News

TPS votes to close four schools with more changes to come

January 30, 2020

The Tulsa School Board voted on January 22 to approve a recommendation by Superintendent Deborah Gist to close four elementary schools to save money in light of a $20 million budget shortfall. Those elementary schools are Wright, Jones, Grimes and Mark Twain. Students at those schools will head elsewhere for the fall semester. Mark Twain…

Presidential Primary is March 3

January 30, 2020

Oklahoma’s Presidential Preferential Primary will be March 3, according to Tulsa County Election Board Secretary Gwen Freeman. The last day to register for the presidential primary is February 7. Voters must be a registered member of the party for the intend to cast a ballot. However, Independents may vote in the Democrat primary only. Independents…

Absentee ballot request

January 30, 2020

The deadline to request an absentee ballot for the upcoming February 11 election (school boards, school bonds and municipal offices) is 5 p.m. February 5. Elections are scheduled for: Tulsa School Board, District 6 and 6; Bixby School Board, Office 5; Owasso School Board, Office 5; Collinsville Mayor; Sand Springs City Council, Ward 5; Jenks…

Bixby filings

January 30, 2020

Candidate for municipal office in Bixby may file beginning at 8 a.m. on February 3. Filing ends at 5 p.m. February 5. The open seat is for the Bixby City Council, Ward 5. It is a four-year term. The nonpartisan election will be April 7. If someone is not registered, they can download an application…

HUD funds grants vs. homelessness

January 30, 2020

HUD Secretary Ben Carson has announced $8,354,106 in grants to support homeless assistance programs in Oklahoma. These grants are part of a total of $2.2 billion that was awarded nationally under HUD’s Continuum of Care grants to provide critically needed support to approximately 6,593 local programs that serve individuals and families experiencing homelessness. This is…

7-Eleven purchases OKC stores

January 30, 2020

IRVING, Texas (PRNewswire) — 7-Eleven, Inc. announced that it has entered in an agreement to acquire “7 Eleven Stores” of central Oklahoma, which includes more than 100 7-Eleven-branded locations that have been operating independently for 67 years. The transaction is anticipated to close in 60-90 days, subject to standard closing conditions and regulatory approvals. All…

Changes planned for SoonerCare

January 30, 2020

Two new Oklahoma Health Care Authority policies will increase SoonerCare members’ access to care and lower OHCA costs. The new policies include adding diabetes self-management training as a SoonerCare benefit and establishing registered behavior technicians as SoonerCare providers. The policies were enacted by emergency rules that Gov. Kevin Stitt signed earlier this month. “Our core…

Renaming the Chamberlain Center

January 30, 2020

The Tulsa Parks and Recreation Dept. will hold a building dedication and reopening celebration at Chamberlain Park, 4940 N. Frankfort Ave. on Feb. 8 at 10 a.m. to formally rename Chamberlain Recreation Center to the Jane A. Malone Center in Chamberlain Park. The city decided to reopen the Recreation Center in Chamberlain after being closed…

Stitt make administrative changes

January 30, 2020

Governor Kevin Stitt made two changes to his leadership team. John Budd, who has been serving in the dual roles of state chief operating officer (COO) and director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES), will now be solely focused on his role as state COO. Steven Harpe, who currently serves as deputy…

Sanctuary cities banned under proposed state bill

January 23, 2020

Sen. Nathan Dahm wants to crack down on the state’s sanctuary city policies. Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, filed Senate Bill 1459, which prohibits any municipality in Oklahoma to adopt a sanctuary policy. Under the bill, any city or town that enacts such a policy would be ineligible for state funding through agencies and grants. “In the…