Tulsa charities that serve the needy say it’s not too late to help make up for lower than usual holiday donations. Photo courtesy NewsOn6

Donations for some Tulsa nonprofits that serve the needy were down leading up to Christmas but there’s still time to help.

Various factors — including recent cold weather, the energy sector and even technology — have caused some Tulsa nonprofits to struggle.

With more than 100 ‘Red Kettle’ donation locations in the area, The Salvation Army was in danger of falling short of its $800,000 goal. As of Thursday, the Salvation Army had raised $534,882.

DJ Morrow, development director of The Salvation Army, said more people will need help paying January’s electric bills because December had spurts of brutal cold weather in addition to unseasonably warm temperatures on Christmas.

The Salvation Army’s ‘Red Kettle Program’ uses monetary donations to support families and the homeless year round. Part of the contributions also fund a Utilities Assistance Program, which supports individuals struggling to pay for gas and electric bills during the cold months.

Morrow said she believes technology is to blame for the donation shortage this holiday season.

“This is a trend we are seeing nationwide,” Morrow said. “We all used to have money and pocket change while shopping, but so many people don’t necessarily anymore.”

The Salvation Army uses a combination of paid and volunteer bell ringers to promote the Red Kettle Bell program. The cold snap earlier this month made it difficult to get volunteers to stand out in the cold and complete a shift.

Though technology is hurting The Salvation Army’s on-site funding, online donations are higher than usual.

Other organizations that provide assistance to the poor, especially during the holidays, are also seeing lower numbers during December.

Eileen Bradshaw, executive director of the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, said financial pressures in the energy sector means many Oklahomans have less to donate during the holidays.

“We still have donors that are supporting us and we are grateful, but because of energy we have donors saying, ‘We want to help, we just can’t match or do what we were able to do last year or before.’

“So we are hoping to find new donors during this period,” Bradshaw said.

Local nonprofit organizations use donations to feed, house and support the homeless and individuals in need year round, but especially throughout the holiday season.

“Tulsans are always generous and this year has been a difficult year,” said Steve Whitaker, executive officer for the John 3:16 Mission. “November was strong, but December has been slow and we understand people are struggling, but we can always use monetary donations.”

With monetary donations, the John 3:16 Mission is able to continue to provide a meal, bed and shower for an individual at the low cost of $2.11.

Through December 31, the Food Bank is taking monetary gifts for the “Fill Your Plate Challenge.” All donations will be matched by the George Kaiser Foundation, allowing $1 donations to provide eight meals.

However, if individuals can’t donate money there are other ways to lend a hand and support charitable causes. Whitaker asks citizens to clean out closets and donate clothes.

“We always need blankets and clothes and if they are able to buy and supply unused socks and underwear, which is a shortage during the winter months, that is also helpful,” Whitaker said.

The Iron Gate feeding program asks people to donate and drop off used plastic or paper bags if they can’t donate money to the organization, which provides meals and groceries to the poor.

“Iron Gate uses about 800 bags a week in their grocery pantry,” Hoey said.

Donating used grocery bags helps the organization spend more money on other materials such as food. Members of the community can drop off used bags at Iron Gate, 501 S. Cincinnati Ave,, or at Trinity Episcopal church in the drop off location.

Though nonprofit organizations in the Tulsa area are grateful for monetary or tangible donations, Bradshaw said one other good way to support nonprofits is participating in conversations about federal funding programs, such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Women, Infants and Children (WIC) and the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act.

The post Some Tulsa charities see donation decline but it’s not too late to help appeared first on The Frontier.

Thursday marks my last day interning with The Frontier.

When I began at The Frontier in late May, I honestly did not know what to expect: It was less than 30 days after they had announced the company’s launch. When I told my peers where I was working this summer they would reply: “The what?” Or: “With who?”

Unlike many other journalism students attending DePauw University, I was not going to be working for a major metro paper or news organization. Instead, I was going to be working for a brand-new digital media website based in Tulsa.

It was difficult returning to the city and catching up with local news after finishing my sophomore semester. However, not many DePauw summer interns can say they worked closely, or even a desk length away from award winning journalists, including two Pulitzer Prize finalists – Cary Aspinwall and Ziva Branstetter. Even though I did not experience the atmosphere of a traditional newsroom this summer, I did learn a lot about the business behind publishing and competing with other news sources.

