New NBA Arena Poll
A poll from Emerson College shows proponents for a new NBA Arena in downtown Oklahoma City have their work cut out for them when it comes to public opinion.
Emerson pollsters asked people from across the state and in OKC their thoughts on a tax increase to pay for a new arena.
More than half of those surveyed in Oklahoma City were against the idea, while just shy of a quarter either didn’t have an opinion or supported it.
Regardless, voters will decide in a December special election whether or not to fund the arena.
The proposal costs about $900 million dollars and the vast majority of that will be paid for with taxpayer money.
Advocates for the new arena say it’s a critical piece to retaining the Oklahoma City Thunder for years to come.
TPS Postpones THA Contract Again
Tulsa Public Schools has once again held off renewing a contract with a charter school amid accusations of racism.
The Board of Education decided once more to postpone a vote to renew Tulsa Honor Academy's contract with the district.
TPS first postponed the contract renewal earlier in October, when board member Diamond Marshall said she was told of racist behavior creating an unsafe environment at the school.
Elsie Urueta Pollock, founder and CEO of THA, confirmed there were incidents of racism within the middle school at the academy’s Lakewood Avenue campus.
“Early spring semester of last year there were some incidences [sic] that occurred and once it came up to my level, we took it very seriously," Urueta Pollock said.
She says the school canceled classes for two days in response to the incidents.
The school board will now have to schedule a special meeting before the end of the month to focus on THA's contract.
Legislative Leaders Get A Pay Increase
Legislative leaders at the State Capitol are getting a pay hike.
According to the Tulsa World, the Legislative Compensation Board voted to give lawmakers in leadership posts a 5% raise, but not any others in the legislature.
The base salary for lawmakers is $47,500, but they get more than $70,000 when including benefits.
The pay raise brings leadership bonuses up to just under $13,000 effective November of next year.
OKC Clean Sweep Program
Oklahoma City’s Clean Sweep volunteers keep trash out of the city’s waterways and stormwater systems.
Volunteers and city employees recently gathered to clean debris out of a retention pond at Oliver Park in South OKC. They picked up plenty of bottles, wrappers and styrofoam to-go containers, but that’s not all they found.
"Is that a couch?," said one volunteer. "I think that’s a couch!"
"Oh no! Well, we found its cushion," said another volunteer.
By noon, the group dragged more than a thousand pounds of trash out of the pond and surrounding floodway — including the couch, its cushion and 45 full garbage bags. The next time the city sees heavy rains, those items won’t be churned up and carried downstream.
This event was part of OKC’s Clean Sweep program, which meets monthly to declutter the city’s waterways. And they’re always looking for volunteers.
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