Community;News

The terms “Oklahoma” and “gay rights” are not exactly synonymous. With lawmakers like state Rep. Sally Kern decrying the so-called “homosexual agenda,” and state passage of a law that deems marriage as only being between one man and one woman, the Sooner State is not exactly fertile ground for the gay rights movement. But could […]

There is encouraging news for independent political members and Oklahomans who want easier election ballot access: A solid majority of your fellow citizens agree with you. A new survey conducted by SoonerPoll.com reveals overwhelming support to allow independents the right to vote in primary elections, and that third-party candidates should have fewer restrictions when trying […]

Central Oklahoma cities, towns and counties now can form transportation districts with each other, thanks to a bill approved by the state Legislature. Proponents say the measure brings Central Oklahoma one step closer to a comprehensive commuter transportation system. Earlier this year, House Bill 2846, authored by Rep. Charlie Joyner, R-Midwest City, was passed. The […]

ment, a point at which more than 60 percent of the participants still reported an increased sense of well-being. Tom Boyd, David Ross Boyd Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Oklahoma, said religious groups have used psychedelic drugs, including mushrooms, to induce religious or mystical experiences for centuries. “Peyote is probably the best […]

It was a little more than one year ago when University of Oklahoma graduate Brittany Burden published her story of self-mutilation to the student body. In OU’s student newspaper, The Oklahoma Daily, Burden recounted the pain and rehabilitation she underwent to stop the devastating cycle of self-injury as a means to curb depression. The then-English […]

Less than two weeks after enacting a bill requiring abortion patients to undergo an ultrasound, Oklahoma courts granted a pro-choice group’s request to temporarily prevent the state from carrying out the law. The Center for Reproductive Rights, a pro-choice law firm based in New York City, filed a lawsuit against the state concerning House Bill […]

It’s been nearly a decade since voters passed the MAPS for Kids initiative in November 2001 to build or renovate more than 70 schools and the administration building for Oklahoma City Public Schools. Of the new schools, one was to be a downtown elementary school. A ‘catalyst’ for downtownBreaking the ‘dysfunctional lockstep’ As the Oklahoma […]

One Oklahoma family is playing a key role in assembling one of the world’s largest collection of Bibles and Bible-related artifacts for a future National Bible Museum. Steve Green, president of Hobby Lobby Stores Inc., and his father, founder David Green, are helping the National Bible Museum scout a site for its permanent location. According […]

A city on a grand scale needs grand plans. In Oklahoma City’s case, it is PlanOKC, a proposal Oklahoma City Planning Department officials are introducing to the community and city leaders beginning this week. The city encompasses 622 square miles, and planning department officials decided recently it was time to address how to map the […]

In 1964, Oklahoma City bought its downtown’s future from architect I.M. Pei for $60,000. Although the future constructed by the world-renowned designer never fully arrived, the model displayed to an estimated 600 spectators on Dec. 11, 1964, is being rebuilt. The Pei model, a 10-by-12-foot replica of how he planned the city to look in […]