Lauren Branch Mikayla Holden Incredible things are happening in every corner of Oklahoma City, but — despite the new restaurants, revitalized neighborhoods, art festivals and more — our community comes up short in one vital aspect of city life: public transportation. In my work as president and CEO of NewView Oklahoma, formerly the Oklahoma League […]
politics
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Taxing measures
Oklahoma City Finance Director Craig Freeman Mark Hancock Under a proposed ordinance introduced at the May 15 City Council meeting, a first offense for a business owner’s failure to remit sales tax would go from a Class B offense — which allows for a jury trial and has maximum penalties of six months in jail […]
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Lines of fire
Bryan Wells Mark Hancock One allows residents of states that don’t require permits for concealed handguns to keep their arms in Oklahoma. Another alters the Oklahoma Riot Control and Prevention Act to prohibit state officials from seizing guns during a state of emergency. But the biggest and most talked-about gun bill will allow license-holders to […]
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Careful where you point that
With no means of immediately identifying at a distance whether a person has a valid concealed carry permit (authorizing an open carry), anyone can open carry without being questioned. So how long before criminals become audacious enough to wear their firearms openly? From a legal standpoint, there are almost no circumstances where a private citizen […]
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Funny people
Brad Gregg After President Obama voiced support for gay marriage, the Oklahoma Senate wasted little time passing what Tim Matheson in Animal House would have termed “a really futile and stupid gesture.” A resolution authored by Sen. Clark Jolley, R-Edmond, and overwhelmingly passed by the Senate on May 14 reaffirmed that the Senate supports marriage […]
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Counterpoint: : Real reform is still wanting
But even in its beginning, the legislation’s reforms were modest at best. In its final version, HB 3052 is a reform bill in name only — more notable for what it does not do than for what it does. There is even the potential that it could dig us deeper into our current prison crisis […]
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Zoo brouhaha
Howard Pollock addressed his concerns about the Zoo Amphitheatre to the OKC Zoo Trust. Mark Hancock Howard Pollack, president of Facilities Management Group (FMG), has managed the Amphitheatre off-andon since 1978. He blasted the proposed contract at the May 16 meeting, saying competitors were given an unfair advantage in the deal and that 3Horse Productions […]
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Point: Overhauling criminal justice
The bill funds strategic crime reduction initiatives, requires post-release supervision of all felons and initiates several strategies proven to control prison growth and reduce crime. It’s a tougher, smarter fight against crime. This new policy was developed through the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, a nine-month, data-driven review of Oklahoma’s entire criminal justice system. Among the shortcomings […]
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Water wait
Gov. Mary Fallin Shannon Cornman The slick print ads and television commercials that have been a hallmark of the fight will cease, at least for a time, Oklahoma Gazette has learned. Amid a pending federal lawsuit, the tribes have inundated the airwaves with commercials and infomercials revolving around their dispute with the city of Oklahoma […]
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Fixing a role in parole
“Tough on crime,” “truth in sentencing” and the “jailhouse” concept for juvenile offenders all play into our overcrowded prisons. It’s time to get away from these useless and expensive concepts and focus more on being “smart on crime.” Campaign contributions from private prison operators have led to a strong “lock them up and throw away […]