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Vision Tulsa, sheriff special election: BatesLine ballot card

Here are my recommended votes in the Tulsa County special election on April 5, 2016, for the unexpired term for Tulsa County Sheriff and county and municipal sales tax propositions. Links lead to more detailed information or earlier blog entries. (This entry may change as I decide to add...

Posted by Michael Bates on April 5, 2016 7:00 PM

Vision Tulsa and Tulsa County, April 5, 2016, election in a nutshell

Tomorrow, April 5, 2016, voters across Tulsa County have a special election for sheriff and will also vote on the county's sales tax proposal (1/20th of a cent for 15 years) for capital projects. Here's what the white countywide ballot will look like. Voters in several Tulsa County municipalities will...

Posted by Michael Bates on April 4, 2016 5:57 PM

Vision Tulsa: Fisheries biologist damns dams' impact on fish and fishing

Fisheries biologist Chris Whisenhunt with a sauger he caught in the Arkansas River beneath the 96th Street (Jenks) bridge, an area that would be affected by the proposed south Tulsa / Jenks dam. Tulsa fisheries biologist Chris Whisenhunt has some concerns about the dam's effect on fish and fishing....

Posted by Michael Bates on April 4, 2016 1:20 AM

Dam hazards: Ohio cities removing low-water dams

It's very typical of Tulsa to embrace an urban development fad just as other cities are rethinking and reversing course. (Case in point: No sooner did we close off Main Street for a pedestrian mall than other cities began noticing that pedestrian malls killed retail businesses and started reopening pedestrianized...

Posted by Michael Bates on April 4, 2016 12:23 AM

Muscogee (Creek) Nation to Tulsa: No money for Jenks dam

Here is a timeline of statements made by Muscogee (Creek) Nation (MCN) elected officials regarding their financial involvement in the low-water dam. When you clear away the wish-casting statements being made by city officials, you'll notice that there aren't any MCN officials offering money to the project. Instead, MCN officials...

Posted by Michael Bates on March 23, 2016 12:19 AM

Dead Dam Vision: Fox23's spiked story

Last week, a local TV station spiked a well-researched news story about funding problems for the proposed south Tulsa / Jenks low-water dam and the awareness of Tulsa elected officials of the problem before they voted to put the proposal on the ballot. The story's sudden withdrawal hints at pressure...

Posted by Michael Bates on March 19, 2016 9:09 PM