named by Billboardas the world’stop touringartistin 1973,performedwithStarrand another Beatlesalum,George Harrison,atthehistoric concert for Bangladeshin 1971.Russellbought aTulsachurchin 1972andtransformeditintoChurchStudio,a recordingstudioand workshopthat attractedmusiciansfromall over the world. A 6-foot bronze statue ofRussellstandsoutsideChurch Studio,which wasrestoredand reopened by owner Teresa Knox. “Somebodyhad to doit,” Teddy Jack said. “I got offered that place for200grand acouple yearsago, and Ididn’thaveit.I’msothankful thatshedidit.”
TeddyJackalsois appreciative thatpeoplearecoming to Tulsa foreventsconnected to hisfather’s 80thbirthday. He saidit’s alittle weirdwhenyou areakidandpeople comeup toyouand saythey loveyour father.
“Andthen youget olderand you’re like,‘wow,thisis reallycool thatthere’ssomeonein my family thatthismanypeopleadore,’”he said. “Andhismusic touches so manypeople,youknow? So Ithink it’s great.”
jimmie.tramel@tulsaworld.com
oneplacefor awhile,”she said. “Also, it’s important forthemusiciansthemselvestogetoutoftheir ‘home’ concerthall everynow and then.Itdevelopsadeeperspiritof camaraderieamongtheplayers, and workingin adifferentacoustic environment,andhavingtoimpress anaudiencethatisnotthe familiar ‘homecrowd,’helpskeep everyone attheirbest.”
BordaaddedthatthePhilharmonicmusiciansquicklydevelopedafondnessforStillwater,from findingclubsatwhichtheycould jamwithlocalmusicians to being able to performin ahallsuchasthe McKnight Center.
“It’s truly aworld-classconcert hall,”she said. Blakeman saidthe partnership withthe New York Philharmonic strengthensthe Center’sgrowing reputationas avenuethatattracts
“Wehavealready had tworesidenciesthisyear,”hesaid.“Thenational touring companyof‘Buddy: TheBuddyHolly Story’launched itstourhere,afterspending aweek doingthe tech work to getitready forthe road.Theyhadabouthalfa dozenworkshopswithuniversity studentsona varietyof topicsand usedstudentsaspartofthecrewfor theperformance.
“Then earlierthis year,wehad (operastar) Sarah Coburnherefor masterclassesand vocalcoaching, as wellas aperformance,”Blakeman said.“Sowe’re definitelynot just ahallthatputsonroadshows. We’rewanting to create deeper experiences forourstudents, and our community,thattheyprobably wouldn’tbeabletohaveelsewhere.”
Forinformationon eventsatthe McKnight Center forthe PerformingArts:405-744-9999,mcknightcenter.org.
james.watts@tulsaworld.com
FORTHETULSA WORLDFILE
LANY performedattheBOK Centeron Halloweenin2021.Its vocalist PaulKleinhasbeennominated foraCMT Music Award.
Tulsan gets nod forcollaborationon
‘I Quit Drinking’
JIMMIE TRAMEL
TulsaWorld
Tulsa’sPaulKleinisthe
frontman forthe pop/rock trioLANY,buthe’s also afirst-timeCMT Music Awardsnominee,thanksto acollaborationwith Kelsea Ballerini.
Kleinand Ballerini were nominatedinthe category ofCMTperformance of theyearfortheir team-up on“IQuitDrinking”from last year’s awards show. To be eligible forCMTperformanceofthe year,the performancemusthaveoccurredon atelevisionshow, seriesor variety special on CMT.
The2022CMT Music Awards,countrymusic’s only entirely fan-voted awardsshow, willbehosted April11 by Balleriniandac-
torAnthonyMackie. Each winneris selected by the fans,withvotingnowopen at vote.cmt.com.
KaneBrownleadsthe 2022 votingpoolwith four nominations.Artistswith threenominationsinclude Ballerini, Mickey Guyton and twofirst-timenominees,BRELANDand Cody Johnson.
Oklahoma countrymusicsuperstarCarrie Underwood, whose 23wins arethemostinCMTMusic Awardshistory, secured videoofthe yearand collaborative video ofthe yearnominations for“IfI Didn’tLoveYou”withJasonAldean.
Forthefirsttime,the CMTMusic Awardswill bebroadcaston theCBS TelevisionNetwork,which willbe available to stream live and ondemandon Paramount+.
jimmie.tramel@tulsaworld. com
FICTION
1. “PitytheMovie
Lover” by Martha Kemm Landes(ElemarPublishing)
2.“Run, Rose, Run” by James PattersonandDolly Parton(LittleBrownand Company)
3. “TIG” by SunniMercer (StoriedPublishing)
4.“Verity” by Colleen Hoover(Grand CentralPublishing)
5.“Shadows Reel” by C. J. Box(G.P.Putnam’s Sons)
6. “Circe” by Madeline Miller(BackBayBooks)
7. “The Love Hypothesis” by AliHazelwood(BerkleyBooks)
8. “The ParisApartment” by Lucy Foley(WilliamMorrow &Company)
9. “TheHouseinthe Cerulean Sea” by T. J. Klune (TorBooks)
10.“The Cartographers” by PengShepherd (WilliamMorrow &Company)
1. “Merriam-Webster’s DictionaryandThesaurus” by Merriam-Webster Inc(Merriam-Webster,Inc.)
2. “A Lifeon Fire:Oklahoma’s KateBarnard” by ConnieCronley(University ofOklahomaPress)
3. “TheGreatReset: JoeBidenandtheRiseof Twenty-First-CenturyFascism” by GlennBeckwith Justin TraskHaskins(ForefrontBooks)
4.“KillersoftheFlower Moon:TheOsageMurders andtheBirthoftheFBI” byDavidGrann(Vintage)
5.“Maus: ASurvivor’s Tale” by ArtSpiegelman (PantheonBooks)
6. “CrazyBrave” by Joy Harjo(W.W.Norton &Company)
7. “Floriography: An IllustratedGuidetothe
DearReaders: Every year Istepaway from my column brieflytoworkonother creative projects.
I’ll be back next week.
Today’s“Best of”topic from 10 yearsago is: “Going to the dogs.”
Dear Amy: My sister recentlylosther job. Ilet her and her 21/2-yearold daughter,“Mariah,” move in with me while she getson her feet.
Ihavea 9-year-old toy poodle, and he’sgentle and greatwith children.
The problems began when Mariah started biting the dog.
My sister refuses to do anything about it. She says biting is anormal part of toddler-hood. I knowshe letsMariah be rough with him when I’m not around to stop it.
Ithought Ihad asystem workedout —Imade sure he wasalwayswith me when Iwas athome, and I put him in his cratewhen Iwas at work
However, the past three days when Ireturned home, the dogwas outside the crate. My sister admitsthat she let him out.
Iunderstand this is a very hardtime in her life, but something needs to be done. She refuses to cooperateorcompro-
mise. Idon’twant anyone to gethurt. What canI do?
—Worried
Dear Worried: Biting is not necessarily a“normal part of toddler-hood.”Itis, however,a very commontoddler reaction to stress.
Youcan assume that this little girlisveryconfused and stressed. It also sounds as if your sister is not doing averygood job with her
Youshould tryyour best to teach your niece appropriatebehavior around pets. Teach her howtobe gentle. Teach her to stand still while the dogdances around her legs. Teach her to pet the dogonthe topofthe head and encourageher to help youbypouring water into his bowl
Tell her,“Always be gentle. Never put your hand near his mouth and nevertouchhim when he is eating.”Alwayswatch the dogand toddler when their paths intersect.
Your sister is amess. It is up to youtodecide how much of her owntoddler behavior youcan tolerate. Youmay have to tell her that unlessshe can respect your very reasonable boundaries,she’ll have to find another place to live August 2012
Dear Amy: Iam13and have the best dogever. He usuallyfollows me around the house, and mopes when I’mgone.
He hasn’tbeen following me around the houseasmuch latelyand
Your phoneis your constant companion now; it fills aspacethat should be filled with your own imagination and with interaction with your best dog buddy, as well as humanfriends andfamily.
has been acting kind of mopey. Ibelieve this is becauseIrecentlygot a smartphone.
Iamworried that Ihave been spending toomuch time on it and not giving him enough attention.
My pup is only5,and he’shealthy.
Ilovethis dogwith all my heart and am saddened by thethought that he might feel that Idon’t love him.
Howcan Imakesure I’mspending enough time with my doganAd not my smartphone?
What aresome ways to resist using my smartphone?
—Smartphone Addict
Dear Addict: First, youand your folksshould makesureyour buddy gets agood medical checkup right away.Dogs tend to act mopeywhen they’re not feeling well. Youare perceptive to see that your inattention has arealimpact on your dog.
It is possible that he is
sadand depressedbecausehemissesyou.
This is similar to the waysome kids report feeling neglected by their parentswhen their parentsare glued to their ownsmartphones,insteadoftalking and listening with full attention to them.
Irecentlyreadaninteresting interviewwith psychologist Sherry Turkle, author of “Alone Together: WhyWeExpect More From Technologyand LessFromEach Other.”
Turkle pointed out that an important part of adolescenceisthe ability to be on your ownfor the first time, amusing yourself and exercising some independence.
Your phone is your constant companion now; it fills aspace that should be filled with your ownimagination and with interaction with your best dogbuddy, as well as human friends and family.
When youcome home from school, put your phone in adrawerfor two hours. Close the drawer andleaveitthere(notin yourpocket). Youand yourdogwillboth feel muchbetterif youplay andhangout together withoutthedistraction.
November2012
YoucanemailAmyDickinson ataskamy@amydickinson. comorsendalettertoAsk Amy, P.O. Box194,Freeville, NY13068.
VictorianLanguageof Flowers” by Jessica Roux (AndrewsMcMeelPublishing)
8. “TheGreatOklahoma Swindle:Race,Religion, andLiesinAmerica’s Weirdest State” by Russell Cobb(BisonBooks)
9. “WhyFishDon’tExist: AStoryofLoss, Love, andtheHiddenOrderof Life” by LuluMiller(Simon &Schuster)
10.“One DamnThing AfterAnother:Memoirs ofan AttorneyGeneral” by William P. Barr(William Morrow &Company)
CHILDREN’S/ YOUNGADULT
1. “WordyBirdy” by TammiSauer(Doubleday Books forYoungReaders)
2.“NoBunniesHere!” by TammiSauer(Doubleday Books forYoungReaders)
3.“LovebirdLou” by TammiSauer(UnionSquare Kids)
4.“GoodnightTulsa” by The Foundation forTulsa Schools
5.“Sweetest Kulu” by Celina Kalluk(InhabitMedia)
6. “AllofUs Villains” by Amanda Foodyand Christine LynnHerman(Tor Teen)
7. “OneSheep,Two Sheep” by TammiSauer (AbramsAppleseed)
8.“BlackBirdsinthe Sky:The Storyand Legacyofthe 1921 TulsaRace Massacre” by Brandy Colbert(Balzer &Bray/Harperteen)
9. “B Is forBreathe:The ABCsof Copingwith Fussy and Frustrating Feelings” by MelissaMunroBoyd(MelissaBoyd)
10.“NeverToucha Panda” by RosieGreening (MakeBelieve Ideas)
“And youhavetobeclose to roads,trains.That’swhy we are here.”
Sofidel’s presencehasbenefited thestate.
RHETTMORGAN
TulsaWorld
INOLA —Whatused to bea placetopasturecattleandharvest hayhasbeentransformedintoan economicfieldofdreamsin RogersCounty.
Italy-basedtissuemakerSofidelbeganoperationsin2020 on aprivately ownedtractinside thePortofInola,about20miles eastof Tulsa.The1.8-millionsquare-foot factorynow employs 380 people,withplanstoincrease thatnumber to 450by2023.
Itis Sofidel’ssixthplant in NorthAmerica andonlyits second(LasVegasis theother)west of theMississippi River.
“Youneedtohavepeople. You haveto have water, and youhave to have utilities,” sitemanager Jose Zarandona saidofthecompany’s choosingRogersCounty.
Since starting asmalloperation in Tulsain2014, thecompanyhas investedmorethan$450 million inOklahoma.Thesalaryfor its hourly operationsemployees in Inola ranges from $45,000 to $65,000,Zarandonasaid.
“Almost40%oftheinvestment thatwehavemadeinthe United StateshasbeenmadeinOklahoma,”said Fabio Vitali,Sofidel America’s vice presidentofmarketing.
Sofidel wasawarded$1.3millionfromGovernor’sQuick ActionClosing Fundin2017. The companyalsoisreceiving consecutive, five-year tax abatements locally andfromthestate, saidAndrew Ralston, whoheads economic development for Tulsa Ports(Catoosa andInola).
Those incentives, however, willyielddividendsforthearea in comingyears.
Whenthelocalabatementis exhaustedin January 2026 —Sofidel’sfirstfullyearofoperations was2021— acreage thatused to provideInolaPublicSchools just more than $1,000 annually inproperty taxrevenuewill be churningout$2.3million peryear forIPS,District3RogersCounty Commissioner RonBurrows said. “It’sjustunbelievable,”hesaid. “Forme,thebiggest impact was thatrightthere.”
Theprocess
TheSofidelplothas alonghistory.
Thefactory sitson240acres formerly owned by Public Service Co.ofOklahoma, whichnearly 50 yearsago targeted thesitefor aBlack Foxnuclearpowerplant, plans forwhich ultimately fell through.
In2019, PSOtransferredabout 2,000acresaroundthe Sofidel sitetotheCity of Tulsa-Rogers CountyPort Authority forfuture development.
Themanufacturingfacility in
ingnotes,dictating canbemuch easierthan typingitallout. Thesesametime-savingprinciples canbeapplied toyourTV. Youcanspeak to search formovies,controlthe volume, pause, rewind,skip to thenextepisode, andmore.
Ihave arule:Ifanemailis going to take melongerthana minutetowrite, Ipickupthe phoneinstead. Formanythings, usingour voicesisjust fasterand easier. That’s true forcontrolling your phone, too. Whenwritingor tak-
Fire TV
SomeAmazon, Toshiba,and InsigniabrandTVscomewith Fire TVbuilt-in. Withthe Fire TVAlexa VoiceRemote,you can browse apps, moviesandshows,
checkthe weatherandsports scores, launch contentandmore with your voice.
It’s as easy aspressing abutton: Holddownthe Voicebutton on your remoteandaskAlexa what youwant(youdon’tneed to say“Alexa”),then releasethe button.
Youcan search foramovie genre,actor,channel, pause,skip ahead,lowerthe volume,and more.
Inolaincorporates both apaper mill —wherepulpistransformed intopaper—and aconverting plant, whichproducesthefinishedproduct.
Thefacility isdesigned to use apond,originallybuilt forthe proposednuclearplant,asawatersedimentation basin formaking paper.Italsohas waterintake fromthe VerdigrisRiver, located about1.5milesaway.
“Themajorthingthat we buy arefibers,”said Vitali,who,along withZarandona, recentlyledthe TulsaWorldon atouroftheplant.
“Thefiberisputintothe machines.You combinethatwith waterand create big reels,like maybe10feet. Fromthesebig reels,you transformthem.This is amechanical process.”
Thesixth-largest papermanufacturerin theUnitedStates, Sofidel produces340,000metric tonsofproductannuallyinAmerica.Amongitscustomersare Amazon, Costco, Aldi, Walmartand Trader Joe’s, Vitali said.
“The strategy overall for a pa-
per companyistryingtogetclose to consumption,”hesaid.“Where thedemographicis,you want to have aplant. Youwant to reduce the transportationasmuchas you canandcreate scale.”
Sofidel’s productionmodelis designed to fosterthetransition to aneconomywith alow-carbon impactand reduced consumption ofnatural resources.
Since2013, ithasreducedits plastic packaging by 40%,and since 2018, Sofidel has seen a 40%reductionincarbondioxide emissions fromits manufacturingprocessandsuppliers’pulping processper tonofpaper.
“For everytreethatiscut,there arethreetreesthatareplanted,” Vitali said.
FROM STAFFREPORTS
Citycommercialbuildingpermitsarelisted byowner, tenantor buildingname.This weeklyupdate listsnewcommercialconstruction, expansionsandenlargementsof morethan$50,000.Descriptions of workaredescribedwherelisted.
Informationisfrominitialapplicationsandissubjecttochange.
Dollar amount is valuation listed by theCity of Tulsa.
21-105768 —Senor Pablos/ Williams Tower, 101 E. Second St.,alteration(finish food tenant spacethat waspartofparentpermit.VendorNo.3,interior walls added),$146,579.
22-108682 —Growfacility, 4814E.MohawkBlvd.,alteration (changeofoccupancy, adding emergencylightsand exitsigns), $559,494.
21-106276—SaffaCompoundingPharmacy, 8004S.Sheridan Road,alteration(demisingwall tocreate twotenant spaces,improvementstocurrentpharmacy location),$479,240.
21-106853 —EdisonPreparatoryHighSchool, 2906 E. 41st St.,alteration(remodelof existing courtyardatcafeteria),$558,446.
21-106601 —EdisonPreparatoryHighSchool, 2906 E. 41st St.,alteration(remodel existing cafeteria,swapsnackbar,and ROTC rooms),$2,945,652.
21-106599 —Community Health Connection, 12020 E. 31st St.,addition(standalonecanopyaddition overexistingconcrete pad),$179,628.
22-111388 —QuikTripNo.91, 9111 S. Mingo Road,alteration (layoutandequipment modificationstoexistingfull-service counter,salesfloorandcheckstand),$175,392.
22-110254—QuikTripNo. 84, 4030 S. GarnettRoad,alteration(layoutandequipmentmodificationsto existingfull-service counter,salesfloorandcheckstand),$175,392.
22-109544—HuffOperations, 1253N.GarnettRoad,alteration(adding suiteand door), $2,016,861.
21-106273 —GreenMeds Plus, 2912 S. Yale Ave.,alteration, $375,338.
22-109107 —Pella Windows andDoors, 7030S.Lewis Ave., alteration,$1,098,397.
21-106558 —HawthorneElementary School, 1105 E. 33rd St.,alteration(interior renovation),$11,215,253.
22-112232 —SaintFrancis, 6161 S. Yale Ave.,alteration-priority, $970,230.
22-110428—MilanLaserHair Removal, 7374S.OlympiaAve.,
alteration(interior remodelof tenant space forproposedbusinessoffice),$215,016.
22-109312 —NYC Cafe, 7853 E. 71st St alteration,$343,147.
21-093815 —WalmartNo. 922, 2019E.81st St.,alteration, $7,310,558.
21-102875 —River WestCNI Phase5FEMATornadoShelter, 1126 W. 21stSt.,new,$596,208.
22-112728 —AT&T/Celeris Group, 2636E.61st St.,telecommunicationand broadcast tower (AT&Twillbeplacing atemporary cellsiteonwheels attheSouthern Hills PGA event), $588,032.
21-106811 —Sam’s ClubNo. 4839, 7757S. Olympia Ave.,alteration(interiorremodelof existing Sam’sClub),$4,957,552.
22-110411 —Ascension St. JohnMedical Center, 1923S. Utica Ave.,alteration(removal/ additionofinterior wallsand relocationofinterior lighting), $1,004,462.
22-108786—BobMoore ChryslerDodgeJeepRamof Tulsa, 4627 S. MemorialDrive, alteration(demolitionofinterior office;exteriordemolitionof concrete forthe replacementofsidewalkandHDCP rampsintothe BobMooredealership),$376,278.
22-107748 —(nobusiness listed), 415 S. Victor Ave.,parkinglot(repairand newparking), $323,601.
22-111079—TulsaHillsRetail & Dining and Shopping Center, 7458 S. Olympia Ave., alteration (interior remodel),$358,360
22-108763—(nobusiness listed), 5535 S. 129thEast Ave., addendum(fullysprinklered 140,000squarefootone-story tilt-up concreteshellbuilding), $13,256,600.
22-108769—(no business listed), 5515S.129th East Ave., addendum,$7,606,308.
21-101907 —Pepsico, 5515 S. 129thEast Ave.,alteration(improvements forPepsicowithin an existingfully sprinkleredonestory shellbuilding,includingnew office space,garagespace, and distribution warehouseincluding restroomfacilities),$8,554,247.
22-109106 —LegacyPlaza West, 5310 E. 31st St.,alteration (add2nd exitdoorand exterior stair landingper OKDLBoilerInspectionatMechPenthouse), $115,865.
22-112618 —(nobusiness listed), 3010N. David Patrick Ave.,addendum(deferredsubmittalinformationtoSuite500 forbuildingpermitBLDC-0867612021),$13,601,725.
Alookahead Futureeconomicdevelopmentopportunitiesabound forthe PortofInolaand Sofidel, particularly withthe introductionofnewrail to thearea.
The roughly$12million Inola railprojectwill connectthe Union Pacificmain line to Sofidelandtheindustrial park.Anticipated to startin Septemberandbe
FromE1
Trythesecommands: Pause,play, resume,show memovieswith Tom Hardy,returnhome, go to Prime Video,mute, switch to PlayStation. If youhavea Fire TV Stick,itprobablycame bundledwithanAlexa VoiceRemote.You canalso purchasethe remoteseparately if youneedone.
Roku Brandssuchas TCL, Sharp,RCA,and Sanyo manufactureTVs with RokuTVbuilt-in. Some comewith avoiceremote, which youcanpurchase separately if youdon’thave one. All youneed to dois pressabuttonandspeak:
Pressandholdthe Microphonebutton,speak your request,then release thebutton.
Trysearching forspecificmoviesorTVshows. Youcanalsotry acategory or genre.Openstreaming apps, pauseand rewind content,andbrowse music.
Oruseoneofthese commands: Search for movieswith John Travolta, showmeepisodesof“The Queen’sGambit,”find horrormovies,launchDisney+,andhide captions.
Chromecast Google’sChromecast dongleturnsanyTVinto
completedinninemonths,it willallowthemanufacturer toacceptinboundrawmaterialsandpotentiallytransfer intermediaryproductssuch as parent,orjumbo,reels to other facilitiesacrossthe country, Ralston said.
“Sofidel reallyhelpeddefinethatpropertyasanindustrial park andbroughta lotoftheutilityinfrastructureinthat wasn’tthere,”he said.“Theyare theimpetus forus building railnowinsteadoflater.
“That keystone tenant
asmartone, complete withstreaming features and voicecontrol.The latestmodel comeswitha Chromecast VoiceRemote. If youhaveanoldermodel, youmay have difficulty findingthe remoteavailable forpurchasebyitself. Youdon’tevenneed to say“HeyGoogle” to control yourChromecastwith your voice:
Pressandholdthe GoogleAssistantbutton to openthemicrophone.
Ask aquestionor saya command. Trythese:Open Netflix,play“IronMan,”go back10 seconds,andnext episode.
Vizio
Vizio’ssmart remotehas comebundledwith sets producedinthelast couple of years. Youcan alsopurchasedirectlyfromVizioor pickup acompatibleoption foraround$15onAmazon.
The remoteletsyou browsecontent, switch inputs, changethe volume, launchapps, checkthe weather,andmore.
Pressandholdthemicrophonebuttonandspeak your command.
