OKC FRIDAY Vol. 58 No. 40 • One Section • 14 pages • March 7, 2025
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www.okcfriday.com facebook.com/okcfriday OKC’s only locally-owned legal newspaper with all local news Serving affluent far north Oklahoma City, Nichols Hills and The Village for 51 years
officials joined Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, 10th from left, Chickasaw Nation Lt. Governor Chris Anoatubby, Governor OKANA Chickasaw Bill Anoatubby and Secretary of Commerce Dan Boren in cutting the ribbon on the OKANA Resort & Indoor Water Park located in the Horizons District. The $400 million project is situated along the Oklahoma River near downtown Oklahoma City and adjacent to the First For more, see Pages 10 & 13. now open Americans Museum and is a world-class, luxury destination.
Wade’s Early Morning Coffee Thoughts
Spreading positive vibes one cup at a time By Rose Lane Editor
Wade Carter with his collection of coffee cups. Wade is the author Early Morning Coffee Talk, a series of positive posts on Facebook.
One of the best parts of waking up could be Early Morning Coffee Thoughts on Facebook by Wade Carter. Wade has been posting good vibes for about 15 years, shortly after he opened a Facebook account. “I started with just a post for the day to start the day off on a positive note,” he said. “But, someone said you should incorporate your passion for coffee into the positive post. So, Early Morning Coffee
Thoughts was born. “I had a lot of coffee cups so I thought I would add a picture of one of my coffee cups with each post. I'll also incorporate my coffee thoughts with my Song of The Day. For example, On Vince Gill's birthday, I'll post my Eagles or Vince Gill coffee cup with a positive quote from Vince and give a little music trivia. Plus, play one of his songs (either an Eagles or solo song). And, along with the coffee cup, I can add a picture or two of me with Vince.” Wade wanted to work Facebook friends into the
post with their coffee cups. “About once a week or so, I'll ask people to send a picture of them with their favorite coffee cup,” he said. “I prefer for people to send a picture with them in the shot, not just a picture of a coffee cup. However, most people seem to want to only send the coffee cup. Which is fine. I like to work the viewer into the post as much as possible.” This probably comes from Wade’s days as a DJ where he would try to work the listener into his See COFFEE, Page 3
Kari Watkins is one of USA Today’s Women of the Year By Rose Lane Editor Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum President and CEO Kari Watkins has been selected as one of USA Today’s 61 Women of the Year. She joins women from across the nation, including an astro-
naut; CEOs of the United Way, Habitat for Humanity and other nonprofits; a Somali-born refugee and one of the world’s top models who stands up for her beliefs; a teacher with a 64-year career; a tribal leader for LGBTQ rights; and Hoda Kotb, the longtime Today Show host. These women are inspiring
the next generation. They are breaking barriers and pushing for change. They are making their communities better. Watkins has led thousands of people on a journey to honor those who were killed or injured during the Murrah Building bombing and the courageous efforts of the first responders
Students named Academic All-Staters The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence has named 100 public high school seniors — six of whom are students at Fridayland schools — from across Oklahoma as Academic All-State honorees for 2025. Our 2025 Academic All-State Scholars are: Deer Creek High School — Edward Ma, Dhathri Puttheti and Skanda Kabilan Swamy. Classen SAS at Northeast — Carina Chen, Aashna Paul and Sabrina Smith. The All-State class features students from 67 schools in 62 school districts. Each All-Stater receives a $1,500 award, an honor cord and a medallion.
OFE will honor the Academic AllState class at the 2025 Academic Awards Celebration on Saturday, May 10, at the Oklahoma City Convention Center. Registration for the event is open at OFE.org; admission costs $75. The foundation encourages honorees to invite a teacher who has strongly impacted their academic success. OFE will recognize these educators alongside their students during the ceremony. “These 100 students serve as a powerful example of academic excellence in Oklahoma’s public schools,” OFE Executive Director Elizabeth See ALL-STATE, Page 11
and rescuers in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. This year, the memorial is commemorating the 30th anniversary of the bombing. Kari was hired shortly after the tragedy by a fledgling 350member Memorial Task Force, See WATKINS, Page 3
FRIDAY’s Cat of the Week Morgan Link’s calico cat Loretta's favorite hobby is chasing shadows on the wall. Email Pet of the Week submissions with complete descriptions to: rose@ okcfriday.com.
KARI WATKINS