Oklahoma gay marriage ban ruled unconstitutional
U.S. District Judge Terence Kern announced his decision Tuesday in Tulsa. The ruling has been stayed pending appeal, which means same-sex marriages will not occur immediately in Oklahoma. Ryan Kiesel, executive director and spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union in Oklahoma, called the 68-page written decision an “historic day for all of Oklahoma.” “We…
Haunting words
Ghost-Writer is an old-fashioned play about creativity and romance with a paranormal twist. Set in New York in 1919, the story centers on a love triangle between a recently deceased author, Franklin Woolsey; his widow, Vivian; and Myra Babbage, the typist Woolsey dictated his novels to in life, who transcribes Woolsey’s words in death. The…
Nobody listened
She also claims teachers and school administrators missed obvious signs of abuse and neglect, including numerous absences and lack of personal hygiene. Wood-Harber’s brother, Quinten Wood, 15, died Jan. 4, 2012 from pneumonia complications; but his life was filled with adults who didn’t care for his needs, she alleges. Born with a rare chromosomal abnormality,…
He’s baaaaaaack — in jail
Shocking, right? Javontai Ingram was charged with illegal possession of a firearm after a gang-related shootout — with a Hoovers gang member called Nutso, no less — at an apartment building in Moore, at which he suffered head injuries from a gunshot wound and threw his gun into a field after the confrontation, reported NewsOK.com.…
Letters
These were $200 per ticket “Stage VIP, all access” passes that included entry into the Thunder player section, a meet-and-greet and champagne toast opportunities with Kevin Durant himself. But what was promised wasn’t delivered. Half of what was advertised on our ticket wasn’t offered at the event. There was no meet-and-greet, no access to the…
Losing to win
But ultimately, none worked. “I didn’t lose any significant weight,” he said. Healthcare professionals regularly tout the same method for weight loss: balanced meals and exercise. But this advice is often ignored when fad diet advertising floods media, particularly in the new year. Oklahoma dietician Lacey Bixler considers these plans short-term solutions that typically fail…
Enterprise schools work best
All three types of choice schools have excellent records that are virtually indistinguishable. Our application-only school market is oversaturated, however, and we must think anew. OKC’s Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) Reach College Preparatory, for instance, does great work, but its potential is maxed out. It still serves about half of the students as the…
Panaderías
If you have a sweet tooth, you are in luck; Oklahoma City is host to a number of Mexican bakeries that will tug at your heartstrings. You will be a regular customer before you know it! Stroll into Panadería la Herradura, 2235 SW 14th St.; ask for capirotada; and prepare yourself for the most wonderful…
OKG7 Eat: Best of SW 29th Street
La Esquina 2400 SW 29th St. 632-5382 With the weather barely above freezing these past weeks, the body craves something warm and nourishing. Instead of boring standards like chicken soup, maybe now is the time to indulge in a heaping, hearty bowl of guiso, a Latino variation of classic stew. La Esquina specializes in guisos,…
American luxury
Packard’s didn’t quit. If you’re smart enough to seek them out, get ready for a plate full of win. While some restaurants focus on hyper-local fare, Packard’s philosophy is more about the handmade nature of the food. They use local if they can get it, said general manager John Ross, but the most important goal…
Life
State Sen. David Holt will be the inaugural guest of a new children’s reading program, Bringing Books to Life, made possible by a grant from Junior League of Oklahoma City. The weekly readings are nature-themed and intented for children ages 2 to 5. “Showing children that reading is a joy is very important to me…
Freestyle flow
Vahid Farzaneh However, none of this would have come to pass if not for a class taken on a whim at the University of Oklahoma. “I initially wasn’t interested in filmmaking at all,” said Freestyle Productions owner Vahid Farzaneh. “I was kind of drifting around. I took an intro to film class for the credit…
Hearty party
Some have outgrown wanting their alcohol to taste like a candy basket and falling into diabetic coma. For people with more adult tastes, Oklahoma Gazette recommends a few savory cocktails while visiting the warm hearts (and hearths) of these locally prepped adult beverages. First, we recommend a liquor store for real beer. Or, heck, visit…
The cancer cure
Last fall marked the start of a Phase 1 clinical trial at Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, a culmination of work from its researchers on a compound named OKN-007, which has shown marked success in animal trials. The story behind the drug has the makings of good fiction: a family tragedy, an intrepid optimist and several…
Everything must go!
The executors of the estate of Rue McClanahan — who was born in Healdton and grew up in Ardmore, in case you didn’t know — have been holding an online estate sale. McClanahan died of a brain hemorrhage in 2010 at the age of 76. Her wardrobe as the flirtatious, man-chasing southern belle Blanche Devereaux…
Now with less murder!
