Karl Springer Shannon Cornman Two Oklahoma City Public Schools have landed on the highest-priority school improvement list: Shidler Elementary School and Roosevelt Middle School. An Oklahoma City charter school, Santa Fe South Middle School, originally was on the list, too, but is getting further consideration. The process of determining which schools are in need of […]
Clifton Adcock
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Takeover trouble
State fairgrounds Shannon Cornman The council on April 3 received the reports on the MAPS 3 fairgrounds improvements and senior wellness centers from Mike Mize of Architectural Design Group, the lead consultant on MAPS 3. Around $58.7 million in MAPS 3 money is set aside for fairgrounds improvements, such as parking and a new exposition […]
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Audit now, money later
The state museum is $80 million short of completion, and fundraisers have gathered about $40 million in pledges from the private sector and the city. Last week, the Oklahoma City Council approved a measure to send $9 million toward finishing the on-again, off-again facility, located near Martin Luther King Boulevard and Interstate 40. As part […]
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‘Collateral’ soldier
U.S. Army veteran Ethan McCord’s actions on July 12, 2007, have been seen throughout the world. Now the Iraq war veteran is coming to Oklahoma to talk about what he witnessed firsthand. McCord is one of the more prominent, if not heroic, figures featured in the so-called Collateral Murder video, which shows a U.S. helicopter […]
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Chipping in
The move by the city is the latest in an effort to raise $40 million in non-state dollars in order for state lawmakers to fund a matching $40 million that would complete the partially constructed cultural center. Located on the south bank of the Oklahoma River west of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, the center […]
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War of the womb
A state judge last week struck down a law requiring an ultrasound be performed prior to an abortion, and the following day a suit was filed to prevent a so-called personhood measure from landing on the November ballot. The ultrasound law, passed by the state Legislature in 2010 over the veto of then-Gov. Brad Henry, […]
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Artful move
The foundation acquired more than four acres at N. Broadway and N.W. 12th Street to house the City Arts Center. Christian Keesee, president of the Kirkpatrick Family Fund, said the center has outgrown its current location at 3000 General Pershing on the fairgrounds, and the new location will provide perfect access and parking for visitors. […]
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A Sooner snubbing?
Most were state Democratic movers and shakers: some old-guard stalwarts such as former Attorney General Drew Edmondson, and some new, such as freshman state Rep. Emily Virgin of Norman. But they all seemed excited, almost giddy, as they took photos of one another after arriving at the location President Barack Obama would deliver his speech. […]
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Take me to the river
That former ditch is scheduled this spring to host Olympic hopefuls competing in flatwater sprint trials. Formerly known by the name of the river itself — the Canadian — the seven-mile section south of downtown was renamed the “Oklahoma River” in 2004; filled with water, thanks to the installation of low-water dams; and its banks […]
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Drip, drip, drip
The legal battle has ensnared the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, government of Oklahoma City, state Legislature, Gov. Mary Fallin, Choctaw and Chickasaw nations, several officials from southeastern Oklahoma counties and advocates of water rights in that area. Tensions began in 2010, when the Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust, trying to obtain more water for a […]