The wage hike averaged 2.6 percent across the board depending on a firefighter’s rank, said Phil Sipe, president of International Association of Fire Fighters Local 157 in OKC. “This was basically a cost-of-living adjustment,” he said. “I think the new contract is reasonable. The city is happy with it and we’re happy with it. As […]
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Tear it up
The work centers on a new portion of Project 180 streetscape projects that will begin Oct. 24 and focus on a two-block area, as opposed to numerous street closings and detours that occurred with the initial phase in 2010 and 2011. Specifically, crews will begin work on Dean A. McGee Avenue extending from Robinson to […]
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Popularity contest
Although voters won’t head to the polls for another four months (the primary is March 4), mayoral candidate and Ward 2 Councilman Ed Shadid received unanimous backing from the OKC police and fire unions. None of Oklahoma City’s neighborhood associations have publicly endorsed Mayor Mick Cornett in his re-election bid. However, more than 700 Oklahoma […]
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Standing up for hope
Rickey and Joella Bell Photo by Mark Hancock Bell and his wife, Joella, often find themselves living on the streets of Oklahoma City, but they don’t ask for pity. The 11-year vet knows the mistakes he has made and is working to right his wrongs. “We all put ourselves in these positions, and we have […]
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Hunkered down
Kristi Conatzer said the governor has created an unneeded public debate over keeping children safe based on comments she made opposing an initiative petition. Conatzer’s daughter, Emily, was one of the seven children who died at Plaza Towers Elementary School. “There shouldn’t be an argument over this,” she said. “We lost something on May 20 […]
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White magic
In a couple of years, the entire landscape for American kayakers and the availability of training courses will change, the three-time Olympian and four-time world champion said. Shipley, owner of S2O Design and Engineering in Lyons, Colo., the firm hired to design Oklahoma City’s MAPS 3 whitewater superpark, said the newest and most sophisticated course […]
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Hunger pains
Yet, even with all those credentials and a productive work history, she has a hard time making ends meet. At 75, Graham works part-time at Gold’s Gym Express, but that income plus her Social Security check still isn’t enough to pay rent and put food on the table. It’s her reality, but she doesn’t complain. […]
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OKC Regional Food Bank, governor launch food drive
Oklahoma consistently ranks among the top 10 hungriest states with more than 675,000 residents struggling with hunger every day, Gov. Mary Fallin said during a kickoff press conference Tuesday at OKC’s Regional Food Bank. “Time and again, Oklahomans have proven themselves to be the most caring and giving individuals in the nation. Last year, Oklahomans […]
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Nowhere to hide
State Rep. Joe Dorman (D-Rush Springs) said the statewide figure demonstrates a greater problem because more than half a million students and teachers are without adequate protection from tornadoes. “It’s shocking how many school districts are without shelters,” he said at a meeting last week, highlighting a report released the week of Sept. 23. “I […]
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Federal grant helps fund disease research
Photo by Mark Hancock Grant funds will create the Oklahoma Shared Clinical and Translational Resources program, which creates partnerships between the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF), Native American tribes and physicians across the state. “This gives us access to people and data immediately,” said Courtney Montgomery, Ph.D, an […]