Trythesecommands: Showmefamilymovies, showmeanimatedmovies,switch to HDMI2,
reallyhelpsbringallofthe thingsthatmakethe park attractiveto otherindustries forlocation....It’sa greatsellingpoint.”
Railroadsaccount for roughly40%of U.S. long-distancefreight volume(measured by tonmiles)— morethanany othermodeoftransportation —butonly1.9%of U.S. transportation-related greenhousegasemissions, according to theAssociation ofAmericanRailroads.
“Wewillstart to seethis
pause, setvolume to 5, play “Modern Family”on Peacock,andopen YouTube.
Samsung Youcan control your SamsungTVusingBixby, Alexa,orGoogleAssistant, dependingonthemodel year.
To setupBixbywith your SamsungTV:
Go to Settings, Generalon yourTV,then select Voice.
Select Voiceassistant andchoose Bixby, then selectOK.
UseBixbyVoiceSettingstoselect yourlanguage, voiceresponse,and sound feedback.
Next,pressthemicrophonebuttonon your TV’sremoteand say“Hi, Bixby” to begingiving commands.
You’llneedanAmazon account to setupAlexa with your SamsungTV:
Go to Settings, Generalon yourTV,then select Voice.
Select Voiceassistant andchoose Alexa,then selectOK.
ScantheQRcode onthe screenusing your phone’scamera.
You’llbe takentoAmazon’swebsite. Signinto yourAmazonaccountand
growthhappen,anditwill continueandbuildmomentum over years,”Burrows said.“We’re seeing thatnow. “Industrial parksare no differentthanbig, retail shopping centers. Onceyou have an anchor,onceyou have someoneaslarge as theyare established,itjust makesitthatmuch easier to expandtheinfrastructure forthenextbigenterprise.” rhett.morgan@tulsaworld. com
tapAllowonyourphone.
FollowtheinstructionsontheTV’sscreen to finish settingupAlexa.
Pressyour remote’s microphonebuttonand say“Alexa” to begingiving commands.
You’llneed aGoogle account to setupGoogle Assistantwith your SamsungTV:
Go to Settings, Generalon yourTV,then select Voice.
Select Voiceassistant andchoose GoogleAssistant,then selectOK.
Select“Iunderstand” to agree to the termsand conditions.
Useyour phone to navigatetothe website shownon yourTV screen.
TapGetstarted,then Open to openGoogleAssistanton yourphone.
Signin toyouraccount,then tapContinue.
TapNextwhen your phonefinds yourTV.
TapYes to confirm thatthe codeon yourTV matchestheoneon your phone.
TapAllowonyour phone to giveyourTV permission to access your phone.
Pressthe remote’s microphonebuttonand speak your requests.
To submitanannouncement, call youradvertising representativeat 918-581-8510.Sharetheseannouncementsandseeanarchiveattulsaworld.com/business.
KumaRoberts is aleaderinthe Tulsa community, mobilizing companies andindividuals tocourageously create spacefordialogueabout diversity, equity, inclusion,and justice.
Kumaispassionate about racialand socialjusticewithanemphasison shiftingpolicyandpracticevs. hearts andmindsandspeaking to more companiesandorganizationson howtoharnessthepowerofDEI to enhancecompetitiveadvantage.
PMCAFEE &TAFT
CONGRATULATIONSTO
ARROWHEAD CONSULTING’S
KUMAROBERTS 2022PINNACLE AWARD–CORPORATEBUSINESSWOMANOF THEYEAR
Theteam atArrowhead Consulting giveshuge kudosand aheartfelt congratulations toKuma Roberts, ChiefDiversity&InclusionOfficer, winnerofthe Pinnacle Award Corporate Business Womanof the Year,presentedbythe YWCA inpartnershipwiththe Mayor’s Commissiononthe Statusof Women. ThePinnacle Awardcelebrates womenwhoarerolemodelsintheir professions,take risksonbehalfof others,performscommunityservice, andadvocatesfor women’s issues.
Sincejoiningthe Arrowhead Consulting team, Kumahas spearheadedseverallarge-scale DEIinitiativeswithstate andlocal chambersacrossthe U.S.andhas beeninvited to speaknumerous times,bothinpersonandvirtually, oncrucialDEI topics.Kuma continues to work with agrowing listof companiesandnonprofit organizationsthroughoutOklahoma andisactively workingonpublishing her firstbook.
Visit www.ArrowheadConsulting.comor call 918.631.7321 forafree30-minute consultationonhowKuma Roberts canguide yourorganizationthrough diversity, equity, andinclusion initiatives.
Jacob Garrison
TheCommunityFoodBankofEastern Oklahoma welcomes JacobGarrison asthe executivevicepresidentandchief operatingofficer. TheCommunityFoodBankofEastern Oklahoma workstoaddress foodinsecuritythrough anetwork ofpartneragenciesandstrategicengagements focusedon endinghunger.Theorganizationisthelargest,private, hungerrelieforganizationineasternOklahoma.
Prior to joiningtheorganization, Garrisonservedasexecutive directorofClaremoreMain Street,Inc.Inthis role,hewas responsible foreconomicand communitydevelopment, strategiclong-termplanning,placemakingstrategiesand practices,historicalpreservation,marketing,fundraising,and grant writing.Inconjunctionwiththeboardofdirectors,he worked to build communitypartnershipsand collaboration.
Before his work withClaremoreMain Street, Garrisonputhis talents to useserving collegestudents at Tulsa Technology Centerand Tulsa CommunityCollege.Garrisonholds aMaster of ScienceinEducational LeadershipfromNortheasternState UniversityinTahlequah,Oklahoma,and aBachelorof Sciencein Business Administrationfrom MissouriSouthernState University inJoplin, Missouri.
Joel D. Stafford
Joel Stafford, an attorney andCPAwhohasserved as atrustedtaxadvisor for nearly40 years,has rejoined the Tax&Family Wealth Group at McAfee &Taft. His practicefocusesprimarilyon corporateandtransactional planningandtaxauditand controversymatters.He most recentlyservedas seniortax counsel at Devon Energy Corporation,where he oversawandmanagedall incometaxplanning,strategy, andtransactionalmatters. Staffordholds aBSBA degreeinaccountingfrom Oklahoma StateUniversity, aJuris DoctorfromOULaw, andanLLMintaxationfrom New York University. Heis amemberoftheOklahoma Bar Association, TaxSection oftheABA,OSCPA, American InstituteofCPAs, and Mineral Lawyers SocietyofOklahoma City. Throughouthiscareer, Staffordhasservedasan adjunctprofessor at OULaw, OCULaw, andtheEast Central UniversityDepartmentof Accounting.Heiscurrently helping coachtheNational TaxMoot Courtteam at OU LawfortheSpring2022 semester.
Folks, we’vegot a“woke” problem.It’s widespread. Andit’s growing.
What exactlyisthatproblem?
I’dsay 9in10ofusdon’tknow whatthe termmeans,andI’m being generous.
Butthat’s notstoppingpeople fromusingthe termloosely to score politicalpoints.
Oklahoma SecretaryofEducation Ryan Walters, astudent ofhistoryaswellasateacher ofit, warnedofattemptsbythe farlefttomakepeoplefeelbad aboutAmerica’shistory.
In avideoposted to socialmedia earlierthismonth, Walters —acandidateforstatesuperintendent —saidstudentsshould notbemade to feelashamed oftheirethnicity. He alsosaid studentsshouldbe taught all of ourhistory, eventhetimes when our countryhas fallenshortofits ideals.
Indoing so,hecited anumber offiguresfromAmericanhistory, includingnameslikeDr. Martin Luther King Jr.and Frederick Douglass.
No complaintsheresofar.
Butthentherewas thisquip: “Tobeclear,inOklahoma, our schoolsarenot going to go ‘woke,’” Walterssaid.“Weare not going to apologizeforAmerica. We’regoing to makesureour studentsknowourhistoryand knowwhy this countryisthe greatest countryinthehistoryof the world.”
Walters’ words, takenin tandemwithhispromisethat educatorswon’tignoreAmerica’sdarkermoments, presents contradictions.We’ll save that foranotherday. Let’s addressthe “woke”thing.
Wokenessseems to have gottena bunchofpeoplehotand bothered, so IfiguredI’ddosome digging to figureout whatthe fussisabout.
Asitturnsout,the term goes backfurtherthanskinnyjeans, avocado toastor anyothermillennialactivisttropes.
Inwriting forthe NegroDigest in 1942,J.SaundersReddingdescribedthe battlesBlack workers were facing,andhowimportant unionmembershiphadbecome inachievingequality.
“TheymeanwhataNegro United Mine Workersofficialin West Virginia toldmein 1940: ‘Letme tell you,buddy, waking upis adamnsideharderthan going to sleep,but we’llstay woke uplonger.’”
Andthereyou have oneof the earliestusagesofthephrase “stay woke.” Theman Redding referencedis sayingthatvigilanceisneeded to identifyforces, both seenandunseen,that were working to underminetherights ofBlackAmericans.
Thatthemehasendured throughthe years. Dr.King— ofteninvokedand selectively quoted —would have nodded knowinglyatthat West Virginia miner.
King said to graduatingstudentsatOberlin Collegein1965: “Thereisnothingmoretragic than to sleepthrough arevolution....Thewindofchangeis blowing,and we seeinourday andourageasignificantdevelopment....Thegreatchallenge facing everyindividualgraduating todayistoremain awake throughthis social revolution.”
It wasn’tuntil recent years that wokenesspenetratedthe widerAmericanlexicon.MusicianslikeErykahBaduhelped the termenterthepopculture sphere,andbeing woke embodied acomprehensive awareness ofthestrugglesofthemarginalized.
Theturbulenceofthe past decadeboosteditfurther.Protestsoverthekillingsofunarmed Blackmen gave birth to theBlack LivesMattermovement,and on awideningfront, wokeness helpedpowereffortstocombat nativism,misogynyandhomophobia.
Butthe backlash to theseeffortshasbeensignificant.An
Recently, U.S. Sen. James Lankforddeclined adebate,sayinghedidn’twant to give hisopponentfreeair time. Schoolboardcandidatesin Jenksand Unionarerefusing to appearin forumshosted by parentgroupswiththeincumbents theyare challenging.
This comesjustthreemonths afterthe Republican National Committeenotifiedthe CommissiononPresidential Debates thatitplans to prohibititscandidatesfrom participatinginits debates.
Isthisendofpoliticaldebates?If so,it’sbad forvoter educationandwillharm good governance.
Campaignsarebigbusiness, with consultantscuratingimages forcandidates,fromtalking pointstowardrobes. Thisapproachgivesa meticulously plannedperceptionof aperson, accurateornot.
Replacingdebatesand forums willbeslick,pre-packagedpersonasbuiltaround consumer marketing. No morewill candidatesneed to explaintheirpositions;theycouldjustsurround themselveswithlike-minded peopleand repeatphrases.
Thisisalready agrowing problem forvoterswho want to findoutmoreabout candidates.
Socialmediausheredin away to bypass thetraditional vetting of candidates.It’sputpowerin thehandsofpolitical partiesand specialinterests. Votersgeta watered-down,one-sidedview ofpeople wanting to run government.
Forconstituentschallenging candidatesinthatonline space,theymay findthemselves blockedandshutoutfromthe conversation.Theinsistence onwrittenquestionsallowsa candidatetohavesomeoneelse answerorcheck to ensuretheir responsesfit achosennarrative. Howisthisdifferentfrom propaganda?
If candidatesareunwilling to meetpeopleofdifferingviews beforetheytakeoffice,thereis noincentiveto actdifferently oncegivenpower.
By isolatingfromopponents andthepublic,itbecomes easier to demonizetheother,continuing to sowdivides ratherthan find commonground.
Lankford’sloudestchal-
lengeris TulsaPastor Jackson Lahmeyer, whofits ontheedge ofthepoliticalright. Reasons Lankfordhasgivenfornotdebatingarethatit wouldbea “sideshow”andgive hisopponent“freeairtime.”Lankford, however, would receivethe same amountofairtime.
Withpublicdebates,thereis always achanceitcouldbecome acircusif acandidatestartsactinglikeafool.But voters need to seethatunfold.
Voters need to seehow candidates conductthemselves, especiallywhenunderpressure or facedwithunusualcircumstances.
Can candidatesthink wellon their feet? Howdotheyreact to questionsfromthepublic?
Aretheymeanorrespectful?
Aretheyknowledgeablebeyond talkingpoints?
WhenLankfordranin2016, he receivedmorevotes fromOklahomans(980,892)than Trump (949,136). More voters cameout four yearslater,soit’sunclear howthat wouldhave shakenout in2020.
Thislevelofapprovalgives Lankfordcover.Notappearing likelywon’thurthis campaign becausehehas atrack record of successful re-elections.
That’s whathappened when U.S. Sen.JimInhoferefused to debatehis Democratchallenger AbbyBroyles twoyears ago. He still wonwith 63%approval.
Datapowerstoday’sworld. Withendlessinformation atourfingertips, parents canchart acourse fortheir child’seducation.
The artsare apathmanyparentsknowcomplementstheir child’sstrengths andshapes theiracademicand career trajectories.Datashows usthatall studentscanbenefitfromarts education.
And now, our owndatashows that toooften,Oklahoma school childrenlackaccess to finearts courses, thuslimitingtheirpotential.
school. Thedashboard indicateswide disparities. InOklahoma County, 76%of studentsare enrolledin some typeoffineartscourse,while in Pushmatahaand Adair counties, only11% are.
Thesefiguresandmoreare availablethroughthe dashboard, recentlydeveloped througha partnershipofthe Oklahoma ArtsCouncil,OklahomaState DepartmentofEducation, Oklahomans fortheArts, and Kirkpatrick Foundation.
Thedashboardisa game changer forartseducationinour state. Parents, teachers, administrators, schoolboards,state lawmakers, andotherscannow identify wheregapsexistin the availabilityoffine artsprograms. Parentscanusethedashboard to push forthefineartsprograms theirstudentsneed,ortheycan usethedashboardwhendeciding wheretorelocatetheir families.
Administrators, school boards, andlawmakerscanusethedata instrategizing ways to meetdemandforfineartscoursesand to give moreOklahoma parents options forchartingtheirchild’s path to success. Everystudent, regardlessof their eventualcareer,benefits fromhands-onartslearning. Americansagreewiththis.
Anationwidesurvey conductedin2018showed91% of Americansbelieveartseducation isimportant to awell-rounded education.Theartisticprocessis
AmnesiahasgrippedtheOklahoma Legislature as lawmakersapproveda seriesof tax-cuttingmeasureswithout knowing wheretomakeupthelostfunding. Awaveofbills passedout the House and SenateonTuesdaythatwould cutthe corporate franchisetax,suspendgrocery taxes, reduce personal income taxand give propertytax relief to higher-incomeolder residents.
In total,this would take about $557.2 millionfrom revenuefor fiscalyear2024. Thisis on topoflastyear’sreductionsinthe personaland corporateincome tax, totaling about$347million for fiscal year 2023
The HouseonWednesdaythen approved measurestophaseoutpersonal and business income taxes($400millionannualloss), temporarilyexpand salestax rebates($185 million)and mailout $321million in taxrebatesbeforethe November generalelection. Oklahoma’seconomyisgoodright now. Oilpricesareup, $2 billionisin statesavings accountsand federalpandemic emergency aid preventedan economiccollapse.The unemployment rate is2.7%, belowthe U.S. 3.8%.
The conservative approach wouldbeto go slow inmakingrevenue cuts, especially without aplantocut services or replace the loss.
Instead, lawmakers aregoingonthe same tax-slashingspreethatstartedduringthe late-1990sboom.Then came abust. Adecade later, theLegislaturefaced consistent revenuefailuresand adeficitof$1.5 billion. Agencybudgetsweredevastated. Everythingfrommentalhealthservices to highwaypatrolmiles driven to prisoneducation programs were cut.
Commoneducation sank to almostlast inteacher payandper-pupil expenditure, leading to atwo-weekteacherwalkoutin 2018.State fundingnow amounts to less than10%ofthebudgetsfor Oklahoma’s majoruniversitiesThose educationeffects arestillbeing felt.
To notreturn to those days means to rememberthose days.
Taxratesandfeesneed to be regularly evaluated,butpublic services costs.
Thiswasbroughtuplastweekduringthe debateon SenateBill 1481,bySen. John Michael Montgomery, R-Lawton.The proposal wouldput amoratoriumon thecorporate franchisetax,estimated to reduce revenue by $57.2million.
Whenpressedonhow that wouldbe recouped foragencies,Montgomerysaid, “Budgetnegotiationsareongoing. We will seehow that comes outaswego forward.”
Thisshows eithera lackofananswerora lackoftransparencyaboutbudgetproposals. It’s no secret afew peoplebehindclosed doorsworkoutthe budgetfor releasetoward thesession’send.
Ofthetax-cutproposals,HouseBill3349, by Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, takes themostcautiouspath.Itwouldprovidefor atwo-yeartrialruntoseehowthe stategets alongwithoutanestimated$270millionon thestate salestax ongroceries. Itdoesn’t affectlocaltaxes ongroceries.
By notmakingitpermanent,itgivestime to seeifthecuthasthedesiredeffect. Forrightnow, lawmakersare barreling aheadwithoutmemoryofthose lean years, insteadbankingon a“we’llsee”fiscalapproach.
Almost exactly20years after my first trip to Oklahoma as ajunior diplomat, Iwill be visiting our partner statethis week as the ambassador of Azerbaijan. Then, my mentor, Ambassador Hafiz Pashayev, instructed me to explorethe opportunities forcooperation sincewewerestarting aState Partnership Programwith the Oklahoma National Guard.
Today, our track record is proudly expansive
In July 2021, severaldaysafter my newappointment, the first U.S. delegation Iengaged with in Azerbaijan was from Oklahoma. Gov. Kevin Stitt and his team were the best embodiment of the American culture: open, engaging and patriotic
During the meeting with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, our successful cooperation with Oklahoma washailed. Stitt looked forwardtostrengthening our partnership and connecting Oklahoma companies with the manyeconomic development opportunities in Azerbaijan.
Indeed, Azerbaijan, encompassing almost the two-thirds of the strategicallylocated South Caucasus economy and demography, awaitsmorebusiness
from Oklahoma. Renewable energy,information technologies,logistics and agricultureare the key areastoexplore. We arealsoeagertohostmorestudentsand ordinary citizens to demonstratethe best of our hospitality, ancient cultureand vibrant society.
In addition, Azerbaijani companies areveryinterested to invest, and our youth arefilling the ranksofstudentsin Oklahoma. We will seek moreopportunities to deepen our engagement during the trip
Meanwhile, our cooperation with Oklahoma is aserious contribution to the overall Azerbaijan-U.S. partnership, which celebrates its30th anniversary this year.Involvement of American energy companies in global energy and transportation projectsinAzerbaijan has been instrumental in ensuring Europe’senergy securityand protecting key U.S. national interests.
The eighth ministerial meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council washeld in FebruaryinBaku and reaffirmed the strategic energy partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the European Union basedonshared goals of long-term energy security, securityofsupplyand the green energy transition. This corridor delivers Caspian gasfromAzerbaijan to Europe through asystemofconnected pipelines Azerbaijan’sparticipation in NATO and U.S.-led operations in Iraq and Af-
Istilldon’t knowifAlinahas madeit outofMariupol,or whethersheisalive.
WhenRussian bombspummeledtheUkrainiancitythree weeksago,I lost contactwithmy smart, resourceful, youngtranslator. Afterthebombsfell,thecity lostelectricityand wascutoff from water, gasand food.Since then, Ihavebeen messagingAlina dailyonWhatsApp,hopingshe has escapedtosomewheresafer, butno repliesarrived. (I amnot usingthelast namesofMariupol residents fortheirsafety, as Russian soldiers arekidnapping thousandsofthemand sending them forcibly to Russiancities.)
It seems impossible to believe thatjustsix weeksago,Alinaand Idrove all over Mariupol as ifthe worldwerenormal. We traveled fromtheindustrialhalfofthe town withitshugesteelworksto thebeacheslinedwithmodest hotels to the town centerwithits manyrestaurants, modernshops andcentraltownsquare.Inthe square,theelegantMariupol DramaTheaterwas thecultural symbolofthecityfor 62 years.
Locals were nervous.They rememberedthe failedRussian efforttotakeMariupolin2014. Butnoone expectedthehell that wouldbefallMariupolin acouple of weeks’time —thepremeditatedRussiandestructionofalmost everybuildingand residence inthecity.
Thedramatheaterisnowa tomb forunknownnumbers of women andchildren whowere hidinginits basementwhen aRussianplane deliberately bombedit.Anart schoolsheltering400 womenandchildrenwas also bombed.
“What Isaw,I hopeno onewill ever see,”a Greekdiplomat who escaped fromthecity last week told journalists. “Mariupolwill become partof alist of citiesthat were completelydestroyedby war; Idon’t needtoname them —theyare Guernica, Coventry, Aleppo,Grozny, Leningrad.”
Yes, Mariupol is theGuernica of ourtimes,reminiscentof AdolfHitler’s famous bombingofa Spanishvillageintorubblein1937. Guernica wasa testingground for akey Nazimilitary tactic —carpet-bombing civilianstodemoralizetheenemy. The worldhardly noticed as Hitler practicedfor WorldWarII.
The fate ofMariupol represents somethingequallyevil:Vladimir Putin’swillingness to deliberately
wipeout acityinorder toterrorizeUkrainians.Putinpracticed similar terroronGrozny and much ofAleppo.AsPresident Joe BidenandNATOleaders meet this week inBrussels,themurder ofMariupolshouldimpelthem to transferbetterairdefensesinto Ukraine— now.
Before Alina went silent,she had movedtothe basement of familyfriends.Shewrotetome: “Air raidseverywhere. We heard twolarge explosions acoupleof hoursago.Onemorenow,they arebombingus. Will keepin touchaslongasI have internet.”
Alinathought of trying to gettoPolandwithhermother butdidn’thaveher owncar.A well-educatedITspecialist,with an MBAfromLehigh University, shehad consideredemigrating to theUnitedStates,ifpossible, or maybetoCanada.Did shetry to escapeandnot make it? There’s no wayforme to findout.
Meantime,Alex,her courageoushost, whoisher best friend’s retiredfatherandhad drivenusonback roads nearthe frontlines,was ferrying would-be escapeesoutofMariupol.But he wasdetermined to stay inhis hometown andnotlet theRussiansdrive himout.
Youcan getasenseofthe horrorsinMariupolfromthe reports of twoAssociatedPress
ghanistan has demonstrated our common vision and joint capabilities
It is not asurprisethat around half of all the flightsduring the operation in Afghanistan took placeoverAzerbaijan. Our troopswereamong the last four nations defending the Kabul Airport with American, British and Turkish friends
Our partnership with the Oklahoma National Guardisone of 85 U.S. National Guardpartnershipsaround the worldand has playedabig role forour peacekeepers’ interoperability. Early this month, membersofthe Oklahoma National Guardvisited the Peacekeeping Brigade of Azerbaijan Armed Forces to assist with strategic planning and unit training and help attain NATO certification.
We took the wordsofWill Rogers, whose statue Gov. Stitt presented to President Aliyev, seriously. He once said, “Evenifyou’re on the right track, you’ll getrun over if youjust sit there.” So we don’tsit.