During my time at The Frontier, I wasn’t “just the intern.” OK, maybe occasionally I was simply “the intern” to my deskmate, Dylan Goforth. However, I introduced him to Nutella — so I basically changed his life for the better.

Every day on the job I was always treated with the utmost respect. Even on his busiest days, senior staff writer Kevin Canfield, would always ask how I was doing and how things were going.

Throughout the summer, I sat in on storyboard and web design meetings where my opinion was never overlooked. I was given the opportunity to write my own clips and work closely with The Frontier team. Although every internship comes with grunt work, I did a lot more than create multiple Excel spreadsheets. I was given several outstanding opportunities: being featured on a podcast, traveling to the state Capitol where I met Sister Helen Prejean and even witnessing the beginning of a grand jury trial.

I want to thank The Frontier staff and Publisher, Bobby Lorton, for having me join their team this summer. How cool is it that I get to say I was The Frontier’s first intern? Pretty sweet. I not only witnessed the new digital media site launch, but I helped make it happen.

I also want to thank the Kilgore Scholarship Fund. Without the help of the Kilgore scholarship and my academic advisors, I would not have been able to make this opportunity possible. The Kilgore scholarship helps fund internships for aspiring journalism students attending DePauw University.

Although I am sad to leave The Frontier, I am excited to head back to DePauw and get into my fall semester groove. I am ecstatic to take the knowledge and experience I have gained from interning at The Frontier back to The DePauw newsroom.

The post A thank you note from our first intern appeared first on The Frontier.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Supporters of Richard Glossip threw a Hail Mary pass Monday, in an attempt to spare him from his September execution date.

The Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty held a press conference where a group of dignitaries, attorneys and religious authorities pleaded multiple arguments for why they believe the convicted murderer’s life should be spared: Some argued he is innocent, others said his sentence outweighed his crimes.

Sister Helen Prejean, the nun and anti-death penalty activist known for the book and movie “Dead Man Walking,” appeared on Glossip’s behalf, saying he’s “the sweetest person I have ever met. He has found a way to live in peace where he is.”

Glossip was convicted in 1997 of first-degree murder for the beating of Barry Alan Van Treese at the Best Budget Inn in Oklahoma City. Glossip has maintained his innocence for more than 17 years, denying prosecutors’ assertions that he plotted the murder that Justin Sneed carried out when he beat Van Treese with a baseball bat.

Glossip was also the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, with a group of Oklahoma inmates challenging the state’s use of the sedative midazolam in executions. Their lawsuit argued the drug could cause pain or suffering and violate the Eighth Amendment. The drug was first used by Oklahoma in the botched 2014 execution of Clayton Lockett.

On June 29, the Supreme Court upheld Oklahoma’s three-drug lethal injection protocol using midazolam. After this decision, Oklahoma’s Attorney General Scott Pruitt requested that Glossip’s execution date be set for Sept. 16.

At Monday’s press conference, attorney Donald Knight and Prejean advocated for Glossip’s innocence and made it clear that they would be doing everything in their power to continue forms of investigation.

“As I looked into the case, chills rolled down my spine,” Knight said.

Knight made a plea for Glossip’s innocence and claimed that the criminal case was “deeply flawed” and one of the “weakest” death penalty cases he has seen. He said he plans to continue to investigate Glossip’s case.

Knight reminded the media that Glossip was not convicted of committing any crimes prior to landing on death row. The death penalty should only be reserved for “the worst of the worst” cases, he said. Glossip is not in this category, he said.

Knight insinuated that there were other “unsavory” people staying at the Best Budget Inn who could have been involved in Van Treese’s killing. Glossip’s conviction is the results of mistakes and flaws or our capital punishment system, he said.

The Rev. Adam Leathers, a spokesman for the coalition, was scheduled to speak Monday, but former Oklahoma Sen. Connie Johnson, a chairwoman for the group, said Leathers couldn’t attend because he is healing from a bat bite.

Prejean said that Glossip is not the “worst of the worst,” but simply “innocent.”

Prejean is famously the author of “Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States.” Her work was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and later transformed into an Oscar-nominated film.

Prejean began working with Glossip after he wrote her a letter declaring his innocence. She said she is doing everything in her power to fight for Glossip’s life.

