Local News
Community
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Hot air balloon, carnival set for kids
EDMOND — The Edmond Kiwanis Club will present a hot-air balloon event and kid's carnival from 4 p.m.
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Community
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Library offers reading event
NORMAN — Norman Public Library West will hold a summer reading event, “Build a Better World with KEVA Planks” at 2 p.m.
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Norman says it will not return glass pipes, even after criminal charges dropped
By Brianna Bailey Staff Writer bbailey@oklahoman.com
NORMAN — City officials say they won't return glass pipes and other items police seized from a now-closed store suspected of selling drug paraphernalia, even though all criminal charges have been dismissed.
City Councilman Stephen Holman, 32, former manager of The Friendly Market, said he expected the items to be returned.
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Youth Leadership Oklahoma Class 17 gaduates announced
From Staff Reports
Forty-nine high school seniors from across the state graduated from Youth Leadership Oklahoma's Class 17 on June 9 at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City.
Classes are chosen every year through a competitive process based on leadership and geographic, ethnic and cultural diversity.
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Norman firefighters battle church blaze
From Staff Reports
NORMAN — A building was on fire Thursday afternoon at Southern Oklahoma Chinese Baptist Church at 625 E Frank St.
At least one building of the church complex and a playground were engulfed in flames.
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Community
Waterline work closes street
NORMAN — Chautauqua Avenue from Lindsey Street to Hoover Street is closed for installation of a waterline.
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Tractor-trailer crash on I-35 in Norman snarling Thursday commute
FROM STAFF REPORTS
NORMAN - A traffic tie-up in the northbound lanes of Interstate 35 at Tecumseh Road Thursday is affecting the morning commute.
A tractor-trailer crashed, and traffic is backed up while crews clear the scene.
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Norman Notes
BY JANE GLENN CANNON Staff Writer jcannon@oklahoman.com
Fire department scores new truck
The Norman Fire Department has a new truck.
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Achievers
From Staff Reports
Brady Bell, a recent graduate and member of the National Honor Society at Norman North High School, is one of 400 national semifinalists in the NHS scholarship program.
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Achievers
NORMAN — Angela Curtis has graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. She received a bachelor of science degree and was commissioned as a second lieutenant.
The academy is a four-year military institution that develops and inspires new air and space leaders with a vision for the future.
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Cleveland County commissioners hear report on inmate trust fund
BY JANE GLENN CANNON Staff Writer jcannon@oklahoman.com
NORMAN — The Cleveland County inmate trust fund, which came under scrutiny earlier this year because of a deficiency, is close to being reconciled, according to the state auditor's office.
Some problems, however, remain unresolved with the account, Marla Latham told county commissioners Monday.
The sheriff's office has until June 30 to clear up any discrepancies before a new fiscal year begins, the representative from the auditor's office said.
The account was reported to be more than $20,000 short earlier this year.
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John Calvin Abney to perform Sunday in Norman
FROM STAFF REPORTS
NORMAN — Oklahoma-based songwriter John Calvin Abney and his band will perform at 7:30 p.m. Sunday in Lions Park at Symmes Street and Flood Avenue.
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Rash of vehicle burglaries reported in Norman, Oklahoma
FROM STAFF REPORTS
NORMAN - Police are warning residents to be sure to lock up their cars following a recent rash of vehicle burglaries.
According to police, there have been several reports of burglaries of unlocked vehicles in neighborhoods on the east side of Norman.
"Unfortunately, in the majority of these instances, it only took a pull of the door handle for the suspect to gain access to the belongings left inside the vehicle," according to a Norman police Facebook post.
Residents are urged to avoid leaving anything valuable in a vehicle and lock them.
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Community
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Libraries offer science events
NORMAN — The city's libraries will host several upcoming Science Museum Oklahoma events.
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Community
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Gardening classes offered
NORMAN — The Cleveland County Extension office is accepting registrations for the 2017 Master Gardener program.
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Jazz lovers converge for festival in Norman
FROM STAFF REPORTS
NORMAN — Jazz enthusiasts from around the state converged in Norman last weekend for the three-day 34th annual Jazz in June festival.
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9 OU students receive Fulbright Grants for studies abroad
From Staff Reports
NORMAN — Nine University of Oklahoma students have been named recipients of Fulbright Grants for academic year 2017-18.
The Fulbright Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, provides students with a one-year grant for study and research projects or to teach English in more than 150 countries.
The grants are awarded on the basis of academic excellence, achievement and leadership potential, said Bushra Asif, the Fulbright Programs Coordinator in the OU College of International Studies.
•Hannah Kristen Baird, of Overland Park, Kansas, will be an English teaching assistant in Mexico.
•Kate Bergum, of Superior, Wisconsin, will be an English teaching assistant in Macedonia.
•Joseph Brown, of Kansas City, Missouri, is conducting research in the Philippines on the conservation and ecology of the critically endangered Philippine crocodile.
•Laura Catherine Burns, of Edmond, will be an English teaching assistant in Germany.
•Molly Catherine Hackett, of Denver, Colorado, will pursue a master's degree in European studies at the University of Leuven in Belgium.
•Rosemary Mahaffey, of Norman, will be an English teaching assistant in Germany.
•Hailey Nicole Powell, of Durant, will be an English teaching assistant as part of the Roma Student Initiative in Hungary.
•Cody Williams, of Norman, will spend his Fulbright year in Porto Alegre and Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, where he will conduct research on the politics and ethics surrounding accidents and litigation in the coal mining and textile industries.
•Jordan Woodward, of Tulsa, will conduct a series of digital storytelling workshops with women in New Delhi and Varanasi, India, regarding their socio-cultural, religious and domestic relationships to and interactions with the Ganges and Yamuna rivers.
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Emergency workers train in Norman for disaster response
FROM STAFF REPORTS
NORMAN — Law enforcement officers, fire officials and medical workers in Cleveland County recently practiced how to handle a local disaster, should it occur.
The disaster preparedness exercise at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds last Wednesday focused on a fictional scenario that involved a chemical spill and a potentially explosive device.
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Community
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Actors to perform at libraries
NORMAN — Actors from Cimarron Opera will visit the libraries of the Pioneer Library System as part of the summer reading program.
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History comes alive with Ben Franklin portrayal
From Staff Reports
Visitors to the Southwest Oklahoma City Library were recently greeted by one of the nation's founding fathers.
Ben Franklin, portrayed by Stephen Smith, spoke of his youth as an apprentice and printer, the Revolutionary War and the early years of the U.S. during the performance made possible by the Oklahoma Humanities Council.
Franklin will be appearing at various Pioneer Library System libraries during July.
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