Two Public Meetings Next Week Are Opportunities To Discuss New Turnpike Plans
The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority is hosting two public meetings next week on the future south extension turnpike.
The agency wants input from residents, property owners and businesses on where the turnpike might be located.
The OTA moved the proposed route west of a previous alignment near Lake Thunderbird.
A final decision on the new alignment is expected by this fall.
The first meeting takes place 5-7 p.m. Monday (May 19) at the Countdown Event Center in Norman.
The second meeting takes place 5-7 p.m. Wednesday (May 21) at the Purcell Multi-purpose Center in Purcell.
The future south extension turnpike will connect the east-west connector with I-35 to the south.
OTA says the new turnpikes are needed to alleviate growing traffic congestion along I-35 in the Oklahoma City metro.
Oklahoma’s Online DOGE Portal Submission Offer More Criticism Than Ideas
The OK DOGE online portal was launched three months ago to get ideas on how to make state government more cost-effective.
Gov. Kevin Stitt announced the initiative during his State of the State Address. It is modeled after President Donald Trump’s federal Department of Government Efficiency.
A new analysis from nonprofit media outlet Oklahoma Voice reviewed at ninety responses the portal has received.
Reporter Emma Murphy said the majority of them antagonized the state’s elected officials.
“Half of the submissions, though, were trolling Republican leadership, specifically the governor and State Superintendent Ryan Walters, criticizing them, saying we should fire them, replace them and that the state of Oklahoma would be more efficient without them,” Murphy said.
Some submissions appeared to take the portal more seriously.
Respondents suggested several ideas, including cutting public relations contracts and using AI to fulfill public records requests.
Parts of Oklahoma City Are Slowly Sinking
A new study found much of Oklahoma City's land surface has sunk over the past decade.
It's not a very dramatic change, but parts of the city sank up to 6 millimeters a year between 2015 and 2021.
The most significant shifts happened on the east side, which sits over the Garber-Wellington Aquifer.
In fact, large cities all over the country are sinking, according to a new study in the research journal Nature Cities this month. The authors attribute much of it to the extraction of groundwater.
Over time, the sinking can increase flooding risks and harm infrastructure, although the study rates the risk to OKC’s infrastructure as low to medium.
The researchers hope communities will apply the new data to develop land use plans and improve infrastructure resilience.
Nonprofit Offers To Fund Equipment, Activities For Those With Differing Abilities
A new Oklahoma nonprofit is providing grants for equipment, activities and experiences to individuals with differing abilities.
The Sam the I Can Man Foundation was inspired by Sam, a young adult who had significant disabilities because of a rare condition that targets the brain’s white matter.
Amy Weyrich, Sam’s mother and the foundation’s vice president, said Sam wasn’t scared of anything. He did everything from horseback riding to art classes before he died in June.
Weyrich said she wants the foundation to help other families have similar experiences.
Those can range from funding an adaptive skiing experience to equipment like an adaptive swim device.
“Nothing in the adaptive world is cheap - mainly because they're customized a lot of time,” Weyrich said.
The application is open through May. Any individuals with differing abilities are eligible to receive support.
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