OKC FRIDAY Vol. 57 No. 43 • Two Sections • 18 pages • March 15, 2024 $1 per copy
BOOTS AND BALL GOWNS Becky Taylor, one of the committee sheriffs, and her husband Clay, the emcee, at the Infant Crisis Services event. Page 11
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 50 years
NHills gets fleet efficiency grant By Eric Oesch Staff Writer
Four Fridayland students have been named as Academic All-Staters for 2024. The 2024 class features students from 71 schools in 64 school districts. One school, Paden High School, is celebrating its first Academic AllStater. Our All-Staters and their high schools are: Brietta Chen, Classen School of Advanced Studies at Northeast; Ella
Nichols Hills is inching closer to a fleet of CNG and electrified city vehicles with the award of a $304,819 grant from the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG) for the purchase of two dual level 2 electric vehicle charging stations, a compressed natural gas (CNG) grapple truck and three Canoo light duty (LDV) electric vehicles that are to be manufactured at the new Canoo plant in Oklahoma City. The purpose of the grant is to “seed the advancement of alternative fuel vehicles, certain hybrid vehicles and alternative fuel infrastructure.” Vice Mayor Peter Hoffman, who represents Nichols Hills Ward 2, spearheaded the effort to receive the ACOG grant. Hoffman led the efforts for a similar grant in 2022 that netted the city $266,121 to fund charging stations at City Hall, 6407 Avondale Dr., and at the Nichols Hills Public Works Facility, 1109 NW 75. “I have enjoyed working with ACOG to identify potential grant opportunities for Nichols Hills,” said Hoffman. “It has and continues to be a long process, but one that is so valuable to our city. This is a big deal for us and hopefully something we can build upon going forward.” Hoffman went on to praise ACOG and the
See ALL-STATE, Page 5
See NILLS, Page 5
From left: Billy Vega, Cash Walker, CJ Long, Max Whitsell, Kason Lewellyn, Karson Schmidt, Caden Hallman and Christian Chapman gather for Wednesday night supper at Vega’s home. Pickup trucks line the street as the teenagers get together for food and fellowship.
Teenage boys talk trucks, more, at weekly suppers By Rose Lane Editor Carey Sue and Ricardo Vega didn’t know some of their 16-year-old son Billy’s friends. So they decided to invite them over for Wednesday night supper. That was two years ago and Billy had just turned 16. The tradition is something the core group of 12-14 young men look forward to each week. Billy is in the welding program at Francis Tuttle and does online school through Epic. “He’s really social and has
ent places — Deer Creek, Piedmont, Edmond, Guthrie and Luther. The menus vary. “I’ve really enjoyed scouring the internet and cookbooks for casseroles and fun recipes for families and teenage boys,” Carey said. “Friends will also send recipes they find that they think the boys will enjoy. It’s been fun to try different things each week and even get them out of their comfort zones as far as food is concerned.” Her special cheesy green beans have been a “huge” hit, she said. “I make those often to
lots of friends,” Carey Sue said. “Many of those friends, we didn’t know. So I figured a home-cooked meal was an easy way to open our home and invite his friends over, and it worked!” They never really know how many of the boys are coming over, Carey Sue said. “They all have jobs and some of them have girlfriends, so we never know what their schedules look like,” she said. “I’m a planner so it was hard for me to get over the not knowing how many to plan for in the beginning, but it seems to work out every single time.” The boys hail from differ-
Sue Ann Arnall one of USA Today’s Women of the Year Arnall Family Foundation President and CEO Sue Ann Arnall has been named USA Today’s Woman of the Year for Oklahoma. She is among 60 women from across the United States who are using their voice and influence to make a difference in their communities and around the nation. Since establishment of the foundation, Arnall has invested more than $200 million primarily to improve Oklahoma’s foster care system and reduce its unprecedented incarceration rate. To meet the gaps and needs in the current system, she guided the foundation to create the Diversion Hub, which has assisted thousands in permanently escaping the criminal legal system to lead productive lives.
SUE ANN ARNALL
We look forward to our paper Congratulations to a publication supporting the Oklahoma City community of over 50 years! The success is contributed to the staff at the FRIDAY publication. Members of the staff have been faithful employees for many years. They attend many events and celebrations of residents’ lives and brings recognition to
See SUPPER, Page 2
All-Staters named
OKC FRIDAY: Fabulous at 50
By Karen Mayfield Longtime subscriber
make sure they eat a vegetable. But shockingly, they’ve also eaten spinach casserole and brown sugar glazed carrots. If it has butter, cheese or sugar in it, they’ll usually eat it,” Carey Sue said. But, Wednesday night suppers are about way more than just the menu. The guys take off their hats at the table. Then, they ask who wants to say the prayer. “My husband and I are around in the kitchen, but leave them alone at the table,” Carey Sue said. “It is fun to hear them talking about life in general, their
those families represented. They always bring kindness and joy at the events and have formed genuine friendships in their profession. The OKC community is thankful and grateful for the dedication the staff brings to OKC FRIDAY. OKC FRIDAY is a road map for actives, past and future and records the sweet celebrations. OKC FRIDAY See 50, Page 5
FRIDAY’s Dog of the Week Yeti is an 8-year-old male Pomeranian. He can be seen walking with his mommy Leslie Spears down Sunnymeade between Hefner and Britton. Email Dog of the Week, Baby of the Week and Cat of the Week submissions to rose@okcfriday.com.