Tulsa’s 911 problem
More than a year after the deaths of two Holland Hall students: It took two open records requests and intervention from the state Attorney General’s Office to get the city to release an email. It described issues with the 911 center’s handling of calls related to the fatal car crash. Tulsa World reporter Kevin Canfield, who has pursued these records for 14 months, with the details on what the City of Tulsa said didn’t exist.
Who’s running to replace Kevin Hern in Congress?
The Tulsa World’s Randy Krehbiel offers a preview and an interesting stat: The 11 Republican candidates for the seat being vacated by Kevin Hern are the district’s most ever for one party, surpassing a record set in 1944. The lineup includes a former fighter pilot who makes $475,000 a year running a nonprofit in Owasso and another with a master’s degree from Oxford. Make sure to have June 16 marked on your calendar to vote if you live in that district. No one votes less than Oklahomans (we’re dead last in voting nationally).
File these under ‘Oh, really’
The scheme behind what is called the largest abuse of taxpayer dollars in Oklahoma history is a step closer to going on trial: Nearly four years after their arrests, the criminal case against Epic Charter Schools’ founders took a step forward, writes Oklahoma Watch reporter Jennifer Palmer. David Chaney and Ben Harris deny wrongdoing.
Oklahomans have their utilities shut off more than anybody else: Oklahoma had the highest rate, at three shutoffs for every 10 customers (though some customers may have been disconnected more than once, meaning fewer than 30 percent of households lost power), reports the Washington Post.
Thanks to a rising stock market, lucrative private investments and swelling valuations for small and midsize businesses, the number of Americans worth tens of millions and hundreds of millions of dollars has boomed, according to analysis of Federal Reserve data by Princeton economics professor Owen Zidar. Here he is on CNN talking about his latest findings.
Quotable quotes
“Stop Hiring Humans.”
– An AI company’s billboard outside Ezra Klein’s window at The New York Times. The columnist writes that everyone needs to calm down. The unemployment rate is about the same as it was in 2020 and mass layoffs might not be around the corner. The AI company explains their advertising campaign.
“Usually 3 or more dead, 5-6 total victims, pushes it onto national media.”
– What ChatGPT said in response to a question about how many classmates a person would need to kill to become notorious. Minutes later, the person who asked the question allegedly killed two people and injured six others at Florida State University. He has pleaded not guilty. OpenAI has announced that its chatbots are trained to discourage users from committing real-world harm. This Wall Street Journal story gets into the details and the debate between privacy and potential violence.
“Please don’t take my clothes off. Please. Please. No.”
– What a former Oklahoma State University student said while being stripped searched at the Stillwater City Jail following an arrest for public intoxication in 2022, according to police camera footage. She was left naked for more than an hour in her cell. She accepted a $2.55 million settlement, which might result in a property tax increase for Stillwater residents, reports The Oklahoman’s Nolan Clay.
“We must acknowledge how we have fallen short.”
– Yale University President Maurie McInnis, after a school committee’s report said that widening discontent in higher education is linked to high costs, murky admissions practices, uneven academic standards and fears about free speech on campuses.
Side note on higher ed: Gallup reported last September that 35 percent of Americans surveyed regarded a college education as “very important” — half the number who thought that in 2013.
“When you think FFA, you think ‘Oh, cows and corn. Let’s go outside and play in the dirt. Nope. There’s more to it.”
– Collinsville senior and five-time state FFA chorus member Aubrianna Smith, in a story by Tulsa World education reporter Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton about the 100th Oklahoma state FFA convention, which starts Tuesday in downtown Tulsa.
Some firsts worth noting that might come our way
Maryland is the first state in America to ban grocery stores and third-party delivery services like DoorDash from using customers’ personal data to set higher prices.
New Mexico might make Meta pull Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp from the phones and computers of the state’s residents. The state’s attorney general, after some of the lawsuit wins against social media companies recently, is demanding a host of changes that the company says are impossible to achieve.
Recommendation
Advice on what to do and how to feel in front of your closet full of clothes: Celebrity stylist Erin Walsh talks to Mel Robbins on the psychology of getting dressed with intention. There’s some good stuff in this, for those who look at a closet each morning, before entering the arena.
How about some good news
Journalism is alive in Oklahoma women’s prisons, and two consecutive years of national awards recognizes their quality work, writes Ginnie Graham on her Substack.
Why this matters: Thanks to the access and insight of those who fill up the pages of these papers, I now know more of what happens on the inside and the people imprisoned there. Here is the thing about people who go to prison in Oklahoma: Almost all of them eventually come out. We should get to know them better. Congrats to the staffs at the newspapers and for the nonprofit Poetic Justice giving these women a chance to share their truth. Learn more.
What to know about Mayfest (it’s different) and the Route 66 Centennial Cruise this month (it’s potentially world-record setting)
- Every Saturday in May: The best in local elementary, middle and high school student art will be on display at the Renaissance Square Event Center, 2616 E. 11th St., on Route 66.
- May 15-17: Local artists will be set up inside and outside of Mother Road Market, 1124 S. Lewis Ave. Also includes local music and performances to go along with the restaurants already housed in the food hall.
- May 29: Tailgate the night before the Route 66 Centennial Cruise at the Tulsa Fairgrounds with local music from Travis Kidd, Joleen Brown and Jacob Tovar. There’s a live vehicle auction, Mayfest artists and vintage vehicles ready to cruise Route 66 the next morning.
- May 30: From 8 a.m. to noon, the Guinness Record Route 66 Centennial Car Cruise. Local music from Paul Benjamin and Friends. Learn more about this event with the route where all the classic cars will take (that will be shut down for everyone else).
If I had to give a graduation speech
With the end of another school year, I congratulate the graduates in high school, tech and trade schools, and universities. If you’re headed to a graduation, you’re likely to sit through a graduation speaker who goes too long.
I wouldn’t do that to you. My chat would be talking points in bullet points:
- The best hack is to marry the right person.
- Don’t just love people. Cherish them. There’s a big difference.
- Spend more time reading and learning than speaking and complaining.
- Make room to pay for regular therapy sessions alongside groceries and restaurants in your monthly budget.
- The best ideas come to you after you travel on vacations. Take many.
- Don’t just be a consumer. Become an owner.
- Discover what you are encoded to do. What gives you joy that doesn’t make you tired?
- Choose an infinite mindset. Don’t think short-term or long term.
- Quit more often. But only if you try more things instead.
- It’s usually always about money, so accept there is another Golden Rule: The people with the gold rule.
- If you don’t take the time to know for yourself, someone will be happy to tell you how to think.
- Become informed and vote.
- Call your parents (or text if it hurts too much to call) and just say something that matters, more often than you want to.
- Don’t learn to let it go. Learn to just let it be.
- Hard work always pays off. Sorry, no shortcuts.
The latest list: If you have friends in from out of town, take them here
Prossimo Ristorante: Tableside mozzarella and Alfredo for an unforgettable experience.
Oren: Incredible quality and brunch. Amazing French toast.
French Hen: Gorgeous elegant vibe and authentic French cuisine.
Noche: Elevated Mexican with agave bar and must have Esquites.
The Tavern: The best burger in town and fried chicken on Sundays.
The first month of the Collington Index is done. I appreciate all those who have subscribed and become donors to this effort: A movement toward truth and understanding in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There is no cavalry. It’s up to us.
All together now. jc
P.S. If you have someone graduating college who’s struggling to find the next step, career counseling is something I can help with. Learn more at jasoncollington.com.
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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