We do what the studentsatOklahoma StateUniversity, which Iwill visit, proudlycall for: “Ride, ride, ride, ride, Ride ‘em Cowboys, Right down the field!”
Iknowthat we will ride to moreand greaterachievementstogether with the people of the Sooner Stateand the United States of America.
Khazar Ibrahim is theambassador from Azerbaijan to theUnited States.
journalists, MstyslavChernov andEvgeniyMaloletka, whowere probablythelastinternational pressinthebesiegedcityuntil theyleft earlierthis week.They photographed woundedpregnant womenafterRussiansbombeda maternityhospitaland confirmed thatone ofthewomenandher newbornhaddied. On Feb. 27,Chernovwrote: “wewatchedasadoctortried to save alittle girlhit by shrapnel. She died. Asecondchilddied, thena third.Ambulancesstopped pickingupthe wounded because people couldn’tcallthemwithout asignal,andthey couldn’t navigatethe bombed-outstreets. Thedoctors pleaded withusto film familiesbringingintheir own deadand wounded,andletususe their dwindling generatorpower forour cameras.Noone knows
what’s goingoninourcity, they said.”
Chernov continued:“By this time, Ihad witnesseddeaths atthe hospital, corpsesinthe streets, dozensofbodiesshoved intoa massgrave.I hadseen so muchdeaththat Iwasfilmingalmostwithout takingitin.”
Thereare stillhundredsof thousandsofUkrainianstrapped intherubbleandunabletoleave thecity becausetheRussians targethumanitarian convoys.
IftheUnited Nations,the West andthe worldstand by whilethe residents ofMariupoldieunder therubble,thenPutinhas agreen light formorewarcrimes.IfPutin ispermitted to turn Kyiv —along withother Ukrainiancities —into anotherGuernicaorMariupol andget away withit,whatwillhe donext?
Iwas absolutelyappalled to read the storyinarecent edition about legislation to prohibit discrimination basedonhair (“Housepassesbill to prohibit discrimination basedonhair,” March 19)and on another page wasastory about Vladimir Putin’srallyinMoscow(“Putin defends invasion at rally,”March 19).
It defies me to think that the U.SHouseofRepresentativesis carried away with this type of legislation when weareliterally on the vergeofthe possibilityof nuclear weapons being utilized by crazed Putin.
Iinitiallythought that Ihad misreadthe story, so Icontinued reading in amazement, thinking, “Is this can’tbe the best our lawmakerscan focus on when literallythousands arebeing killed needlesslyinUkraine?”
This includes women, children and ordinarycitizens.Congressman Jim Jordan commented, “This is what the Democratsare focused on. Fourteen months of chaosand we’redoing abill on hair.”
So very sadfor the worldto viewwhatare lawmakersare focused on when other countries arebeing totallydestroyed.
John Coonce, TulsaOn April 5, residentsliving in Union Public School’sZone 2 district will vote in an election that will greatlyimpact the futureofover15,000 studentsand myself
As asophomoreatUnion High School, Iwritetoendorse Dr Chris McNeil forUnion Public Schools’ Zone 2school board seat. Iwritethis endorsement due to the educational resources proposedbyMcNeil.
One such resource championed byMcNeil is toestablish an alumni association at Union Public Schools to help guide high schoolersinsuccessfully achieving their goals As Ilook intothe future, amentor through McNeil’sproposedalumni association would benefit students likeme, whomay not have aclear path in their career after obtaining adiploma.
As Isee it, with McNeil on Union’sschool board, future generations of Redhawkswill be
FromE4
obscurelaw schoolsubjectlike criticalracetheoryhaserupted intoabattlecryinschoolboard electionsand Supreme Court confirmationhearings. Culture wars over LGBTQ issuesproliferate. We splitup families and built walls to deterundocumentedimmigrantsfromcrossingour southernborder.
Thatreactionhasincluded co-optingand weaponizinglanguage,including wokeness.
Whereasbeing woke once meanthaving abig-pictureview ofmarginalization,itnowmeans somethingdifferent to abig chunkofthe country.
ForWalters andotherslike him, wokenesshintsatsomethinganti-American.Thisisa responsetopointedcounternarrativesabout what alot of ushave helddear forages:the infallibilityofGeorgeWashingtonandthe otherFounders, the wholesomeness ofthefirst Thanksgiving,thebraveryofthe pioneersand LandRun settlers.
Theseare thingsa lotof us believedwerecherished, settled history, onlytobereminded thereismoretothestory.
themostsuccessful classesfrom UnionPublic Schools. McNeil is able to be acriticalthinker in seeing the real challenges facing UnionPublic Schools. Notonly that, butheisdrivenbythe vision of studentswalking across the graduation stagewitha bright futureahead of them
In my opinion, McNeil is the onlycandidatewiththe ambition to further excel Union’s missionofgraduating 100% of studentscollege and career ready. On April 5, don’tmakea decisionbased on the partisan politicsinWashington buton the value of proposededucationalresourcesbrought by Dr McNeil
Ivan Herrera, TulsaCommunityAdvisoryBoard member Ross Swimmer’s column(“Improvingpublicschools through openprimaries,” March 20)statedthathebelieves thatmany Republicans want high-quality public schools,but notenoughofthemare inthe Legislature.
However, theGOP,onthenationallevel,appearstobedoing everythingitcan to fullyprivatizepubliceducation,Medicare,
public libraries,publicand nationalparks,Social Securityand firedepartments.
Currently, theGOP’sencouragingitsvoterstotakeovertheir boardsofeducation so thatit canchangeall schoolcurriculum to reflectas fact that everythingtheU.S.has everdoneis good,and everything theGOP doesn’tlikeisbad.
Public school librarieswould be filledexclusively withbooks supporting the GOPagenda, andnoteacher wouldbehired whowanted toteachevolution, non-religious science,or intended to mention“climate change”and/or“overpopulation.”
IfOklahomansseriouslywant thebestpubliceducationpossible,the voters should putOklahoma’sstate representatives indirect controlofthe public schoolsintheirlegislative districts. Then vote them in,orout, accordingly.
WilliamDusenberry, BrokenArrow
Abad tax
Oklahomaisone of 13 states to stillimpose asales taxon groceryitems,at4.5%. Aswith many statesthatcharge grocery
taxes, Oklahomasuffersabove averagefood insecurity. Manyfactors contributeto foodinsecuritybut making food moreexpensive certainly does nothelp.Thecurrent HouseBill 3349 temporallyreduces taxes paidongroceriestozero. The reduction would startinJuly 2022andendin June 2024. This billis ashort-lived reprieveofa badtax.
Thelowertheincomea householdhas, thehigherthe percentageoftheirincomethey spendonpurchasinggroceries.
Alower-income householdwill spend 36% oftheirincome on food, whileahigher-income householdwillonlyspend 8% on food.
The taxpaidperhouseholdon 36% ofincome is drasticallydifferentthanifthey had spent8%. This results in alower-income householdpayingmore oftheir income forgrocery tax, whilea higher-income household pays less. Thelower-incomehouseholdsenduppayingmore than what would seem fair.
Taxesmust do aslittleharm to the well-beingofthose who paythem,butagrocery tax strictlyviolatesthisrule.The currentbillis amovementinthe rightdirectionbut doesnotgo
farenoughastwo yearsisnot forever. Agrocery taxissimplya taxtolive.
JasonLawter, OklahomaCity
Pick anotherbook
HouseBill3890 seekstomake theBiblethestate’sofficialbook. Itisanobviouslyunconstitutionalbill,asboth federaland stateconstitutionsprotectthe freedomof religion,andmaking anysacred textintothe“official” statebook constitutestheendorsementofthat religion by the state.
Inaddition,Christianityis notmonolithic.Evenifyou were trying to make“theBible”into theofficialstatebook, which one would youchoose?There aredozensoftranslations,and CatholicandOrthodoxBibles have morebooksinthemthan Protestantsdo.Sowhichonedo we make“official?”
Thedeeperissueisthatthis feelslikemorereactionaryand irrationalattacksonhistoryand libraries,not to mentionpublic schools,withcriesof“indoctrination” basedonthe realization that asingularinterpretationwill nolongerbethe sole basis for understandingthe world. Whyelsemakeasingle sacred textthe“official”bookof astate, but to assertits“dominance” and continuewiththe myththat thisis aso-called“Christiannation?”
As aChristian pastor,I am remindedthat Jesus warnedhis disciplesaboutpeople whoput on agoodshow, butdon’ttruly followhim.Insteadofidolizing theBible, we shouldinsteadtry living by someofitstenets.I recommendtheLegislaturestart with somethingthatthebook youwanttomake“official”is unequivocalabout, regardlessof versionortranslation, caring for weakestamongus. Rev.Chris Moore, Tulsa
Editor’s Note:The Rev. ChrisMoore isthelead pastorof Fellowship Congregational Church.
vaccination status,heshowedup on apodcastdecryinghowthe “wokemob” wascomingafter him.
Idon’tthinkRodgersissodim as to misunderstandthe term;he plays in aleague where60%of itsplayers areBlack.Butheknew invoking wokenesswouldappeal to much ofhisfan base.
It’s agoodstrategybecauseit works. The wonky phrase “politicallycorrect”found itsway out ofacademiaandintothemainstreamandisalmost universally seenasderisive.“Fakenews” oncedefined actual fake stories designed to deceive people;now itdescribes anysort ofnews peopledon’tlikeordon’twant to believe.
Butat some point, we haveto stopacceptingtheseconvenient andlazy redefinitions.Wecan teachAmericanhistory, the good andthe bad,and feelbothpride and sorrowover what we’ve done.It’s possible to walkand chewgumatthe sametime.
Andif you’re quick to recite MartinLutherKing Jr.,be aware thathe’smorethan the soaringpositivityofhis“IHavea Dream”speech.MLK waswoke ashell.
Ahighlevelofsupport shouldn’tbe an excusetonotengage inpublic forumsanddebates. Ifanything,it ought to be viewed asopportunitiestoreaffirm what voters believe.
Forunknown candidates, avoidancemakesno sense.
In Jenksand Union schools, candidates opposingthe incumbentshavepulledout ofpublic forumshosted by parent-teacher organizations,claiming biased processesororganizations.
In Union,onlyastudent-led eventdoublingas avoterregistrationdrive attractedbothcandidates simultaneously. So far, both candidateshave agreed to beon aFacebookLive forumlaterthis week.But parentsknowthatonline is nosubstituteforin-person. The refusal to enterpublicde-
To others, wokenesscanmean justaboutanything,justaslong as it’s bad. Last fall, whenGreenBay
batesand forumsisplayingout atthenational levelastheRNC challengesthe commissionthat hoststhepresidentialandvice presidentialdebates.The commission wasfounded by the Republicanand Democratic parties in 1987 to permanentlyimplement thedebatesas partoftheelection.
Although toutedasnonpartisan, conservativesinrecent years have complainedtheprocess favors Democrats.However,the commissionnegotiateswiththe candidates on termsandformat.
The RNChasstatedit wants moreofadirect role, ratherthan the commission going to thequalifying candidates.Inaletter sent to the commissionin January, otherRNCcomplaintswereabout holdingthefirstdebate earlierand accusingthe groupofselecting biasedmoderators,changingthe agreed-upon formatand failing to maintainnonpartisanship. That’s stillbeing workedout,
butit’s possibleAmericansmay not seetheirpresidentin adebate, breaking alongAmericancustom.
Themodernpresidentialdebate startedwiththe 1960 televised John F. Kennedy versusRichard Nixonevent.Butthetraditionis consideredtohavestartedwith the1856Illinois senate race betweenAbraham Lincoln andStephenA.Douglas. Schoolboards,citycouncils, legislaturesand Congressrequire groupefforts. To getsomething done,membersmustbeable to work withothers. Public forums anddebates givevoters alook at theability of candidates to do that.
Public debatesand forumshave servedAmericans well,allowing voters abetterchanceatknowing candidates. Voters deserve betterthan campaigntheaterandneed to demand candidates keep thisAmerican tradition.
aconceptual,multi-dimensionalone thatpositively impactsone’s graspof math, science,English,andmore.
The artsofferskillsthat noother contentarea can.
bob.doucette@tulsaworld.com
trictsreallocateresources to meet thevariedneedsof studentsthroughthefine arts?In whatareasofOklahoma should we prioritize investmentsinartseducation to improve academic outcomes?
Answers to thesequestionsandmore canbeserved throughthedashboard.
If we want to producecreative thinkerswhowillstay inOklahomaandlaunchthe nextinnovative start-up,fine artscoursesare essential.
If we intend to entice companies to move here, we mustoffertheiremployeesa world-classeducationthat includesthefinearts.
The OklahomaArtsEducation Dashboardisafirst step.Thenext step isusing thedatatodrive decisions.
Whereinourstateare childrenable to flourish creatively?How candis-
All Oklahomansareaffected by thetypeandqualityofeducationstudents receiveinour schools,which is whyevery Oklahoman should explorethenew Oklahoma ArtsEducation Dashboard at ok4arts.org. Thepowerofthisdata has implicationsthat go farbeyond the classroom.
BarbyMyers ispresidentand chief executiveofficerfor the ClaremoreChamberof Commerce.
The 14 most beautiful places to visit
34-58
Doing good: Tulsa’s own NFL player Felix Jones and his historic purchase
Find a little slice of heaven at these cherished places in our state. Don’t miss attractions nearby and along the way.
8 Life in Native America: Bixby’s Euchee Butterfly Farm preserves native species
59 Economic Boost: PGA Championship comes to Southern Hills Country Club
13 Oklahoma Made: Sweet success for Roark Acres Honey Farms
63 Tulsa Trailblazers: Oil magnate Cecil Canary helped start Southern Hills
5 At Home: Tulsa’s coolest Airbnb stays
64 Get Outside: What’s new in outdoor sports and activities this spring
68 Coming Soon: Bob Dylan Center receives national attention
70 District: Evolution of Brookside, “The Restless Ribbon”
84 Let’s Go: Upcoming spring events, festivals and more
Hoyt Axton’s song “Never Been to Spain” came to mind when we decided to compile our list of Oklahoma’s most beautiful spaces for the spring edition of Tulsa World Magazine.
In particular this part:
“Well, I never been to heaven, But I’ve been to Oklahoma.”
Nicole Marshall Middleton Tulsa World Magazine EditorThe stunning sunsets, serene wildflower meadows, peaceful wide-open plains, lush green forests and rushing waterfalls — Axton didn’t dwell, but we get it. (More on Axton and the song in a story by Randy Krehbiel on page 40).
Jason Aldean took it a little further in his song, “Fly Over States:”
“On the plains of Oklahoma
With a windshield sunset in your eyes
Like a watercolor painted sky
You’d think heaven’s doors have opened You’ll understand why God made Those fly over states.”
And his song makes a good point. Much of the country has no idea how heavenly Oklahoma can be.
And even the locals can forget sometimes, so we hope our cover story — packed with things to do along the way and near these beautiful locations — can serve as a humble reminder. At the very least, it’s a travel guide for an overdue adventure.
Many people will flock to Tulsa for the PGA Championship in May. Read more about the significance and good fortune of that upcoming event in a column by Bill Haisten. If these visiting golf fans have never been to Oklahoma before, it will be the perfect time to swing by one of these 14 beautiful and worthy destinations.
At the very least, PGA visitors should grab a bite at one (or more) of Tulsa’s iconic eateries. Tulsans know these places well. See how many you have tried in our quiz on pages 8081. And if Tulsa visitors need a place to stay, Grace Wood has featured some of the most unique Airbnbs in the area.
Also in this edition, Jimmie Tramel profiles Felix Jones, a former NFL player and Booker T. Washington Hall of Fame athlete. You may know about his football career and the football camp he coordinates for kids in the Tulsa area. But we talked to him about his childhood growing up in the shadows of the former Brady Mansion, what inspired him to buy it and his plans for the future of the historic structure.
We’re excited about this spring edition, packed with photography and stories by the talented Tulsa World staff!
Tulsa World Magazine is a specialty publication of the Tulsa World, 315 S. Boulder Ave., Tulsa, OK 74103. This magazine is published with the March 27, 2022, edition of the World. All content copyright Tulsa World 2022 The contents may not be reproduced without permission.
NICOLE MARSHALL MIDDLETON Editor nicole.marshall@tulsaworld.comSTACEY DICKENS
Assistant Editorstacey.dickens@tulsaworld.com
TOM GILBERT Photo Editor
JOHN WALBLAY
Page Editor
Additional copies of Tulsa World Magazine can be found at the Tulsa World or at local retailers. Annual magazine subscriptions are $29.70 for six issues. To subscribe or have single issues mailed for $4.95, go to tulsaworldmagazine.com or call 918-581-0921.
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Whether you’re interested in a staycation or are visiting from out of town, you’re sure to love these unique Airbnbs in and around the Tulsa area. From the whimsical to the rustic and everything in between, Tulsa has an Airbnb to accommodate every taste and aesthetic.
TOP: The eccentric Airbnb Buck’s Cosmic Crash Pad, shown by owner Mary Beth Babcock, features ample artwork. ABOVE AND RIGHT: Artifacts from “The Outsiders” hang on the walls of a bedroom of an Airbnb across the street from the Outsiders House Museum.
Fans of the iconic 1983 film “The Outsiders” now have a chance to stay in a newly remodeled Airbnb across the street from the house — now a museum — where the movie was filmed in Tulsa.
“The Outsiders” aficionado and museum director Danny O’Connor created the stay, named the “Greaser Hideout,” and made sure to fill it with memorabilia and Outsiders-themed items from the film. The Airbnb can comfortably house six people.
Located just behind the Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curio Shop is an ultra-unique Airbnb described as a “living gallery,” where almost all of the art on display is for sale. This stay can accommodate up to six guests and is located adjacent to the Mother Road Market and is minutes away from downtown Tulsa.
Sapulpa’s Old City Hall in downtown Sapulpa has been completely renovated to accommodate guests. Filling the entire second floor of this historic gem, this special stay is filled with modern decorations and amenities, giving it an old New York City feel. This Airbnb can house up to four guests and is located near several restaurants, shopping destinations and coffee shops.
This stylish stay near downtown Tulsa has no shortage of color and flair. A remodeled bungalow, this Airbnb is brimming with vibrant touches, including a rainbow-tiled bathroom, bright kitchen accents and even a purple fireplace. Guests can also enjoy a spacious back patio area. This spot can accommodate up to four guests.
Perfect for a summer getaway with family or friends, this rustic cottage overlooking Skiatook Lake provides a peaceful place to relax by the water. One of 16 cabins available to rent along the lake, this eight-person stay features a lake-facing patio and access to a nearby marina for boating and fishing.
James D. Watts Jr. // Tulsa World Magazine
The doorways into the flight room at the Euchee Butterfly Farm in Bixby are hung with lengths of white plastic chain to create a kind of curtain that helps contain whatever species of butterfly may currently be in residence.
Still, escapes are not impossible.
“Whoops,” said David Bohlken, at the sight of a black and yellow zebra longwing perched on a link of chain curtain separating the flight room full of butterflies from the workroom occupied by a few industrious humans.
“Don’t worry,” said Bohlken, who manages to capture the escapee with a deft swipe of his hand. “He’s not trying to get out. He’s trying to get back in.”
Once inside the flight room — a large space housed within one of the farm’s metal buildings — Bohlken opens his hand and the prodigal butterfly flutters o , disappearing among the hundreds of other similar black and yellow creatures that can be seen perched on tree branches, dangling from leaves, hovering around sources of food, or simply flitting about, seemingly at random.
“During the spring and summer months,” Bohlken said, “we can have as many as 20 species in here. But in the winter, we rarely have more than three or four.”
Right now in February, the zebra longwing butterflies are the dominant species in the flight room. On one side of the room, new members of the group emerge from their chrysalis to take their first flight, while others hover around a patch of passiflora, passion flower plants, which serve as both a food source and a place to spawn new generations.
Bohlken points to a sprig that appears to be coated in tiny yellow dots. “Those are the eggs,” he said. “There’s probably two, three hundred eggs right here.”
It’s just one way the Euchee Butterfly Farm is helping
to ensure the butterfly population in Oklahoma survives and thrives, so these delicate creatures can go about their vital work of helping to preserve the state’s natural environment through pollinating all sorts of indigenous plants.
The farm, located southeast of Bixby, sits on the original 160-acre allotment that was presented in 1899 to Neosho Parthenia Brown by her father, Samuel W. Brown, a survivor of the Trail of Tears who later become chief of the Euchee people.
“He picked out this piece of land for his daughter, because it reminded him of his homeland in Alabama,” said Jane Breckinridge, Neosho Brown’s great-granddaughter.
One unique aspect of the land is that it is home to one of last remnants of pure prairie in Tulsa County — a 13-acre natural grassland ecosystem that has never been plowed and has been preserved in its original condition.
Within this relatively modest space are more than 400 species of native plants, animals, birds and insects, including several species not found elsewhere in Oklahoma. The land has been been passed down “from daughter to daughter,” Breckinridge said, herself a member of the Muscogee Nation. Honoring that legacy was something Breckinridge said was imperative for her.
“My great-grandmother faced a lot of very
As it is a working farm, the Euchee Butterfly Farm is open to the public by appointment only.
To schedule a tour to learn more about the programs at the Euchee Butterfly Farm, go to nativebutterflies.org.
hard times, but she was determined not to sell this land, but to keep it in the family, and to keep it intact,” Breckinridge said. “She also was the sort of person that, no matter what her own situation in life might have been, was always willing to help anyone who came to her in need.
“One thing that was very important to me was to put this land to use in a way that was going to be meaningful,” she said. “Among Native people, taking care of the land is a sacred obligation. And that obligation was even more important to me, because this land had been bought with blood.”
That is why, in 2013, Breckinridge and her husband, Bohlken, a longtime butterfly farmer and past president of the International Butterfly
Breeders Association, developed the program Natives Raising Natives, a unique conservation initiative in which Indigenous people are able to learn the process of butterfly farming.
“We had three goals,” Breckinridge said. “One was to provide sustainable employment for Native people. We provide all the supplies and training that people need to begin, and all the butterflies that they raise, we buy back and use here.”
Breckinridge said about 90 participants are currently involved in farming butterflies. Although the farm puts an emphasis on serving the Muscogee Nation, Breckinridge said a number of other tribes and nations have also been involved.
“Once we describe the program and its purpose, they want to be part of it,” she said.
The second goal is provide young people with a unique, hands-on approach to science education.
“I’ve learned that there are two
things that kids really get excited about,” she said. “One is dinosaurs. The other is butterflies. When we have young people come to us, you can see they get really excited about learning, because we’re giving them the chance to learn by doing.”
The third goal is to use native butterflies to help conserve and protect the region’s wild habitat – something that the inexorable growth of modern towns and cities continually threatens.
“It’s not just the big cities,” Breckinridge said. “We look around out here, and see the way that a town like Bixby is growing, and you can easily imagine that in 10 years’ time what we have right here could be gone if things continue unchecked.
“Our ecosystem is a very fragile thing,” she said. “That’s why it’s important to create and preserve these little islands of natural habitats, so that these species of plants and wildlife can continue.”
The farm also established a way
station for monarch butterflies in 2014, growing the milkweed on which these pollinators feed to give them the energy to make their epic journey from Canada to Mexico.
