TLO Dumpster Fire (19)

Welcome to this week’s Dumpster Fire!

We don’t have any real juicy blind items to report, but here are some local news stories that caught my eye this week. 

JOHN WALDRON ANNOUNCES HIS RESIGNATION…

With more accusers coming forward and his reputation forever torched, State Rep. John Waldron – the guy who makes AI makeout snuff videos of unwitting female colleagues – announced he will resign in October.

Serious question – how many times has Waldron made non-consensual makeout videos involving female colleagues and not sent them? That’s something to ponder as we all sit here wondering why he still gets to clock in for another six months.

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STITT SAYS “PSYCHE!” ON NEPOTISM NOMINATION

What happened here? Did Stitt suddenly discover ethics hiding under the couch cushions, or did the in-laws decide they didn’t want to deal with the PR nightmare?

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BEARS ARE SAFE… FOR NOW.

Despite the threat they pose to Oklahoma civilization, lawmakers have nixed Scott Fetgatter’s request to expand bear hunting season from fall through PRIDE Month:

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IRS INVESTIGATING EPIC CHARTER SCHOOLS

If they can bring down Al Capone over taxes, you’d think they could do the same to a grifterish haven that’s siphoned millions and millions and millions from Oklahoma public schools.

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CHANNEL 25 FILES DUMB REPORT ON CITY-OWNED GOLF COURSES…

I don’t play golf, but as one of those big-league, city-liberal wacko types, I don’t have a problem with municipalities spending a little parks and rec money each year to maintain city-owned courses.

KOKH, on the other hand, thinks it’s a big issue that needs the investigative news treatment.

Are Oklahoma City’s golf courses financially sustainable?

According to documents obtained through an open records request, three of the city’s five municipal golf courses turned a profit in fiscal year 2024. However, the system as a whole told a different story.

The golf system posted an operating loss of about $300,000.

After more than $1 million in payments from the City of Oklahoma City, the system ended the year with a surplus.

That means the system relied on city support to finish in the black.

$300,000? That’s it? Could there be better uses for the money? Sure, but spending 50 cents or so per resident to make sure your city’s population has an affordable and accessible place to be out in nature and hit a tiny ball into a hole doesn’t seem like that big of a waste of money to me. In fact, it seems like a good investment. KOKH hit one into the gallery here.

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BILL THAT WOULD HAVE CRIMINALIZED HELPING THE HOMELESS DEFEATED

We first covered the legislation back in February, and thanks to an Ogle Mole email, learned it didn’t make it out of committee and won’t be considered. Yippee!!

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CLASSEN KIDS ARE GOOD AT SPORTS, TOO

Take that, outdated stereotypes!

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OU CONTINUES STICKING MIDDLE FINGER AT FANS…

I get it. In the NIL era, putting it on TV is basically a free scouting report for rivals. But come on – you can’t toss diehards a grainy stream or something? At least let us pretend we’re learning something instead of piecing it together from tweets and message board rumors.

Then again, maybe it doesn’t matter. Watching a spring game is a strange experience anyway. You can’t get too excited because your favorite team is literally playing itself. Every big play your team makes is immediately canceled out by the fact your team just got cooked.

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WALL STREET JOURNAL EXAMINES OKLAHOMA’S NEW ALUMINUM SMELTER…

If you like pro-business puff pieces, you’ll love it. If you want to read about pollution concerns and the company’s track record, you’ll need to check out The Frontier instead.

For some reason, the Oklahoma Department of Commerce didn’t retweet that one. Weird how that works.

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BUFFALO RETURN TO CHOCTAW LANDS

I kind of like ending these things on a good note. Have a nice weekend!