Yearly Archives: 2009

Early Census Estimates Hint Oklahoma Will Retain Congressional Numbers

Early population estimates from the Bureau of the Census indicate the state of Oklahoma will hold its own in the 2011 reapportionment of the U.S. House of Representatives.

A Washington Post news analysis of the data hints dramatic gains in Republican strength are possible early in the next decade.
 
A story in The Washington Post (Chris Cillizza, “States in Play: An early look at 2009 redistricting,” Dec. 29, 2009, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/28/AR2009122802124.html) reports the Bureau “gave political junkies a gift last week” with release of the population estimates.
 
Oklahoma has grown modestly in population, from an April 1, 2000 “base” of 3,450,638 to an estimated population of 3,687,050 as of July 1, 2009. This will put the state in the middle of the 50 states, neither gaining nor losing strength in Congress.

According to the report, eight states stand to gain enough population to merit additional seats in the U.S. House: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Washington. As Cillizza reports, “Republicans control the governorship and both houses of the state legislature in five. Control in Nevada is split, while Arizona and Washington use independent commissions to draw their lines, taking their legislatures and governors out of play.”
 
On the other hand, ten states will apparently lose seats in Congress as the result of the Census data.

The Post writer sketched the implications this way: “In five of the 10 states — Ohio, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Pennsylvania — the parties split control of the governorships and legislatures, while in Illinois, Massachusetts and New York, Democrats control the state government. Iowa and New Jersey use independent redistricting commissions.”

In Cillizza’s analysis, states presently leaning Republican or already under Republican control are likely to gain seats. Further, Republican prospects for increased strength are also good to excellence in several of the “Rust Belt” states likely to lose seats. Cillizza’s story points to Ohio as a state losing seats in Congress where Republican gains are likely.

Under the U.S. Constitution, a Census of the population is taken every 10 years. Representation in the U.S. House of Representatives is then apportioned based on population. Oklahoma dropped from six to five members in the House after the 2000 Census. Besides the Congress, Census results drive reapportionment processes in state legislatures, municipal bodies such as city councils, school districts and other local or municipal legislative bodies.
 
The new Census estimates can be viewed online at: http://www.census.gov/popest/states/NST-ann-est.html.
 
Note: Pat McGuigan is capitol editor for Tulsa Today, and editor of CapitolBeatOK, where this article first appeared this week. 

Oilers’ Hisey Called Up To AHL

HIDALGO, TX– The Springfield Falcons of the AHL have called up the Tulsa Oiler’s leading scorer, Rob Hisey.  Hisey, who has 19 goals for the Oilers this season, is the CHL’s leading goal scorer and the breakout star for the Tulsa squad this year.

“I’m really excited about the opportunity,” Hisey said as he prepared to depart for Springfield. “It happened pretty fast, but I’m ecstatic and I can’t wait to get there and play my first game.”

Hisey tops the league in goals and shorthanded goals, and his 19 goals and 41 assists for 60 points in the 24 games he’s played is good enough for 4th place in the CHL points race.  Hisey is expected to join the Falcons for tomorrow night’s game against the Providence Bruins, and in Hartford when they visit the Wolfpack.

“This is a great chance for Rob and he deserves it,” Oilers coach Bruce Ramsay said. “He’s proven he’s one of the premier players in this league and he can have success at the next level. It’ll be an adjustment for us, but certainly we wish Rob the best”

The Oilers meanwhile are getting ready to face Rio Grande Valley tomorrow night at the Dodge Arena in Hidalgo before returning home to face Mississippi on Thursday and Saturday night at home in the BOK Center.  Tickets for those games and all Oilers home games are available at the BOK Center box office, tulsaoilers.com and all Reasor’s locations.

Oilers Comeback Efforts Pay Off In Laredo

LAREDO, TX–The Tulsa Oilers scored two goals late in the game to snatch a victory away from the Laredo Bucks on Sunday afternoon. 

The Oilers won the game 5-4 on the strengths of goals by T.J. Caig and Rob Hisey to secure the win after trailing for most of the game.

The game marked the third start of goalie Trevor Cann and he improved his record to 2-1 on his five-game assignment from the Lake Erie monsters of the AHL, making 38 saves in the game.  Laredo’ Kris Tebbs took the loss in his first start for the Bucks making 28 saves.  All of the Oilers’ leading scorers made the score sheet this afternoon, with Aaron Davis, Caig and Hisey all notching a goal and an assist for two point games.

New Oiler Jeff Gumaer scored his first goal in the 2nd period and Sean Erickson also put one in to round out Tulsa’s goals in the game.  The game wasn’t without its physicality, as Oilers defenseman Tyler Fleck took on Laredo’s Justin Styffe in a fight in the 2nd period.

