Before Louis and I take the next two weeks off for a well-deserved break – excluding, of course, our annual year-end feature – I thought I’d touch base on some local news items that we'd normally cover, but won't have time to get to.
Before I get to those, I do have a housekeeping note to cover:
TLO Announces Greedy Capitalistic Plan to Make More Money!
Effective January 1, the base rate for monthly “supporter” subscriptions will increase by a whopping $1 a month—from $5.99 to $6.99—while our annual plan will increase from $59.99 to a much more marketable $69.99.
This is our first price hike since we went live with the Lede platform in October 2022, and based on my recent holiday and grocery shopping experiences, we’re apparently the last business in the world to pass inflationary price increases on to our customers.
If this annoys you, trust me – I get it. The price of everything is going up, and that blows. The good news, however, is that I plan to use the extra thousands of dollars a year this will generate to invest back in our site operations and content. Basically, it will help us maybe bring on an extra writer or two and give me the resources to help coordinate and manage it.
If you’re generous enough to support us, we really do appreciate it. If you’re stingy enough not to, we appreciate it too—just not as much. Merry Christmas.
With that news note out of the way, here’s a breakdown of our TLO Pre-Holiday Break News Dump…
Ryan Walters Waits Until Christmas Season to Dump Social Studies Mandate
Last week, Ryan Walters finally unveiled his long-anticipated right-wing social studies standards for Oklahoma public schools. As expected, they’re exactly what everyone predicted. He wants teachers to lead Biblical history lessons, indoctrinate our youth with a patriotic version of conservative American history, and push all the other Prager U propaganda he’s trying to force upon the masses.
The only real surprise was the timing. Seriously, he waited until late December. What gives? For someone who craves publicity like a moth to porch lights, it feels like a misstep. Maybe he’s saving a headline-grabbing surprise for January with his math standards rollout, but it feels like Ryan is slipping. Let’s hope he gets back to his usual headline-chasing antics soon—if only for the entertainment value.
Hot Wife Chloe Guy Is Now a Judge!
Kevin Stitt has appointed Jason Reese – the Oklahoma political punchline who listed a porn title on a campaign expense report when he unsuccessfully ran for State House – to be a district court judge in Payne County. Oh well, as long as he doesn’t do a drive-by, get jailed for contempt, or joke around about the size of the DA’s penis, I guess that’s fine.
Politico Reveals Details of Stitt Advisor’s Alleged “Financial Misconduct”
About 10 days ago, we told you that Chris Wilson – an Oklahoma politico who has served as a key advisor for Kevin Stitt, Ted Cruz, and Ron DeSantis – had parted ways with the firm he co-founded. I also hinted that the national media might be looking into it.
Well, late last week, Politico released a bombastic exposé about Wilson being accused of financial mismanagement. Hard to believe, huh? A Stitt crony being accused of being a shady swindler. I never thought I’d see the day!
I’ve received some more tips about Wilson that I may look into next month. In the meantime, if you see him driving around town in a Canoo delivering Swadley’s, now you’ll know why.
Canoo Announces More Furloughs to OKC Plant
KFOR talked to a Canoo employee about the news, and they basically claimed the only thing Canoo is doing in Oklahoma is taking our tax subsidies. In other words, they seemed to confirm everything we’ve been saying ever since Stitt announced the company would be relocating to Oklahoma.
The Pump Says It’s Closing
Over the weekend, The Pump – the large, sometimes-popular patio bar on NW 23rd and Walker – announced it was packing up the umbrellas and closing its doors.
Bars age a bit like dogs, so in essence, The Pump was about 70 or so, which is a pretty solid run for a bar. If the weather wasn’t too hot or too cold, it was a fun little spot to gather with a large group of friends.
Well, at least it was before the pandemic.
Once the world reopened, The Pump seemed off.
You had to wait a long time for a drink, and the entire place looked tired and worn, with peeling paint and scruff on the walls. I got the feeling it was in need of a tune-up or refresh. Maybe someone with money to lose can swing in and do that, or maybe a new patio bar can fill that spot. Who knows?
Anyway, that’s my pre-holiday break news dump. As I mentioned, our year-end feature – The TLO 69 – will begin soon. Outside of that, I’ll see you next year.
