Marshall Stewart

Detectives are investigating the city’s latest homicide. Officer Leland Ashley says the victim was found dead outside his home near 3300 North Garrison early Wednesday morning. He was apparently taking out his trash, when witnesses say an SUV drove up and multiple shots were fired at the man.

He was pronounced dead at the scene. Ashley says most of the city’s homicides this year have been solved quickly with arrests made. He urges anyone with information about this latest killing to call Crimestoppers.

Tulsa’s BOK Center reaches a milestone, surpassing $100 million in ticket sales since opening in September 2008. Marketing Director Sarah Haertl says it translates to more than 3.2 million people attending events at the BOK.

The size of the BOK Center has allowed Tulsa to bring in some of the biggest names in the music industry, as well as Division One basketball championships, and Oklahoma City Thunder pre-season games.

Tulsa’s mayor advises city councilors to avoid putting tax extension questions on separate ballots months apart. Several councilors suggest voting on a streets only package in November, then waiting until next year to vote on extending the third penny for other capital projects. It’s not how Mayor Bartlett would do it. He believes separating funding source questions on one ballot is okay, but wants to see them all decided in one election, not one this year and one next year.

Tulsa’s teaching hospital needs a big boost in state funding to keep from severely cutting services or possibly closing its’ doors.  An $18.25 million appropriation is being sought for the OSU Medical Center. OSU-Tulsa President Howard Barnett doesn’t believe lawmakers will allow the hospital to close, but he says it’s a matter of getting enough money to allow the facility to thrive and achieve its’ mission or merely survive.

Tulsa is building a new traffic control center which will consolidate all traffic operations into one facility with more space and lots of hi-tech equipment. It’s named after now retired Public Works Director Charles Hardt, who was on hand for the ground breaking on North Harvard Avenue.

Hardt served as Public Works Director more than 20 years under several different mayors. The new Charles Hardt Center is scheduled for completion in June of next year.

A Tulsa group that helps victims of domestic violence gets a new home.

Old walls in the basement of Tulsa Police Headquarters are smashed down so the area can become the new Family Safety Center. The Center is moving into space that once housed the police property room and forensic lab. Center Director Suzann Stewart says the move will almost double current space, and allow the organization to provide services to almost twice as many people.

The projected date for completion of the renovation and move is September.

The new Tulsa Courthouse Plaza security entrance is finally scheduled to open Wednesday. After a few delays, the enhanced security entrance on the northside of the Court building is set to re-open to the public. At the same time, the southside or sixth street entrance will close permanently. County Commission Chief Deputy Mark Liotta says a new Denver Avenue entrance recently opened that will take the place of the sixth street doors, which will become an emergency exit only.

An initiative takes off to try and attract new non-stop airline routes to and from Tulsa. Business and aerospace leaders say more direct routes serving Tulsa could boost the area economy. The program is dubbed the Tulsa Regional Air Service Initiative or TRASI. Mary Smith is Director of the Oklahoma Aerospace Alliance. She says the idea is to bring more direct routes from areas like Midland, Texas where there is an oil and gas connection between the area and Tulsa.

Tulsa City-County libraries are being added as ‘Safe Places’ for young people in trouble. The program is operated by Youth Services. Jim Walker is Executive Director. He says libraries are a good ‘fit’ for the program which is designed to give at-risk youngsters a place to go to stay off the streets and out of trouble when a crisis hits.

Quik Trips, fire stations, EMSA ambulances, and Tulsa Transit buses are already recognized Safe Place sites. The addition of libraries comes during National Safe Place week.

An important South Tulsa road project nears an end. Final asphalt topping is underway and striping should begin next week on South Yale between 61st and 71st. It’s a joint project between the city and county. Chief County Engineer Tom Rains says when completed, it should greatly improve traffic flow in the hospital area there.

The project has taken months more than anticipated, but Rains says crews were able to keep two lanes open each direction during most of the work to help keep traffic moving.