A new public art installation, Cloud Embrace, has been dedicated in Oklahoma City’s Bricktown Entertainment District. The sculpture sits in the reimagined United Way Plaza at Reno Avenue and Walnut Avenue, next to the Bricktown Canal and Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. The pedestrian plaza is operated by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. Commissioned by Visit […]
Gazette staff
Posted inCommunity & Lifestyle
Oklahoma residents urged to avoid mosquito sprays that harm pollinators
As warmer weather and spring rains bring mosquitoes back to Oklahoma, pollinator advocates are urging residents to avoid yard sprays that can harm bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects. Many mosquito-control services use pyrethroid insecticides, synthetic chemicals related to compounds found in chrysanthemum flowers. Despite being marketed as “natural” or “green,” these sprays can kill […]
Posted inArts & Culture
OKC Zoo’s Baobab Lodge offers luxury overnight experience overlooking Expedition Africa
Reservations are now open for a new overnight stay at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden that allows guests to spend the night overlooking animals in Expedition Africa. The Zoo announced the opening of the Baobab Lodge, a safari-style “glamping” accommodation built in 2025 in Expedition Africa, presented by Inasmuch Foundation. The lodge sits […]
Posted inNews
MAPS 4 Animal Welfare Center Hits Halfway Mark in Construction
Construction on the new MAPS 4 Louisa McCune Animal Welfare Center has reached its halfway point, officials announced Tuesday with a ceremonial “topping out.” The $42-million, 70,000-square-foot facility is on track for completion this fall. Funded through MAPS 4, the center will play a key role in making Oklahoma City a safer, more welcoming place […]
Posted inNews
Stuck in Math Jail
Oklahoma County’s plan to plug the funding gap for its new jail quietly collapsed last month after commissioners declined to pursue a sales tax increase. Voters already approved a $260 million bond, but the price tag for the new facility has ballooned to more than three times that amount. While Commissioner Brian Maughan helped pump […]
Posted inNews
OSDE Audit Chaos
Auditor Cindy Byrd gave former Supt. Joy Hofmeister a clean bill of financial health, but the rest of the Oklahoma State Department of Education looks like a wild barnyard. OCAS still runs on the honor system, 23 districts spent outside cost limits, and a $1 million math vendor deal skipped competitive bidding. And Ryan Walters? Let’s just […]
Posted inNews
Weather Woes
As February comes to a close, Oklahomans are bracing for unpredictable weather, with meteorologists suggesting a chance of snow flurries—or sunbathing near the lake. Only in Oklahoma can you experience winter and spring in one week!
Posted inChicken-Fried News
Outlawed: Tito’s or Karens?
After allegations surfaced that some Oklahoma senators were knocking back drinks during late-night debates, Sen. Shane Jett (R-Shawnee) filed a bill aimed at keeping lawmakers from mixing Tito’s with taxpayer business. That didn’t sit well with Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton (R–Tuttle), who fired back by calling Jett a “Karen” during a press conference, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Legendary Comic Book Collection of Late OKC Attorney Eric Groves Heads to Auction
A remarkable comic book collection assembled over a lifetime by late Oklahoma City attorney Eric J. Groves is headed to auction this month. Groves, who died last July at 82, was widely known for his civic leadership, preservation efforts and support of the arts. Less publicly — though no less passionately — he was a […]
Posted inNews
Memorial Museum Marks 25 Years of Remembrance with Free Admission Feb. 19
The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum will commemorate the Memorial Museum’s 25th anniversary on February 19, 2026 — marking a quarter century of honoring those killed, those who survived and all who were changed forever by the events of April 19, 1995. For 25 years, the Memorial Museum has preserved the stories and lessons […]