“In the town of Lamont, southwest of Blackwell, Oklahoma, and near the Kansas border, a Department of Energy atmospheric monitoring station sniffed out a compound never before detected in the air over North America. And it’s toxic.”
– Ben Finwick in his story about “Medium-Chain Chlorinated Paraffins” for Oklahoma Watch. There’s not a consensus of where they came from, but there is an interview with a donkey dairy farmer in Luther, who’s voiced concern on chemicals in the air for a long time, who says: “I was only surprised that they actually did the research here in Oklahoma and found it, because what I’ve seen is that we are turning a blind eye to this and we do not want to research it and let people actually know what’s happening.”
50 tornadoes so far in Oklahoma: Tulsa meteorologist Kirsten Lang put together a quick recap for the Collington Index about how we might break some records this year when it comes to twisters. Thanks to Indexer Aaron Lusby and Kurt Young for the contributed videos featured from the huge tornado in Enid.
If you missed the conversation I had with Jeff Martin, president and co-founder of Magic City Books, before he moved to Seattle, check out what he said about “Lord of the Flies” and leaders being readers.
Would you like to own part of a bookstore in Oklahoma City? Literati Press in the Paseo Arts District down the turnpike is now selling shares. Matthew Viriyapah with KOSU reports you can buy them or volunteer to earn them. No requirements to join besides “be kind, be cool, be helpful, be respectful.”
“Weiberg’s new four-year contract seems to have been written on a sheet of thin ice.”
– Tulsa World Sports Columnist Bill Haisten after reading the contract of Chad Weiberg, the athletic director at Oklahoma State, obtained through an open records request first reported by Tulsa World OSU sports reporter Eric Bailey.
“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. Most women lead lives of unconscious anger. Unconscious anger is not just something that we pack down and somehow use as fuel to get through our daily lives, but it’s actually causing health problems.”
– Tulsa author Meg Myers Morgan, who’s really captured the attention of Tulsans lately in her recent books and events. Ginnie Graham was at a recent event of Morgan, the Tulsa Regional Chamber’s Women’s Programming Series, and walked away with these thoughts planted by Morgan.
Stop scrolling for this
Go to the Tulsa Foundation of Architecture’s Instagram or Facebook and check out the video series “Tulsa’s Architectural Treasures with Tom McCarthy.” McCarthy, a retired journalist with the Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press, hosts the shows, produced in collaboration with the nonprofit media studio Tulsa Storytelling Lab. Tulsa People magazine’s Macy Goodnight tells us the story behind the series.
Sidebar: You might know “Best of Tulsa,” the Tulsa Storytelling Lab’s collab with Experience Tulsa. The interview series asks notable Tulsans about their favorite local spots, hidden gems, and “Tulsa Hot Takes.” Very fun to watch. Here’s one with Ida Red’s amazing Angelene Ripley Wright.
Telling the lobbyists no in an election year
“The transactions range from a $2.35 cup of coffee to $402.55 worth of food and alcohol at an upscale Oklahoma City restaurant. Add it all up, and lobbyists have spent more than $414,000 on meals, beverages and gifts for lawmakers since January 2025,” reports Keaton Ross for Oklahoma Watch. So far, at least 11 legislative candidates have vowed not to accept any lobbyist meals, gifts or campaign contributions, according to an Oklahoma Watch review of campaign websites and social media pages.
The TSET Reset: What to do with the $2.2 billion Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust Fund?
“The population elects us to represent them. And sometimes the elected population also has ideas on where this money would be very well spent in our communities.”
– Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton on a plan to tap $1 billion from a fund Oklahomans voted to keep separate from the Legislature’s control. Oklahoma Voice’s Barbara Hoberock gets into the argument that might come up to another vote of the people.
“We all know that politics is probably one of the worse ways to make decisions. It is better than war, but when you’re talking about science and medicine, politics really can mess it up.”
– Sen. Mary Boren, D-Norman, in NonDoc’s story by editor Tres Savage in another story on this debate.
“I taught 190-plus kids every single year. I never once taught a kid that I had the thought, ‘I wish that kid’s parents would gamble just a little bit more.’ Because what I witnessed is, they’re gambling away milk money. So expanding isn’t going to help a single kid. It’s going to hurt kids.”
– Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, in a story by NonDoc’s Andrea Hancock after legalize sports betting failed again in the Legislature.
Not many times you can put “Going to the mattresses” in a headline: But when you can, you should. Hours after The Oklahoman published an article last week about Bob Mills Furniture’s mattress promotion that appeared to be tied to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s championship run, the team took a preliminary step to take legal action against the retailer: A cease-and-desist notice, writes Jeff Elkins with The Oklahoman on this battle. (I like the Thunder to repeat, so I actually asked the wife if we had any mattress needs when I first read this story.)
Truckers kill more than 5,000 people a year
“We have allowed ourselves to become numb to carnage on our highways that we find intolerable in our skies.”
– Craig Fuller in a NYT op-ed that says regulators are at fault.
The op-ed notes that Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy recently did sting operations to shut down more than 500 sham truck schools handing out commercial driver’s licenses labeled “CDL mills.” 60 Minutes recently had a report based on an eight-month investigation on the trucking industry, focused on “chameleon carriers” — commercial trucking fleets that shed one identity for another after racking up flagrant safety violations and flouting federal regulations. Be careful out there on the highways.
How about some good news
Meet the winner of Tulsa Kids Magazine’s Amazing Mom 2026: “Parts of Madelyn McIntyre’s days look like those of many other moms. She wakes up early to care for her 1 1/2-year-old son, Fox. They play, watch Sesame Street and read books. After dinner, she puts on her pajamas and crawls into bed. But for the past 82 days, Madelyn has been doing it all from the hospital,” writes Natalie Mikles, the new editor of Tulsa Kids Magazine, writes in a great profile.
Another list and this time, Tulsa’s best bar seating
Que Gusto: Awesome bartender and drinks.
The Hemingway: Upscale cozy.
Maestro: Same awesome drinks as Valkyrie
Bar Serra: We love the skinny marg and service.
Ava June: Awesome design.
Wild Fork: Day or night, a cozy bar.
Cheever’s: The rolls and great chairs.
See the rest of the lists so far when it comes to Tulsa’s food scene.
Thank you for reading and supporting this movement toward truth and understanding in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There is no cavalry. It’s up to us.
All together now. jc
P.S. Those who get the Collington Index by email, hit forward on today’s issue and send to the friends and family who you think would like it. Much appreciated.
The Collington Index offers a free weekly news summary that explains quickly what’s important and interesting, shared in weekly wraps, lists, conversations and cheat sheets. A movement toward truth and understanding in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Subscribe to the free email newsletter.
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