Last October, Oklahoma City voters overwhelmingly passed all 11 propositions tied to a $2.7 billion bond election––the largest in state history. The 2025 general obligation bond was designed to address growing infrastructure needs, maintain past investments, and enhance residents’ quality of life. Among the 547 itemized bond projects is $25 million for the buildout of […]
Commentary
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Contrasting opinions
Nowhere have the debates been more rampant about the pros and cons of State Question 807, formerly State Question 806, than on social media. Lawrence Pasternack of the Oklahoma Cannabis Liberty Alliance shares his views on the positive aspects of SQ807, while Darrell Carnes of 788 Media Group argues that this constitutional amendment is the […]
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40 years: Retrospective Gazette
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. In 1982, Randy Splaingard became the publication’s first full-time journalist after working nearly a […]
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Commentary: History repeating
For my July 13 edition of Spy 101, the music history “class” I host on The Spy FM/KOSU, I told the story of Disco Demolition Night, a July 12, 1979 event staged by the Chicago White Sox during a twi-night double-header against the Detroit Tigers at Comiskey Park. Organized and promoted by DJ Steve Dahl, […]
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Commentary: 10 months
A former high-powered executive sweeps into office with experience in an unrelated field. Before he even reports for his first day of work, he sees that a building bearing his name might not be completed due to financial concerns and he proceeds to sledgehammer away at the reputation of his predecessor. On his first day […]
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Commentary: Getting clean
Purdue Pharmaceuticals, the company currently paying dues for the severity and scale of the current nationwide opioid epidemic, recently settled a lawsuit with the state of Oklahoma. The terms of the settlement include Purdue’s payment of $270 million to be used for research on addiction, particularly concerning opioids. This case is the first of its […]
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Commentary: Unbridled hate
Oklahoma Senate Bill 361 claims to “protect free speech” on Oklahoma’s public college campuses by requiring administrators to allow all lawful expressions of speech — regardless of content — while simultaneously forbidding any responsive protests or opposition. The bill passed the state Senate March 13 on a 36-9 vote and has now been referred to […]
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Commentary: Carry on
A bill that passed the state House of Representatives last week and is likely to become law will remove permitting and training requirements from the purchase and use of handguns. This legislation is not a solution in search of a problem; it is a problem that will eventually require a solution. On Feb. 13, House […]