First Lady’s Guests for State of the Union Speech
In addition to Oklahoma City teacher Susan Bumgarner, first lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden will have these guests for Tuesday’s State of the Union speech:
Sergeant Sheena Adams (Vista, CA)
Team Advisor & Lead Instructor, Female Engagement Team
A native of Kauai, Hawaii, Sergeant Adams joined the Marine Corps in 2003 and attended recruit training in Parris Island, S.C. In 2010, Sergeant Adams joined the Female Engagement Team (FET) and was deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan from September 2010 to April 2011 in direct support of 1st Battalion 8th Marines in Musa Qal’eh District.…
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Oklahoma City Teacher Invited to First Lady’s Box for State of the Union Speech
Susan Bumgarner, a pre-kindergarten teacher at Wilson Arts Integration Elementary School in Oklahoma City, has been invited to sit in first lady Michelle Obama’s box for the State of the Union speech on Tuesday.
Bumgarner, a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, has written curriculum, trained Head Start teachers, taught infants and toddlers and prepared parents in Early Birds readiness classes.
She has been teaching at Wilson Arts Integration since 1992.
The first lady’s box will include middle-class Americans representing the policy proposals the president is expected to outline in his speech, according to the White House.…
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Rep. Tom Cole Named to Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents
Rep. Tom Cole, R-Moore, was named Thursday to the Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents by House Speaker John Boehner.
Cole said, “The Smithsonian Institution is an invaluable national resource for education and historic preservation. Millions of visitors to Washington, D.C., have enjoyed free access to Smithsonian museums and benefitted from the opportunity to learn more about our national and natural history by viewing the institution’s remarkable collection of artifacts.
“It’s an honor to serve this distinguished organization, and I look forward to working with the Board of Regents to continue the Smithsonian Institution’s prestigious legacy.”
Vested by Congress with the responsibility for administration of the Smithsonian Institution, the Board of Regents is made up of the chief justice of the United States, the vice president of the United States, three members of the United States Senate, three members of the United States House of Representatives, and nine private citizens, Cole’s office said.…
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Question from College Student
Funny that the student asked what the candidates could do to assure him and his PARENTS that he could get a job after college. …
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Alec Baldwin Says Arts Funding Helping Oklahoma Despite Sen. Coburn’s Opposition
Actor Alec Baldwin spoke at the National Press Club in Washington on Monday about arts funding in the United States, arguing that the country does not spend enough. He listed some of the Capitol Hill friends and foes of government funding for the arts and mentioned Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Muskogee, as one who is “not as wonderful as we would like him to be on the issue of the arts.”
Baldwin then read some of the funding received last year by Oklahoma City-area arts organizations from the National Endowment for the Arts:
_ Two grants totaling $40,000 for the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition;
_ $45,000 for the Lyric Theater;
_ $773,000 for the Oklahoma Council of the Arts;
_ $20,000 for the Oklahoma Historical Society
Baldwin said, “I just want to mention, we find it not enjoyable but ultimately necessary to point out to some of these folks that there are constituents of theirs in their own congressional districts _ or statewide in the Senate _ who the NEA is bringing some wonderful, wonderful arts-related programming, and events, shows, what have you, and educational opportunities for young people there under the umbrella of the National Endowment for the Arts.”…
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President Obama Nominates Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange to Scholarship Board
President Barack Obama on Monday nominated U.S. District Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange to the board of trustees for the Harry S Truman Scholarship Foundation.
Miles-LaGrange has been the chief judge in the western district of Oklahoma, based in Oklahoma City, since 2008. She has been a federal judge since 1994. She has also served as U.S. attorney and as an Oklahoma state senator.
The foundation, established by Congress, awards scholarships for graduate studies to students committed to a career in public service.…
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C-SPAN in Oklahoma City This Week for Some Local History
The public affairs channel C-SPAN, which provides gavel-to-gavel coverage of Congress along with a broad array of government- and history-related programming, is in Oklahoma City this week preparing some features on the city’s history and literary life.
The producers and organizers have an interesting agenda for the productions, which will air during a special Oklahoma City feature weekend of May 5th and 6th on C-SPAN2’s BookTV and C-SPAN3’s American History TV.
Here are some of the highlights, provided by C-SPAN:
· Interview with Bruce Fisher, son of Ada Lois Sipuel.…
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Oklahoma Gets Waiver From No Child Left Behind
Oklahoma is one of ten states that won’t have to comply with all of the requirements under the education law known as No Child Left Behind, a White House official confirmed Thursday morning. Oklahoma was among the first 11 states to apply for a waiver after the Obama administration announced last fall that it would relax some of the most controversial provisions.
More later when the official announcement is made, but here is the application Oklahoma submitted for the waiver.…
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