Last year did have more than a reasonable number of high-profile homicides from domestic disputes, home burglaries gone awry, home burglaries gone awry, convenience store murders and other nastiness, including 7-year-old Adrian Avalos, who was killed by a post-burglary house fire, the station reported. There were fewer than 80 murders in 2013, down from 99…
Homeless photography: A fresh look
Powell is part of the homeless population of Oklahoma City. His work experience is mainly in “labor work, construction, roofing and painting.” He is a high school graduate who has a lifelong love of writing and of films. Powell recently published one of his stories, Sasquatch, online through bookcountry.com. Like any writer, certain works inspire…
FOOD
Celebrity Chef Series: Anne Burrell, author of Cook Like a Rock Star takes the stage for a keynote dinner and demo, 7 p.m., Jan. 15. Rapp Foundation Conference Center – Saints Medical Plaza, 535 NW 9th St., 4th Floor. 272-7383, saintsok.com. WED Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread, learn some of the tricks to making an excellent…
Break point
Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore — the married couple behind Denver indie pop act Tennis — didn’t expect much to come of the humble band the two formed after a seven-month sailing trip; they expected nothing, to be precise. “When we were starting out, we didn’t have any plans or ambition to turn this into…
Follow the money
The three primary donors are Corrections Corporation of America, the GEO Inc, and Avalon Correctional Services, Inc. The largest among the three is CCA, which operates three private prisons in the state. With the state corrections department searching for more bed space to house a record number of inmates, it’s apparent the clout these companies…
Willis — The Understanding
From the opening R&B samples and powerful horn section that triumphantly blasts the arrival of a new hero on the scene, Willis’ The Understanding perfectly captures the inner-city swagger of a blaxploitation movie icon. Strutting through these dirty streets like he is God almighty, Willis unashamedly kicks the doors in and sits at the head of…
Last call for Stage Center?
Johansen won an award from The American Institute of Architects for his work on the building in 1972. Kestrel Investments Inc. paid $4.2 million to the Oklahoma City Community Foundation for the theater last July and has plans to build a 14-16-story office tower (which will be home to the new OGE Energy Corp. headquarters)…
Life food & drink
Life food & drink The next in a long line of headliners at St. Anthony’s annual Celebrity Chef series is one who, if you call yourself a foodie, will have you salivating in no time. Food Network star and New York Times best-selling author Anne Burrell is renowned for her easy-to-master home cooking techniques. Burrell…
Up in smoke
Without a doubt, the prospect of legalizing marijuana in Oklahoma will draw opponents when a new measure is introduced during the next legislative session in February. Obvious critics will be law enforcement officials and conservative legislators, but they won’t be alone. Some predict the alcohol and tobacco industries also will join the fight. For decades,…
Bottoms up
Photo: Mark Jaworski Things are definitely looking more up than down and out for The Front Bottoms. The indie punk act spent more than a few tours playing hole-in-the-walls and sleeping on floors but it now finds itself selling out sizable clubs and getting pegged to open up for well-known bands like Brand New, which…
Kings of leon sing about Okie ties
In a recent feature on the making of “Last Mile Home,” the band’s contribution to the film, the Grammy-winning alt-rockers detailed the song’s inspiration. “We’ve been offered movies that they’ve spent $300 million to make. We’ve said no to it, just because we had no connection to the movie,” bassist Jared Followill told The Huffington…
Visual arts
The University of Oklahoma will celebrate the 100th installment of its School of Art and Art History Student Exhibition, a competitive, juried show featuring a wide array of works created by current enrollees. The event will also offer a chance to reflect on the school and program’s history. The exhibition’s opening reception is 7 p.m.…
Seoul food
Sizzling Chicken Bulgogi Photo: Mark Hancock Many of the metro’s oldest Korean restaurants are in Midwest City. Some are enterprises started by war brides and their families whose first glimpse of the USA was Tinker Air Force Base. Dong-A Korean Restaurant is away from those well-established bastions of kimchi. As with most area Korean restaurants,…
On top of Ol’ Gyro
Kabob Plate Photo: Mark Hancock Maybe this is a gross overgeneralization, but sometimes the landscape of quick and easy local lunch eateries can look like a barren, apocalyptic wasteland littered with the famished skeletons of the lucky few who died in the first wave of destruction. In other words, if a hungry businessperson wants food…
Killer tunes
Photo: Ben Aqua Sam Chown, best known as one-half of the Texas experimental psych duo Zorch, constantly has music rattling around in his brain. It forced him to form his latest outfit, Shmu, a shoegazing R&B trio, to get all the sounds he has been collecting out into the open for public consumption. “This is…
We Are What We Are
From Stake Land director Jim Mickle, this American do-over finds its fever in a religious fervor, with scripture-quoting sourpuss Frank Parker (Bill Sage, Precious) mourning the accidental death of his wife. That tragedy leaves their eldest daughter, Iris (Ambyr Childers, The Master), in the unenviable position of assuming the family duty of … let’s just…
Badges of Fury
OK, so that’s not really a joke. It is the setup for Badges of Fury, an Asian film that is a joke. Investigating this string of so-called “Smile Murders” are two police detectives: the grizzled old pro (Jet Li, The Expendables 2) and the young renegade (Zhang Wen, The Guillotines). Having Li in a film used to be a surefire…
A Single Shot
Shot’s sights are set on John (Sam Rockwell), a dirt-poor hunter who mistakes a young woman for a deer — not necessarily a negative except that a trigger was involved and John’s aim is true. When he tends to her dead body, he finds a lot of cash next to her and assumes it won’t be missed.…
New look
His work experience is mainly in “labor work, construction, roofing and painting.” He is a high school graduate who has a lifelong love of writing and of films. Powell recently published one of his stories, “Sasquatch,” online through bookcountry.com. Like any writer, certain works inspire him. “The writer I’m probably most influenced by is Stephen…