In addition, the farm has created a seed bank, primarily for plants necessary for the broad butterfly populations.
Brandon Gibson, a program coordinator at the farm and member of the Navajo tribe, said the bank focuses on collecting seeds for plants native to the northeastern Oklahoma region.
“Because of all the clay in our soil, native plants have to be tough,” he said. “A similar species that was developed elsewhere may not have that same kind of resilience, and probably wouldn’t be able to thrive here.
“People have o ered us a lot of unusual and — speaking as a biologist
— very interesting seeds,” Gibson said. “But because they are not indigenous to Oklahoma, we have to turn them down.”
The Euchee Butterfly Farm receives some grants, but a good portion of its funding comes from special events it holds on the property, as well as the live butterfly displays it hosts at places such as state fairs everywhere from Tulsa to Minnesota.
The farm also sells “butterfly boxes” — examples of some of the most extremely colorful members of the order Lepidoptera artfully preserved under glass. Even these items play a part in the Euchee Butterfly Farm’s conservation process — the frames for these displays are made from invasive cedar trees that threaten butterflies’ natural habitats.
It may seem like a small thing, but
those who work at Euchee Butterfly Farm know that even the smallest e ort is important.
“It’s really neat to know that I’m doing something that matters,” Gibson said, “and that even the littlest thing — like planting a couple of seeds that can grow into hundreds of plants — can have a profoundly positive e ect on this environment.”
One thing that was very important to me was to put this land to use in a way that was going to be meaningful. Among Native people, taking care of the land is a sacred obligation. And that obligation was even more important to me, because this land had been bought with blood.”
-JANE BRECKINRIDGE
Nicole Marshall Middleton // Tulsa World Magazine
The taste of local honey is truly unique and special. It’s the taste of home.
Flavor profiles reflect the landscape and plant life of the area where the bees forage. One region is distinct from another.
It doesn’t get more local than that.
And at Roark Acres, which produces honey in the Tulsa area, honey products are created by many members of a local family. It’s their art and homage to the bees that they raise.
No doubt about it, it’s a fulfilling job — and they know it, co-owner Amy Roark said.
“My husband, Michael, always says,
‘Now, it does not feel like going to work. I used to wear polos and khakis, and now I wear jeans and cowboy boots,’” Amy Roark said.
Michael Roark got his first two hives in 2012 — it was supposed to be a hobby, but little did the Roarks know then, their new family business was in the making.
“We just sort of fell into it and ended up just loving the bees,” she said.
Michael worked with a local commercial beekeeper full time for almost a year. He learned everything he possibly could about honey bees and, in less than eight years, turned two honey bee hives into over 1,000.
They began developing products including pure, raw Oklahoma honey, flavored creamed honey, various infused honeys, bee pollen, beeswax, beeswax candles, honey candy, handcrafted soap, lip balm, lotion bars and many skin care products. In the spring, they even sell bees.
In March 2016, they opened a small storefront in Jenks, o ering a downhome, country, vintage experience for guests.
Then, in 2019, Reasor’s grocery stores began selling Roark Acres honey products in all of their stores across northeastern Oklahoma.
Michael’s brother Scott is in charge
217 E. Main St., Jenks
918-578-9201
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 Saturday
Closed Sunday and Monday
of delivery, and daughter Courtney is in charge of bottling the product. Chloe, the oldest daughter, managed the Tulsa Farmer’s Market honey sales every Saturday until she went off to college in 2021.
“Since we started selling honey to the public, we have been able to purchase acreage out in the Sapulpa/ Mounds area (where we bottle now) and open a bigger storefront — still in Jenks — to grow into more of an old-school general store,” Amy Roark said.
While Michael leads the production crew and plans growth for the business, Amy, the “Queen Bee,” runs the store, coordinates more sales avenues and makes the health and beauty products.
Her cousin, Amanda, sells the Roark Acres Honey at several markets in Bartlesville and does local trade shows or festivals in that area.
The family has certainly become experts in the bee business.
Amy Roark explained that honey will taste different depending on the location where the bees are foraging. Honey from bees in the Tulsa area and northeastern Oklahoma will taste similar to the honey in western Arkansas because of similar plant life.
“For the spring harvest, the hives are out from the end of April to the first part of July,” Amy Roark said. “The fall harvest is end of September, first part of October. That honey is very different, almost black, much thicker texture, not as sweet and it tastes like butter pecan.”
And in Oklahoma, it is actually harder to produce local honey than other places, Roark said, so yields are smaller here than other places.
“We just do not have the amount of forage for the bees to take care of. A lot of the land is used for alfalfa, corn... things that bees do not forage off of as much. People like manicured lawns, they mow down the clover, which the bees like.”
Ma rketing exper t helps client rea lize campaig n
Doing the same ole same ole, does not always get results!
Looking around at the home improvement business landscape in the metro Tulsa area five years ago, Burnett Home Improvement wanted to stand out from their competitors.
That’s just what they did when they injected humor in their advertising messages and partnered with the team at the Tulsa World Media Company
“We’ve doubled in size since 2018,” Eli Ferrell, Marketing Director of Burnett Home Improvement, said. “The team at the Tulsa World has been a big part of our campaign that has delivered high quality customer leads with high job closing rates.”
DALLAS WEST DIGITAL STRATEGIST Amplifiedgreat opportunities with clarity and transparency.”
Integrity is very important to the team at Burnett Home Improvement.
“It’s part of our culture here and how we work with our clients,” said Ferrell. “It’s also the same way we want to be treated. It allows an environment where we find ways to improve things and encourage that everyone here does the best they can.”
Scott Burnett, owner, started Burnett Home Improvement in 1979 with his dad, who unexpectedly passed away one year in. He has been able to keep the company going ever since, so being creative is right up his alley.
“We like to inject fun in what we do,” Ferrell said. “Fun not only shows up in our work projects but also in how we work projects. So you can imagine it was no problem in painting the boss’ face blue for a Braveheart-like themed campaign.”
Fun was just what West encountered the first time she met Ferrell.
“One of the things I like about Eli, is the first time I met him – we took a selfie,” said West. “We connected instantly He had great ideas and with all of the resources we have, we developed a multi-platform marketing campaign to help him realize his goals.”
With a marketing campaign strategy combining print and digital tactics, those quality leads turned into closed sales with the help of Dallas West, digital strategist with Tulsa World Media Company’s full service digital agency –Amplified Digital.
“It’s been really great working with Dallas,” he said. “She is great with communication and getting us answers quickly She knows the right questions to ask to deliver
West said helping businesses grow and meet their goals, starts with a conversation. The team at Tulsa World Media Company’s full-service Premier Google Partnered digital agency – Amplified Digital – can find the right solution for any company!
“I never got a tour of the Tulsa World until I met Dallas! She really does a great job for us,” Ferrell said.
For more information visit amplifieddigitalmarketing.com or call 918.530.1523.
“One of the things I like about Eli, is the first time I met him – we took a selfie,” said West. “We connected instantly. He had great ideas and with all of the resources we have, we developed a multi-platform marketing campaign to help him realize his goals.”
When is the best time of year to sell my home?
We’ve typically told people to list your home in the spring and sell it in the summer because real estate kind of works on a bell curve. There is a lot more activity in the summer. But what we found in analyzing the market is that the success rate is usually within about 10% in January and February as it would be in the summer There’s less competition in winter So, when you’re ready to buy or sell, consult your realtor and know that your competition is less in the winter and that your success rates are very similar. So, it’s not really worth delaying your process to wait for that summer market.
The average for many years was two to three months on the market with about another month to sell. Both of those timelines have shifted. We’re seeing many homes where the average days on the market has creeped down to 10 or 12 days. A huge chunk of the market has sold within a week with multiple offers. We are seeing interest rates slightly rise and days on market slightly increase, so things are sort of coming back down to earth. However, with things taking longer to get done with the inspection process, appraisals, and the lending process, the average contract-to-close time has crept up from about 30 to about 45 days. So, you still want to give yourself one to two months from A to Z, on average, to sell.
Talk to your realtor about your comparative market analysis, or CMA. First, you’d look at what has sold within your neighborhood in the last six months. Then, you would look a little further out in the bigger market: your school district and the few square miles around you. The trends
do change quickly, so it’s important that you take both the small neighborhood picture along with the greater picture into account when trying to determine your home value. You’ll also want to talk to your realtor about factoring in any major updates you’ve made to your home.
Should I buy a home before or after selling my current home?
That’s a highly specific answer to each scenario. I do think before you sell and you know what your home is worth, you have to determine if you have the equity in order to buy something. That answers your question pretty quickly. Another thing to focus on is what options are out there. There are some buyers today who are looking at a busy market and cannot find more than one or two options. Leasing is also another option. With our leasing department, we can sometimes move people to a six-month or a year lease if they have a great price on selling their home but can’t find that next home.
How do I prepare my house for selling?
A lot of people assume that they need to redecorate or do a lot to their home. A lot of times, just decluttering and minimizing a little bit so people can visualize what they’re buying is the most important. Talk with a realtor. Make sure you’ve got a great idea of what the comps are and that you have a great marketing plan with professional photography
For more information, contact Chinowth & Cohen Realtors if you’re looking to sell your home by calling (918) 392-0900 or go online at ccoklahoma.com.
Craig Burch is no stranger to television technology In fact, he grew up in a small town where his dad owned a TV repair shop.
Since being around the tube his whole life, Burch decided to pursue a career to help others. Burch has been the service manager for Video Revolution for the last 25 years and counting.
His big focus: to give customers instructions in their own home so they know how to work their electronics.
“We give them one-on-one instruction in their home on how to operate equipment and navigate their systems,” he said.
Something that might seem so daunting to someone trying to operate a TV remote control or stream a show is likely a simple fix for Burch.
“We’ll get calls from family members saying, ‘can you go help my mom or my dad?’”
His feedback from clients has been appreciation for making them feel comfortable and simplifying today’s technology so they can access their electronic systems.
“Our customers need to know how to navigate their system after their electronic setup is complete and we leave, so we write down notes for them,” he said. “We go over it.”
Burch says that he has seen cord cutting catching up and streaming devices taking the place of cable and satellite. Though technology is constantly changing to bigger, better and brighter, the crew at Video Revolution is keeping up.
“A big thing these days is helping customers navigate their new smart TV or their streaming devices. Everybody wants the latest show, and how do you get it and what app and how do I get the app and how do I watch my show,” he said.
Burch spends most of his work day on the road to residences, lake homes, assisted living and retirement facilities within a great range throughout Green Country and beyond. He’s worked with some customers for a
couple of decades, forming personal relationships that big box stores often just don’t give.
“Customers call us back because they know they can rely on us and they know we have the answers for them,” said Burch. “I do all of our in-home TV repair service and home theater service. We kind of fill all their needs.”
A big misconception these days, he says, is that people don’t realize they can get their TV repaired.
“If there’s a problem, they think they just have to throw it away and buy another one.”
Burch hates to see a TV trashed, especially if it’s a simple fix of a very minor problem that he could resolve and make it last a few more years.
“A lot of times it’s economical to repair. If there’s a time where the TV is uneconomical to repair or a part wasn’t available, a lot of times we’ll transition our service call fee for going out, into the purchase of a new TV from our store. It’s a win-win situation,” he said.
Getting rid of your old TV is no problem, either. Instead of putting it on the curb or tossing it in a dumpster, the Video Revolution crew will haul the old TV away for electronic recycling.
Burch says that he can’t recall a slow period at his retail location at the northwest corner of 71st and Lewis.
Video Revolution guarantees the lowest price, and they price match on brand new TV’s.
They carry multiple brands including the big three–Sony, Samsung and LG–with hundreds of TV’s on display for your viewing pleasure. You can also shop wireless systems, soundbars and speakers with the assurance that installation won’t have to be a hassle, according to Burch.
“We’re really excited about technology and the future. We’re going to be around for a long time,” he said.
For more information visit videorevolution. com or call 918-495-0586.
The Food and Drug Administration has proposed a rule that would give people access to over-thecounter hearing aids.
The rule would officially permit the purchase of hearing aids in retail stores and online without a prescription.
According to the FDA, hearing loss impacts about 30 million people in the United States, and close to only onefifth of people who could benefit from a hearing aid seek intervention.
Clear-tone Co-owners Paul Jackson and Charley Feeley say that regardless of whether someone chooses an over-thecounter hearing aid or a prescription device, it’s important that people undergo a hearing test and also are fit by a hearing aid specialist.
Both Jackson and Feeley have been keeping up with the new legislation.
“We’ve been positioning ourselves to where we can do what the FDA is publishing rules about. We’ve got the capabilities to do that now. So we have products that people can put on when they need them and take them out when they don’t,” Jackson said.
Think of it in the same terms as glasses. You’ve got overthe-counter reading glasses that you can buy at a drugstore, or you can go to your optometrist.
“An OTC hearing aid is going to be more defeatured and more for situational use instead of more progressive, and maybe access to smartphones and better noise reduction and a lot of the benefits that come with an advanced, prescriptive hearing aid,” Feeley said.
The OTC hearing aids are for perceived mild-to-moderate hearing loss.
“The problem there is, people’s perception of their hearing loss is usually very different than the actual impact of their hearing loss.”
“Often, from the time somebody notices issues to the
PAUL JACKSON CHARLEY FEELEY Clear-tonetime they’re willing to do something about that, the industry average is about 7-10 years. They might think that they have a mild hearing loss but what they really have is a moderate or even a profound hearing loss,” Jackson added.
Feeley says that the gradual process of hearing loss is the biggest hurdle because people adapt to the problem over time.
“We see multiple patients every day who come in saying ‘it’s not that bad.’ We do the test, and we put the hearing aids on them, and they are blown away at the difference,” said Feeley
One of the unique things about Clear-tone is that they’ve worked the manufacturing part of the business for several decades, which gives them unique insight and access to best practices from around the world for the clinical setting of Clear-tone.
Both Feeley and Jackson agree that OTC hearing aids will help some people, but they don’t think it’s going to be a magic silver bullet.
“OTC is one thing to help with access and more affordable hearing aids, but you do get what you pay for,” Feeley added.
Jackson believes that OTC hearing aids will be a gateway for some people realizing that the need that they have is greater than what they thought it was.
It comes down to getting a professional test.
“Our initial hearing test and consultation is completely free. So at a minimum, folks leave Clear-tone with a better idea of what their hearing loss is, how it’s affecting them, what their options are and whether or not they’re a good candidate for an over-the-counter product vs. a prescription product,” Jackson added.
Though the timeline for OTC hearing aids isn’t exact yet, it is in the process of being approved sometime in late 2022
Historic Tulsa mansion gains new vibe thanks to homegrown NFL player Felix Jones
Jimmie Tramel Tulsa World Magazine
Usually, Felix Jones isn’t keen about forking over a big check to pay for something.
Sticker shock? Real. An exception came when the former NFL player had an opportunity to purchase a piece of property that had fascinated him since he was a kid. He said he enjoyed writing a check to buy Skyline Mansion.
“It definitely was not hard to write the check for this place,” Jones said during an interview conducted inside the mansion.
“Me, knowing the history here and me, being a kid and knowing I wanted to be in here, it was easy to do.”
Jones, 34, accumulated 4,000-plus scrimmage yards in five seasons as a running back with the Dallas Cowboys and one with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He took his last handoff in 2013.
Perhaps Jones’ post-football accomplishments will be measured in acres rather than yards. His interests include real estate. The 102-year-old mansion Jones was eager to acquire has 15 rooms, six fireplaces, a grand staircase in the entry, a large basement and multiple stories — structurally and historically.
Tulsa architect John Curtain is credited with designing the 8,352-square-foot mansion in what has been described as a Greek Revival style. Curtain modeled the mansion after Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Virginia home, which he named “Arlington.” Perched on a hill at 620 N. Denver Ave., Skyline Mansion is equipped with a second-story balcony that allows visitors to enjoy a panoramic view of downtown Tulsa.
Skyline Mansion’s original name: Brady Mansion.
When new, the mansion served as the home of W. Tate Brady, a Tulsa co-founder, businessman and political mover/shaker who once had membership in the Ku Klux Klan.
For decades, many in Tulsa’s Black community viewed the mansion as a reminder of what happened the year after it was “born” — the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and the destruction of Black Wall Street.
Now the script for the mansion’s
story is being flipped because Jones has a vision for what he wants the mansion to be.
“That was the whole plan,” he said. “Once I got in here, it was like, ‘OK, how can I get it to where my community can feel good about coming in and feel better about the house and not look at it as it’s dark and it’s this and it’s the Brady Mansion.’ Yeah, that was dark. But let’s come in and let’s see what type of energy we can get from it and put into it and make it feel like ours and revive it and not have that in the back of our minds.”
Once foreboding to Tulsa’s Black community, the mansion’s new vibe is welcoming.
Poster-type displays adorn the mansion’s walls to acknowledge Black Wall Street, Black historical figures and homegrown Tulsa ballers (Jones, Tyler Lockett) who have embraced pay-itforward endeavors.
The mansion symbolizes something different.
Said Jones: “And that’s what I wanted to do with this house, something different than what the history is on it.”
Born and raised in Tulsa, Jones grew up less than a mile from the mansion.
Lil’ Felix attended school at Roosevelt and, hey, why go directly home after
school when you can explore the area?
“I saw this house and got fascinated,” he said, referring to Brady Mansion/ Skyline Mansion. “‘Is this a house or is it an office building that is supposed to be downtown or something like that?’”
There are other homes in the vicinity, but the mansion, the first house on the block, stood out to Jones because of massive pillars in front.
“It’s exciting when you see it,” he said.
A seed was planted. Maybe, someday...
Jones said he had never been inside the mansion or walked on the driveway until he bought the house.
“For some reason it felt like it was the boogeyman’s house,” he said. “As a kid, you don’t want to step on the property.”
Jones, asked if the Brady connection had anything to do with why the mansion felt like the boogeyman’s house, said, “I think it was because of the Brady thing. I liked the house. I just didn’t know who was in the house that would be coming out saying ‘get off my lawn’ or whatever it may be. I guess (I felt that way because of) the movies I was watching.
“The church is across the street. I rode my bike on that side. I didn’t ride on this side because I guess I thought I was getting too close. That was just me. But I always wanted to come in. I always wanted to knock on the door. I didn’t know who was here. I didn’t know if anybody would get mad or if it was a tourist spot. I was just a kid.”
As an adult, Jones delved more into the mansion’s history.
A 1994 Tulsa World story, recalling the mansion’s early days, said murals painted on the mansion’s canvas walls were scenes of the Confederacy (Brady’s father had been a Confederate soldier). In front of the mantle was a wall painting of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee, Joseph E. Johnston and Stonewall Jackson. Two years before the mansion opened, Brady organized what the 1994 story said was probably Tulsa’s largest national convention up to that time — an annual reunion of the Veterans of the Confederacy. In 1941, the mansion became a clubhouse for the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
When World War II arrived and housing was needed for soldiers, Brady’s widow offered the mansion for use. Post-war, the mansion was sold and it was divided into apartments.
By that time, Brady was two decades gone. On Aug. 29, 1925, he died of suicide in the mansion. He was 55 when he shot himself, reportedly due to grief over a son’s death.
Brady’s KKK ties and his purported activities during and after the 1921 race massacre (he was accused of trying to profit from a proposed new use for the Greenwood District) have been more closely scrutinized in recent years. The name “Brady” has been stricken from Tulsa’s Brady Arts District, a downtown Tulsa street and the former Brady Theater (now Tulsa Theater).
Jones, asked if he was taught about
the 1921 Race Massacre, said he learned about it only because his family mentioned it a few times “and it was like I still don’t believe that. Nobody could ever do that to other people. It’s hard to believe. But it happened.”
Jones said it’s still hard to comprehend just how detrimental the race massacre was.
“Nobody ever taught us that you had business people that were Black and they were doing a whole lot of good — doing good for themselves and doing good for the community, raising the stakes for people who were living in the area. ... We had dentists. We
had hospitals. We had schools. We had lawyers. Anything that a town needed, we had.”
Tulsa’s Black Wall Street was “the” example for what Black communities strived to be. And it was wiped out in a span of two days in 1921.
“I lived not far from Greenwood and never knew that happened down there,” Jones said.
As Jones got older, he began asking friends and others questions about the race massacre because he was curious to know details. One of those friends is Steph Simon. Simon is a Tulsa hip-hop artist who contributed to “Fire in Little Africa,” a multimedia project commemorating the centennial of the race massacre. Skyline Mansion was one of the sites where material was recorded for a “Fire in Little Africa” album, released last year by Motown Records/ Black Forum in partnership with Tulsa’s Bob Dylan Center and Woody Guthrie Center. Simon performed songs from his album “Born on Black Wall Street” during a 2020 event at Skyline Mansion.
“We are just trying to inform and empower people who were affected by (the race massacre) and just make sure we can continue to gain ground and do better in business and do better in life and take care of our families and live in the place we want to live in,” Jones said, adding that we need to come together to make sure something like the massacre doesn’t happen again.
“That’s the whole thing for me is we need to learn history because history repeats itself.”
Let’s move past the mansion’s original owner and get to know more about the mansion’s current owner.
Jones said he had a blessed childhood and a great upbringing. He loved living at Skyline Ridge. Dad was a pastor and carpenter. Mom worked inside
and outside the home. He described his siblings as helpful. If he needed something, they gave.
“Nothing to complain about,” he said. “We weren’t in the best living conditions, but we still had great living conditions. I didn’t know anything different.”
Jones and his friends rode their bicycles all over Tulsa. He often rode to Owen Park and would be in the gym for hours. Summer days were especially great. “You could stay out until the street lights come on, and
then you are rushing home because it’s too late now.”
Simon stayed across the street and was among participants in pickup basketball games.
“We had plenty of games,” Jones said. “I have to give Steph a couple of games out of the thousands we played. He got lucky every now and then.”
Basketball and the TV series “Dragon Ball Z” were among childhood passions. Explaining his interest in the latter, Jones said, “It was fun for me because you could see somebody have such power and be such a calm and cool person and then, once you tick them off, they can go to a whole other level. There were so many turns and twists and different exciting parts of the show that it just grabbed my attention. It was fighting. It was action. It was suspense. ‘OK, this is about to happen. Why did we go to a
commercial?’”
Jones also watched the 1995 film “Friday” a lot, and he dug old blackand-white TV fare like “The Three Stooges” and “I Love Lucy.”
Back to the topic of basketball: Hoops initially captivated Jones more than football, but he and others came to recognize that his athletic skills were more suited to football. He also has carpentry skills. His first job was working with his father — getting on roofs, fixing houses, painting, etc. — and that’s how he made his “summer money.”
Meanwhile, Jones was “money” on Friday nights. He was named the Tulsa World’s All-State Player of the Year in 2004 after rushing for a Class 5A-leading 2,528 yards and 48 touchdowns as a senior football player at Booker T. Washington High School.
“I really feel like I didn’t do too
much,” Jones said at the time. “It was a big year for us as a team. I’ve got a great offensive line, and they gave me the holes to run through. They deserve the credit.”
