Respect is what they demanded. Respect in the form of better pay, fewer standardized tests and increased funding. “Things need to change,” said Janie Petersen, a councilor from Claremore Public Schools outside Tulsa. “Our [state leaders] don’t respect teachers, they don’t even respect the kids. It’s hurtful.” Initial estimates put the crowd at over 25,000 […]
budget
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There is no shortage of both in Lexington and Purcell due to the closure of a major bridge over the South Canadian River. That’s a fact.
There is no shortage of both in Lexington and Purcell due to the closure of a major bridge over the South Canadian River. That’s a fact.
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Moving on
Now, it’s a key element of the annual city budget debate, competing with other high-level interests such as public safety, trails and parks and better streets, and it has been included in the popular MAPS initiatives. “It’s strange because people didn’t even know we had a transit system 12 to 15 years ago. Now, we’re […]
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Counterpoint: Streetcar budget defies reality
Numbers can make us numb. But they show why it’s imperative for city staff to stay on top of this project, to see if we can actually afford to build it at this length — and then to run it. Otherwise, budget overruns will imperil needed taxpayer support not only for the envisioned expansion of […]
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Drinking Games / From the Head
Not the psychological thriller it pegs itself as being, Drinking Games takes place largely in a college dorm room the night of Snowmageddon, the big party before winter break. Richard (Blake Merriman, who wrote it) is writing a paper and dealing with a family tragedy, whereas his roommate, Shawn (Nick Vergara), wants to use their […]
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Flying Fists of Kung Fu / Kickin’ It Shaolin Style
After about the third or fourth film I watched — either 5 Pattern Dragon Claws or 18 Fatal Strikes, I can’t be sure — I noticed how similar the movies were to another. I wasn’t exactly surprised, having digesting so many of these cheap chopsocky efforts over the years, but never in such close proximity. Basically, each […]
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The good, the bad and the goofy
In other words: situation normal. Thirty-six months from now, you’ll enjoy an average tax reduction of 35 cents a day. Gov. Mary Fallin says that is necessary for Oklahoma to be more attractive to business decision-makers. Thirty-five cents daily more in our pockets with an effective date of 2016 doesn’t meet the smell test. Regardless, […]
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Big, bloated government
Let’s start with Mickey’s home in higher education. Unlike most states with a consolidated higher ed system, ours is fragmented, with nearly 30 separate colleges and universities, each with its own president, squadrons of vice presidents, deans, provosts and other administrators and enrollment and business offices. Bring all the two-year colleges under one statewide community […]
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This is 40
Credit: Shannon Cornman FBI figures show violent crime in the city increased 7 percent last year compared to 2011. OKC police reported 5,474 violent crimes in 2012 and 5,108 in 2011. “Obviously, you add officers to do a better job, and we need to eventually put the new officers in those areas where most of […]
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Take shelter
The emergency youth facility is housed in a corner of the Alan Couch Center. Credit: Mark Hancock The county annually has provided a portion of the support for the 12-bed shelter, which opened in 1969 and is believed to have been the state’s first such shelter for at-risk youth. Each of the last two years, […]