http://www.batesline.com/ Tulsa straight ahead en Copyright 2008 Fri, 16 May 2008 12:57:44 -0600 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification One of the oddest of the latest batch of Tulsa City Council campaign contribution reports was Bill Martinson's ethics report. Martinson, the councilor for District 5, was one of three unopposed candidates. The other two, Rick Westcott and John Eagleton, spent nothing on their campaigns. Westcott filed a statement of... http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/how-do-you-spend-1092388-on-a-no.html http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/how-do-you-spend-1092388-on-a-no.html Tulsa::Election2008 Bill Martinson Fri, 16 May 2008 12:57:44 -0600 This week in Urban Tulsa Weekly, I review the controversy over the digital billboard ordinance, approved last week by the Tulsa City Council and look ahead to next Wednesday's hearing before the TMAPC on plans for an expanded QuikTrip convenience store at 21st & Harvard. Here is a link... http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/bright-signs-big-qt.html http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/bright-signs-big-qt.html Tulsa::Zoning Urban Tulsa Weekly QuikTrip, Lassiter & Shoemaker Photography Fri, 16 May 2008 12:17:53 -0600 From far-off Hoboken, N.J., Mister Snitch! celebrates the landslide election victory of 19-year-old John Tyler Hammons as Mayor of Muskogee with the lyrics from the famous Merle Haggard song, linked to a wide variety of photos -- sweet, nostalgic, and funny, and almost all connected in some way with Muskogee,... http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/proud-of-an-okie-from-muskogee.html http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/proud-of-an-okie-from-muskogee.html Family Oklahoma::Politics Muskogee, John Tyler Hammons, Oklahoma Renaissance Festival Wed, 14 May 2008 22:50:07 -0600 Here is an overview of the post-general election Form C-1 ethics reports filed with the Tulsa City Clerk's office by 5 p.m. Monday, the deadline for the post-general filing for the April 1 Tulsa City Council general election. Perhaps the most interesting report wasn't from a candidate. It was from... http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/the-build-pac-boys-postelection.html http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/the-build-pac-boys-postelection.html Tulsa::Election2008 Tulsa::Zoning Build PAC, Tulsa City Council Wed, 14 May 2008 21:05:37 -0600 Congratulations to Tulsa County voters: KTUL is reporting that the TCC bond issue failed 45-55 and the TCC permanent property tax increase failed 43-57. And congratulations to John Tyler Hammons. The 19-year-old OU freshman poli-sci major won a runoff tonight to become Mayor of Muskogee, defeating the incumbent a former... http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/tcc-bond-fails-ou-freshman-elect.html http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/tcc-bond-fails-ou-freshman-elect.html Oklahoma::Politics Tulsa::Education Muskogee, Tulsa Community College, John Tyler Hammons Tue, 13 May 2008 21:56:30 -0600 PLANiTULSA, the city's first comprehensive planning effort since the 1970s, will be launched today at 4:30 at the Central Center at Centennial Park, on 6th Street west of Peoria. The festivities will include a presentation at 5 p.m. by John Fregonese, head of Fregonese Associates, the firm that was hired... http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/comprehensive-plan-kickoff-today.html http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/comprehensive-plan-kickoff-today.html Tulsa::Zoning PLANiTulsa, Comprehensive Plan, Fregonese Associates Tue, 13 May 2008 11:51:04 -0600 Tulsa County voters will decide today whether to grant Tulsa Community College a permanent property tax increase of 1.7 mills for operations and maintenance (a 23% increase over the current level of 7.21 mills) and, in a separate proposition, a temporary seven-year property tax increase of about 3.1 mills to... http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/tcc-election-today.html http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/tcc-election-today.html Tulsa::Education Tulsa Community College Tue, 13 May 2008 05:08:36 -0600 Although bits and bytes are its bread and butter, no major studio better embodies humanity in film than Pixar. A recent interview with Pixar director Brad Bird presents ten ways that Pixar promotes innovation. (Hat tip to Joe Carter's Evangelical Outpost.) I found two points especially interesting. This one ought... http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/pixar-innovation.html http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/pixar-innovation.html Cities Culture urban design, management, Pixar Mon, 12 May 2008 21:40:23 -0600 A week ago Saturday afternoon about 3:30, I had just finished attending the Oklahoma Republican State Convention at the Renaissance Hotel. I was hungry, parched, and in need of wi-fi. Cosmo Cafe, on the west side of Memorial at 68th Street, came to mind as a place nearby where I... http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/cosmoasis.html http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/cosmoasis.html Tulsa::Dining Cosmo Cafe, Tulsa wi-fi Mon, 12 May 2008 20:56:00 -0600 Friday afternoon, my daughter and I attended a brief reception at City Hall to honor the three departing members of the Tulsa City Council: Roscoe Turner, Maria Barnes, and Cason Carter. They were each presented with a plaque honoring their service. The plaques were read and presented by their colleagues.... http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/council-tribute-to-roscoe-turner.html http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/council-tribute-to-roscoe-turner.html Tulsa::CityHall Maria Barnes, Roscoe Turner, Cason Carter Sun, 11 May 2008 15:49:49 -0600 Toll on the Muskogee Turnpike: $1.20. Tank-full of gasoline: $52.50. Tickets to the Oklahoma Renaissance Festival: comped. Digital camera: $329. Having that digital camera handy when you run into a co-worker in full Renaissance Festival costume? Priceless. ### I don't have much for you tonight because we spent the day... http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/for-everything-else-theres-maste.html http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/for-everything-else-theres-maste.html Family Oklahoma Oklahoma Renaissance Festival Sat, 10 May 2008 23:27:33 -0600 Reader Ted King writes to tell me about a film well worth seeing. It's showing at Tulsa's Circle Cinema through May 15. It's called The Singing Revolution, and it's about Estonia's struggle for independence in the late 1980s, and the role that patriotic songs played in that successful overthrow of... http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/the-singing-revolution.html http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/the-singing-revolution.html Culture Global News Estonia, Soviet Union Thu, 08 May 2008 23:57:51 -0600 The Club for Growth's 2007 congressional ratings are out, and Oklahoma Senators Tom Coburn and Jim Inhofe and 1st District Congressman John Sullivan were named as Defenders of Economic Freedom for scoring above 90%. Coburn had a 97, just behind S.C. Sen. Jim DeMint, who had the only 100. Coburn... http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/inhofe-coburn-sullivan-defenders.html http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/inhofe-coburn-sullivan-defenders.html Oklahoma::Politics Politics::Election2008 Club for Growth, John Sullivan, Tom Coburn, Jim Inhofe Thu, 08 May 2008 20:55:24 -0600 Stan Geiger has a few blog entries up about next Tuesday's vote on Tulsa Community College's proposed property tax increases. (See my previous entry for links to my column on the topic and sources for additional information.) Here are some excerpts from Stan's latest -- click the links to read... http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/more-tcc-tax-hike-commentary.html http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/more-tcc-tax-hike-commentary.html Tulsa::County Tulsa::Education Tulsa Community College Wed, 07 May 2008 23:25:54 -0600 This week in Urban Tulsa Weekly, I preview next Tuesday's special election for a permanent property tax increase and a temporary property tax increase tied to a $76 million general obligation bond issue for Tulsa Community College. All of Tulsa County will go to the polls. If approved, the permanent... http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/the-tcc-tax-hike-and-the-citizen.html http://www.batesline.com/archives/2008/05/the-tcc-tax-hike-and-the-citizen.html Tulsa::Education Tulsa Community College Wed, 07 May 2008 06:42:44 -0600