Trust discussions
Immigration advocates continue pushing for conversations on the roles law enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) serve locally. Several community members attended the two most recent Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority (jail trust) meetings to request trustees kick ICE out of the county jail. Since 2015, two ICE agents have been stationed at the…
Abortion ruling
An Oklahoma judge made history by upholding a law banning a second-trimester abortion procedure. District judge Cindy Truong’s ruling affects a 2015 bill that bans dilation and evacuation (D&E) abortions in the second trimester. Reproductive rights activists are calling the decision “rogue” because other states — including Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky and Texas — passed similar…
End times
Into Captivity They Will Go is about the end of the modern world — not as a reality but as a concept, a promise. It is about the intoxicating bigness of ideas like rapture, tribulation, apocalypse and prophecies that have long seemed so immediate despite one century passing uneventfully into another and another and another.…
Sugar kisses
Ester Drang 8 p.m. Aug. 2 51st Street Speakeasy 1114 NW 51st St. facebook.com/esterdrangmusic 405-463-0470 $3 The Boston Globe warned that the HBO documentary Heroin: Cape Cod, USA “will break your heart,” but Echo & The Bunnymen frontman Ian McCulloch must have liked the soundtrack. Hearing “The Greatest Thing” by Tulsa’s Ester Drang in the…
Cover: His shot
As part of the cast of a different Broadway musical opening the same year, Marcus Choi got a good idea of how popular Hamilton: An American Musical is. “No other show mattered,” said Choi, who played Johnny Goto in Allegiance, a musical about the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, which closed in 2016…
Nug run
While the summer’s first heat wave has abated, Oklahomans know good and well that it will not be the last one the state sees this season. For cannabis patients who do not want to leave the comfort of their vehicles, there is an alternative: At least two dispensaries in the metro area now offer drive-thru…
Burger meisters
New State Burgers & Spirits, the newest restaurant in 16th Street Plaza District, is the culmination of friends who grew up in Oklahoma’s burger capital behind the slogan, “For the people.” The phrase appears on kitchen uniforms and throughout the restaurant. Friends Chris Gomez, Jordan Harris and Tyler Maune grew up in El Reno, home…
Northeast housing
The third phase of development in the Page Woodson area is set to begin soon. Local developer Ron Bradshaw already created more than 200 affordable and market-rate apartment units through new construction and redevelopment at the former Page Woodson school building, 600 N. High Ave. The newest phase of development will usher in more rental…
Rolling home
Tommy Gragg traded a life on the road for a life in the lab. The former rock ’n’ roll roadie opened Red Dirt Labs, a processing facility that specializes in THC and CBD vape cartridges and tinctures in varying ratios. Conveniently enough, each of the products in the Red Dirt Labs line are named after…
Tackling subjects
Fathers of Football 18 p.m. Friday Rodeo Cinema 2221 Exchange Ave. rodeocinema.org 405-235-3456 $10 He lives in Austin now, but filmmaker Bradley Beesley has spent much of his life thinking about Oklahoma. His documentaries about barehanded fishing (Okie Noodling), the Oklahoma State Penitentiary rodeo (Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo) and The Flaming Lips (The Fearless…
Gazedibles: Schmear tactics
Friday is National Bagelfest Day. Many of the food holidays are simply the name of the food followed by “day,” but the bagel gets “fest” because it’s worthy of celebration. By Jacob Threadgill with photos by Alexa Ace and provided Stitch OKC 229 E. Sheridan Ave. stitchokc.com | 405-652-1322 Now with two locations — one…
Flipped out
Tyson Meade 8 p.m. Aug. 2 Tower Theatre 425 NW 23rd St. towertheatreokc.com 405-708-6937 $10-$25 When former teenagers who used to bravely traverse the local mosh pits in the early 1990s start boring their children with stories about bands with names like Radial Spangle and Coma Club, eventually they tell the tale of Tyson Meade.…