Jones said during the Skyline Mansion interview that his mindset was to use football to “take me out of the struggle.” He twice was a 1,000-yard rusher at the University of Arkansas (despite sharing carries with fellow 1,000-yard rusher Darren McFadden) and was an All-America kick returner for the Razorbacks before leaving school early to be a first-round pick in the NFL Draft.
“Football helped me get to college. Football helped me make some money,” Jones said. “I used football as a tool to get me to where I wanted to be. That’s how I’m trying to inspire the next generation.”
Jones has a long history of staging football camps to benefit young people. The COVID-19 pandemic caused him to hit the pause button, but he wants to bring his free football camp back to Tulsa this summer, conditions permitting.
“I’ve been successful on my end and I’m trying to pass it along and do the best I can to help the next person so they have some type of understanding that we have to still help each other and we have to still come back and do the best we can to help the next person,” he said. “That’s all it is. We are looking for help, but we don’t know where to get it from. We don’t know any answers because we don’t know who to ask for answers. All I try to do is help and give some kind of energy and some type of motivation for them to keep going and be the best person they can be.”
Jones has a foundation (Running Back to Make A Difference) with a mission along those lines. The foundation’s mission is to inform, inspire and empower low-income high school student-athletes to become well-rounded and productive citizens
through life skills and college preparatory training. If sports is your ticket to a better life, go for it. But...
“There are so many different ways and avenues that people can get to their dreams,” he said. “That’s what I’m trying to highlight is it’s not only sports. It’s anything you are passionate about. Once you get into the phase of being focused on your dreams and goals, everything else tends to get out of the way. Even when there are hurdles, they still seem to smooth out if you keep your focus right.”
Jones said he does not miss football. “I miss some of the interactions with people that we used to have and I miss going out there and just having fun and scoring touchdowns and stuff like that. But all the preparation and stuff like that, I don’t miss it.”
Playing in the NFL allowed him to run in different circles. Asked if he ever was in awe of someone he met, he immediately said Michael Jordan. No offense to little girls, but Jones said he acted like a little girl around Jordan.
“I wanted to go up and ask him for his autograph, and I couldn’t do it,” he said.
Eventually, Jones got the autograph. Eventually, he got the mansion that fascinated him when he was a kid.
“It was destined to be,” he said. “It happened at the right time to where I was able to move finances around and purchase the home. It worked out perfectly.”
Once the deal was done, Jones had a question for himself: What can I do with this?
Jones never planned on living at the mansion. He resides in Texas. He doesn’t want to yank his family from familiar friends and schools there. Maybe, when the kids are grown, he will return to Tulsa, the town he will always consider home. So, back to the dilemma, what should be done with the mansion?
Skyline Mansion became an event venue. For interior photos and rental information, check out skylinemansion. com.
Jones said he has purchased other properties in Tulsa.
“North Tulsa definitely has a lot of real estate available, but now I think the times are changing where it’s pretty much getting bought up,” he said.
“I think the times are changing where that’s going to be an area where people want to live if they upgrade the property values and all that to where people want to stay out there. I’m very interested in real estate. That’s one of the reasons I purchased this home as
well.”
A recording studio is among Jones’ ventures. He and Simon previously partnered to create Skyline Star Records. “I feel like Steph has shown that he has potential to make hits and put himself out there,” Jones said. “I’m just trying to help him get there. I’m trying to build that up so he can be an inspiration on the next person.”
Jones is sort of scratching an itch with the music stuff. He played saxophone in elementary school and learned how to read music. He logged choir duty because his father was a pastor, but he says he’s not a good singer.
“I always had a passion for music and trying to create new sounds,” Jones said, adding that he never had a chance to dive into it.
A poster of the GAP Band, so named because of the Tulsa streets Greenwood, Archer and Pine, hangs on the wall of Skyline Mansion to educate visitors about another piece of the city’s history.
“It has been a long two years, but now I think the community is seeing what I’m trying to do with the house and hopefully they see the good in it as far as I’m trying to teach the next generation,” he said. “I want to empower the less fortunate and continue to encourage them to be civilized citizens. That’s what I’m trying to continually do. Now I have this building to kind of help me do that.”
Jones was asked how he feels when he is in the mansion. He paused before answering.
“I don’t know. Sometimes I guess I lose myself in this house because there is so much, I think. If these walls could talk to me and tell me what has happened in years and years and years of this being here... (But) I feel little. I feel small in this because I really think a lot of people feel the same way, just coming in here and understanding that this is a place where they did a lot of private planning on Black folks — right across the street, right next door. It’s crazy because now, being here, we are trying to make it better and planning how to help the neighborhood and make the community better again. I feel humbled. I’m definitely humbled in here because it’s not a place that everybody gets to step foot in here and open the doors and come in every day.”
Are you looking for a more natural way to reverse your erectile dysfunction or just improve on your existing erection?
According to Greg Girard, Tulsa Men’s Clinic Prolific ED therapy is second to none and offers you a way back to the man you were before without the use of medication.
“We’ve been doing shockwave therapy in our clinic for about five years,” he said. “Everybody that has received benefit from this therapy has maintained it.”
Girard advises not to be fooled by claims from other companies that guarantee to double blood flow.
“The one thing they don’t tell you is that if you start out with a 10 percent blood flow, and we double it, now you have a 20 percent blood flow What good is that? You’re still not achieving an erection. Or even if you have a 40 percent blood flow and they double it to 80, you’re still only getting a partial erection,” he said. “In my opinion, that’s very deceiving.”
“I think it’s like five grand to do that procedure. You spend all that money and come out of there and you still can’t get an erection. You’re not a happy customer They don’t really do a full analysis of your problem, and we do.”
Tulsa Men’s Clinic doctors and medical professionals will advise you whether you are an ideal candidate for shockwave therapy treatment, as it works mostly for men in the early stages to mid stages of ED.
Men in the advanced stages of ED should not expect to have good results with Shockwave therapy other than perhaps existing medications working better, he said.
Prolific ED therapy has three levels based on your physical condition.
Prolific Basic uses the “latest and greatest” shockwave therapy using the Alma Duo and should be solely used for people in the early stages of ED.
For late early stages and intermediate stage ED, Girard
recommends Prolific Plus. The procedure is done the same day as your Duo shockwave sessions to eliminate the need for a separate appointment.
“The penis itself is not responsible for the entire erection. There are muscles and pumps that work below the testes between the scrotum and the anus. Behind the perineum is the area that is never treated by most ED therapies.”
Tulsa Men’s Clinic uses the Emsella chair to use electromagnetic waves causing contractions to those muscles and pumps, rebuilding the blood flow system from the bottom up.
“We’re not just taking care of a part of the problem. We’re taking care of all of the problem,” Girard said.
Finally, for Intermediate-to early-stage advanced ED, your best choice is Prolific Ultimate.
“What happens with men is that as time goes on, our ears continue to grow and our penis shrinks. It doesn’t seem like it’s actually fair, right? But, it’s a fact. But it’s not actually shrinking, it’s actually retracting,” he said.
These muscles are what carry the blood to the penis which causes the erection. As the muscles contract, they give less length to the erection and begin to restrict blood flow
A procedure using PRFM often referred to as PRP, or the Priapus shot, is administered.
The result is rebuilding blood vessels, rejuvenating nerve endings, increasing blood flow, and restoring up to 20 percent more length and girth. If you have started to notice ED issues, the best thing, according to Girard, is to go in for an evaluation.
“Let our staff of doctors and medical professionals guide you to your best decision, because the educated patient is our best patient,” he said. For
Sometimes things can be as clear as mud. One thing is clear, the long-standing relationship between Oral Roberts University Athletic Department and the Tulsa World Media Company has grown, evolved, and more importantly - delivered!
“At ORU athletics, we are always looking to increase our ticket sales to our events ” Scott Higgins, Senior Associate Athletic Director, said. “We have tried different approaches with other media companies and weren’t as happy with the results.”
A proud print subscriber to the Tulsa World, Higgins said with the new management at the Tulsa World Media Company’s Premier Google Partnered digital agency
Amplified Digital and his marketing strategist Cyndi Walkup, the combination of print and digital advertising platforms together can’t be beat.
“At ORU athletics, we are always looking to increase our ticket sales to our events,” said Scott Higgins, Senior Associate Athletic Director. “We have tried different approaches with other media companies and weren’t as happy with the results.”
“A big difference is that we can see in real-time how a campaign is performing so we can make adjustments if needed to produce the ticket sales results we are looking for,” he said. “Cyndi – thank goodness – has made the process extremely easy We work together to decide where, when and how we want to advertise.”
And the proof is that attendance to ORU athletic events is through the roof!
“Our relationship with Scott and ORU over the years has grown dramatically,” Walkup said. “We started as a sponsor and he had a precious little budget, so we were very
strategic to maximize every dollar Because of those efforts, ORU has been able to continually grow, and we’ve been able to add targeted digital tactics along the way to put his message in front of the right audience.”
“For business owners who are unsure how to put together the right marketing approach to achieve their goals, it’s easy to get started,” Walkup said. “All it takes is a few minutes to have a conversation.”
Together with successful campaigns that utilized timing, creative messaging, and a close working relationship with both teams for fulfillment, it’s clear how that builds excitement in the market – translating to increased ticket sales, she said.
While Higgins’ personal connection to Tulsa World goes back to when he interned there in high school, then college, and even wrote in several sections of the paper, the need as a client is to reach the people who want to attend ORU athletic events.
“Fortunately, with print and digital, we have a twoedged sword that works,” he said.
The team at Tulsa World offers a full-service menu of marketing resources from traditional media, online digital tactics ranging from website build and design, ads, social posts to streaming video commercials, and e-commerce solutions including a partnership with Amazon.
“For business owners who are unsure how to put together the right marketing approach to achieve their goals, it’s easy to get started,” Walkup said. “All it takes is a few minutes to have a conversation.”
For more information visit tulsaworld.com, amplifieddigitalmarketing.com or call 918-260-1425.
The Castle invites one and all to join the festivities of the 26th Annual Oklahoma Renaissance Festival! Travel back to 1569 England to experience the royal quest for knighthood, a full-contact Jousting Tournament, Birds of Prey exhibitions and traveling Acrobats!
We celebrate the joyous return of the festival on Saturday April 30th. The patrons of Castleton shall be welcomed through the village gates by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth and her Court of Nobles. Season Passes are now available on www.okcastle.com. Daily passes will go live on March 1st (Great idea for unique gift options this spring).
10+ stages throughout the grounds provide guests with a steady stream of joyous entertainment. Plan to enjoy the exciting sounds of the Craic, or the hilarious balancing act of Bob the Juggler and join the merriment of the maypole dancing. The Washing Well Wenches will return to encourage clean living and slightly soiled humor, great fun for all ages.
New for 2022: The Wheel of Death - Guests will marvel at this death-defying act which is featured 3 times per day from the Castle Keep. For a bit more of a light-hearted show, guests are sure to enjoy the comedy of The Renaissance Men. Grab a bite and enjoy a show throughout the day! For a complete lineup for the season, please visit the Castle’s website.
Whether shopping for homemade desserts or fire forged weapons of the Castle’s Blacksmiths, the Oklahoma Renaissance Festival is available for guests of all ages. The clothing is unique, the food is delicious and most importantly… the memories made are once in a lifetime! Check out www.OKCASTLE.com for themes and events to coordinate with each weekend. This is a fantastic opportunity for families to dress the part and have fun celebrating the history of Renaissance!
2022 Protocols: The Castleton mask mandate has been adjusted to “Strongly Encouraged”. We continue the crusade of defeating Covid and request that all guests please be courteous of others.
Dates and Hours:
Saturdays & Sundays: April 30 - June 5th, plus Memorial Day, May 30th, 10:30 am-6 pm. For more information on discounts & purchasing online tickets: https://okcastle.com. Like us on Facebook as The Castle of Muskogee • 3400 Fern Mountain Rd. Muskogee, OK 74401
We’ve all heard the song, and we bet you sang along to that slow-moving, twangy tune. Hoyt Axton was right when he wrote the words. Oklahoma has its share of heavenly places. Here are 14 of those places — the most beautiful places our state has to offer, in our opinion — with some suggestions for things to see and do nearby or along the way.
“Well, I never been to heaven, but I’ve been to
TOM GILBERT, TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE
Ashort three-hour car ride from Tulsa will get you to Beavers Bend State Park near Broken Bow, where the trees are tall and the air is clear.
It is like traveling to Colorado but here in McCurtain County, Oklahoma.
Bring your backpack and hiking boots and visit the state park’s hiking trails. It really gets you back to nature, hiking the various trails in the park. Horseback riding is also available.
Don’t forget about the lake. Broken Bow Lake
was built under the supervision of the Tulsa District of the Corps of Engineers. The lake covers 14,000 acres and has a shoreline of 180 miles. Boats and houseboats are available for rent, and one can camp in a cabin, RV or tent. If you get a chance to visit the dam’s spillway while it is not spilling, it is a nice spot to relax.
There is also a zipline at Broken Bow Lake, which fills up fast, so make sure you make reservations.
The nearby Hochatown community is full of things for kids and adults to do. You can rent a cabin, go hiking, visit a brewery, a winery and even a distillery in this unincorporated town.
A well-known and popular spot is Grateful Head Pizza Oven & Tap Room, 10251 U.S. 259. It offers a variety of pizzas and has a great beer selection.
If pizza isn’t your thing, then 100 yards away is The Blue Rooster, which serves lots of fried things, including fried green tomatoes. The Mountain Fork Brewery also offers up some delicious pizzas.
Mark McDaniel and Chuck Wilson opened Mountain Fork Brewery, 89 Lukfata Trail, Broken Bow in the Hochatown area in 2015. The shopping center also includes The Noodle Shop, Okie Girls Coffee & Ice Cream, Knotted Rope Winery and Hochatown Distilling Co.
Owned by the city of Sand Springs and protected through a conservation easement held by The Nature Conservancy, the Keystone Ancient Forest is considered a world-class hiking destination. And a new acquisition this spring is redefining the concept of “hiking.”
Two new Action Trackchairs — imagine an electric wheelchair with tracks like a tank — will allow virtually anyone of any ability to trek across the nearly 1,400-acre nature preserve west of Sand Springs, home to 500-year-old cedar trees and 300-year-old post oak trees.
The forest’s rugged terrain will be no match for the Trackchairs, which Parks Department Director Je Edwards says are “something unlike any other trails system in Oklahoma has.”
The Keystone Ancient Forest is part of a vast cross-timbers woodland that stretches from Kansas, across Oklahoma and into Texas, formed by a mosaic of rugged oaks and occasional prairies that forge a point at which the deciduous forests of the east transition to the Western Plains. Deer, mountain lion, bobcats, eagles, migratory birds and more than 80 species of butterflies are among the forest’s inhabitants.
Recent upgrades to the preserve include its new $1 million visitor center, a freshly unveiled hiking trail to add to its collection and two recent expansions of its public hiking hours.
The preserve has five trails of varying lengths and di culty, totaling more than 12 miles of hiking adventures that o er great views of Keystone Lake.
Sand Springs is a long way from Italy, but the town’s Little Venice restaurant, at 208 N. Main St. on “The Triangle,” has patrons and critics raving.
It’s less than three weeks until tens of thousands of gardening enthusiasts (and plain ol’ festival fans) will head downtown for Sand Springs’ 33rd annual Herbal Affair, featuring more than 100 vendors selling herbs, perennials, natives and heirloom plants, as well as gardening supplies, décor, arts and crafts, and food. Herbal Affair runs 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, April 16.
Case Community Park, 1050 W. Wekiwa Road in Sand Springs, offers something for everyone, from basketball and workout facilities in the community center to sports fields of every variety, as well as a 7,000-square-foot custom concrete skate park, one of the only BMX tracks in the metro area, and a splash pad.
Well, I never been to heaven But I’ve been to Oklahoma Well, they tell me I was born there But I really don’t remember In Oklahoma, not Arizona
What does it matter
What does it matter
— Hoyt Axton, “Never Been to Spain”
Hoyt Axton was about as Oklahoma as it gets, even though he spent most of his life elsewhere.
Often described as a big, friendly bear of a man who turned out playful songs such as “Joy to the World” and acting performances such as Randall Peltzer in “Gremlins,” Axton had a darker side that battled addiction and produced Steppenwolf’s anguished “Pusher Man.”
As the third verse of his song “Never Been to Spain” suggests, Axton was born in Duncan in 1938 and spent his early years in Comanche. His father, John Axton, was a naval officer and high school football coach; his mother, Mae Boren Axton, was a songwriter and publicist whose work included Elvis Presley’s first big hit, “Heartbreak Hotel.”
She was also the sister of Congressman Lyle Boren and the aunt of Oklahoma governor, U.S. senator and University of Oklahoma President David Boren.
Axton was a high school football star in Florida and briefly played for Oklahoma State University before enlisting in the Navy.
Like so many Oklahomans before him, Axton wound up in California, where he found work as an actor, singer and songwriter. He proved most successful at the last of those.
His first hit was the Kingston Trio’s 1963 recording of “Greenback Dollar,” but his biggest was Three Dog Night’s 1971 cover of “Joy to the World.”
Three Dog Night’s recording of “Never Been to Spain” was released the same year.
According to Axton, the third verse originally read “in Oklahoma, in a coma,” but that “in Oklahoma, not Arizona” was judged more palatable. Hoyt Axton died in 1999.
The Keystone Ancient Forest is a place where forest ecology intertwines with human history Over 80 different butterfly species call the Keystone Ancient Forest home, as do bobcat, deer, American Eagles, and migratory birds. The landscape is rich in biodiversity with 500 year-old cedars and 300 yearold post oak trees. “Old growth” Crosstimbers trees studied at the forest date back to Christopher Columbus, and hold vast amounts of atmospheric information trapped inside their trunks. This virgin forest was also witness to Native Americans, Spanish Explorers, and early American travelers like Washington Irving, who passed by in the fall of 1832. The Keystone Ancient Forest has been preserved and protected from urban sprawl. This magnificent forest was always intended as an oasis for children, families, and travelers to learn more about Oklahoma’s unique Crosstimbers forest and our state’s history – and its preservation remains at the forefront of our mission.
www.sandspringsok.org
Bob Doucette // Tulsa World Magazine
Astraight shot down Interstate 44 and not far from Lawton is one of the few mountainous areas in the state, the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.
Hiking, camping, wildlife viewing and rock climbing are among the favorite activities at this federally protected wildlife refuge.
Several easier hiking trails will take you through scenic portions of some of the country’s oldest mountains. In some places, you can see remnants of old mining claims, hidden caves and curious woodland called the “parallel forest,” where cedars were planted years ago in straight lines.
For the more adventurous, reserve a backcountry camping permit (tent only, and no fires allowed) and explore the wildest portion of the Wichitas. If you’re looking for a more comfortable camping option, reserve a space at the Doris Campground, which o ers tent and RV sites.
Rock climbers can find anything from easy scrambles to expertonly routes in numerous spots in the range, including crags on Mount Scott, Elk Mountain and Crab Eyes.
As far as wildlife goes, keep an eye out for elk, deer, eagles, coyotes and bison, among other species that call this mountain range home.
The refuge is about 3½ hours southwest of Tulsa.
Grab a burger at the Meers Store and Restaurant, just north of the refuge on Oklahoma 115. Huge burgers, pie and more will satiate appetites gained from a day of exploring.
Head to Medicine Park. Hang out at Lake Lawtonka, grab a bite to eat or check out some of this town’s stores and galleries. If you want to make more than a day of it, you can camp at the lake or stay at one of Medicine Park’s many rental cabins, most of which have a view of Mount Scott.
Stay at Quartz Mountain State Park lodge
The park is on the western edge of the Wichitas and sits next to Lake Altus-Lugert near Lone Wolf. You can get a room at the lodge or rent one of the park’s cabins while enjoying scenery of the Wichitas from another vantage.
TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE FILE COURTESY, LORI DUCKWORTH, OKLAHOMA TOURISMTucked away in the foothills of the Ozarks, Natural Falls State Park often ranks as one of the most scenic spots in Oklahoma.
The park’s namesake is a slender, 77-foot waterfall that cascades down a cli face and into a pool below. You can view the falls from above or take a walkway down to the pool and see the falls from below.
Aside from that, this 120-acre park has a 4.5mile network of trails that winds throughout this lush, heavily wooded space. Some of the trails are easy, some are steep.
Hiking the park, you’ll get a healthy dose of thick broadleaf trees and tall lodgepole pines.
If you’ve seen the movie “Where the Red Fern Grows,” the park might look familiar: It was filmed here.
The park also has RV campsites (a few of which have full hook-ups) as well as tent sites.
If you’re looking for more unique accommodations, reserve one of the park’s five yurts — climate-controlled and equipped with a microwave oven, a small refrigerator and electrical hookups. Each yurt can sleep between four to six people.
Looking for more to do? Natural Falls State Park also has an 18-hole disc golf course, basketball and volleyball courts, a playground and on-site fishing.
The park is about two hours east of Tulsa on U.S. 412.
Try your luck at the Cherokee Casino and Hotel in West Siloam Springs.
Are you into water sports? Head further east and paddle at the Siloam Springs Kayak Park.
Bring your mountain bike and drive to Bentonville, and see why it calls itself the “mountain biking capital of the world,” with numerous trail systems in and around the city.
The Talimena National Scenic Byway is Oklahoma’s best-known scenic drive. It might even be called heavenly.
It’s 54 miles, with 40 miles of it in Oklahoma, and has 22 designated vistas. The byway stretches along Oklahoma 1 and Arkansas 88 from Talihina, Oklahoma, to Mena, Arkansas.
Drivers wind through the Ouachita National Forest with the Kiamichi Mountains as the backdrop.
The road dips and swirls along the ridgeline 2,000 feet over valley floors.
While the scenic byway gets a lot of attention in the fall for its striking foliage display, Talimena also makes a beautiful drive in spring. The surrounding forest comes alive with green as winter fades away.
Stop at some of the area’s most popular destinations, including Talimena State Park, the Ouachita National Forest and the Cedar Lake Recreation Area. The route is also rich with history. Of note, Deadman Vista was a site lawmen used to hang horse thieves in the 1800s. Horse Thief Springs, another vista, is where outlaws watered their mounts.
Without stopping, the entire drive takes a total of one hour and 10 minutes. Hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, horseback riding and more outdoor activities are available year-round.
Less than 30 minutes out from Mena is Queen Wilhelmina State Park and Lodge at 3877 Highway 88 West, Mena, Arkansas. Originally built in 1898 for railroad passengers, Dutch investors named the lodge after Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands.
Pam’s Hateful Hussy Diner, 304 Dallas St., Talihina, is an icon in these parts. This friendly restaurant serves homestyle food made fresh daily.
In a former bootlegger’s hide-out, travelers find The Rock House at 52060 Blackjack Ridge Drive, Talihina. It offers fine dining an each table offers panoramic views of the Kiamichi Mountain Range, the Potato Hills and Buffalo Mountain.
Michael Overall // Tulsa World Magazine
The largest patch of native tallgrass left on earth, the Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve sprawls across more than 39,000 acres of Osage County an hour and a half northwest of Tulsa.
The preserve o ers mostly rough, unpaved roads and sparse amenities because the focus remains on conservation, not tourism. But it nonetheless attracts tens of thousands of visitors a year to enjoy the epic scenery, which can stretch for miles across the prairie.