“We are fighting like ‘you know what’ behind the scenes, and I know the uphill battle we have but you got to fight,” she said. “You have to do everything you can. You have to get lawyers, you have to get investigators, you got to make an appeal to people, come forward.”

Without new evidence, the legal system has run its course and Glossip will face the death penalty. He was denied clemency in 2014 by the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board.

Because of the Supreme Court ruling, a judge in Oklahoma’s Western District of federal court could potentially enter a stay allowing Glossip to have a full trial on the state’s use of midazolam.

But Oklahoma officials have said Glossip has already had far beyond his day in court and they intend to follow through on his execution.

The post Glossip supporters ask Oklahomans to spare death row inmate’s life appeared first on The Frontier.

By ALEXIUS BURTON

The Frontier

Today marks my first of 10 days in Nicaragua. I am fortunate enough to travel with a group of faculty and students from Tulsa Community College and work with Just Hope, a non-profit organization that builds partnerships with communities in Nicaragua. Our goal is to teach children art and music in a community called Chacraseca.  

Last night we flew into the capital, Managua, and stayed in a Best Western across the street from the airport. Our group woke up late this morning and said goodbye to air conditioning as we headed to La Casa De Paz (The Peace House) located in Chacraseca. Before we reached our final destination we stopped in Leon, a city about a 20-minute drive outside of Chacraseca. 

In Leon, I explored the local market. Leslie, the leader of Just Hope, divided us into groups of three to four people. Each small group was given 80 Cordobas, Nicaraguan currency, and told to buy food for a “simulated” family. In our simulated family, I was a single mother who was employed at the local factory. A woman working in a Leon factory typically works six days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and makes $3 a day. 

Leslie then instructed us to create a family budget. Our group of three took a couple of minutes and determined our electric and water bill was $16 a month and it cost $1 a day to send my oldest son to school. After adding together these expenses, in order to stay within our determined budget, I was only allotted $ 1.28 a day to spend on food. 

I was able to purchase 1 pound of arroz (rice) 1 pound of beans (pintos) and 3 eggs (huevos) to feed my family without breaking my budget of 31 Córdoba.

The market in Chacaresa, Nicaragua sells rice, beans and other staples.

 To put this level of poverty in perspective, currently $1 in U.S. is  equivalent to 27 Cordoba.

 As I walked around the colorful market, stray dogs begged for food and  children were free to run around. One little girl was especially friendly and greeted me with a toothless smile and an energetic wave.

 The market was loud and vivacious; however, it was a special day. While  we were visiting Leon the Nicaraguan baseball championship game was taking place. Everywhere we walked, I could hear radio coverage of the  game and fans blaring horns throughout the streets.

The game was sold out, but a section of the stadium is open to the public. Our group decided the game was worth seeing and made our way to the field. The stadium was packed and I couldn’t even see the bases. A couple of us in the group made our way through the crowd and with the advantage of my 5-foot-8 stature I was able to stand on my tip toes and see a couple of plays before I was drenched in sweat and covered in beer.  

After leaving the game I bought a Gatorade from a local gas station. At the register I realized one Gatorade cost 25 Cordoba, about $1. This amount was more than half of what I was allowed to use in the market in order to feed my family of three.

A simple purchase in Tulsa is a luxury in Nicaragua. Back home, I consider this sports drink a common option, especially as a student athlete — however, when I return to the states orange Gatorade will never taste the same. 

The post Dispatch from Nicaragua: $1.28 per day to feed a family appeared first on The Frontier.

Oklahoma is on pace for nearly 1,000 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater in 2015, a total that would nearly double the state’s previous record.

In just five months, Oklahoma has recorded a total of 378 earthquakes of at least a 3.0 magnitude. That total is only slightly fewer than were totaled in all of 2014, when the Sooner state faced a record 584 earthquakes of at least that magnitude.

According to the Oklahoma Geological survey, 941 earthquakes magnitude 3.0 or greater are projected to occur by the end of 2015.

In response to the high number of earthquakes — Oklahoma recorded about three times more temblors in 2014 than California — the “Stop Fracking Payne County” campaign was born.

The campaign started last April to ensure that people in Payne County are not only aware of man-made earthquakes and their danger to the community, but also aware of the quakes’ danger to Oklahoma.

“We formed because many of us live near the fracking earthquakes,” said Angela Spotts, one of the founding members.

