For what it’s worth, here’s a vague idea of what’s cookin’ at the Capitol! SB 14: Sen. Josh Brecheen, R-Coalgate: Repealing Art in Public Places Act and the Art in Public Places Revolving Fund and the Art in Public Places Administrative and Maintenance Revolving Fund. SB 37: Sen. Jim Wilson, D-Tahlequah: Sex education; requiring sex […]
state
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Counterpoint: Paying the price
A current law states you must live in the state of Oklahoma for 10 straight years in order to own a liquor store. Every store you see on every other corner is owned by Oklahomans. If you change the laws and allow Whole Foods Market, headquartered in Texas, and Walmart, based in Arkansas, to sell […]
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Raising Arizona
Javier Flores considers himself an “accidental immigrant.” At age 9, his father hired someone to smuggle him and six other family members across the U.S.-Mexico border. For two years, Flores was in the country illegally until he was able to obtain resident status, and later took extra English courses in high school and college to […]
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Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo
With McAlester’s Oklahoma State Prison Rodeo canceled this year due to state budget shortfalls, the next best thing is watching “Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo,” a documentary of the annual event’s 2007 installment. It plays Friday through Sunday the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Director Bradley Beesley is no stranger to unusual goings-on in the […]
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Passing the gavel
State Superintendent Sandy Garrett took the gavel one last time on Dec. 16 as she chaired her final regular state Board of Education meeting. After two decades at the post, Garrett, who did not run for reelection, is retiring in January, when Superintendent-elect Janet Barresi will be sworn into office. “Certainly, it has really been […]
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Okie flavor
In the November election, the GOP extended their majorities in the Oklahoma House and Senate, captured the governor’s office and swept every single statewide office. Coalescing around anti-President Barack Obama and anti-Washington hysteria, Republicans swarmed into office, often with landslide votes. It was a time for Republicans to celebrate. But that was so November. Republican […]
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Holiday stink
So who got the official Red Ryder carbineaction, 200-shot range model air rifle they were angling for this Christmas? Yeah, us neither. But, hey, could be worse. At least we weren’t on the receiving end of one of the stinky presents from McClain County Operation Christmas. Not that the presents were dumb, or anything, they […]
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Counterpoint: A matter of perspective
They say that as if it’s a bad thing. It’s not. As the Nov. 2 shellacking made perfectly clear, people want less government and more freedom. As one wag observed, that wasn’t an election — it was a restraining order. From Nov. 5 to 11, telephone interviewers for SoonerPoll asked likely voters: “Which would you […]
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Point: ‘A new fiscal reality’
Funding to state agencies has been cut by more than $500 million, which is having a corrosive effect on our ability to invest in our future and promote the education, health, safety and economic well-being of Oklahomans. We have laid off teachers and increased class sizes, cut services to low-income seniors, eliminated preventive programs serving […]
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Deadly headlines
Oklahoma is making death penalty headlines again because the state Department of Corrections used pentobarbital, a barbiturate commonly used for animal sedation and euthanasia, on Dec. 16 to execute John David Duty, 58. Duty was serving a trio of life sentences for rape, shooting with intent to kill and robbery when he strangled cell mate […]