OKG Lifestyle: Miillie Mesh
Around OKC EAT: Okie Pokie WATCH: The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Netflix) LISTEN: Lovelytheband READ: The Overstory by Richard Powers LOVE: kittens at Central Oklahoma Humane Society EXPERIENCE: Literati Variety Show Outside OKC EAT: California Club Flatbread at BJ’s Restaurant Brewhouse WATCH: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime) LISTEN: Factually! With Adam Conover podcast READ:…
Chicken-Fried News: Asp clowns
OK, we are getting ready to head out on the town. Let us go over the checklist: Did you pack the bourbon? Check! What about the rattlesnake? You know it! Uranium? Radioactive as ever! A couple in Guthrie made national headlines when a routine traffic stop yielded all three unusual items, plus possession of a…
Downtown Cajun
Building from the success of Midwest City’s Brielle’s Bistro, chef Dwayne Johnson and wife Kaylee have opened a second concept in Automobile Alley, Magnolia Bistro. Located in the former Fit Pig location, 722 N. Broadway Ave., Magnolia Bistro is chef Johnson’s opportunity to expand on the Cajun and Creole offerings from Brielle’s. “At Brielle’s, I…
Jails on ICE
Oklahomans are tackling a national immigration issue at the local level. Activists are urging state and municipal law enforcement agencies to not assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) amid reports of immigration raids and detained asylum seekers. Last Saturday, immigration advocates gathered outside Fort Sill, a military base near Lawton set to house more than…
Going underground
Oklahoma City’s abandoned underground catacombs built by Chinese immigrants remain the most underappreciated wonder of local urban lore, but Mary Anna Evans is taking readers down into the depths for the latest archaeological mystery novel in her Faye Longchamp-Mantooth series that follows the exploits of an archeologist crime fighter. Catacombs begins with an explosion in…
Craft pizzeria
Birra Birra Craft Pizzeria 1316 W. Memorial Road, Suite 102 birrabirrapizzeria.com 405-607-0060 What works:The servers are prompt and knowledgeable, and the pizza ingredients are high quality. What needs work:The cheese bread was only slightly warm under melted cheese. Tip:Do not be afraid to ask your server about cocktail and drink pairings. Earlier this month, a…
Chicken-Fried News: Whiter whites
One of President Donald Trump’s most recent Twitter rants, which media outlets cannot help but call “racially charged” comments, targeted four congresswomen of color. Unfortunately, Trump’s racist battery seems to always be at full charge. Trump told “progressive Democrat congresswomen” to “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which…
Chicken-Fried News: Party foul
Classically trained pianist/existential philosopher Andrew W.K. famously said, “Let’s get a party going (let’s get a party going)/When it’s time to party we will always party hard.” These are words Gov. Kevin “The Original Party Animal” Stitt seems to live by, as the Associated Press recently reported his first-term inauguration celebrations cost more than $2.4…
Flower review: Papaya Punch
Strain name: Papaya Punch Grown by: Altvm Acquired from: ElectraLeaf Date acquired: July 11 THC/CBD percentages: 18.5 percent THC/.11 CBD (per F.A.S.T. Laboratories/Research) Physical traits: Dense but light buds with dominant green and orange stigmas and a small amount of purple Bouquet: Sweet and fruity Review: I picked this one by smell alone. It has…
Local ink
Saturday’s New World Comic Con represents the fifth consecutive year the local convention has seen growth, which organizers call a testament to grassroots support of Oklahoma talent. New World Comic Con 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday Expo Hall, State Fair Park 3213 Wichita Walk
Kabuki rodeo
Cowboy Swordfight! Sunday-Monday Tower Theatre 425 NW 23rd St. towertheatreokc.com 405-708-6937 Free-$10 Inspiration for Jack Fowler’s latest art exhibition came from concerns that he might be hanging meaningless garbage in his house. “I’ve got stuff on my walls from my travels that probably don’t mean anything to the people that are from those countries,” Fowler…