Bison are the most popular attraction, with more than 2,500 roaming free across the preserve. But the prairie is also home to more than 700 species of plants, more than 250 birds and 80 mammals.
Most visitors stick to a 15-mile road that leads from the main gate to the preserve headquarters and gift
shop, where a historic 1920 ranch bunkhouse o ers public restrooms. Along the way, the route passes four scenic turnouts, picnic locations, a self-guided nature walk and a twomile hiking trail.
Starting and ending in Pawhuska, the drive takes about two hours at a leisurely pace with time for stopping.
Woolaroc Museum: Half an hour east of Pawhuska, the 3,700-acre estate was built in 1925 for Frank Phillips, founder of Phillips Petroleum Company. The 50,000-square-foot museum focuses on the cultural heritage of the early West, with artifacts from about 40 Native American tribes along with an impressive collection of Colt and Winchester firearms.
Bartlesville Union Depot: Half an hour northeast of Pawhuska, the historic train station features the last remaining Santa Fe-type “2-10-2” steam locomotive. Built in 1903, engine No. 940 operated for a half century across Oklahoma and five other states.
Osage Hills State Park: Twenty minutes north of Pawhuska, the park was an Osage tribal settlement, but today it offers one of the most convenient places to stay overnight while visiting the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve.
It’s impressive when water comes roaring down the rocks at the Little Blue Area at Grand Lake State Park near Disney.
Depending on how much water is flowing, the atmosphere can be serene or it can be powerful, with mist from the water peppering those who stand and watch from a distance.
Little Blue isn’t just a place for photo ops. It’s a bring-your-tentand-ice-chest area.
Camping spots are available on site and, hey, if the kids need something to do while you’re kicking back and relaxing, they can play in a creek that runs adjacent to the camping area. The creek provides welcome relief from the heat during summer months.
To the west of the swimming hole is where the water churns down
Depending on how much water is being unleashed, the spillway at Little Blue can be peaceful or roaring.
the rocks. When there’s no water pouring down the hillside, visitors sometimes climb the rocks to go exploring. Campers and visitors bring rods and reels to go fishing below the spillway.
Little Blue is located about 65 miles northeast of Tulsa. Leashed pets are welcome, according to travelok.com, and the park is open 24 hours a day.
Stores are nearby in Langley and Disney for campers who need to stock up or replenish supplies. If camping isn’t your thing, it’s at least worthwhile to show up for photo ops below the spillway.
Hogan’s Off Road Park is located beside the neighboring dam spillway. The park gives off-roaders easy access to the range with about 5 square miles of trails and rock structures for rock crawlers.
John Sumner’s Big Meat Run has a 20-plus-year history in Disney. Thousands of people head to the rocks below Pensacola Dam for an annual weekend of riding and fun.
People exploring the area can visit the Grand River Dam Authority Ecosystems and Education Center and book a tour of the Pensacola Dam.
Dreaming of your getaway to one of Oklahoma’s most beautiful spaces?
The Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department has an album that will take you there before you even get in the car.
In July 2020, they released “Oklahoma State Parks Soundscapes with Music,” a free album featuring ambient sounds from 12 Oklahoma State Parks accompanied by instrumental music.
The album is available for download at TravelOK.com/ Soundscapes. It is also stream-
ing on 32 platforms, including Amazon Music, Apple Music, Google Play Music, iHeart Radio, Pandora and Spotify.
“This album and the videos are a wonderful way to de-stress and spend a few minutes taking in Oklahoma’s natural wonders,” Oklahoma State Parks Director Kris Marek said.
This release also includes a set of YouTube videos that feature each track of the album accompanied by scenic video footage and images from each park. The
videos are available on the TravelOK YouTube channel at YouTube.com/TravelOK.
The park sounds were recorded during the fall filming season by Broken Arrow-based Retrospec Films.
1. Alabaster Caverns State Park
2. Beavers Bend State Park
3. Black Mesa State Park
4. Grand Lake State Park
5. Great Salt Plains State Park
6. Greenleaf State Park
7. Little Sahara State Park
8. Natural Falls State Park
9. Robbers Cave State Park
10. Roman Nose State Park
11. Sequoyah State Park
12. Talimena State Park
For a surreal experience that feels as if you have traveled across the globe, head west three hours to Little Sahara.
The name sort of says it all.
It’s a desert-like environment covered by sand dunes.
The main attractions at Little Sahara State Park, 101 Main St. (from U.S. 412, go 7 miles north on U.S. 281) in Waynoka, are dune buggy and ATV-riding across the sand dunes. Visitors can bring their own ATV or rent one o -site by a private vendor.
Little Sahara State Park has over 1,600 acres of sand dunes, ranging in height from 25 to 75 feet. The vast dunes have formed over time from terrace deposits, remnants of prehistoric times
when the Cimarron River flowed over the entire area.
One of Little Sahara’s biggest events happens in the spring — but it might not be fit for everyone.
The Waynoka Rattlesnake Hunt, held the first weekend after Easter, is April 23-24 this year. The hunt custom dates back to the 1940s when area farmers had snakes attacking their livestock. Over time, it became a festival.
But one of the best things you can do at Little Sahara is sit on top of a seven-story-tall sand dune and watch the glow of the western sunset growing brighter. Then you will know this unique little desert is truly pure Oklahoma.
En route to Little Sahara from Tulsa, make a stop at the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center, 507 S. Fourth St., in Enid. The exhibits take visitors on a journey through history from life before and after the Land Run of 1893, to early settlers, oil and gas, the story of Enid and Phillips University.
Railroad Museum of Oklahoma, 702 N. Washington, Enid, named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2015, the museum houses one of the largest collections of railroad material in the United States.
Just north and west of Little Sahara is Alabaster Caverns State Park at 217036 Oklahoma 50A, Freedom. Explore one of the largest natural gypsum caves in the world.
Two scenic examples of Oklahoma’s diverse topography feature striking red dirt formations — Red Rock Canyon Adventure Park in Hinton and Gloss Mountain State Park in Fairview.
The western Oklahoma parks, located about 90 minutes apart, have widely varying activities, but both areas are visually vibrant and family friendly.
Red Rock Canyon is a former state park that has been privately owned since 2018. It’s a popular spot for rappelling, though visitors must bring their own ropes and gear. Other activities include fishing, hik-
ing trails and swimming in a large pool with a climbing wall and slide. Camping enthusiasts can rough it in a tent, bring their RV or book a pop-up glamping tent for a hotel-like experience.
Gloss Mountain is a stunning landmark as well as a convenient roadside attraction for those traveling on U.S. 412. A trail of stairs up rocky Cathedral Mountain leads to the top of a scenic lookout spot. The land contains many shiny selenite crystals, which might account for some calling it “Glass Mountain.” There is no camping at Gloss, but visitors can picnic, walk around and view wildlife.
At the Hinton Historical Museum and Parker House, 801 S. Broadway, one can see the progression of washing machines from the scrub board to the wringer washer, antique cars and bicycles. The Parker House contains local relics, including Oklahoma’s largest horse carriage collection and the nation’s second largest barbwire collection. Other exhibits include the state’s largest antique phone collection, American Indian items and pioneer items.
If you’re looking for a sit-down meal near Gloss Mountain, take a quick jog south on U.S. 60 at Orienta to stop at El Maya Mexican Cuisine, 508 S. Main St., in Fairview. Online reviews praise the margaritas, salsa, fajitas and menu variety.
Baseball fans won’t want to miss the Johnny Bench Museum, 202 W. Main St., in Binger. Memorabilia includes the former Cincinnati Reds star’s Gold Gloves, All-Star Game bats, trophies and more. The museum is free to enter.
Featuring an array of native plants and wildlife, Gathering Place was designed to blend smoothly into the Tulsa landscape. The park’s rolling lawns, hills, walking trails, gardens and groves provide a variety of scenery.
Gathering Place, designed by Michael Van Valkenburg Associates, has a mix of ecological regions such as prairies, wetlands and forests.
Spring blooms at the park include dogwood, Lenten rose, hyacinth, da odils, crocus, viburnum, winter jasmine, bleeding hearts, and many more.
Creativity also blooms at the park. Gathering Place has works by local artists as well as traveling displays, such as the prestigious Kinsey African American Art and History Collection. Children can learn through play with the Art Start program.
The popular River Parks trails run from 11th to 101st streets along the Arkansas River.
The Discovery Lab children’s museum opened earlier this year. The 57,000-square-foot facility has rotating exhibits.
Toss a disc at the Riverside disc golf course, 4100 Riverside Drive.
Free Tour s: May 14 - June 19
Saturdays: 9 a m - 5 p m | Sundays: noon - 5 p m
19112 E Beecher Court | Owasso, OK 74055
Open House Prize: Register for free at the Open House for a chance to win $5,000 shopping spree at Bassett Furniture
Bonus Prize: Get your ticket by May 27, 2022 for a chance to win a 2022 Jeep Wrangler Sport, courtesy of Bob Moore Chr ysler Dodge Jeep Ram Tulsa
It’s hard to imagine a more idyllic summer getaway than a day spent at Turner Falls Park in Davis.
Located in the Arbuckle Mountains on 1,500 acres, the park is home to a 77-foot waterfall, with a natural swimming pool formed at its base. Another swimming hole, Blue Hole, has both a slide and a diving board for summertime fun. This park, however, is loved for much more than its swimming areas — guests can also enjoy hiking, camping, cabins, picnic areas and even RV sites with convenient hookups for overnight stays.
There are many unique features that make Turner Falls Park such an enjoyable place to explore. Wildlife such as whitetail deer, wild turkeys and more roam the park freely. For geology enthusiasts, the park is filled with natural wonders such as caves, conglomerate formations, limestone, granite, shale and limestone. What’s more, a historic castle constructed in 1930 is on the property for all to enjoy.
“There’s just a mystique about the park that people fall in love with when they come in because of its beauty,” said Cathi Neal, sales and service manager at Turner Falls Park. “It’s very cool to watch families come and have quality family time while being outdoors. Internet and phone service isn’t the greatest here, so people are actually interacting with each other and having a good time.”
The Arbuckle Wilderness Park is a fun attraction located on over 200 acres and features hundreds of exotic animals, a house of reptiles and a petting zoo. Come feed the animals or drive through the park in the comfort of your car.
Found in nearby Sulphur, the Chickasaw Cultural Center allows guests to take a deep dive into Native American history and culture. Learn more about the Chickasaw people through performances, collections, exhibits and much more.
About 25 minutes away from the park in Pauls Valley, the Toy and Action Figure Museum is a roadside attraction dedicated to the art and sculpture of action figures. Thousands of rare, collectible action figures are on display.
The key word for Black Mesa is “up” — as in going up and looking up.
During the day, one can hike to the highest point in Oklahoma at 4,973 feet above sea level. (For comparison, Tulsa’s elevation is 722 feet.) The 8.5-mile trail is in the remote Black Mesa Nature Preserve, which is run in conjunction with the state park, near Kenton (pop. 5). The preserve is home to animals such as mule deer, golden eagles, piñon jays and red-tailed hawks.
At night, sit back and take in an awe-inspiring display of the Milky Way. Black Mesa State Park o ers some of the darkest skies on public land in the nation. Star-gazing enthusiasts flock here each August to watch the Perseid meteor shower.
Hundreds turn out each fall for the long-running Okie-Tex Star Party, hosted by the Oklahoma City Astronomy Club. The gathering takes place at Camp Billy Joe, just outside Kenton.
Other points of interest are Lake Carl Etling, which o ers fishing for bass, bluegill sunfish, walleye and flathead catfish, and the Preston Monument that marks the meeting point of Oklahoma, Colorado and New Mexico. The area is rich in ancient history as well: Dinosaur footprints can be found at the preserve, which is named for black lava rock.
The Kenton Museum, 100 E. Main St., Boise City, is in Oklahoma’s only city that operates on the Mountain time zone. The museum houses artifacts such as settlers’ kitchen furnishings, antiques and household tools as well as dinosaur fossils.
The Cimarron Heritage Center, 1301 N. Cimarron Ave., Boise City, is a nonprofit organization formed to interpret and preserve the history of the area. The Cox house, designed by architect Bruce Goff, is the main entrance to the center.
No Man’s Land Beef Jerky headquarters, 1016 Main St., Boise City. This business that was started in a momand-pop grocery store carries flavorful, “old style” slow-dried beef jerky in flavors such as mild, hot and black pepper.
Randy Krehbiel // Tulsa World Magazine
Robbers Cave State Park gets its name from a void among some boulders where bad guys may have once hidden out, but it is in fact much more than that.
Located about 120 miles southeast of Tulsa in the Sans Bois Mountains, the 8,246-acre enclave has just about everything an outdoor enthusiast could want. Among the miles of mountain trails is one to fit just about any hiker’s level of endurance, and the three lakes are available for fishing and boating.
Campsites for everything from pup tents to RVs are available, as are group camps, cabins and a 20room lodge. Other accommodations include equestrian campsites and yurts.
Now, about that name.
There is some reason to think a little marketing may have been involved. The park was originally called Latimer State Park, for the county in which it was located, and occupied 120 acres donated by Wilburton newspaper publisher Carlton Weaver.
A Texas native, Weaver had been a delegate to Oklahoma’s constitutional convention in 1907 and was elected to the Legislature in 1930. Somehow, he managed to get himself chosen speaker of the House of Representatives in his one and only term.
Weaver, who died in 1947, is buried in the park.
By 1935, Latimer State Park had become Robbers Cave State Park. The origins of the name, and the legends surrounding the cave itself, are murky.
The general narrative is that outlaw bands used the cave as far back as the American Civil War. Situated atop a steep rock slope, it is easily defended and somewhat hidden from view below.
The most popular legends have
both Belle Starr and the James Gang hiding out there, though there is no definitive proof either were ever there. A painting on one wall of a pony and a six-pointed star are thought to refer to Samuel “Pony” Starr, a rancher and relative by marriage of Belle Starr. The names “Jack Pone” and “Pat Casey,” who apparently were known as outlaws in territorial days, are carved near the cave. As late as the 1930s, George
“Pretty Boy” Floyd and his associates were known to hide in the area, although not necessarily in the cave.
Perhaps the best evidence that the park was once an outlaw hideout was found in 1952, not at the cave but less than a mile away in a stream bed. There, a Boy Scout camp supervisor and his wife, while seining for minnows, discovered more than 180 gold wedding bands, presumably the loot from a long-forgotten robbery.
ABOVE: Simply Country Ranch has numerous activities planned for 2022.
RIGHT: Belle Starr, pictured with fellow outlaw Blue Duck, lived in a cabin not far from Robbers Cave.
COURTESY, OKLAHOMA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
BELOW: Rock formations and trails are found at Robbers Cave State Park in Wilburton.
Swadley’s Foggy Bottom Kitchen, 2300 Park Cabins Road, Wilburton. Swadley’s features southern comfort dishes and brought its Foggy Bottom Kitchen concept to several state parks, including Robbers Cave.
The concept behind the ranch Simply Country Ranch just north of McAlester is to educate people on what it is really like to work on a farm or ranch. There is also a petting zoo with sheep, goats, one alpaca and donkeys, and they hold birthday parties, too.
Lovera’s Famous Italian Market, 95 W. Sixth St., Krebs, is a small Italian-style market that has been around since 1946. It’s where you’ll find hand-made artisan cheeses and sausages.
The Tulsa skyline dates more or less to the mid-1910s with the construction of three tall structures in three consecutive years.
First came the Gothic spires of Holy Family Cathedral, dedicated on April 1, 1914. Reaching 251 feet at Eighth Street and Boulder Avenue, it remained the tallest building in Tulsa until the Mayo Hotel opened nine years later.
Then came Exchange National Bank, a forerunner of today’s Bank of Oklahoma, which built Tulsa’s first “skyscraper” in 1917. Originally 13 stories, it underwent several expansions over the years before reaching a total height of 400 feet with a lighted cupola on the roof. Today it is known as the 320 South Boston Building.
Finally, Cosden Oil opened a 15-story corporate headquarters in 1918 at Fourth Street and Boston, where a major expansion increased it to 36 stories in 1984 and added one the skyline’s most recognizable
features — the green-copper roof of what is now called the Mid-Continent Tower.
Tulsa can boast of having one of the most picturesque skylines, with several unmistakable landmarks that make the city unique, from the red and green tiles on the Philtower roof to the “hypodermic needle” shape of the University Club condos.
One particularly nice view comes while looking west on Sixth Street from Utica Avenue, where the road seems to head straight toward a pair of skyscrapers, the Mid-Continent and First Place Tower. It’s an angle more Tulsans have come to appreciate recently as Sixth and Utica has become a popular craft beer district.
From the south, Maple Park offers one of the most dramatic views of the skyline with Boston Avenue Methodist Church’s spectacular art deco bell tower in the foreground.
Standpipe Hill offers one of the best views from the north. Now part of Oklahoma State University’s Tulsa campus, the hill served as the location of the city’s first water tower and has been a popular place to photograph the downtown area since the late 1800s.
BILL HAISTEN
When Tulsa hosts a weekend of NCAA Tournament basketball games, the result is an economic impact of about $15 million.
The Chili Bowl races have never been adequately celebrated as an
annual asset for the Tulsa economy. The week-long Chili Bowl typically generates $30 million for local hotels, restaurants and pubs.
Chili Bowl founder Emmett Hahn is a Tulsa hero for having said no to huge-money o ers to move his event to larger markets.
While March Madness basketball and the Chili Bowl are high-profile, lucrative events for Tulsa, majorchampionship golf is on an altogether di erent level of revenue generation.
For the eighth time since 1958,
Southern Hills Country Club soon will be the site of a professional golf major championship — the PGA Championship, scheduled for May 19-22.
When the 2001 U.S. Open was played in Tulsa, there was an impact of $65 million on the Tulsa economy.
When Tiger Woods prevailed in the 2007 PGA Championship at Southern Hills, there was a $70 million impact.
Fifteen years later, the PGA Championship is a greater production in every sense. Nearly every inch of Southern Hills’ 320-acre property will be used somehow. For each of the championship rounds (Thursday through Sunday), a crowd of 45,000 is expected.
A spectacle of this magnitude becomes even more prestigious as the extremely popular Phil Mickelson comes in as the defending champion. The PGA Championship field always includes a greater percentage of the
Where: Southern Hills Country Club.
Practice rounds: May 16-18. Tickets available at pgachampionship.com.
Championship rounds: May 19-22. The Friday, Saturday and Sunday rounds are sold out. Opening-round Thursday tickets are available at pgachampionship.com.
Defending champion: At Kiawah Island, South Carolina, Phil Mickelson was the 2021 PGA Championship winner. At 50, he defeated Louis Oosthuizen and Brooks Koepka by two shots, becoming the oldest winner of a major championship.
History: The 2022 PGA Championship will be the eighth men’s professional major championship hosted by Southern Hills. Previous majors, with each winner in parentheses: 1958 U.S. Open (Tommy Bolt), 1970 PGA Championship (Dave Stockton), 1977 U.S. Open (Hubert Green), 1982 PGA Championship (Raymond Floyd), 1994 PGA Championship (Nick Price), 2001 U.S. Open (Retief Goosen), 2007 PGA Championship (Tiger Woods).
“We got tremendous help from the corporate community. I think that was important in the (PGA of America’s) decision-making,” Southern Hills Country Club General Manager Nick Sidorakissaid. STEPHEN PINGRY, TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE FILE TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE FILE The PGA trophies sit on a tee box after a tournament announcement at Southern Hills Country Club in 2017.
world’s top 100 players than any of the other major championships: the Masters, the U.S. Open and the British Open.
Tulsa Regional Tourism estimates the 2022 PGA Championship will pump $143.5 million into the city’s economy. Since the 2007 PGA Championship, the money component for Tulsa has more than doubled.
What an incredibly timely blessing for Tulsa hotels and restaurants still attempting to recover from the 2020 COVID-19 shutdown.
The BOK Center is the site of the 2023 NCAA Wrestling Championship and, a Tulsa Regional Tourism spokesman said, should result in a $100 million impact for the local economy.
After so many sobering surprises in 2020, Tulsa is about to benefit from an amazing, $143.5 million surprise. Southern Hills hadn’t been scheduled for another PGA Championship until 2030. The 2022 PGA Championship had been given to a Donald Trumpowned property in New Jersey.
On Jan. 6, 2021, supporters of thenPresident Trump stormed into the U.S. Capitol. Concerned that the focus of the 2022 PGA Championship might be as much on Trump politics as golf, the PGA of America decided to strip the tournament from the Trump club.
The PGA of America examined replacement options from coast to coast, but Tulsa seemed to have an immediate advantage because PGA of America personnel already were at Southern Hills, preparing the course and the
May 30, 2017: During a news conference at Southern Hills Country Club, PGA of America officials announce that the club would host the 2021 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship and a PGA Championship at some point no later than 2030.
June 6, 2019: During a dedication event, Southern Hills officials and members celebrate a 10-month, $11 million renovation of the club’s championship golf course.
May 12, 2020: Southern Hills officials hope that Tulsa is selected for hosting the 2025 PGA Championship, but a PGA of America news release makes it official. Tulsa is designated the host city for the 2030 PGA Championship.
Jan. 10, 2021: In response to the Jan. 6 incident involving then-President Donald Trump supporters at the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the PGA of America announces that the 2022 PGA Championship had been stripped from the Trump National club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Jan. 25, 2021: In part because PGA of America officials already were in Tulsa, preparing for the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship that would be played in May, the PGA of America awards the 2022 PGA Championship to Southern Hills. The deal replaces the contract for the 2030 tournament.
CHRIS CARLSON, ASSOCIATED PRESS Phil Mickelson celebrates after winning the final round at the PGA Championship golf tournament on the Ocean Course on May 23 in Kiawah Island, S.C. TOM GILBERT, TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE FILEclub for the senior tournament.
Two weeks after the Capitol debacle, the PGA of America announced Tulsa as the 2022 host city. Instead of waiting nearly a decade for another major championship, Tulsa would have to wait only a few months.
“We felt we had a good chance, but, of course, it’s not our decision,” Southern Hills General Manager Nick Sidorakis said. “We did everything we could to make it difficult for the PGA not to select us.
“We got tremendous help from the corporate community. I think that was important in the (PGA of America’s) decision-making.”
The response to the 2022 Tulsa ticket campaign was beyond what the PGA of America has seen for other recent PGA Championships. Before Christmas, all of Southern Hills’ hospitality venues had been sold out and all Friday, Saturday and Sunday tickets were gone.
For the first time, a Southern Hillshosted PGA Championship takes place in the month of May. Each of Tulsa’s previous four PGA Championships occurred in August, and the 2007 tournament – with afternoon temperatures of 101, 99, 99 and 102 degrees – was
the hottest major championship of all time.
While the PGA Championship has switched to May in 2018, the 2020 championship was played in August because of the coronavirus effect on the PGA Tour schedule. When the Senior PGA Championship was played
here during the final week of May 2021, the conditions were unseasonably and beautifully cool.
“It’s better to be in 80 degrees than 105 degrees,” Sidorakis said. “More comfortable, for sure, and easier to walk the golf course in that type of temperature.”
