Fishin’ When Sulphur native Skip Thompson began painting in 1980, she had no idea that 34 years later, her artwork would be exhibited in the Governor’s Gallery at the Oklahoma State Capitol. At the beginning of her instruction with her first teacher, Maude Landsford, there were some testy times because Landsford was a tough teacher. […]
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Posted inNews
Enterprise schools work best
All three types of choice schools have excellent records that are virtually indistinguishable. Our application-only school market is oversaturated, however, and we must think anew. OKC’s Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) Reach College Preparatory, for instance, does great work, but its potential is maxed out. It still serves about half of the students as the […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Saving Mr. Banks
This holiday season, Hollywood’s gift to itself — oh, you shouldn’t have! — is also Walt Disney Pictures’ Christmas offering to moviegoers: Saving Mr. Banks, a depiction of the trying times that went into the making of Disney’s 1964 classic Mary Poppins. Unwrapping it, you may be surprised to learn that so much material is […]
Posted inNews
School values don’t fit into a single score
Scholars at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University, in Oklahoma School Grades: Hiding “Poor” Achievement, anticipated the mess. They concluded, “a primary assumption of the A-F accountability system, that student test scores can be dissected and manipulated into valid indicators of school performance, is simply false.” The bubbling-in of three questions out of […]
Posted inNews
‘No tolerance’ doesn’t teach
In 1999, the committee was shocked to learn that the OKCPS only had 485 alternative school slots for students with behavioral or attendance problems, health conditions, pregnancy or parenting challenges or who were institutionalized. According to the state’s Needs Assessment, the OKCPS needed another 1,205 slots. We also knew that punitive policies, such as “zero […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The Jeffrey Dahmer Files
Now available on the IFC Midnight label, The Jeffrey Dahmer Files is built largely on interviews with three people tied directly to the notorious serial killer who confessed to 17 murders: apartment neighbor Pamela Bass, police detective Pat Kennedy and medical examiner Dr. Jeffrey Jentzen. Each grabs your attention and holds it with his or […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Tower Block
The title refers to an apartment complex built post-WWII, a title card informs us. Once attractive and affordable, the place deteriorated over the decades into England’s equivalent of Chicago’s infamous Cabrini-Green, to the point of demolition. As the thriller opens, only the top floor of Serenity House, aka Tower Block 31, awaits removal and rehousing. […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Big Jim
From Jim Halsey’s collection are guitars signed by Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney. You may never have heard of Jim Halsey, but surely you’ve heard of the acts he’s discovered, managed or guided the careers of: Wanda Jackson, Roy Clark, Hank Thompson and The Oak Ridge Boys, to name just a few. Chances are, without […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Not just a grocery store
Tiny, unassuming Midway Grocery & Market is owned by “Midway Bob” Thompson, a former Norman City Council member. Drop in any morning or afternoon and you’ll find an eclectic group of diners ranging from neighborhood regulars to country superstar Toby Keith, casually noshing on Midway’s signature sandwich: the Arnie ($8.50), a grilled concoction of salami, […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Not just a grocery store
Tiny, unassuming Midway Grocery & Market is owned by “Midway Bob” Thompson, a former Norman City Council member. Drop in any morning or afternoon and you’ll find an eclectic group of diners ranging from neighborhood regulars to country superstar Toby Keith, casually noshing on Midway’s signature sandwich: the Arnie ($8.50), a grilled concoction of salami, […]