Fracking — the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground to release natural gas from deep below the surface — has not only stirred up environmental concern, it has created debate across the country. Recent research has provided evidence that earthquakes in Arkansas, Colorado, Ohio and Texas are also tied to wastewater injections— a process where wastewater fluid related to oil and gas drilling and fracking is pumped underground for disposal.

In 2013, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) created a “traffic-light” system in response to concerns about the increased number of earthquakes occurring in Oklahoma.

The “traffic-light” system has evolved greatly in the last two years, yet its purpose remains the same. According to Matt Skinner, the OCC Public Manager, the program has helped slow down well development.

“The ‘traffic-light’ system is in place to create risk management, and to say where there is risk in the state and at what level,” said Skinner.

With the existing “traffic-light” protocol, disposal wells are required to go through a seismology review and then each well site receives a, “red,” “yellow,” or “green” status.

A disposal well will receive “red-light” status if it is located on an active fault line. However, if the OCC receives an application for a proposed disposal well where there is not enough evidence for a “red-light” argument, but earthquake activity is a concern, the OCC can place limited restrictions on disposal wells without prior notice and they have the authority to check reserve pressure ranges every 60 days.
“Yellow-light” status is granted if a small seismic event occurs. In these areas, caution is advised and well operators are ordered to cut back on volume.

A “green-light” indicates there are no known geological-caused earthquakes or any issues with seismology; however, this status can change if new information about the area develops.

According to Skinner, it is too soon to see if the commission’s efforts have been successful.

“No one expects this to work entirely, and we don’t know that it won’t, and we don’t look at this a s final solution, but something that has to be done for the highest risk behavior,” said Skinner.

Despite efforts to decrease the level of wastewater injections, Spotts is still concerned.
“We have been injecting for 70 years and we don’t know where this water is going and no one wants to have a conversation about the situation,” she said.

Currently, OCC is focusing on high-volume wells located in high-risk earthquake counties found disposing below the Arbuckle formation — the deepest and most commonly used injection formation throughout Oklahoma.

In May, the OCC Oil and Gas conservation publication reported that approximately 150 disposal wells have reduced their volume by 50 percent. And more than 50 disposal wells have been made shallower, in order to reduce volumes and help prevent potential risk.

Skinner said that in order to shut down a disposal well one of two things have to occur: If a well is in violation of existing rules, then it will be shut down.

Otherwise, in order for a shutdown to occur, the OCC Oil and Gas conservation must confirm that the site had directly caused an earthquake.

“A little more than half a dozen wells have shut down due to concerns,” said Skinner.

According to Skinner, much more information about underground geological structures have been discovered since 2013.

“If the old system was still in place over 70 wells would be permitted and in operation without the majority of them reaching the court system for questioning,” said Skinner.

Recently reported by The Frontier, oilman and billionaire Boone Pickens sat down for an interview with Oklahoma City News 9 anchor Kevin Ogle at the Southern Republican Leadership conference and dismissed evidence that Oklahoma is suffering from the rise of earthquakes in the last year.

During his interview, Pickens also argued that the increased number of earthquakes is instead due to the advancement in monitoring seismic activity and not necessarily due to the energy industry.

On May 29, Governor Fallin approved Senate Bill 809, which keeps cities and towns in Oklahoma from regulating oil and natural gas drilling operations. The bill permits the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to allocate the regulation of oil and gas operations however they see fit.

Spotts is frustrated with the new state regulations and, despite efforts driven by OCC, she is not optimistic about recent progress.

“Everyday we shake, the chances of a (magnitude) 5 to 6 man-made (earthquake) increases,” she said.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Oklahoma’s largest magnitude earthquake was recorded on Nov. 6, 2011 with a magnitude of 5.6 in Prague, O.K.

The post Oklahoma on pace to easily break state record for earthquakes appeared first on The Frontier.

Oklahoma is on pace for nearly 1,000 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater in 2015, a total that would nearly double the state’s previous record.

In just five months, Oklahoma has recorded a total of 378 earthquakes of at least a 3.0 magnitude. That total is only slightly fewer than were totaled in all of 2014, when the Sooner state faced a record 584 earthquakes of at least that magnitude.

According to the Oklahoma Geological survey, 941 earthquakes magnitude 3.0 or greater are projected to occur by the end of 2015.

