Category Archives: Local

Tulsa & OKC in Top 10 for Value

By Jaclyn Dejohn, Managing Editor of Economic Analysis, SmartAsset

With taxes, housing, food and other costs varying widely across the U.S., a $100,000 income can look drastically different depending on where you live. Even places that don’t charge residents a state or local income tax can see a wide range for how far a dollar stretches thanks to cost of living differences. Because of the nature of compounding, the wide differences in the value of a $100k income can have life-changing effects on your long-term finances, particularly early on in your investment career.

With this in mind, SmartAsset adjusted a $100,000 income for federal, state and local taxes, as well as local cost of living premiums, to find the purchasing power – or effective value – of that money in 72 of the largest U.S. cities. Good News in Oklahoma, both Tulsa and OKC score in the top ten for value.

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Big XII Adds Tulsa Women Rowing

By Staff Report

The University of Tulsa is one of two schools the Big 12 Conference has added as an affiliate member for the sport of rowing beginning with the 2024-25 academic year, the league announced today.

Tulsa and Old Dominion will join UCF, Kansas, Kansas State and West Virginia in the Big 12 Conference.

“We are excited to announce Tulsa as an affiliate member in rowing,” Big 12 Vice President for Women’s Basketball & Competition Dayna Scherf said. “The addition of Golden Hurricane rowing supports the continued growth of women’s sports across our Conference. We look forward to welcoming the Tulsa rowing coaches, student-athletes and fans to Big 12 competition.”

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TPS Revises Goals to Align Expectations

By Susan Phillips, Education Editor

The Tulsa Public School (TPS) board unanimously approved revisions to the goals and guardrails established in their 2022-2027 Strategic plan. The rationale was to:

  • align TPS goals with what the Oklahoma State Board of Education (OSBOE) wants to see accomplished
  • focus monitoring energies primarily on academic outcomes
  • continue monitoring equitably providing education for all students including Special Education

Five board members were present: Board President Stacey Woolley, Vice President John Croisant, E’Lena Ashley, Susan Lamkin, and Diamond Marshall. 

The following revisions were part of the consent agenda, the entirety of which passed without discussion. Note: it is unusual for there to be no discussion of any aspect of the consent agenda.

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Osage Com. Everett Piper One & Done

By David Arnett

In a surprise to many, Osage County Commissioner Everett Piper has resigned his District 1 seat on the County Board of Commissioners effective “on or before March 31, 2024.”

Piper assumed office on January 3, 2023, and his term ends on January 4, 2027.

In an exclusive interview with this writer, Piper said, “I made it very clear from the very beginning that I was not seeking the position for a career or for any other reason than to correct some things that needed to be corrected in terms of leadership, budget and deferred maintenance care and organization of the [County] fairgrounds and also to bring a spirit of congeniality and respect into the office where people were treated well, both staff and peers as well as constituents.

Osage County Commissioner Everett Piper (Photo: Facebook)
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Riley Gaines Swimming Against Injustice

By David Arnett

Riley Gaines, the Ambassador for the Independent Women’s Forum and 12x NCAA All-American Swimmer spoke Friday at a Women For Tulsa event at the River Spirit Resort. It was an inspiration for many.

Forced to swim against a male swimmer in the 2022 NCAA Championships, Gaines tied the larger male at the contest, but the male, identifying as Lia Thomas, took home the trophy even though Gaines was ranked higher nationally. Thomas, the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I national championship is now suing World Aquatics in the international Court of Arbitration for Sport for its refusal to let Thomas compete in the women’s category.

Gaines, with the full support of her school, turned injustice to advocacy and set an example of what personal courage means. The twenty-three-year-old athlete fights publicly for Title 9, the landmark federal civil rights law enacted as part of the Education Amendments of 1972 to prohibit sex-based discrimination in any school.

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