How Curious

This is the Manager’s Minute.

We have staff changes to tell you about involving KGOU and StateImpact Oklahoma.

We recently added Robby Korth to the StateImpact team, as education reporter. Robby grew up in Ardmore and Fayetteville, Arkansas and received his journalism degree from the University of Nebraska. For the last four years he’s covered higher education for The Roanoke Times in Blacksburg, Virginia, home of Virginia Tech University.

When Caleb Germany was in high school in Oklahoma City, he and some friends drove to Guthrie one night to see an abandoned building rumored to be a haunted orphanage. Germany asked How Curious: What’s the history of the building? Is it actually haunted?

Why is there a Putnam City school district in Oklahoma but no Putnam City?

KGOU listener John Potts noticed every auto dealership in the state is closed on Sunday, so he asked How Curious for an explanation. It turns out that Oklahoma is one of several states that forbids motor vehicle sales on Sundays.

A mysterious ball of light seems to appear and disappear on a road in far northeast Oklahoma. One listener who witnessed the so-called “spooklight” asked: Where is it coming from?

Aviator Wiley Post gained global fame in the 1930s. He was known for smashing around-the-world flight records, but did he also spend time in an Oklahoma prison for a felony?

In 1893, an anonymous reporter from Kansas wrote about a town in northern Oklahoma  comprised entirely of women. But when he tried to go back to the site one week later, it was gone. Was this town real?

On a special stretch of road near Springer, Oklahoma, it feels like gravity doesn’t quite work--  when you shift a car into neutral gear, you feel like the car is rolling backwards up the hill. KGOU listener Vicki Weiss asked How Curious: Does this spot really defy gravity?

KGOU listener Gabe Denton remembers seeing horny toads all the time when he was growing up in Choctaw, but he hasn’t seen one in decades. Denton asked How Curious: What happened?

This is the Manager’s Minute.

September is a big month for special programming on KGOU. Our series of documentaries on education will conclude during the Sunday Radio Matinee this weekend. The final installment will be At a Loss for Words: What’s Wrong with How Schools Teach Reading.

A new four-part series on the technologies that watch us begins at noon on September 15th and runs through October 6th on the Sunday Radio Matinee.

Listener Daniel Humphrey heard Oklahoma City’s drag performances used to be famous nationwide and that celebrities like Frank Sinatra and Johnny Carson visited the city to see shows. So he asked How Curious: Was Oklahoma home to one of the country’s most renowned drag scenes?

KGOU listener Adam Cotton heard the famous “talking” horse’s final resting place is in the Sooner State. He asked How Curious: Is that true?

George Bogaski is trying to walk the entire perimeter of Oklahoma, about 1,450 miles. Bogaski estimates he’s hiked about 25 percent of the total distance, and he has a tradition of smoking a cigar at each of the state’s corners. He’s lit up at all of the others--but could not find the state’s southwest corner. He asked How Curious: Where is the corner? Is there a marker?

Western author Louis L’Amour is said to have lived in Choctaw, Oklahoma during the 1930s and 1940s. One listener wanted to know if the rumor is true, and, if so, where exactly was his home?

The Green Book was a guide for African Americans traveling during segregation. It listed businesses that did not discriminate on the basis of race. KGOU listener Luciana Simmons asked How Curious: Where were Oklahoma’s Green Book entries? Do they still exist?

This is the Manager’s Minute.

KGOU’s popular How Curious podcast returned this week for a new season of interesting stories about our state, its history and culture. Claire Donnelly produces How Curious and you can catch the new segments over the next several weeks, and on demand on Apple Podcast and Spotify.

The media world is constantly changing, and How Curious is another way KGOU is evolving to better serve our audience – YOU.

KGOU listener Nick Jungman  heard a rumor that an old agreement between business owners is keeping the Oklahoma-based QuikTrip out of the state’s capital city. He asked How Curious: Is this story true?

Oklahoma has more than 500 school districts--up to three times more than some states with similar student populations. KGOU listener Beverly Funderburk emailed How Curious and asked: “How did Oklahoma end up with so many districts?”

Byron’s Liquor Warehouse in Oklahoma City has been around since the state legalized alcohol in 1959. Listener Adam Hicks heard the store had a machine gun turret on its roof in its early days. Hicks asked How Curious: Is this true? And if so, why did the business need a gun?

When John Hiller moved to Oklahoma City, he noticed a lot of businesses near May Avenue and 63rd Street have “lakeside” or “lakeview” in their names. His friend told him it was because developers thought Lake Hefner’s shore would be closer to that area. Hiller asked How Curious: Is Lake Hefner in the wrong place?