A bridge to somewhere
The American Institute of Steel Construction and National Steel Bridge Alliance just named Williams Crossing the 2026 Bridge of the Year.
I wasn’t sure where to note such an award in today’s Index until I was driving home from Mayor Monroe Nichols’ conversation Monday night with Justin Harlan, managing director of Experience Tulsa and Tulsa Remote, as well as an Index subscriber.
Recently, Tulsa Remote, which pays to entice remote workers to move to Tulsa, eclipsed 4,000 members since starting in 2018. Most of the audience at the Lowdown to listen to the mayor came to our city through the program.
The name of the event series is called Off The Record, which the mayor, with a smile, was nice enough to remind me from the stage after he saw me in the audience.
So I won’t talk about what was said, but let me share how I felt walking out of there afterward: Hopeful.
Tulsa isn’t like most places, we like to say. But it’s true. A lot of people who came here from other places have built things that made history. Whether that’s a music career or a business or a legacy of giving. In a city where the mayor is from Texas and the deputy mayor comes from New York, a city that grew after tribes moved here on the Trails of Tears, a city where Black Wall Street thrived, was wiped out and rose again, we know something about making a bridge to somewhere.
Despite all the noise and negativity, remember we can do amazing things. We always have. And we aren’t done yet.
Notable numbers
2,065
– About the number of days between the Gilcrease Museum closing (in 2021) and when it plans to open (March 2027). The $140 million transformation houses a $2 billion collection of 300,000 items. The Tulsa Flyer’s Tim Landes catches us up.
Zero
– The number of incentives given to a new data center planned near Chouteau in the Mid-American Industrial Park, according to a story by the Tulsa World’s Randy Krehbiel.
Quotable quotes
On AI alternatives
“If I could sign up for an AI not driven by profit-seeking tech bros, I would sign up.”
– Ben Peters during a presentation about artificial intelligence and journalism sponsored by the Tulsa Flyer. Peters is an associate professor at the University of Tulsa. He also recommended a book that talks about why he’s looking for an AI alternative: “Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It.” It details why so much tech gets to be increasingly frustrating over time.
No ICE at the fair
“Go to the fair. We run security at the fair. We don’t check immigration. We don’t check ID. We check for people carrying guns, bad stuff, all that, and that’s it.”
– Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado at a Greater Tulsa Area Hispanic/Latinx Affairs Commission meeting, according to Documenters Assignment Editor Sam Stockley at the Tulsa Flyer.
On planting a flag
“Many people also assume that a public university is the only way that you can be affordable and accessible. And for a really long time, private higher education and perhaps TU, too, gave them reason to believe that. But those days are over.”
– New University of Tulsa President Stacy Leeds during a Friends of Finance event on the campus covered by the Tulsa World’s Randy Krehbiel. Her comments came not too long after my interview of OSU President Jim Hess for the Tulsa Press Club, also covered by Krehbiel, who talked about his desire to meld his school’s Tulsa campus with Tulsa Community College to form a comprehensive public university.
On the OU quarterback
“John Mateer told us a week ago that he believes he was being challenged by the Lord. Mateer didn’t understand why the OU offense had gone so sour but realized that he was being tested. Mateer said the burden was off. It was in the Lord’s hands. Maybe so. I’m not here to question The Almighty. His ways are not our ways. Well, let’s back up — I do have a question.”
– Tulsa World Sports Columnist Berry Tramel about the OU quarterback situation after the Georgia debacle.
On the price of diesel
“It’s a disaster times 10.”
– Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Stacy Simunek about the price of diesel affecting farmers in a story by the Tulsa World’s Steve Metzer.
On the nuclear option
“The polling is showing people are more afraid of a data center right now than they are of a nuclear facility. So that’s kind of weird.”
– Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin when asked about Oklahomans who are resistant to nuclear power, according to the Tulsa World’s Randy Krehbiel.
On government
“ … if you all want to talk to them, I think I’ve got no less than three people in this building who can confirm that they saw and smelled the cup and it was urine. So let’s just establish that.”
– Oklahoma Speaker of the House Kyle Hilbert after the Oklahoma House Rules Committee censured Rep. Danny Williams for “disorderly behavior,” conflict-of-interest concerns and “substantiated allegations of sexual harassment,” in a story by NonDoc’s Editor in Chief Tres Savage.
Thank you to those who subscribed and donated after my anniversary message last week. I took time to reflect on what had changed for me in the last year. I came away grateful.
There is no cavalry. It’s up to us. All together now. jc
P.S. A couple of things to do if you are hunting …
Network Wednesday with those working locally in media, journalism, marketing, public relations and events: And get some coffee at a new venue downtown. Free but RSVP.
Visit Tulsa ‘coffee trail’ to support writing programs in Oklahoma women’s prisons and jails: At six coffee shops in Tulsa, portraits on the walls are showcasing women in Oklahoma’s prisons who are writers for Poetic Justice. The Tulsa Flyer’s Ginnie Graham writes that it’s an effort to bring attention to the nonprofit’s restorative writing programs operating behind bars. Happy to have Poetic Justice Executive Director Ellen Stackable as a Collington Index subscriber, whose office is next to mine at Leadership Tulsa.
Thursday is OETA Governor’s Debate – the first where the two final candidates will share the stage – between Mike Mazzei and Cyndi Munson who want to be your next governor. It will broadcast at 7 p.m. That happens on the same day President Trump is coming to Oklahoma for a Mazzei rally at the Choctaw Nation’s event center in Durant. The nation’s principal chief says the event is not an endorsement of Mazzei for governor. KOSU’s Graycen Wheeler, Thomas Pablo and Robby Korth have all the details.
See candidates on the ballot on stage in Tulsa. Candidates for Oklahoma governor, superintendent and attorney general will be on stage taking questions from local journalists Oct. 13 in an event sponsored by the University of Tulsa’s Office of Civic Engagement, Tulsa Press Club, Tulsa World, Oklahoma Watch and Tulsa Flyer.
This event is part of the “Candidate Conversations” series, inviting the public to hear from those appearing on the ballot in 2026. The event will be at the Lorton Performance Center on The University of Tulsa campus, 550 S. Gary Place. The forum will be broadcasted live on TUTV’s YouTube channel and social media.
5 to 6: p.m.: Candidates and groups connected to federal, state and municipal positions and questions on the ballot are invited to meet with the public at tables in the lobby of the Lorton Performance Center.
6 to 7:30 p.m.: Invited candidates will be on stage talking questions from journalists. They include:
Governor candidates: Mike Mazzei, Cyndi Munson
Superintendent candidates: Robert Franklin, Jennettie Marshall
Attorney General candidates: Jon Echols and Nick Coffey
This event is free and open to the public and does not require tickets but seating is limited. Free parking is available across from the center.
The Collington Index is a free weekly news summary written by Jason Collington that explains quickly what’s important and interesting, shared in weekly wraps, popular lists, conversations and cheat sheets. Skim or go deep. A movement toward truth and understanding in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Subscribe for free on Substack to get an email newsletter each Tuesday morning. See the archive at collingtonindex.com.
