‘Darkly similiar’
Then-Gov. Frank Keating hours after the April 19, 1995 bombing Credit: Mark Hancock Keating had taken office three months before the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building that killed 168 people and injured more than 500 others. Then, on April 15 of this year, two brothers in Boston allegedly set…
In the city
Barbara Gonzales Credit: Shannon Cornman Since 2010, the academy has given upper-level education majors who are passionate about teaching in urban classrooms the opportunity to do so through a partnership with Oklahoma City Public Schools. Gonzales and fellow future teachers entered the program in January. After completing volunteer hours and training, they will be placed…
Garden of eatin’
By: Shannon Cornman What type of clientele would a restaurant situated on 17 acres of gardens attract? Would there be too much competition from the yet-to-be built restaurant situated atop Devon tower? What about the glut of dining options located down the street in Bricktown? Nearly a year and a half later, a 2,000-square-foot restaurant…
Get ‘Chopped’!
Chef Maneet Chauhan By: The Food Network When celebrity chef Maneet Chauhan learned that her traveling book tour would roll through a city undiscovered to her — Oklahoma City — her response was, “That’s so cool. I’m so excited.” Chauhan is known for her fiery cooking and equally fiery personality on Food Network’s Chopped. Her…
Miles to go
courtesy: OKC National Memorial & Museum Unimaginable tragedy struck Oklahoma City the morning of April 19, 1995, when the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building killed 168 people and injured more than 500 others. Eighteen years later, more than 24,000 people from across the globe are rising up in the wake of fear…
Pump up the volume
A few months ago, Cain’s — a highly respected, mid-sized live music venue in Tulsa — announced that it had booked two of my favorite touring bands, Tame Impala and Local Natives, for shows within a day of each other. Normally, this news wouldn’t be so eyebrow-raising for me. Tulsa is just a short drive…
‘Local control’ in education
The same could be said about use of the term “local control” in relation to education policy. An appeal to “local control” is thrown around at the state Capitol nearly every time education legislation is proposed. Over the last few years, I have worked with other legislators to improve our state’s anti-bullying statute. But efforts…
LETTERS
Oklahoma Gazette provides an open forum for the discussion of all points of view in its Letters to the Editor section. The Gazette reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Letters can be mailed, faxed, emailed to pbacharach@ okgazette.com or sent online at okgazette.com, but include a city of residence and contact…
Dispatches from Boston
Ryan Siler Credit: Shannon Cornman Harth, creative director at OKC’s Ackerman McQueen advertising agency, finished her first Boston Marathon — the pinnacle event for long-distance runners — about 20 minutes before two bombs exploded near the finish line. Shrapnel ripped through the crowd, killing three people and wounding more than 170 others. Harth said that…
Streetcar vs. bus
The streetcar system in Portland, Ore., is among those being used as a model for OKC. An outspoken critic of the modern streetcar project, the Ward 2 councilman claims voters were misled about that part of the MAPS 3 plan. Shadid, a supporter of the Metro Transit bus system, has repeatedly called for more funding…
Piping up
Stefan Warner Credit: Mark Hancock Before dawn on Feb. 11 in the Seminole County town of Schoolton, Stefan Warner, youth pastor at Church of the Open Arms in Oklahoma City, suspended himself high above the ground to construction machinery used to build the Keystone XL pipeline. “I ascended a side boom and attached a platform…
LETTERS
Oklahoma Gazette provides an open forum for the discussion of all points of view in its Letters to the Editor section. The Gazette reserves the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Letters can be mailed, faxed, emailed to pbacharach@ okgazette.com or sent online at okgazette.com, but include a city of residence and contact…
OKG7 places with patios
Flint Restaurant15 N. Robinsonflintokc.com605-0657 The food, drink and indoor fire pit are enough to draw a crowd. But Flint recently opened its patio, too, complete with a patio menu. It includes loaded, house-made potato chips, chicken bites and the restaurant’s delicious hummus. Cafe Do Brazil440 N.W. 11thcafedobrazilokc.com525-9779 Enjoy a nice breeze and a special on…
Pretty Penny
Cobb Salad By: Mark Hancock With two locations in the heart of Sooner football country, its dining room walls are covered with pigskin programs dating back to when the University of Oklahoma had a bedlam rivalry with a school called Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College. There are old photos, pennants, ticket stubs and memorabilia all…
Let it ride
Tracy Senat Credit: Mark Hancock In 2002, she lost her sight and forfeited her driving privileges. Since then, she’s been relying on mass transit and other social service agencies for transportation. But each of them has limitations, which means Webster and others in her situation can’t get up and go at a moment’s notice. “It’s…
TEEM player
Kris Steele at a TEEM graduation Credit: Mark Hancock Since November, he has led The Education and Employment Ministry (TEEM) as its executive director. Founded in 1987, the Oklahoma City-based nonprofit began as a support center for men battling substance abuse, but now focuses on providing free education and job placement services to men and…
Formidable fest
The Joy Formidable Photo: James Minchin Hailing from the United Kingdom, The Joy Formidable hardly hides what type of band it wants to be: U2. The group plays a similar bold brand of alternative rock. Since forming in 2007 and spending a few years packing that big sound into small to mid-sized clubs, the band…
Who is Is/Is?
