Bill French, Public Information Officer with the Tulsa Fire Department
announced today that 147 members of the Tulsa Fire Department are
currently being notified that they should attend a meeting tomorrow
morning, January 22, at 0900 hours at the Tulsa Fire Department
Training Center,  1760 Newblock Park Drive. The fire fighters will be
notified of their status to be laid off and educated as to the process
of possible reinstatement possibility.

If the 147 fire fighters are laid off, the Tulsa Fire Department will run with 8-9 less fire trucks per day. This will not result in any station closings at this point because the Tulsa Fire Department currently has 12 fire stations that house two fire trucks. At this point the layoffs will not result in any demotions, but there is a possibility that eleven or twelve staff personnel will be transferred back to the field to fill vacancies resulting from the layoffs. The staff personnel will come from the Tulsa Fire Department Training Center, Investigations Division, Public Education Division and Code Enforcement Division.

Nike has created a new shoe – the Nike Air Native N7 – designed specifically for Native Americans.

Nike researchers studied the feet of more than 200 people from 70 tribes nationwide and determined that Native Americans have a much wider and taller foot than the average American. The newly designed shoe features a wider, larger toe box, fewer seams and a thicker sock liner for comfort.

The Cherokee Nation, partnering with Nike, is offering the shoe at a special price of $58.30, tax included, to Cherokee citizens and Native Americans of other tribes.  Since the Air Native N7 is only available through tribal programs, Cherokee Nation Entertainment, in conjunction with Cherokee Nation’s Health Services Group, will take orders for the custom shoes in the lobby area between the Restaurant of the Cherokees and the Cherokee Nation Gift Shop – Tahlequah on February 12 and 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 “We are dedicated to helping Cherokees become a healthy people,” said David Stewart, CEO of Cherokee Nation Entertainment, which operates Cherokee Nation Gift Shops.  “Through our partnership with Nike in this special program, we are able to encourage walking, physical exercise, fitness and health.  I hope those who are able to do so will take advantage of this opportunity.”

Sizes and colors available for men range from 6 to 12 in dark brown or black and women from 5 to 12 in golden straw or white. Sample shoes will be available at the Cherokee Nation Gift Shop – Tahlequah to assist in selecting the correct size. There is a five pair of shoes limit per customer.

Applicants must be a citizen of a federally recognized Native American tribe and must provide a copy of their Certified Degree of Indian Blood (CDIB) card to be eligible to order the Nike Air Native N7 shoes. Shoes will be available for pick-up on March 6, 2010, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the lobby area between the Restaurant of the Cherokees and the Cherokee Nation Gift Shop – Tahlequah.  A valid form of identification will be required during ordering and picking up of the shoes. Shipping to other locations or directly to customers is not available.  

I basically do not have what it takes to be an artist. A few years back, a real artist was painting in some woods north of Baker, California. He decided to save money by being his own model. The man padlocked a chain around his ankles and began to create a work that portrayed a person bound by chains while in a forest. The painter lost the padlock key and had to hop and roll and wiggle for miles before he found help after some 12 hours of misery. The painting was retrieved and the artist survived.

Warning on a can of pepper spray: May Irritate Eyes.

I had heard of the box jellyfish, but I had no idea that there were more than 6,000 human deaths attributed to this rather diminutive creature.

Most of us recall reading bits of the classic literature known as Beowulf. There was even a recent movie depicting many of the struggles narrated in the story. No one alive today knows who wrote Beowulf.

Do you carry unnecessary weight in your personal vehicle? Experts declare that each additional 50 pounds causes an average of 1% decrease in gas mileage.

Theodore Roosevelt was the first U.S. president to drive an automobile. He was also the first American to win a Nobel Peace Prize.

Perhaps one mentally pictures Hawaii or Washington (Mt. St. Helens) when American volcanoes are mentioned, but it is in Alaska that the most volcanoes have been recorded. At least 80 Alaskan volcanic sites have been identified and more than 40 of those have been declared to be “active.”

A man of Native American lineage was once the leader of Great Britain. The mother of the famous Winston Churchill was one-eighth Iroquois.

One of the most popular and famous playwrights contemporary to William Shakespeare was Thomas Watson. Apparently not even one of Watson’s works exists today.

In Texas, windshields are not legally required on motor vehicles. However, there is a state law (Paragraph 547.603) that requires all motor vehicles to have a functioning windshield wiper. As my dad says, “Go Figure.”

I had never once suspected that I might have descended from royalty until I read about the guy who was king of the Franks early in the 10th century. He was officially Charles III, but was known as Charles the Simple (died 929).

Well, do not misplace any essential padlock keys and – have a pleasant week.

About the author: Dr. James White has retired after teaching mathematics for 36 years in various high school and junior college classrooms. He resides in South Texas with his very patient wife Anna. His trivia column appears weekly and he can be reached at jkwhite46@gmail.com

U.S. Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. will be holding a town hall meeting in Tulsa on Friday, Jan. 15.   

Dr. Coburn will take questions and address important issues for Oklahoma and the nation, according to a press release.

“I encourage everyone to attend and participate in this town hall.  These settings provide not only a chance for Oklahomans to hear my views on current events but also give me the opportunity to hear directly from the people I am representing in Washington,” said Dr. Coburn.

The meeting is from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Spirit Bank Event Center, South Banquet Hall, 10441 s. Regal Blvd. (105th and South Memorial).

A former Tulsa Public Works official was sentenced on bribery charges Monday, according to acting United States Attorney Thomas Scott Woodward.

Albert S. Martinez, age 48, the former Field Engineering Manager for the Public Works department, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Terrence Kern to 42 months confinement in federal prison. Martinez was ordered to make restitution to the city in the amount of $341,000. To date, Martinez has forfeited assets in the amount of $217,000.

Martinez pled guilty on Aug. 28, 2009,  to charges of Bribery Conspiracy, Mail Fraud Conspiracy and Procurement Fraud. He admitted accepting bribes from a local construction company in return for approving inflated invoices and from several local contractors in return for favorable influence during the approval of city contracts, according to a press release.

Martinez is the third defendant to be sentenced to federal prison in this case. The public corruption scandal involving the department was revealed to the public on Jan. 22, 2009, when the federal indictments were unsealed. At that time, it was announced that two former managers at the Public Works Department and four area businessmen were charged by a Grand Jury for their participation in bribery and fraud schemes involving millions of dollars intended for city streets, bridges and other public works projects in the city.

Since that announcement all six defendants that were charged have pled guilty and three have been sentenced to federal prison. The remaining defendants are scheduled to be sentenced over the next several months