Around the very end of 1934 or the very beginning of 1935, William K. Warren Sr. sat down in Waite Phillips’ o ce to talk about plans for 300 acres of rolling hills south of Tulsa, where a group of Tulsa businessmen wanted to put a golf course.
Ever since that conversation, the two of them have gotten a lot of credit for starting Southern Hills Country Club — Warren as the visionary who championed the idea, Phillips as the philanthropist who donated the land.
But there was a third person sitting in Phillips’ o ce that day.
Cecil Canary was also a Tulsa oil magnate, although not as fabulously rich or famous as the other two, who were among the most prominent business
tycoons in the Oil Capital of the World.
His family owned several ranches across southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma, where extensive oil leases added to the fortune they had already accumulated from cattle operations. Canary went into the oil business himself in 1915, just three years after graduating from high school.
Along with Warren and several other Tulsa businesses, Canary had promoted a plan to merge downtown’s ritzy Tulsa Club with the Tulsa Country Club to give members all the amenities of both clubs in one location.
When that scheme fell apart in late 1934, they hatched a plan to create a whole new club. And Warren took Canary with him to ask Phillips about the land, where there had already been talk of putting in a golf course.
Phillips, however, sco ed at the idea. Perhaps thinking of the toll the Great
Depression had taken on Tulsa’s oil economy, he pointed to a stack of files on his desk.
“Every paper you see contains a request for money,” Phillips said, explaining that some were asking him to support very worthy causes. “Yours is ridiculous!”
Nonetheless, he agreed to provide the land if Warren and Canary could raise su cient funds to build the country club. They had two weeks to secure $1,000 pledges from at least 150 Tulsans.
Ultimately, they fell short of the goal and found only 140 donors. But Phillips thought it was close enough and donated the land anyway.
The first 29 country club members teed o for the first time at Southern Hills on May 23, 1936.
They had Canary to thank for it as much as anybody.
Spring is going to bring new life to the woodlands at Turkey Mountain, but that’s not the only thing that will emerge as warmer months arrive.
The Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness trail system is undergoing an upgrade, and some of the new trails are already open.
The River Parks Authority, working with Progressive Trail Designs to implement the Turkey Mountain Master Plan, has already opened 2 miles of new trails.
That stretch of singletrack makes for excellent hiking and running, but also provides something long sought at the park: a welcoming stretch of trail for all levels of mountain bikers.
Turkey Mountain is a mountain biking favorite, but most of its trails aren’t exactly beginner-friendly. Many of the challenging trails will remain, but new stretches of trail will open the park to beginners while providing fun features — jumps, bumps and switch-
backs — that will give riders a whole new experience at Turkey Mountain.
More work is underway. By June, a total of 6 miles of new trails will be open and another 6 on top of that by the end of July.
There will be periodic trail closures as additional work is done (a major facelift of the trails leading from the lower parking lot to the top is expected to begin in July), but plenty of other routes will remain open to explore.
What the new trails won’t change is the basic nature of Turkey Mountain. Its trails wind through blackjack oak, cedar and a colorful array of undergrowth. Deer, armadillos, various reptiles and more can be seen on any given day on routes that pass through meadows, navigate around ponds and dive into woodlands. And you can still see some of Turkey Mountain’s more industrial past, as the remains of 1920s oil boom well sites dot the park.
While you’re awaiting the upgrades at Turkey Mountain, there are a number of other places and events to watch this spring. A few:
If you’re looking to find other places for mountain biking, check out the Claremore Lake bike trails. Closer to home, recent renovations at Lubell Park have turned it into the newest hotspot to ride. If mountain biking is not your thing, you can hike and run at both places.
Interested in getting on the water? Paddle sports are growing more popular, and there are plenty of places nearby to give it a try. Some favorite spots for kayakers: Greenleaf State Park near Braggs, or a number of spots on the Illinois River near Tahlequah: Peyton’s Place, Eagle Bluff, Diamondhead and Arrowhead resorts.
Races more of your thing? Ironman Tulsa was a big hit last year, and it returns May 22. Watch athletes swim, ride and run a marathon on courses that wind their way through Keystone Lake, traverse three counties and finally finish in downtown Tulsa. Think you have what it takes to become an Ironman? Check the registration site and sign up.
One of the city’s biggest sporting events returns June 10-12 when the Saint Francis Tulsa Tough cycling races come to town. See some of the sport’s elites ride through challenging tracks downtown, or join Tulsa’s biggest block party on the last day of the event at the Riverside Criterion, also known as Cry Baby Hill. Come to watch, sign up to compete, or enjoy the more leisurely Townie Ride that weekend.
TOP: Paddle sports are growing more popular, and there are plenty of places nearby to give it a try.
TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE FILE
MIDDLE: Triathletes swim in Keystone Lake while competing in the Ironman Tulsa North American Championship in 2021. The event returns in May.
IAN MAULE, TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE FILE
BOTTOM: Ironman Tulsa 2021 competitors took to the back roads around Sand Springs for the early miles of the event’s cycling portion.
SAND SPRINGS LEADER FILE
MIKE SIMONS // Tulsa World Magazine
Oklahoma is filled with beautiful, wide open spaces. In Picher, the wide open space isn’t beautiful. As you drive into the abandoned town, the first things you see are the large piles of chat, made of zinc and lead mining waste. Neighborhood streets are still there, but almost all that remains are foundations. A few structures remain, mostly the homes of residents who refused to sell out and be relocated. In some homes, clothes still hang in the closet. In others, baby dolls lie on the floor as if the residents just got up and walked out one day. Near the old downtown area is the skeleton of a baseball field. The dugouts are collapsing. Out the window, instead of seeing kids playing and parents cheering them on, weeds grow out of the pavement and climb the backstop. A large chat pile looms in the distance. The federal government gave up after years of trying to save the town and clean it up. It was torn down in 2011.
“And something is happening and you don’t know what it is/Do you, Mr. Jones?”
— “Ballad of a Thin Man,” Bob Dylan
Even the enigmatic Mr. Jones would be aware that something is definitely happening near the corner of Reconciliation Way and Cincinnati Avenue, although exactly what it is won’t be revealed until May 10.
The Bob Dylan Center, located at 116 E. Reconciliation Way, will be the
permanent home to more than 100,000 objects — handwritten lyrics, paintings and drawings, rare audio recordings, never-before-seen footage of live performances, musical instruments, even items of clothing — that span the more than 60 years that the man born Robert Allen Zimmerman has been an undeniable force in American music and culture.
The center, designed by the architectural and exhibit design firm
Olson Kundig, led by design principal Alan Maskin, will feature cutting-edge, immersive technology in a multimedia environment that is designed to be as impressive and revealing to visitors new to Dylan’s work as it will be to longtime fans and aficionados.
Most of the items in the Bob Dylan Archives will be available to be perused only by qualified scholars. The purpose of the center is to provide the public with informative, entertaining and
ever-changing glimpses into the unique treasures the Bob Dylan Archives contains.
It was enough to prompt the Smithsonian Magazine to include the Bob Dylan Center in its list of “The Most Anticipated Museum Openings of 2022.”
Among the planned exhibits for the Bob Dylan Center are:
Ongoing curated display of items that illuminate the depth and breadth of the Bob Dylan Archives collection.
A re-creation of the kind of recording studio environment where Dylan would lay down such classic albums as “Blonde on Blonde” and “Bringing it All Back Home.”
The Columbia Records Gallery, which will provide an in-depth look at the creation, performance and production of timeless Dylan songs such as “Like a Rolling Stone,” “Tangled Up in Blue” and “Chimes of Freedom.”
A screening room that will showcase Dylan-related scripted films, documentaries and concert performances, including never-before-seen material.
A multimedia timeline of Dylan’s life from his early years in Minnesota through the present day, written by award-winning historian Sean Wilentz.
“The focus of the Bob Dylan Center is on this idea of restless creativity in the creative process,” Steve Higgins, managing director of the American Song Archives, which oversees the center, told the Tulsa World. “It’s really encompassing of all genres and types of artists, with Bob Dylan the thread that runs through the whole thing.”
That was the idea behind the first public display of items from the Bob Dylan Archives — a collection
of portraits Dylan had painted over the years, that were displayed at the Gilcrease Museum in May 2019, under the title “Bob Dylan: Face Value and Beyond.”
“It might seem like something of a curve ball to have an exhibit built around a series of paintings,” Michael Chaiken, curator of the Bob Dylan Archives and the “Face Value” exhibit, said in the Tulsa World interview. “But it’s really a kind of sneaky way to show what the archive truly is — something that showcases what a truly multifaceted artist Bob Dylan is.
“He’s best known for his music, but Dylan is also a writer of prose, a filmmaker, and someone who has been involved in the visual arts for decades,” Chaiken said. “This show is an opportunity to explore all those different avenues of Dylan’s creativity.”
American Song Archives is an entity of the George Kaiser Family Foundation, which purchased the Bob Dylan Archive in partnership with the University of Tulsa in 2016. It also
oversees Tulsa’s Woody Guthrie Center.
When it was announced that the Kaiser Foundation and TU had purchased Dylan’s archives — a collection of which few people were aware at the time — one reason Dylan agreed to the deal was that his archive would share space in the same complex that houses the archives of Woody Guthrie, the Oklahoma-born songwriter and troubadour who was one of Dylan’s earliest influences.
In a statement released at the time, Dylan said: “I’m glad that my archives, which have been collected all these years, have finally found a home and are to be included with the works of Woody Guthrie and especially alongside all the valuable artifacts from the Native American Nations. To me, it makes a lot of sense, and it’s a great honor.”
The acquisition gained even greater importance when, later that year, Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Since the announcement of Dylan’s archives finding a permanent home in Tulsa, Dylan has regularly included Tulsa in his tours. He’s scheduled to return to Tulsa on April 13, when his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour comes to the Tulsa Theatre.
As to whether Dylan himself will return to Tulsa for the opening of the Bob Dylan Center... well, that answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind.
Tulsa’s Brookside District — also known as “the restless ribbon” — has been bustling for several decades, but it has grown into a destination all in itself in the past few years.
Brookside began as a part of Muscogee land just to the south of Tulsa. The land was granted to the Muscogee Nation in 1824, and the Perryman family was one of the first
families to settle in this area that was once cattle country. The first post office was erected in 1882 at the home of George Perryman near what is now 41st and Trenton — a marker stands at this site today. The “Brookside” name is said to have been coined by Guy Scroggs, who named his store “Brookside Drug” when it opened back in 1940, almost a century later. The “brook” in the name was presumed to refer
Vibrant strip has flourished, evolved through the years
to Crow Creek, which flows through the area.
Brookside flourished as an upand-coming residential area “out in the country.” Gorgeous homes were built in the 1920s as Tulsa expanded south from downtown during its oil boom when the city became known as the “Oil Capital of the World.” In the 1920s and 1930s, more homes were found along Peoria than businesses. In its heyday during the early 1940s, the area was known as one of Tulsa’s best districts to live and play, with great shops, many churches, and good schools. In the 1950s, businesses began popping up along the street.
Brookside’s building boom resulted in many local art deco-designed landmarks that are still standing today, including the Brook Theatre (now The Brook Restaurant and Bar), Van’s Hamburgers opened in the 1950s (now Claude’s Hamburgers), the Lewis Meyer Book Store (now incorporated into the corner area of The Brook Restaurant), and the Brookside Broadcast Center (now KJRH TV station).
During the 1950s, Brookside became the place for area high school students to gather with friends, cruising the most happening spot of the “Restless Ribbon,” around and through the old Pennington’s Drive-In at 42nd Street and Peoria.
Currently, Brookside is the closest Tulsa entertainment district to the Gathering Place, a nationally recognized, award-winning park and recreation area, where kids continue to cruise on scooters, bikes and skateboards. The historic shopping, dining and entertainment district is easy to navigate. Peoria Avenue
is still the main drag, running from 31st Street down to 51st Street and Interstate 44, but the Brookside area spreads west to Riverside Drive and east to Lewis Avenue. Park on Peoria Avenue and walk the street, taking in the abundance of restaurants, boutiques, art galleries and entertainment venues, in addition to the historic art deco landmarks.
One former business, Dunwell Cleaners, a family-run business for four generations, is now In The Raw sushi restaurant (the Dunwell roll pays homage to the former business).
Speaking of food, whether it’s breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert, there is something delicious to be had in Brookside. From pancake breakfasts
to five-star dining, the options are many. Blue Moon Bakery is popular for house-made pastries and their famous chilaquiles. Brookside by Day has had customers flocking in for family-friendly offerings since 1991.
For grab-and-go breakfast, snag a bagel sandwich (and amazing cookies) at the newly rebranded New York Bagel Cafe or a donut at The Donut Hole.
Two newer possibilities include Mondo’s Italian Restaurant, which moved into a more prominent, brand new spot, and Justin Thompson Restaurant Group’s Freya: Nordic Kitchen in the space Mondo’s left behind. For a true taste of history, grab a patio table at Brookside’s longest-lived business, Weber’s Root Beer Stand, which has graced Peoria with cheeseburgers and frosty mugs of root beer since 1933.
Fans of Elmer’s Barbecue, which closed in the spring of 2021, are thrilled to hear that it moved up the street in the spot formerly home to Tors Country Pub. And no visit to Brookside would be complete without a stop at Lambrusco’z To Go. Nancy Bruce and company have been turning out fantastic deli sandwiches, prepared foods and baked goods since 1985 (she moved the popular deli to Brookside in 2000).
“We had always wanted to be on Brookside,” Bruce said. “We’ll be celebrating 37 years in business this May.”
For dining options, Center 1 is home to several of the best restaurants in town. Oren, Doc’s Food & Wine, Bin 35 Bistro, Café Ole, Ole’ Vine, KEO, Blue Moon, Pure Food & Juice and Foolish Things Bar & Biscuit, all packed into the two crisp and clean, white-painted blocks in the heart of the Brookside district.
Walk off the meals (or just spoil yourself) by visiting some of Brookside’s
unique shopping destinations. The Brookside District is one of Tulsa’s premier shopping areas and is home to dozens of stores, from locally owned boutiques to popular national chain stores. The few blocks on the north end of the Brookside Strip are home to some of the best shopping around. Local boutiques such as Abersons, Ribbons, Stash, Ida Red, Knit Stars Flagship Yarn Store and Wildflower Market share the neighborhood with popular national chains, including Urban Outfitters, Lululemon and Warby Parker, just to name a few.
The mother of Ribbons’ current co-owner, Lisa Delametter, opened the clothing and gift boutique with three of her girlfriends back in 1985.
“We have watched our area change and grow in unbelievable ways,” Delametter remarked about Brookside. “It still has such a neighborhood vibe — we know the other store owners, we know our customers, and we all support each other.”
If shopping isn’t in the cards, burn
off that lunch at Pure Barre, barre3 or The Yoga Room. Or take a leisurely stroll down one of the westerly side streets toward the River Parks trail or the Gathering Place.
For those needing to run grocery errands, Brookside has you covered. It’s a grocery store hotbed, home to neighboring Reasor’s and Whole Foods, in addition to a Walmart Neighborhood Market and Tulsa’s only Trader Joe’s outpost.
Something to keep in mind if you plan to visit the Brookside area, especially if coming from north of 31st Street: Both lanes of traffic on Peoria over Crow Creek at East 32nd Street will be closed to replace the bridge. Bridge construction is expected to be completed in the summer of 2022, so until then, use the recommended alternate routes: Riverside Drive and Lewis Avenue.
For more information, visit the Brookside Business Association’s website: brooksidetheplacetobe.com
Exper t says more hea lth class options coming soon
Tulsa Tech Adult Career Development offers continuing education classes to help employers and employees grow in their healthcare careers. Since the start of the pandemic, we have seen the need for healthcare workers nationwide and here in Tulsa.
One way Tulsa Tech is meeting the need is a program called FLEX. Through a robust offering of classes, working adults can refresh or develop skills to grow their career even further
“Our FLEX lab is a great resource for working healthcare professionals to train in new skills and still work in the field,” said Ann Wheeler, Instructional Coordinator for Adult Career Development.
The lab inside the Health Sciences Center on the Lemley Memorial Campus offers students the opportunity to train in 16 different health courses.
Open weekly Tuesday through Thursday from 10am2pm and 3pm-7pm, as well as two Saturdays per month from 8am-12pm, the FLEX program is designed with working professionals in mind to be able to enroll when it fits their schedule.
ANN WHEELER Tulsa Tech
the department and listed in the catalog.
“If they’re taking a FLEX course that has a skills lab component, they will select the date. We try to offer lots of different dates to be more convenient around student schedules,” Wheeler said.
Students schedule time in the FLEX lab prior to completing the computer-based portion of the curriculum. Tulsa Tech is planning to add another FLEX classroom with additional computers to accommodate the anticipated need for healthcare workers across the region.
“We know that health care is always a need. Tulsa Tech also offers courses that are refresher skills, such as customer service and safety,” Wheeler said.
“That will increase our ability to offer not only more health programming, but also increase that flexibility in scheduling options for our students,” Wheeler added. “We have some programs that are coursework that could be a new career for someone. They could work toward the educational requirements for a particular certification.”
Tulsa Tech also offers a variety of continuing education courses that will help people in careers to keep their position.
“We know that health care is always a need. Tulsa Tech also offers courses that are refresher skills, such as customer service and safety,” Wheeler said.
“When a student is ready or needs training, the FLEX lab course is open for them. They don’t have to wait for an entry point into a course that we’ve scheduled,” Wheeler said. “FLEX lab courses utilize a curriculum that is designed to support individual self-paced study.”
At least one qualified instructor, who is a registered nurse, is on campus in the classroom to support and answer questions from each of the students. In addition, Tulsa Tech offers hands-on lab skills sessions, which are scheduled by
As far as out-of-pocket costs, Tulsa Tech is an affordable option. To find FLEX lab courses, check out the Tulsa Tech site, tulsatech.edu, and click on Adult Part-Time Classes.
“We’re excited to provide this opportunity to our community.”
For more information, visit tulsatech.edu or call 918-828-5000.
“Our FLEX lab is a great resource for working healthcare professionals to train in new skills and still work in the field,” Wheeler said.
Penny Carnino, director of operations at Grigsby’s Carpet, Tile & Hardwood, recently returned from the floor covering market show in Las Vegas. She has brought back with her to Tulsa new introductions and more knowledge of what’s trending in the world of flooring.
Whether you’re going for a mid-century modern look or minimalist designs, Grigsby’s flooring will take care of you for your next home project.
“As far as carpet goes, color trends—I saw a lot more blues this year. Still neutrals, but all in the new lines that were coming out, they all had blues in them as far as options,” Carnino said. “We always keep carpet in stock and the colors that we keep are all in that same family, things that lend themselves to neutrals and/or grays.”
She says that hardwoods and luxury vinyls are still trending neutral and lighter instead of darker Grigsby’s keeps three or four luxury vinyl planks in stock: one that leans more gray, two that are more farmhouselooking neutral and one that is more of a brown tone for people who prefer the hardwood look.
“There for a while, especially in the luxury vinyl, things were going pretty gray Those have softened out to neutrals instead of leaning so gray,” she said.
The innovation and style of the luxury vinyl plank category has just increased over the years due to popularity, she said.
“Meanwhile, in the last 5 to 7 years, the sheet vinyl category has become a lot less popular,” Carnino said. “So much so, it’s practically gone away.”
If you’re spring cleaning or remodeling, flooring might be one of the final thoughts on the list when it comes to updates because it pulls the space together, but Carnino says that it’s important to move up flooring on the priority list. Due to the supply issues, special orders take bit longer to ship.
“It’s just advisable for anyone that’s thinking about a remodel to be sure to pick out their flooring early in that process so you don’t hang yourself up waiting. Go ahead, make your choice, decide, get it ordered.”
She says that it becomes a searching game when people can’t wait for a specific pattern or type and container freight has increased over the last year
“It’s so frustrating to have to wait for product when you are ready Most of it comes from overseas. Those products have been more difficult to get with all of the freight issues that the manufacturers have been having. Getting them through customs, getting them through the ports, we have so many back-order dates. When you find something in stock, it’s awesome,” she said. “I know it’s crazy for builders because for them, it’s not only for flooring but everything in the house.”
“It’s just advisable for anyone that’s thinking about a remodel to be sure to pick out their flooring early in that process so you don’t hang yourself up waiting. Go ahead, make your choice, decide, get it ordered,” Carnino said.
The carpet mills, which are in the region, have some backorders due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The mills have had trouble hiring employees, she says, but the supply situation is slowly on the up and up.
“The majority of the people that we get tile from have warehouses here locally. A lot of it we can get fairly quick. There are more American-made luxury planks. They are converting some places and building more plants in the Georgia area. At least we won’t have to worry about the overseas freight component any longer,” she said.
Grigsby’s will install flooring to fit your lifestyle in every space of your home, inside or outside.
For more information, visit Grigsby’s showroom located at 4417 S. Sheridan Rd., go online at grigsbys.com or call 918-627-6996.
Nothing puts a winter to bed quite like a meal hot off the backyard grill. We’re all eager to get outside, pull off the grill covers, and get cooking, but first things first. Let’s clean the grill, revisit some grilling and BBQ basics, and nix any intimidation and guesswork.
First, let’s get the right tools handy Every outdoor cook needs a good thermometer. We can’t do without our instant-read ones. We love our heat-proof gloves—they make pulling pork easy, even when it’s still steaming—and a chimney starter comes in handy for charcoal grilling.
Choose food flippers that you can handle easily. There’s no need for the oversized grill-kit versions. You’ll want to have plenty of aluminum foil, a large serrated knife, and a smaller paring-style knife for trimming meats. A cooler is the perfect place to rest a brisket or pork shoulder. And don’t forget a good pair of tongs. We’re sure you’ll want to give them a few practice clicks.
Remember, great ingredients equal better barbecue. Don’t under-season; experts say that most backyard cooks do. With chicken, keep the seasoning light; for beef and pork, layer on a good-quality seasoning, allowing the meat to rest between layers, according to CR Head.
Make sure you’re stocked up on your favorite seasonings, marinade, and sauces. If you’re looking for recommendations, we have a few Our marinade has been known to win steak cook-offs. Our sauces come from a heritage in competition BBQ, so they’re perfectly formulated for cooking and glazing. If you haven’t had our Apple Habanero sauce on ribs, this is the year to change that. Try our Original seasoning on, well, anything. Layer it with our High Plains Heat seasoning for a kick.
A clean grill is a happy grill. Happy grills work hard summer after summer while you flip burgers, smoke briskets, and glaze racks of ribs. When your grill is completely cool, dispose of ash and wipe down the inside, the grill grates, and the outside with some dish soap and warm water and a non-scratch sponge. For stubborn food burnt on, a piece of crumpled aluminum foil works wonders. Choose cuts of meat with good color and marbling. Remember, great ingredients equal better barbecue. Don’t under-season; experts say that most backyard cooks do. With chicken, keep the seasoning light; for beef and pork, layer on a good-quality seasoning, allowing the meat to rest between layers. This helps create that bark that all BBQers are after. For kebabs, soak wooden skewers in water to avoid burning.
Mastering heat control is what separates the good backyard grillers from the best. There’s hot and fast, at 300 or more degrees. Then there’s low and slow, or 300 or fewer degrees. Go hot and fast for burgers, steaks, and kebabs. Stick to low and slow for ribs, brisket, and pork butt, aiming for consistent temps.
