10th Circuit Nominee Robert E. Bacharach Gets Highest Rating from Bar Association
Magistrate Judge Robert E. Bacharach, who has been nominated for a vacancy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, has been given the highest rating from the American Bar Association: unanimously well-qualified.
Bacharach, who has been a federal magistrate judge in the Western District of Oklahoma, based in Oklahoma City, since 1999, was nominated by President Barack Obama on Jan. 23 for the appeals court. He would replace Robert Henry, who is now president of Oklahoma City …
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Rep. James Lankford Speaks Out on Birth Control Action by Obama Administration
Rep. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma City, says he is “outraged” by the Obama administration’s decision requiring birth control to be part of health insurance plans offered by some organizations with a religious affiliation, such as Catholic hospitals or Christian universities.
“I met with presidents of several of Oklahoma’s Christian-affiliated universities this week, and they expressed grave concern about their freedom to practice their faith and values without interference from the federal government,” Lankford said in a statement.
“I share this concern …
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Library of Congress to Celebrate Oklahoma Author Ralph Ellison’s Birthday
The Library of Congress plans to celebrate the 98th birthday of Ralph Ellison on March 1 with reading and discussion of his work by award-winning authors Jabari Asim and Danielle Evans, the library announced on Monday.
Ellison, who was born in Oklahoma City on March 1, 1914, is best known for his novel, “Invisible Man,” published in 1952. The book, according to the Library of Congress, “transformed thinking about race, identity and what it means to be American.” The book …
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Cornett Can’t Think of Any Good Tulsa Mayors
U.S. Sen. Tom Carper gave Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett a chance to take a dig at former Tulsa Mayor Jim Inhofe on Wednesday, and Cornett didn’t hesitate to grab it.
Carper, D-Delaware, well aware that Inhofe, now a U.S. senator, had served as mayor of Tulsa, asked Cornett at a committee hearing in Washington:
“Thinking of the past mayors of, like, larger cities in Oklahoma, have any of them ever turned out well? Can you think of anyone who …
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Redistricting: Oklahoma City releases proposed ward map, sets public meeting
The proposed ward map for the City of Oklahoma City was released on Tuesday. In the map below (click for a larger version), the current wards are in color, while the proposed boundaries are outlined in the brownish-black dotted lines. A lot of the population growth has come in the far northwest part of the [...]
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Recap of the CityCampOKC unconference at Gov 2.0a in Oklahoma City
I had a great time on Saturday down at the Skirvin Hotel for the first CityCampOKC, part of the second day of the Gov 2.0a conference. CityCamps have been in several other cities for the last couple of years, but this was a first for Oklahoma. This was my first “unconference,” a loosely themed [...]
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Recap of the CityCampOKC unconference at Gov 2.0a in Oklahoma City
I had a great time on Saturday down at the Skirvin Hotel for the first CityCampOKC, part of the second day of the Gov 2.0a conference. CityCamps have been in several other cities for the last couple of years, but this was a first for Oklahoma. This was my first “unconference,” a loosely themed [...]
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Last chance to register for Gov 2.0a conference May 6-7 in Oklahoma City
Today is the deadline to register for the Gov 2.0a conference here in Oklahoma City. This is the second year of the conference on open government, technology and citizen engagement. I attended last year and was very impressed with the lineup. This year’s lineup looks equally (if not more) impressive. The conference starts Friday morning [...]
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Effort to put Oklahoma City’s Founders Tower on national registry
Oklahoma City is considering an effort to get the Founders Tower listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
Built from 1962 to 1964, the 275-foot tower displays unique architectural elements, such as the revolving-platform restaurant at the top, and helped catalyze the development of northwest Oklahoma City, according to a staff report. Recently it has undergone significant renovations with the addition of luxury condominiums.
The revolving restaurant, which I remember as the Eagle’s Nest, is empty but from county …
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Oklahoma City officials take a good look at MAPS 3 projects
On Tuesday, the Oklahoma City Council and the MAPS 3 Advisory Board held a joint meeting where a consultant presented proposed budgets and timeline for the eight MAPS 3 projects.
I wrote a story on the proposed timing of the projects. Colleague Steve Lackmeyer wrote a story on $30 million set aside for moving an OG&E power station, the controversy surrounding who set the money aside and if it could be better spent on the actual convention center.…
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