Newswire: April 1, 2015

Spring storms reverse rally plans

For about 48 hours, Tulsa teachers were set to take a day off March 30 to attend the OKED Rally at the Capitol. Tulsa Public Schools’ Board of Education voted March 24 to use the district’s fifth and final snow day so employees could rally.

The next day, severe storms in the Tulsa area cut power to 10 Tulsa Public Schools sites and littered school grounds with debris. The district cancelled classes March 26, and officials reversed their earlier decision, which would have extended the spring semester to May 26—also known as the Tuesday after Memorial Day. 

“I strongly believe TPS students cannot afford to lose another day of instructional time, especially given today’s unexpected closure,” Superintendent Keith Ballard said.

Organized by the Oklahoma Education Coalition, the rally was the second such event in as many years aimed at lobbying state lawmakers to prioritize public education during budget negotiations. 

Tulsa Public Schools faces a shortage of more than 40 full-time teachers and a potential state aid cut next year due to a projected $611 million budget shortfall for fiscal year 2016. Rally organizers were also asking the state legislature to ease high-stakes testing requirements. 

With the abrupt about-face, each TPS site had the option to pick two or three employees to represent their school at the rally.

Trader Joe’s comes to the Restless Ribbon

Ending months of speculation, Trader Joe’s announced its future Brookside location on March 6. Demolition to clear the way for the company’s first Oklahoma store began March 25. The 9,500 square foot store will be on Peoria Avenue between 37th Street and 37th Place. The privately held chain of specialty grocery stores has more than 400 stores nationwide. 

Among the businesses displaced by the project is Brookside Body Works, which relocated a few blocks north to 31st Street. Sasha Malchi Home moved to 35th Place and Peoria, and Lockers Salon moved to 51st and Harvard. 

Another crack at Vision 2025

On March 24, Mayor Dewey Bartlett and representatives from several Tulsa County communities announced their plan to renew the Vision 2025 sales tax. 

The proposed extension would allow each Tulsa County community to create its own Vision-funded list of projects, determine the cost and, if passed, oversee tits execution. In Tulsa, residents will continue the discussion on funding Arkansas River development, public safety and other priorities. 

Among the projects financed by the original Vision 2025 tax are the BOK Center, which received $188.8 million and Morton Health Care, which received $14 million for a new clinic and other updates.

Bartlett and other officials intend for all participating communities vote on the same day this fall. Tulsa County voters approved the original Vision 2025 sales tax in September 2003, providing $880 million in funding for four propositions. The tax is set to expire in late 2016. A proposed extension put before the voters in November 2012 failed in part due to concerns that it was rushed, vague and sloppy. 

Creeks eye recall petition

George Tiger, the principal chief of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation is the subject of a recall petition making the rounds in northeastern Oklahoma. 

The petition stems in part from a Tulsa World article outlining Tiger’s involvement in an attempt by a developer and the Wetumka-based Kialegee Tribal Town to open a casino in Broken Arrow.

Petition organizers have up to 60 days to collect at least 3,300 registered voters’ signatures. The tribe’s constitution requires at least 20 percent of all Creek voters to sign off before the petition can go before the Creek Nation National Council, which would vote on a removal trial. The council has issued a resolution of no confidence in the Tiger administration and has publicly asked him twice to resign. 

Tiger has denied illegal or inappropriate behavior. He is up for re-election this fall. Along with the southern suburbs, the tribe’s jurisdiction includes Tulsa south of Admiral.