Photo: Alexander Uhrich Female-fronted shoegaze outfit armed with a punk-rock sneer and swagger? Raucous ’90s alt-rock revivalists touting surf-rock melodies? Beach House boasting an edge and a litany of distortion pedals? It’s hard to say what Is/Is is, exactly, but the Minneapolis outfit appears to be that way for a reason. “The first songs that…
Opposites attract
Credit: Brad Gregg So when Coburn last week made Time magazine’s list of the Top 100 most influential people in the world, Obama honored his conservative chum with a write-up. “The people of Oklahoma are lucky to have someone like Tom representing them in Washington — someone who speaks his mind, sticks to his principles…
All about Cleta
Credit: Brad Gregg Mitchell, formerly Deatherage, was a liberal Democrat when she served in the state House from 1976 to 1984. For years, however, she has been a card-carrying conservative Republican who isn’t shy about her anti-gay sentiments. In fact, Krohn writes how, in 2011, she was pivotal in ousting GOProud, a right-wing, fiscally conservative…
Not kosher
Credit: Brad Gregg At least that’s according to the man himself, who told The Oklahoman last week “the wrinkles of my brain” compelled him to use the phrase “Jew down” in the state House of Representatives. “They might try to Jew me down on a price. That’s fine,” Johnson said during April 17 debate on…
Friends in litigious places
Credit: Brad Gregg As first reported by TMZ.com, the lawsuit asserts that Brooks is “willing to lie to avoid paying his debts, and he revels in using his vast wealth and influence to crush anyone who Brooks believes is standing in the way of him getting what he wants.” As a result of his alleged…
Taking a SHINE
SHINE workers clean up graffiti as part of their responsibilities. Credit: Shannon Cornman Facing possible jail time for a drug possession conviction, the 19-year-old Oklahoma City student knew he was lucky to have been sentenced instead to work in a county-run community service program for low-level, nonviolent offenders. “It’s different,” he said. “There’s a lot…
All Dolled up
Credit: Brad Gregg Made for television, the 1981 film finally made its home-video debut — no Betamax, no VHS — last month from Sony Pictures via burned-on-demand DVDs. It’s based on an actual women-only OKC football team of the late 1970s, but the similarities ended there. Some of the female footballers are played by Susan…
Safe runnings
Police Chief Bill Citty Credit: Shannon Cornman OKC Police Chief Bill Citty called the April 15 bombings at the Boston Marathon a “reminder that we need to be as vigilant as possible all the time. I think the increased law enforcement presence will make everyone a little more relaxed.” Multiple law enforcement agencies will comprise…
Bring it on
During the Daytona Beach National Cheer Association Collegiate Championships earlier this month, UCO — for the 10th time in 11 years — came away with national bragging rights, securing first place in all-girls and stunt squads. For cheerleaders, a national title is the pinnacle of all the pyramids. It’s the eternal spirit stick. UCO’s the…
Love and marriage
Moliere Bridal Am I married? No. But ask me how many times I’ve been a bridesmaid. The answer is 13. I don’t mind, because I find weddings to be generally exciting celebrations of love. In my experience, a happy bride makes all the difference. If she can’t check things off the seemingly endless list of…
Spyda “the Wise Musician” — Mr. Metaphor
Yes, it’s filled with the typical big-balls braggadocio that has become a hallmark of most hip-hop, but what makes Spyda’s album so refreshing is the way he backs those balls up: He has a sound harder than anything on the radio right now. In a world of punk-ass Tiger Beat tween faves like Drake and…
KKNG of kings
Larru Sousa at KKNG radio Credit: Mark Hancock It’s not to be confused with the KKNG that became the current KJKE radio, 93.3. KJKE is the station with the big stick (industry jargon for a powerful signal); KKNG is so low-power, in fact, it has trouble covering the entire metro. Sousa, who spent 38 years…
Sensible sex ed
Kathy Harms Credit: Mark Hancock “My cousin was a myth believer,” one student shared. “She believed that if it’s the first time you have sex, you couldn’t get pregnant. Yeah, she’s pregnant now.” It’s clear to Harms that more and better sex education is the most effective way to counter misinformation. “We teach car safety,…
‘Side’ effects
So renowned is the Broadway musical West Side Story that, unlike its leading man, there’s a good chance you haven’t just met a girl named Maria. You likely know her very well, thanks to the ever-popular movie adaptation. That film won 10 Academy Awards in 1961 and hasn’t left living rooms since. However, the national…
42
