OKC Friday okcfriday.com • facebook.com/okcfriday Vol. 59, No. 45
March 20, 2026
2 Sections • 18 Pages
Panther girls repeat as champs
People you should know
The PC North girls basketball team captured its second straight Class 6A state championship with a 6240 win over Muskogee at last Friday at the OG&E Coliseum. See story in Sports, Page 4.
Literary Voices 2026: An Evening with Jonathan Franzen LANCE SWEARENGIN Deputy Director Red Ridge Nature Preserve Where did you grow up, and do you have a favorite childhood memory? I grew up in in Midwest City, Oklahoma near Tinker AFB. My favorite childhood memories always involve enjoying the great Oklahoma outdoors, vegetable gardening with my grandpa, and visiting national parks like Yosemite, the Redwoods and Mesa Verde. One very fond memory is a visit to the Honor Heights Park, azalea festival in Muskogee. See PYSK, Page 11
(405) 606-2727
Literary Voices 2026 welcomes acclaimed novelist and essayist Jonathan Franzen on April 9 at 7 p.m. at the Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club. The annual dinner and author talk raises funds to support the Metropolitan Library
System and its literacy programs across Oklahoma County. The conversation is to be moderated by Rob Roensch, professor at Oklahoma City University. For more than 20 years, Literary Voices has brought nationally recognized authors to
Oklahoma City while generating support for library programs, services and collections. Proceeds from the 2026 event will fund early learning initiatives, outreach to older adults like Library by Mail, staff JONATHAN FRANZEN
See FRANZEN, Page
Village to buy new fire truck
FRIDAY’s Dog of the Week
By Eric Oesch Staff Writer City leaders in The Village have approved a resolution for the purchase of a Sutphen Heavy Duty Custom Fire Engine to replace an aging apparatus in The Village Fire Department fleet. Council members voted unanimously to spend $1,198,232.11 for the vehicle. The Village will enter into a seven-year lease-purchase agreement with a 4.82% interest rate and annual payment of
Pearl is a rescue rat terrier mix. She loves to swim, chase squirrels and hang out with her dogs, cat and humans. She has crazy hair going in all different directions! She is very smart and very loved. Her mom is Lisa Rogers. Email Pet of the Week submissions to rose@okcfriday. com.
See VILLAGE, Page 13
NCAA Tournament Bracket, Pages B2 & B3
FRIDAY’s 2026 Celebrity Final Four Picker Panel
SIMON BRIGHT
Corporate Attorney McAfee & Taft Duke Purdue Houston Michigan
CINDY CURLEY
Owner Norwalk Fine Furniture UConn Arizona Houston Michigan
ROWDY GILBERT
Director of Development Oklahoma Contemporary Duke Arizona Florida Michigan
WENDY HAMPTON
Owner Equipped Marketing Duke Houston Florida Michigan
RICH JOHNSON
Shareholder McAfee & Taft St. John’s Arizona Illinois Michigan
PAULETTE KINGSTON
CFO/Co-Owner RAK Properties, Inc. Duke Arizona Florida Michigan
PATRICK WERT
Founder Innovative Beverage Solutions Iowa State Houston Baylor Tennessee
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