Use a two-zone cooking system. Stack coals on one side of the grill for hot, direct heat (great for searing a steak or tri tip—if you’re cooking with gas, light just half the burners), then leave the other side of the grill for smoke bathing and low, low cooking. Skip the lighter fluid, use a chimney starter
A few quick things we’ve all learned the hard way: Don’t overload the grill. Airflow is key. Move food away from flare-ups to maintain good color and even cooking. Always have extra fuel on hand. Let your grill preheat, just like you would an oven. Don’t sauce too early And, our favorite: Always cook to temp, not to time.
For more information and recipes, visit HeadCountry.com/recipes or call 580-762-1227.
If you’ve been hitting the gym hard or upped your yoga practice since the start of the new year it’s likely you’ve met some muscle soreness on the road to your fitness goals.
Inflammation got you sidelined?
“That is going to be something that cannabis can do wonders in helping with,” said Avery Mize with Mango Cannabis.
Mango Cannabis medicinal treatments are abundant to help with post-workout recovery or boosting endurance to assist high-intensity sessions.
The flower experts will find the right dosages to counter what you want the most.
“Employees are there to help you decipher which products, administered in which forms, will be most beneficial for your needs.”
“Figuring out what’s best for you specifically is what we want to do,” Mize said.
Cannabis can accompany your postworkout routine to reduce tightness and increase ease.
“One major thing is anti-inflammation. It helps with the muscle recovery side but also the pain side of it all.”
“I personally do use cannabis to help with my yoga,” she said.
“Specific strains will help with relaxation. So if you’re doing more of a nighttime yoga, you could find a nighttime strain.”
Linalool is an ingredient to calm the body
“If you are doing a morning routine, you can find something that contains limonene, more of a citrus lineage to it. That is going to refresh and give you a head-focused experience during your yoga practice,” Mize said. “With body builders or pro-athletes or runners or anything like that, you’re putting your body through a lot of endurance, and it can be hard to bring yourself down from that high.
“With cannabis, it can help you come down to a recovery space vs. you’re still in that amped up, muscles pumping state.”
Make sure to tell staff about any certain
dietary restrictions or dietary preferences.
“We can help you find things that are vegan, sugar-free or gluten-free.”
Need a boost? For pre-workout, Durban Poison takes your mind off the discomfort of exercise and gives you a kick of power.
“You’re not as focused on your body’s pain because you are more in your head. You get more of a stimulated high,” Mize said.
Mango Cannabis has gummies that are more morning-oriented and some that are more for nighttime and sleep and recovery. Mize said edibles are slower to kick in and longer-lasting, and beverages can take effect a little bit quicker because they hit the bloodstream as opposed to going through the liver system.
Grab an infused soda, pineapple juice, lemonade or fruit punch containing either caffeine or melatonin.
“They don’t taste like cannabis at all,” Mize said.“It’s really easy to dose them out and you can easily be medicated and it’s super inconspicuous.”
Topical applications with THC and CBD are also available in lotions and creams.
“I like to pair the CBD with the THC because it helps give you a more synergetic experience for pain relief,” she said.
Stop by the 71st and Mingo location to browse their selection as you seek ways to reduce inflammation.
“We have plenty of people that come in on a regular basis because we’re the only store in all of Oklahoma that we have their product at the price that we have it.”
“We have people that will drive for two hours, three hours across the state to come see us specifically to shop for our deals and our products. We’ve got a lot of people out here that are willing to help to find products that work for you,” Mize said.
Photo credit: Shevaun Williams and Associates
For more information visit mangocannabis.com or call 918-940.3525.
Exper t explains benefits of use for pre and post-workouts
Email ASK THE EXPERT
LINDA CURTIS CEO of Pearl District
Relationship is key to servicing clientsBigger isn’t always better in the world of credit unions, according to Linda Curtis, CEO of Pearl District Federal Credit Union.
“When you call the credit union, you’re going to speak to somebody. You don’t have all those prompts, wondering which one you’re going to get. Hit the wrong prompt and you never talk to a person,” Curtis said.
She says that members of the Pearl District Federal Credit Union aren’t just members—they are like family
“We always talk to our members, and we know our members,” she said.
Curtis says that generations of families join.
“Now their children have children,” she added.
She says it is that relationship with the members that makes it possible for the credit union to help with financial needs.
“It’s really difficult to tell people when you have a problem if you don’t know them and have that good relationship with them,” Curtis said.
They help low-income residents to get their credit score up so that they can help their families.
“Some of them struggle a little bit more than others,” she said.
Located at 11th and Utica, Pearl District FCU is also involved in helping the community
“We adopted the Kendall-Whittier school and asked our members to bring gifts for Christmas. We filled our lobby up with toys,” she said.
Membership is open to businesses and people in the Pearl District, and it’s only $5 to join.
Businesses can also set up the benefits of PDFCU for their employees.
Pearl District FCU offers checking, direct deposit, a drive thru and debit cards, personal loans and auto loans.
If you’re in the market to purchase a vehicle, Pearl District FCU will provide members with a pre-approved letter for the dealerships.
“We want to make sure that we can serve them the best we can and provide the best interest rates that we can, both on loans and savings,” she said.
For your one-on-one service experience at Pearl District FCU stop by 1635 E. 11th St.
Ask for Linda.
“We’ve all worked here for a long time,” she said. “The philosophy of our credit union—is to serve our members. That’s our goal.”
SPONSORED FEATURE OF TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE TULSAWORLDMAGAZINE.COM
Pea rl Distr ict Federa l Credit Union knows well
“We adopted the Kendall-Whittier school and asked our members to bring gifts for Christmas. We filled our lobby up with toys,” she said.
The best middle school teachers love the awkward, quirky years of adolescence.
“If you don’t love the quirkiness of this age, it’s not an age where you can fake it,” said Jennifer White, Holland Hall Head of Middle School. “Students know if you like them. They need teachers who are happy spending their days engulfed in middle school. You have to see laughter, faculty really listening and talking to students.”
White often gets asked how she can love the middle school years, because few people remember that age fondly
“But we’ve all been there. We know how it feels. It’s so intense. The joy is more intense. The anger is more intense. The sadness is more intense. Feeling left out is more intense. Their brains aren’t ready to deal with the intensity of emotion.”
And when you realize that, you can deal with it and smooth their way
“What adults can do is understand it’s not within their control. Our job is to normalize the range of emotions. Model and teach proper responses and coping mechanisms. Always remember to give them the benefit of the doubt.
“They know when they’ve made mistakes. Their fear is you will judge them. Don’t give in to the emotion. You’re calm. You’re not emotional.”
And you have to be ready to enjoy the sweet moments.
“Middle school kids start pulling away. We can’t forget to recognize the moments when they want to lean back in,” she says. “They will give you hints that they are ready to talk, but you have to be listening.”
It’s her advice for parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and teachers.
The latest brain research tells us that learning is tied to emotions, she said. If there is too much stress or negativity for children, they simply can’t learn at their best. That’s why relationship building is so important, and why being intentional about creating safe, happy and comfortable schools is critical.
“Calm the storm,” she says. “They are experiencing such massive changes in every part of their life. We, as the adults, have to be the constant, supportive, loving part of their lives.”
Things to look for in a middle school
If you’re anxious about upcoming middle school years, or your child is already there, there are some questions you can ask to see if you’re in the right school.
Look for a sense of joy.
• Do teachers seem happy?
• Do students seem engaged?
• Are students active and involved?
• Are classrooms lively and busy?
Look for positive relationships.
• What is the class size? How many are in the grade? How many adults are interacting with each kid? Those three questions are leading up to this one:
• “How likely will your child really be known?” The answer to that question is crucial to your child’s happiness and ultimate success at school, White says. “What kids remember is ‘That teacher liked me. That class was fun.”
Look for opportunities for students to explore activities and interests
• Is there daily recess? Or PE? Every middle school child still needs that outlet.
• What opportunities are there for them to get involved and pursue their interests or find new interests?
Look for a school that will partner with families
• Is there good communication from the school?
• Are there opportunities for parents to volunteer?
• Are there planned parent events?
For more information visit hollandhall.org or call 918-879-4755.
How many iconic local dishes have you tried?
Can you call yourself a Tulsa food expert?
Our city is home to many excellent restaurants serving up craveworthy dishes deserving of your culinary to-do list.
But that’s not what this test is about.
Certain eateries have stood the test of time and crossed over into legend. If you live in Tulsa, these are the must-try dishes to seek out to truly become “one of us.”
That’s what we’re talking about.
How many of these iconic Tulsa dishes have you tried?
Nestled deep in the Ozark Mountains lies a gem—a place that brings the 1880s to life, but with a 21st-century twist. Silver Dollar City, a theme park that is internationally awarded for presentation and creativity, sits on top of Marvel Cave, the deepest cave in Missouri and a National Natural Landmark. The City offers 10 world-class festivals, 40 rides and attractions—including record-setting rollercoasters—a 100-member demonstrating crafts colony and a variety of music, other entertainment and creative food specialties. The United States Congress designated Silver Dollar City “The Home of American Craftsmanship.” A season pass lets you attend every festival.
The City opens in mid-March with Spring Ride Days, kicking off 2022
“The Biggest Enter tainment Year Ever!”
Street Fest | April 14–May 1
INSIDER
TIP
Arrive early to star t your day with an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet.
FEATURE OF TULSA WORLD MAGAZINE
Taking it to the streets, Silver Dollar City’s Street Fest features colorful perfor mers, stilt-walkers, live musical perfor mances and a unique menu of “walk-away” foods from around the world. Street perfor mers line the City, showcasing acrobatic, juggling and comedy skills Stages present musical groups and live bands The new Living Garden comes alive with aerialists, living statues and giant moving topiaries
Bluegrass & BBQ | May 4–May 30
One of the nation’s most reputable bluegrass gatherings, Bluegrass & BBQ offers Ozark hospitality at its best, by combining downhome BBQ and bluegrass music. Today, the musical genre spans from the traditional tunes of the mountains to a progressive sound. Groups include Grammyawarded artists such as Missouri’s own Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, family bands and newly recogniz ed perfor mers breaking into the industry The International Bluegrass Association has awarded Silver Dollar City “Distinguished Achievement” in festival presentation.
INSIDER TIP
Sample a variety of BBQ sauces perfected by pitmasters to ser ve with their meats, which are smoked from 10-16 hours
National Kids Fest | June 11–July 24
INSIDER TIP
Multi-park/multiday tickets allow you to come and go as you please during your stay in the Branson area.
Kids Fest showcases family entertainment, world-class rollercoasters, a demonstrating crafts colony, music and a variety of fun foods. Along with Kids Fest, families can visit other Silver Dollar City Attractions such as White Water, the Silver Dollar City Campground and Showboat
Branson Belle
Stay at The Silver Dollar City Campground to use the free guest shuttle right to the front gate!
Presented by
SPONSOREDMoonlight Madness | July 23–August 7
Silver Dollar City is home to several rollercoasters that claim both Guinness World Records and international recognition. Moonlight Madness is a rollercoaster enthusiast’s playground, with rides soaring into the night skies, punctuated by nightly fireworks. Visualiz e plummeting 10 stories into the darkness on Time Traveler, or find yourself upside down underneath the twinkling Ozark stars on Outlaw Run. For the not-so-daring riders, join the nightly dance party, explore The Grand Exposition with 10 family rides, or enjoy Fireman’s Landing, designed for the little ones.
Southern Gospel Picnic | August 25– September 5; and Countr y Music Days | September 8–11, 15–18
There’s more music in the City in late August into September, including nightly perfor mances, ranging from the joyful har monies of Southern Gospel to the roots of America’s folk music, at Echo Hollow Amphitheater. The stages are the focus for music lovers who travel to America’s Heartland to sing along, toe-tap and enjoy food favorites like the City’s famous fried chicken, cinnamon breads and homemade ice cream.
Harvest Festival | September 21–October 29
Fall comes alive with glowing pumpkins, hundreds of crafters, cowboy lore and music throughout the streets and stages. Culinary experts create specialty foods that embody the season with pumpkin flavors and hearty soups At sunset, thousands of pumpkins—carved, sculpted, lifesiz e and themed—take on an immense glow, accentuated with a nightly, lively, blacklight dance party
November 5– December 30:
INSIDER
TIP
The Har vest Festival
Tasting Passpor t is a great way to tr y the many sweet and savor y pumpkin-infused foods created for this festival.
In an unprecedented five-time title streak, Silver Dollar City’s “An Old Time Christmas” is America’s Best Theme Park Holiday Event, having claimed the designation from USA Today’s “10 Best” Reader’s Choice awards, after being nominated by travel experts The City’s “citiz ens” create a dazzling wonderland with 6.5 million lights, A Holly Jolly Light Parade, an 8-story animated Christmas Tree, Christmas in Midtown spectacular, Joy on Town Square light show, Broadway-style stage shows, rollercoasters at night and gour met holiday foods “An Old Time Christmas” embraces, showcases and celebrates the true meaning of Christmas, and the memories created during this “don’t-miss” event last a lifetime
Presented by
www.SilverDollarCity.com
For all events, the Silver Dollar City app is the best way to plan your day.
> 4/5, 311
Rock band 311 brings its Spring Tour to Tulsa.
WHERE: Tulsa Theater, 105 Reconciliation Way FOR MORE: tulsatheater.com
> 4/8-9, SPRINGFEST
The Tulsa Garden Center will host SpringFest at Woodward Park.
WHERE: Woodward Park, 2435 S. Peoria Ave. FOR MORE: tulsagardencenter.org
> 4/8, STREET PARTY 2022
Street Party 2022 is presented by Street School, a long-running dropout prevention and intervention program. There will be live and silent auctions, live entertainment and raffles for whiskey, wine and a trip.
WHERE: Cox Business Convention Center Ballroom, 100 Civic Center FOR MORE: coxcentertulsa.com
> 4/9, KOE WETZEL
The Texas-born singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer brings his tour to Tulsa.
WHERE: BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave. FOR MORE: bokcenter.com
> 4/10, BILL MAHER
The comedian and political commentator will perform a Sunday night show.
WHERE: Tulsa Theater, 105 Reconciliation Way FOR MORE: tulsatheater.com
> 4/13, BOB DYLAN
The songwriting legend brings his Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour to Tulsa ahead of the opening of the Bob Dylan Center in May.
WHERE: Tulsa Theater, 105 Reconciliation Way FOR MORE: tulsatheater.com
> 4/14, JOE NICHOLS
The multi-platinum country singer from Rogers, Arkansas, will play at Hard Rock Live.
WHERE: Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa, 777 W. Cherokee St., Catoosa
Editor’s note: All dates and events are subject to change. Check event websites for up-to-date information.
APRIL
> THROUGH 5/8, THE BIG SHOW: WORK BY YOUNG ARTISTS
This exhibition at Philbrook Museum features the creativity of Oklahoma artists ages 4-18.
WHERE: Philbrook Museum of Art FOR MORE: philbrook.org
> 4/1-6/20, LIVING ARTS OF TULSA EXHIBITS
“Grief and the Full Cup of Joy,” an exhibition curated by Mery McNett, and “Cult Canyon,” curated by Cult Love Collective, will be on display from April 1-22. From May 6 through June 20, “Chiefs, Clans, and Kin” will celebrate the histories, cultures and lifeways of Indigenous tribes of the Southeast and their transnational histories with Celtic peoples.
WHERE: Living Arts of Tulsa, 307 E. Reconciliation Way
FOR MORE: livingarts.org
> 4/1, BILL ENGVALL
The comedian brings his Farewell Tour to Tulsa.
WHERE: Tulsa Theater, 105 Reconciliation Way FOR MORE: tulsatheater.com
FOR MORE: hardrockcasinotulsa.com
> 4/15-16, PBR EXPRESS RANCHES CLASSIC
For the 18th straight season, elite bull riders will descend on Tulsa at the PBR Express Ranches Classic, presented by Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
WHERE: BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave. FOR MORE: bokcenter.com
> 4/16, ODDITIES & CURIOSITIES EXPO
The Oddities & Curiosities Expo will bring the strange, unusual and bizarre to the SageNet Center at Expo Square.
WHERE: Expo Square, 4145 E. 21st St.
4/2,
Esteemed conductor James Bagwell leads the TSO in this performance featuring Beethoven’s Leonore Overture, Mozart’s Symphony No. 25 and Mahler’s magnificent Symphony No. 1 “The Titan.”
WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 101 E. Third St. FOR MORE: tulsasymphony.org
> 4/2, JON LOVITZ
The comedian and actor will perform two Saturday night shows at Cain’s Ballroom.
WHERE: Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N. Main St. FOR MORE: cainsballroom.com
FOR MORE: exposquare.com
> 4/17, SAND SPRINGS HERBAL AFFAIR
Shop herbs, perennials, heirloom plants and more at the Sand Springs Herbal Affair in downtown Sand Springs. Attendees will also find arts and crafts, gardening supplies and decor.
WHERE: Downtown Sand Springs
FOR MORE: sandspringsok.org
> 4/22, ANJELAH JOHNSON-REYES
The MADtv alum brings her Who Do I Think I am Tour to Tulsa.
WHERE: Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa, 777 W. Cherokee St., Catoosa
FOR MORE: hardrockcasinotulsa.com
> 4/22-24, SPRING HOME & OUTDOOR LIVING EXPO
Check out Tiny Home Town, the Shopper’s Market, Garden Train display and more at the SageNet Center at Expo Square.
WHERE: Expo Square, 4145 E. 21st St.
FOR MORE: exposquare.com
> 4/23, JENKS HERB & PLANT FESTIVAL
Shop an array of herbs and plants from local vendors during the Jenks Herb & Plant Festival in downtown Jenks.
WHERE: Downtown Jenks
FOR MORE: jenksgardenclub.com
> 4/23, “LOVE & OBSESSION: THE BEATLES TO BERLIOZ”
Scott Seaton, a candidate for the Signature Symphony’s music director position, will lead the orchestra in a program that ranges from Berlioz’s epic “Symphonie Fantastique” to some of the songs about love from the Fab Four.
WHERE: Vantrease PACE, 10300 E. 81st St. FOR MORE: signaturesymphony.org
> 4/23, SMOKE AND GUNS
Oklahoma firefighters and police officers square off in the seventh annual charity MMA and boxing event presented by QuikTrip.
WHERE: BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave. FOR MORE: bokcenter.com
> 4/29, MARCO ANTONIO SOLÍS
Five-time Latin Grammy Award winner Marco Antonio Solís brings his Que Ganas De Verte World Tour 2022 to the BOK Center.
WHERE: BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave. FOR MORE: bokcenter.com
> 4/29, 5/1, “SALOME”
Tulsa native Thaddeus Strassberger makes his Tulsa Opera debut, directing this unique immersive production of Richard Strauss’ opera, about the young woman whose performance for King Herod spells doom for John the Baptist.
WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 101 E. Third St. FOR MORE: tulsaopera.com
> 4/30, CASTLE OF MUSKOGEE RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL
The Castle invites one and all to join the festivities of the 26th Annual Oklahoma Renaissance Festival. Open Saturdays and Sundays: April 30- June 5, plus Memorial Day, Monday, May 30.
WHERE: 3400 Fern Mountain Road, Muskogee FOR MORE: okcastle.com
> 4/30, MEGADETH AND LAMB OF GOD
The metal bands co-headline this concert at the BOK Center.
WHERE: BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave. FOR MORE: bokcenter.com
> 4/30, GARDEN PARTY 2022
Garden Party 2022 benefits The Little Lighthouse, a program that helps children with special needs and their families.
WHERE: Cox Business Convention Center, 100 Civic Center FOR MORE: coxcentertulsa.com
> 5/6-8, TULSA MAYFEST
Tulsa Mayfest 2022 will be held in the downtown Arts District and historic Greenwood with local and juried artists, live music, food vendors and more.
WHERE: Tulsa Arts District, Greenwood FOR MORE: tulsamayfest.org
> 5/7, “MERCURIAL,” TULSA SYMPHONY
The Tulsa Symphony brings its season to a close with acclaimed conductor and audience favorite Gerhardt Zimmermann leading the orchestra in Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody, Copland’s Appalachian Spring and Tchaikovsky’s masterful Symphony No. 4.
WHERE: Tulsa PAC, 101 E. Third St. FOR MORE: tulsasymphony.org.
> 5/7, ICONS & IDOLS 2022
Tulsa Ballet’s 11th annual Icons & Idols Gala features a one-night-only performance by the company’s dancers.
WHERE: Cox Business Convention Center, 100 Civic Center FOR MORE: coxcentertulsa.com
> 5/10, BOB DYLAN CENTER
The grand opening for the Bob Dylan Center arrives on this date. See a story in this issue of Tulsa World Magazine.
WHERE: 116 Reconciliation Way
FOR MORE: bobdylancenter.com
Celebrity Attractions presents the Tony Award-winning revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s OKLAHOMA! this June.
> 5/12, EASTON CORBIN
Easton Corbin brings his traditional country sound for a show at Hard Rock Live.
WHERE: Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa, 777 W. Cherokee St., Catoosa FOR MORE: hardrockcasinotulsa.com
> 5/12-15, “SIGNATURE SERIES”
Tulsa Ballet will close its season with the highly anticipated return of “Remember Our Song” by “Hamilton” choreographer and three-time Tony Award winner Andy Blankenbuehler, along with Itzik Galili’s “O Balcão de Amor” and a world premiere work from superstar choreographer Andrew McNicol.
WHERE: Lorton Performance Center, 550 S. Gary Ave.
FOR MORE: tulsaballet.org
> 5/14-28, BREEDERS INVITATIONAL
This is a major event in the Cutting Horse industry, with lots of action and a large purse at the Built Ford Tough Livestock Complex. WHERE: Expo Square, 4145 E. 21st St. FOR MORE: exposquare.com
> 5/16, EAGLES
The band will feature “Hotel California,” accompanied by an orchestra and choir, and will perform a set of their greatest hits.
WHERE: BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave.
FOR MORE: bokcenter.com
> 5/16-22, PGA CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2022 PGA Championship will bring the 72hole, four-day tournament, plus two preceding practice rounds, to Tulsa’s Southern Hills Country Club. Last year, Phil Mickelson became the oldest major winner in history when he won the event at age 50 at Kiawah Island in South Carolina.
WHERE: Southern Hills Country Club, 2623 E. 61st St.
FOR MORE: pgachampionship.com
> 5/19, DAVID FEHERTY
The retired pro golfer and noted golf personality will appear at Hard Rock Live.
WHERE: Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa, 777 W. Cherokee St., Catoosa
FOR MORE: hardrockcasinotulsa.com
> 5/24, JACK WHITE
The singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer brings The Supply Chain Issues Tour to Tulsa.
WHERE: BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave. FOR MORE: bokcenter.com
> 6/14-19, RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN’S OKLAHOMA!
Celebrity Attractions presents the classic musical, which has been reimagined for the 21st century. “Oklahoma!” won the 2019 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. A diverse cast costumed in modern attire performs the original script on a set designed to evoke a sense of togetherness. Tickets are on sale now.
WHERE: Tulsa Performing Arts Center, 101 E. Third St.
FOR MORE: celebrityattractions.com
