Michael Dover credit: Clifton Adcock A new request for proposal (RFP) document, which seeks organizations to run the wellness centers, was passed last week by both the MAPS 3 Senior Wellness Center Subcommittee and the MAPS 3 Citizens Advisory Board. The City Council will likely consider the item on Jan. 8. This is the city’s […]
Clifton Adcock
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A real maverick
David Prater Credit: Mark Hancock On the other end was Scott Rowland, Prater’s first assistant district attorney. Rowland was at the Oklahoma City Police Department’s homicide division; there was a video he wanted Prater to see. A few days prior, Prater had heard about two people trying to rob a local pharmacy, but that a […]
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Bumpy road
Construction of the $30 million, federally funded boulevard is the final phase in the state Department of Transportation’s Interstate 40 Crosstown realignment. On completion of the project in 2014, ownership will be transferred to the city. In response to concerns about the planned elevation, ODOT last summer enlisted a consultant firm, Stantec, to look at […]
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Medi-can’t
However, with Gov. Mary Fallin’s announcement last month that the state would not expand Medicaid, George will have to stick with her current plan for a while longer. That plan: Don’t get sick. “I tried with DHS (Oklahoma Department of Human Services) to get some kind of medical (insurance), but they turned me down because […]
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No more Coffee
Coffee, who has served in the position since January 2011, is the former president pro tempore of the state Senate, and will step down no later than Jan. 31, 2013. His plans for the future were not immediately made clear in the announcement by Fallin’s office, other than that Coffee is leaving “to pursue opportunities […]
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Unconventional concerns
Mike Carrier Credit: Mark Hancock The Cox Center is being subsidized fairly heavily compared to counterparts in similar markets, losing an average of $3.4 million yearly between 2006 and 2008. But a new convention center would still require subsidization by the city. Convention Sports and Leisure International (CS&L), the company whose study recommended Oklahoma City […]
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Quality costs
The Chesapeake campus Energy companies comprised the bulk of the 10 companies receiving the most in state Quality Jobs funds. Chesapeake Energy Corp. received the most, at nearly $7.2 million, followed by SandRidge at around $6.6 million and ConocoPhillips at $4.8 million. Only three non-energy companies are on the top-10 list: Dell, Spirit AeroSystems and […]
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Capitol commandments
The monument is the result of a measure introduced by state Rep. Mike Ritze, R-Broken Arrow, and passed by the Legislature in 2009 allowing for a privately paid-for monument to be placed on public property outside the Capitol. Little fanfare accompanied the installation on the north side of the building, with about a dozen non-workers […]
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Looking for laws
The items on the legislative program, which the council passed unanimously, are first recommended by city department heads to the city manager, who then passes the recommendations on to the council’s legislative committee. Last year’s agenda items that were eventually passed into law included restoring December city elections in odd years, requiring counties to notify […]
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Bike boom
Credit: Mark Hancock The city is planning for more than 200 miles of bike routes, which includes so-called “sharrow” lanes. The word “sharrow” is a combination of “share” and “arrow.” The lanes are designated by pavement markings showing a picture of a bicycle below two arrows. The bike routes will be added in phases. The […]