Municipal Messenger

Shelli Selby had an advertisement hanging on the fence of her Yukon home when she was told it was a violation of city codes. It was one of a few issues she had with city hall.

“I would complain a lot about different things,” Selby said with a laugh. “But one day I decided I need to stop being a complainer and be part of the solution. I wanted to give back to my community because I love Yukon, I decided the run and give back.”

Like restaurants and retail stores, libraries have had to significantly adjust their operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. But many libraries across Oklahoma have found ways to adapt and creatively offer their services even as many facilities remain closed to the public or limit the number of guests.

Oklahoma is very fortunate to have many non-profit organizations and foundations that are always very generous to help meet various needs within our communities. Often times, these non-profits step in to assist community groups that would otherwise be unable to fund important projects and services for the citizens within their communities. OML is very proud to feature these generous organizations as they are making a big difference across our State. Today, we are honoring the Noble Foundation.

Christmas in Oklahoma can be traced back to the 1800’s when people started to leave the sanctuary of their eastern homes to settle in the remote territory of Indian Territory (I.T.). Like many of the people who migrated to the American West, pioneers who settled in I.T. brought with them cultural traditions long practiced in the communities they left behind. But, by its nature, the frontier environment they found often altered many ways in which these pioneers celebrated Christmas. These new frontier residents most often came together to celebrate their first Christmases by sharing traditions and inventing new practices, which created many of the same Christmas customs we enjoy in Oklahoma today.

For seven years, dozens of Oklahoma towns and neighborhoods have taken advantage of the Oklahoma Arts Council’s Cultural District Development program, which has helped spark new life in historic downtowns or Main Street across the state.

A former fire chief turned city manager, JD Spohn has led the city of Ardmore since 2009, and since then has helped lead the southern Oklahoma city through an era of economic development and reinvestment in its historic downtown.

It had long been the dream of city leaders and residents of Wagoner to return a piece of prominent history back to the downtown area for all to enjoy. Recently, this dream became a reality when officials were able to move the MKT (Katy) depot, built in 1896, along with a caboose and passenger car back to the original area where it served the community and travelers for decades.

Blockbuster films such as “Twister,” “The Grapes of Wrath,” “August: Osage County” and “Rain Man” have been filmed in Oklahoma, bringing stars like Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep to towns across the state.

Like most Oklahoma mayors, the coronavirus pandemic presented Ada Mayor Tre’ Landrum with a challenge unlike anything he had ever experienced. But his training as a medical doctor also provided him with a unique perspective that he leaned on when making decisions about how his city would respond to the deadly virus.

Oklahoma’s three active U.S. Air Force bases play an important role in training pilots and servicing sophisticated aircraft. But each base also has a special relationship with its home city, which relies on the installations for jobs, development and civic pride.