All-in-all the win was a good one for Tulsa, who has been winless since a 2-1 victory over Amarillo on December 18th.  Next up for the Oilers will be a game against the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees in Hidalgo, Texas, and their next home game will be on New Years Eve when they face the Mississippi Riverkings in the BOK Center.  That game will feature a post game party at the Crowne Plaza Hotel downtown after the game sponsored by Z104.5 FM.

Note: The Christmas night game against the Wichita Thunder was postponed due to the aftermath of the snowstorm on Christmas Eve.  No make-up date has been announced as yet, but all tickets for that contest will be honored that night.  Tickets for the New Years Eve game against the River Kings and all Tulsa Oilers home games can be purchased at the BOK Center box office, tulsaoilers.com and all Reasors locations.

Oilers Comeback Efforts Pay Off In Laredo

LAREDO, TX–The Tulsa Oilers scored two goals late in the game to snatch a victory away from the Laredo Bucks on Sunday afternoon.  The Oilers won the game 5-4 on the strengths of goals by T.J. Caig and Rob Hisey to secure the win after trailing for most of the game.

The game marked the third start of goalie Trevor Cann and he improved his record to 2-1 on his five-game assignment from the Lake Erie monsters of the AHL, making 38 saves in the game.  Laredo’ Kris Tebbs took the loss in his first start for the Bucks making 28 saves.  All of the Oilers’ leading scorers made the score sheet this afternoon, with Aaron Davis, Caig and Hisey all notching a goal and an assist for two point games.

New Oiler Jeff Gumaer scored his first goal in the 2nd period and Sean Erickson also put one in to round out Tulsa’s goals in the game.  The game wasn’t without its physicality, as Oilers defenseman Tyler Fleck took on Laredo’s Justin Styffe in a fight in the 2nd period.

All-in-all the win was a good one for Tulsa, who has been winless since a 2-1 victory over Amarillo on December 18th.  Next up for the Oilers will be a game against the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees in Hidalgo, Texas, and their next home game will be on New Years Eve when they face the Mississippi Riverkings in the BOK Center.  That game will feature a post game party at the Crowne Plaza Hotel downtown after the game sponsored by Z104.5 FM.

Note: The Christmas night game against the Wichita Thunder was postponed due to the aftermath of the snowstorm on Christmas Eve.  No make-up date has been announced as yet, but all tickets for that contest will be honored that night.  Tickets for the New Years Eve game against the River Kings and all Tulsa Oilers home games can be purchased at the BOK Center box office, tulsaoilers.com and all Reasors locations.

Tulsa to bid for 2020 Olympics?

Last week, a group of Tulsa business leaders made a presentation to Tulsa City Councilors with the hopes of obtaining their blessings to move forward on a bid for Tulsa to host the 2020 Summer Olympics. 

Making frequent references to Atlanta’s 1996 games, they insist the idea isn’t as farfetched as it may sound.

In 1990, when Atlanta won the right to host the Games, they were considered a long shot among the heavy hitters in the bidding war.  Indeed, the sentimental favorite to host the games in 1996, which would mark the Centennial Olympic Games, was Athens in Greece, the first city to host the modern games back in 1896.  The other cities bidding were Toronto, Belgrade, Manchester and Melbourne. 

Atlanta won out and though considered to be an over-commercialized spectacle that cost around $1.8 billion dollars, the games in 1996 managed to turn a $10 million profit and have proven to be a catalyst in the modernization of the northwest Georgia city. 

In their pitch to the International Olympic Committee, the organizers in Tulsa plan to rely heavily on the model used by the Atlanta organizers, which also mirrored that used in 1984 when Los Angeles hosted the games.  Therein private funding will be heavily used to construct necessary venues like an Olympic Stadium and Swimming Center, and certain events like soccer will be “farmed out” to Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater and to OU’s Memorial Stadium in Norman.  The U.S. Olympic Committee is already planning a training center along the Oklahoma River in OKC, so that could be a viable venue for rowing and kayaking.  Grand Lake and others in northeastern Oklahoma could be used for the other boating and yachting events as well.

Those are but a few of the challenges facing the Tulsa organizers.  Lodging for the sea of Olympic fans and the international media is a big concern in a town not well known for its vast hotel space, but in addition to new construction, the idea of docking shallow draft cruise ships in the McClellan-Kerr Navigation Channel at the Tulsa Port of Catoosa is being tossed around, as well as utilizing hotel space in both Tulsa and Oklahoma City, just an hours drive from Tulsa.

Several cities worldwide compete for the right to host the Olympics every four years.  Tulsa is one of four American cities that are either seriously bidding for or are considering the idea of bidding to host the XXXII Olympiad.  The others are Boston, Detroit,and Minneapolis-St. Paul.  The USOC will only support one of those four and Tulsa is a long shot there first.  Detroit has bid for the games a record 7 times dating back to 1944, (Los Angeles tops them with 9 bids, but has hosted twice), and it’s easy to see why they’d be the sentimental favorite.