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OU President David Boren announces retirement
NORMAN — University of Oklahoma President David Boren thanked a packed house Wednesday for the "most satisfying experience in my entire life," but said the time has come to pass the baton to a new president.
At a news conference in Holmberg Hall, that at times drew deafening cheers, Boren announced he will retire effective June 30, contingent on the selection of a permanent successor "so there will be no gap in the university's leadership and no pause in our forward momentum.
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Live coverage: OU president David Boren's announcement
University of Oklahoma President David Boren has scheduled a news conference today to "make an important announcement about the university's future.
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University of Oklahoma interested in new arena project on Interstate-35
By Brianna Bailey Staff Writer
Norman — The University of Oklahoma is highly interested in moving OU basketball games to a proposed new arena near Interstate 35.
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Could OU leave Lloyd Noble Center for an off-campus arena?
By Berry Tramel, Staff Writer, btramel@oklahoman.com
NORMAN — The University of Oklahoma would at least consider moving its home basketball games to a proposed new arena in far north Norman, an OU source said Tuesday.
A 10,000-seat arena was part of a massive development project proposed that Tuesday was approved by the University North Park development oversight committee.
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Murder trial witnesses describe brutal beheading at food plant
By Nolan Clay Staff Writer nclay@oklahoman.com
NORMAN — The witnesses to a beheading at a Moore food plant described Friday how a suspended worker surprised his victim from behind and kept sawing at her neck with a butcher knife despite attempts to stop him.
Their testimony came at the murder trial for Alton Alexander Nolen, 33, who never reacted and kept his fingers in his ears all day.
"I was looking at something horrific, something that people shouldn't have to see, pretty much powerless to do anything about it," the first witness, Gary Hazelrigg, told jurors Friday.
Nolen attacked customer services representative Colleen Hufford because he mistook her for another woman who had accidentally bumped into him days before, prosecutors allege.
Hufford, 54, died on Sept.
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Moore Lions' homecoming week ends with victory
Homecoming was a time of celebration for students and fans of Moore High School.
After the pageantry of homecoming week, the cheers and the action on the field, the Moore Lions came out victorious 35-27 over the Norman Tigers.
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OKC's Five Best German Restaurants
The Oklahoman's annual Readers' Choice winners are in. Here are the top five German restaurants in OKC — chosen by you!
To see the entire special section with all the winners from every category and Q&A articles with OKC’s best, visit the 2017 Readers’ Choice Awards.
[pagebreak] Das Boot CampDas Boot Camp has become a popular spot in downtown Norman since opening in 2012.
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Renowned Artist Kiki Smith to present at OU art museum
NORMAN — "An Afternoon with Kiki Smith" will be presented at 3 p.m. Friday at the Fred Jones Jr.
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LIVE: Oklahoma beheading trial underway
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Testimony at Moore beheading trial to begin
By Nolan Clay Staff Writer nclay@oklahoman.com
NORMAN — A jury was told Thursday that murder defendant Alton Alexander Nolen beheaded a co-worker in 2014 at a Moore food plant because of delusional religious beliefs.
"He believed it 100 percent that what he was doing was right," attorney Shea Smith said in the defense's opening statement to jurors.
Nolen's three court-appointed defense attorneys are asking jurors to find him not guilty by reason of insanity.
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Norman man killed in fiery wreck Thursday near Tuttle
From Staff Reports
TUTTLE — A 27-year-old Norman man was killed in a wreck Thursday morning along the H.E. Bailey Turnpike, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported.
About 7:55 a.m., Freedom K. Kinnaman, was driving a tractor-trailer west on the H.E. Bailey Spur, about 4 miles south of Tuttle.
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Norman ushers in new film festival
By Whitney Bryen For The Oklahoman
NORMAN — A new film festival is coming to Norman this month aimed at boosting opportunities for students and professionals in Oklahoma's entertainment industry.
The Norman Film Festival kicks off its Year One event Saturday, with 16 featured films and more than 50 short films and music videos playing at four venues across the city.
Norman already is home to a Native American film festival and student film festival, but festival Director Chase Spivey hopes a general purpose festival will highlight the city's talent and attract professionals who could bring film projects to Oklahoma.