And that’s fine with me. 42 — the number Robinson wore on his uniform — tells an important story that, almost inconceivably, has eluded big-screen treatment since Robinson himself starred in 1950’s The Jackie Robinson Story. Relative unknown Chadwick Boseman (TV’s Persons Unknown) gives a stirring, if uncomplicated, performance as the supremely gifted ballplayer who…
The Company You Keep
The Company You Keep, which opens Friday at AMC Quail Springs Mall 24, 2501 W. Memorial, is boomer meditation disguised as political drama. Directed by and starring Robert Redford, it pretends to be ambivalent about the 1960s counterculture, but the reverence of the treatment suggests otherwise. Last seen onscreen in 2007’s Lions for Lambs, Redford…
Upstream Color
Here’s what I think about Upstream Color nearly three weeks after seeing it: I’m unsure. I’ve not yet finished processing it. I can’t even explain the title. Screening Thursday through Sunday at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, the self-distributed film marks the belated sophomore effort of writer/director/producer/actor/editor/ composer/cinematographer/camera operator Shane Carruth, who became an…
It’s about time
A large group of onlookers gathered this morning at downtown’s First Lutheran Church, 1300 N. Robinson, to unearth a chest buried in the church’s basement 100 years ago today. Gov. Mary Fallin and Mayor Mick Cornett were among the dignitaries who spoke at the ceremony. Fallin assisted in the opening of the 6-foot-long, 3-foot-wide chest.…
First Lutheran Church treasure chest opened after a century
A large group of onlookers gathered this morning at downtown’s First Lutheran Church, 1300 N. Robinson, to unearth a chest buried in the church’s basement 100 years ago today. Gov. Mary Fallin and Mayor Mick Cornett were among the dignitaries who spoke at the ceremony. Fallin assisted in the opening of the 6-foot-long, 3-foot-wide chest.…
Oklahoma Gazette, okc BIZ honored
okc BIZ won best magazine in the state, besting second-place Tulsa People and third-place Oklahoma Today. biz writer Kelley Chambers took third-place honors in magazine News Writing for a series on Oklahoma metro development. In Newspaper Division A, which encompasses publications with a circulation of more than 25,000, Oklahoma Gazette won third-best newspaper in the…
Terminator Anthology
Cameron’s The Terminator of 1984 was and is a well-made piece of sci-fi trash that bears the ingenuity-on-a-budget scars of most Roger Corman graduates. If it proved a breakthrough for Cameron (who then earned the Aliens gig as a follow-up), it was arguably double that for its monosyllabic center, Arnold Schwarzenegger, then considered near-inconceivable as…
Wuss!
Played by Nate Rubin (Super), Mitch Parker is a wiry little fellow, barely out of high school himself, who substitutes for a high school English class. What he’d really like to do is be a novelist, of course, yet his off-hours are spent in a state of arrested development, playing Dungeons & Dragons with his…
The Sorcerer and the White Snake
Luckily, it’s the kind of family film that parents won’t equate to a chore. Li is a monk who specializes as a demon hunter, but the film’s focus is on Xu Xian (Raymond Lam), a young herbalist saved from drowning by the kiss of a thousand-year-old snake demon (Eva Huang, Kung Fu Hustle). She’s able…
Hopper: A Journey into the American Dream — Tom Folsom
Folsom traces the life of Dennis Hopper through its four distinct phrases: Kansas farm boy, Method actor/James Dean worshipper, pharmaceutical madman, comeback kid. That he had a fourth at all continues to amaze me, especially after reading all the details. The kinder, gentler Hopper was hardly one to shy away from admitting his battles with…
Fashion Week is OK!
Since Alex Wehrley’s arrival in Oklahoma City, the host of KSBI Channel 52’s Oklahoma Live! has wasted no time getting involved with the community. That includes sitting on the board of Race Dance Company, taking an active role in Better Block OKC and now serving as emcee of Saturday night’s Oklahoma Fashion Week event. A…
A Haunted House
One of the many, many, many, many writers of the first two Scary Movies — the pair directed by his brother Keenen Ivory Wayans — Marlon Wayans gets help from nary a single sibling in this similar project. You wouldn’t know it, however, given its heavy reliance on jokes involving the anus, whether predicated on…
Thale
Presumably in her 20s, their find, Thale (Silje Reinåmo), is actually a “huldra.” In Scandinavian folklore, that’s a seductive forest creature. Her pointy tail is the dead giveaway, but the guys learn more about her from tape recordings that sound like something out of The Evil Dead. From writer/director Aleksander Nordaas, the Norwegian Thale certainly…
Save the Date
Not quite a pure drama, not quite a pure comedy, the scrappy charmer also is a love triangle sharing a point with a love rectangle, both hinging on Sarah (Lizzy Caplan, Bachelorette), an artist and bookstore manager who takes the plunge by moving in with her rocker boyfriend, Kevin (Geoffrey Arend, Devil), but bails when…
