Brent VanNorman Concludes Recount

By David Arnett

In a release late Tuesday, the Brent VanNorman campaign backs the election recount outcome.

“After the largest recount in Tulsa County history, the razor-thin results of the August 27th Tulsa mayoral election have been certified. Each candidate lost votes due to ballot errors, but not enough to make the difference. The VanNorman campaign also learned of several opportunities to strengthen election integrity, particularly as it pertains to early voting. While we are continuing to inspect absentee envelopes, at this time, the campaign supports the verified outcome and expresses its deepest appreciation for everyone involved in ensuring a transparent and accurate process,” the team wrote.

Brent VanNorman said, “While the overall outcome didn’t change, the recount has played out fairly, and we stand by the results.”

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Midtown Hardware Defies Odds

By David Arnett

Finding help is not always easy, but in hardware for home repair or embellishment in the midtown Tulsa area, Midtown Hardware at 4311 East 31st Street has you covered. With answers and suggestions, this is a neighborhood merchant of the old-school sort that built Oklahoma commerce from the ground up.

On a visit to the store recently, the writer enjoyed a chat with owner D.J. Day. “We’ve been able to diversify with a U-haul franchise and propane exchange–cheapest in Midtown–plus Bill Call’s amazing consignment tools and knives and watches, seriously, come check them out…” Day invited, suggesting we grab a bag of popcorn and go shopping.

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Sen. Deevers on Visa Task Force Report

By David Arnett

Last week, the Oklahoma State Work Permits and Visas Task Force published their report, making several recommendations to the legislature for immigration-related bills. Sen. Dusty Deevers, R-Elgin, spoke forthrightly against the recommendations and encouraged his fellow legislators to do likewise.

“As legislators, we must look out first and foremost for the well-being of Oklahomans,” Sen. Deevers said. “I’m afraid these recommendations fail to do that.”

State Capitol Building in Oklahoma City with US state flag outside
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Global Imams Council Condemns Hamas

By David Arnett

The Global Imams Council has released a statement condemning the murder of hostages at the hands of Hamas terrorists.

The statement, which was released on the Global Imams Council’s web site, referred to the actions of Hamas as ‘barbaric,’ stating, “We are deeply saddened and outraged by these heinous murders, which violate all principles of humanity, religious teachings, and international law.”

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VanNorman Petitions for Recount

By David Arnett

Following the extremely close results of the August 27th mayoral election, Brent VanNorman’s campaign team announced late Thursday plans to request a recount. In the historic and razor-thin race, Brent VanNorman finished just a few hundred votes behind Monroe Nichols and Karen Keith, who advanced to a runoff. In total votes, Monroe Nichols received 18,729, Karen Keith 18,457 and Brent VanNorman 18,019, of the 56,585 vote total reported to the State Election Board here.

Despite the close overall numbers, Brent VanNorman won the most precincts of the top three finishers—69 precincts, compared to Monroe Nichols’ 49 and Karen Keith’s 30. Given this strong showing and the unprecedented closeness of the results, there has been a strong groundswell of support from Tulsans encouraging the campaign to ask for a manual recount.

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