“As someone who makes music videos and films myself, I hear from friends all the time that you have to move away from Oklahoma and from Norman to get work or make it in this industry,” Spivey said.
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Update: All clear given at University of Oklahoma apartments
From Staff Reports
NORMAN — University of Oklahoma officials gave the all clear Thursday afternoon at an apartment complex where possible explosive devices were reported.
OU police warned residents to stay clear of the Kraettli Apartments near Reeves Park after possible explosive devices were found Thursday.
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Farm life not just for farm kids
By Annette Price For The Oklahoman
Meet a special brand of Oklahoma-centric curriculum — it's a little bit country, a little bit rock 'n' roll.
As teachers trailed out of a workshop at Moore-Norman Technology Center, where they learned to extract DNA from fruit with coffee filters and Ziploc bags, a recording of The Beatles filled the room with “Strawberry Fields Forever.”
“I'm really excited to start using this," said Heather Ozbun, Foyil Elementary first-grade teacher.
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Norman store's glass pipes may be sold to people seeking 'little piece of history'
By Brianna Bailey Staff Writer bbailey@oklahoman.com
The owner of a Norman business who has been fighting for the return of hundreds of glass pipes seized by police said he hopes eventually to sell them as commemorative items.
On Monday, the Oklahoma Supreme Court denied a request by the Cleveland County District Attorney's office to order a lower court judge to rule on whether the glass pipes are drug paraphernalia.
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Norman is on tap to become destination for craft brewers
By Whitney Bryen For The Oklahoman
Liquid gold flows from the taps in a south Norman warehouse where customers line up for a fresh pint of Nite Lite blonde or the Cruel Summer India pale ale.
405 Brewing Co.
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Audit finds Cleveland County sheriff's employees driving uninsured vehicles
By Randy Ellis Staff Writer rellis@oklahoman.com
NORMAN — Widespread financial mismanagement within the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office has created cash flow problems and resulted in employees driving 48 vehicles that were not insured, a state audit has found.
Sheriff Joe Lester sued Cleveland County commissioners in March, accusing them of violating state law by failing to fully fund detention center operations.
However, many of the sheriff's funding problems appear to be self-inflicted, according to an audit released Monday by State Auditor and Inspector Gary Jones.
From September 2016 through March 2017, the sheriff's office failed to timely bill the Oklahoma Department of Corrections for $243,837 that the county was owed for housing state prisoners, auditors said.
The failure to bill by the sheriff's office came at a time when Lester was complaining to commissioners that they were not giving him adequate funding.
"The Board of County Commissioners has grave concerns regarding the truthfulness of representations made by Sheriff Lester that are reflected in the minutes of the County Budget Board meetings for March 13 and March 20," Board Chairman Darry Stacy said in behalf of the board in a management response that was included with the audit.
The audit has revealed that Lester made "demonstrably false" representations to the board regarding billing and receivables from entities such as the Corrections Department and city of Norman, Stacy wrote in the audit response.
The sheriff's office later billed the state and received payment in April.
"We'll be discussing options with the district attorney's office," Stacy said Monday, adding that the audit "speaks for itself.
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Oklahoma Supreme Court rules in favor of Friendly Market
The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Monday ruled in favor of a Norman business that has been fighting for the return of hundreds of glass pipes police seized from the store.
A copy of the ruling was not immediately available late Monday, but online court records show the decision was unanimous.
Robert Cox, owner of The Friendly Market, has been trying to get police to return hundreds of glass pipes and other store inventory valued at $15,000 seized during two raids in 2015.
The store was forced to close after the raids.
Cox has said he hopes to eventually resume sales and reopen the business.
A Cleveland County jury acquitted Cox on drug-related charges in connection with his ownership of The Friendly Market earlier this year.
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Teen excels nationally in chemistry but still makes time for friends, basketball
By Steve Gust For The Oklahoman
Aniket Dehadrai, 17, looks for more academic frontiers to conquer after a junior prep year, which saw him experience scholastic excellence in chemistry.
The Norman resident is now a senior at Oklahoma City's Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics, established by the state for academically gifted students.
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Fans fill the stands for Mustang, Norman game
The Tigers and Broncos had enthusiastic fan support Friday when the Norman and Mustang football teams took the field.
The Broncos ran away with the win in a 48-14 finish.
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