Past editors look back on Oklahoma Gazette’s 40 years and reflect on its success.
Today, almost a quarter of the Oklahoma City metro reads Oklahoma Gazette for fiercely local news and entertainment. But when it was first founded in 1979, it was a small monthly neighborhood publication only really covering historic preservation and neighborhood issues.
For Oklahoma Gazette’s 40th anniversary, here’s a look at how its coverage has changed over the last four decades.
Oklahoma Gazette debuted in October 1979 as a “journal of contributions to Oklahoma’s quality of life.” It was 12 pages under the guidance of publisher Bill Bleakley, editor Cynthia Emrick, managing editor Mary R. Grace and businesses manager Stephanie Emrick.
The City of Norman became the first in the state to extend nondiscrimination protections to LGBTQ+ individuals.
Norman City Council voted 8-1 to amend its civil rights ordinance to add protections on the basis of sexuality, gender identity or expression and same-sex marriage.
With a full-service grocery store set to open in north-east OKC by 2021, city leaders continue finding more ways to ease the area’s food insecurity.
Northeast Oklahoma City has dealt with food insecurity for years, but a new grocery store and a potential rezoning could significantly improve access to fresh, quality food.
The Edmond Railyard development is nearly complete and the first restaurant has already opened.
The first restaurant in Edmond Railyard opened last week, and five more are expected to open throughout the fall, along with a craft bar and office spaces.
The Oklahoma County jail trust decided an outside jail administrator should operate the jail.
Oklahoma County jail will no longer be operated by the sheriff. While still in the initial stages, Oklahoma Criminal Justice Authority (jail trust) is moving forward with the process to hire an outside jail administrator to take over the operations of the jail.
Applications to demolish the old police headquarters and former municipal court move forward, but the old city jail’s future is still up in the air.
The old city jail was saved from demolition for now, but there are no concrete plans to move forward with redevelopment. The resolution to apply for demolition was deferred four times before a decision was made.
Shortly after opening a high-profile branch in Midtown, Farmers Bank of Carnegie found itself entangled in various regulatory and legal problems that continue to advance.
A new lawsuit has been filed by three bank shareholders claiming they were fraudulently induced into investing by former CEO Aaron Johnson, who had been elevated to that post in 2016 at age 34.
All 16 projects with formal presentations at special meetings were included in the MAPS 4 package that will be voted on Tuesday.
Oklahoma City council and mayor vote on a MAPS 4 slate tomorrow that includes all 16 proposals with formal presentations at the special meetings. Allocations are based on an estimate that the temporary 1-cent sales tax will generate $978 million in revenue.
Efforts to create a commercial district in northeast Oklahoma City continue with a new merchant association.
Northeast Oklahoma City Renaissance served as a catalyst for newly formed East End Merchant Association, which continues the efforts to establish a commercial district.
Science Museum Oklahoma is accepting donations for an improved planetarium to go in the OmniDome Theater.
Science Museum Oklahoma (SMO) officials are hoping to raise $3.5 million to relocate Kirkpatrick Planetarium and outfit it with improved infrastructure.
In the wake of the shooting of a local black teenager, community members strive to provide support and foster conversation.
On May 29, the family of Isaiah Lewis, an unarmed black teenager who was fatally shot in May, announced they have filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city of Edmond.
Profligate spending and indiscriminate loan practices led to the downfall of a young Farmers Bank executive.
Less than a year after opening a branch in Oklahoma City’s Midtown district and reporting state-leading growth, Farmers Bank of Carnegie quietly removed its president after a bank examination resulted in a corrective order from Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and Oklahoma State Banking Department.