In response to the high number of earthquakes — Oklahoma recorded about three times more temblors in 2014 than California — the “Stop Fracking Payne County” campaign was born.

The campaign started last April to ensure that people in Payne County are not only aware of man-made earthquakes and their danger to the community, but also aware of the quakes’ danger to Oklahoma.

“We formed because many of us live near the fracking earthquakes,” said Angela Spotts, one of the founding members.

Fracking — the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground to release natural gas from deep below the surface — has not only stirred up environmental concern, it has created debate across the country. Recent research has provided evidence that earthquakes in Arkansas, Colorado, Ohio and Texas are also tied to wastewater injections— a process where wastewater fluid related to oil and gas drilling and fracking is pumped underground for disposal.

In 2013, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (OCC) created a “traffic-light” system in response to concerns about the increased number of earthquakes occurring in Oklahoma.

The “traffic-light” system has evolved greatly in the last two years, yet its purpose remains the same. According to Matt Skinner, the OCC Public Manager, the program has helped slow down well development.

“The ‘traffic-light’ system is in place to create risk management, and to say where there is risk in the state and at what level,” said Skinner.

With the existing “traffic-light” protocol, disposal wells are required to go through a seismology review and then each well site receives a, “red,” “yellow,” or “green” status.

A disposal well will receive “red-light” status if it is located on an active fault line. However, if the OCC receives an application for a proposed disposal well where there is not enough evidence for a “red-light” argument, but earthquake activity is a concern, the OCC can place limited restrictions on disposal wells without prior notice and they have the authority to check reserve pressure ranges every 60 days.
“Yellow-light” status is granted if a small seismic event occurs. In these areas, caution is advised and well operators are ordered to cut back on volume.

A “green-light” indicates there are no known geological-caused earthquakes or any issues with seismology; however, this status can change if new information about the area develops.

According to Skinner, it is too soon to see if the commission’s efforts have been successful.

“No one expects this to work entirely, and we don’t know that it won’t, and we don’t look at this a s final solution, but something that has to be done for the highest risk behavior,” said Skinner.

Despite efforts to decrease the level of wastewater injections, Spotts is still concerned.
“We have been injecting for 70 years and we don’t know where this water is going and no one wants to have a conversation about the situation,” she said.

Currently, OCC is focusing on high-volume wells located in high-risk earthquake counties found disposing below the Arbuckle formation — the deepest and most commonly used injection formation throughout Oklahoma.

In May, the OCC Oil and Gas conservation publication reported that approximately 150 disposal wells have reduced their volume by 50 percent. And more than 50 disposal wells have been made shallower, in order to reduce volumes and help prevent potential risk.

Skinner said that in order to shut down a disposal well one of two things have to occur: If a well is in violation of existing rules, then it will be shut down.

Otherwise, in order for a shutdown to occur, the OCC Oil and Gas conservation must confirm that the site had directly caused an earthquake.

“A little more than half a dozen wells have shut down due to concerns,” said Skinner.

According to Skinner, much more information about underground geological structures have been discovered since 2013.

“If the old system was still in place over 70 wells would be permitted and in operation without the majority of them reaching the court system for questioning,” said Skinner.

Recently reported by The Frontier, oilman and billionaire Boone Pickens sat down for an interview with Oklahoma City News 9 anchor Kevin Ogle at the Southern Republican Leadership conference and dismissed evidence that Oklahoma is suffering from the rise of earthquakes in the last year.

During his interview, Pickens also argued that the increased number of earthquakes is instead due to the advancement in monitoring seismic activity and not necessarily due to the energy industry.

On May 29, Governor Fallin approved Senate Bill 809, which keeps cities and towns in Oklahoma from regulating oil and natural gas drilling operations. The bill permits the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to allocate the regulation of oil and gas operations however they see fit.

Spotts is frustrated with the new state regulations and, despite efforts driven by OCC, she is not optimistic about recent progress.

“Everyday we shake, the chances of a (magnitude) 5 to 6 man-made (earthquake) increases,” she said.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Oklahoma’s largest magnitude earthquake was recorded on Nov. 6, 2011 with a magnitude of 5.6 in Prague, O.K.

The post Oklahoma on pace to easily break state record for earthquakes appeared first on The Frontier.