OKC FRIDAY
Send us photos of your favorite Veterans by Nov. 1. We will include them in our Nov. 8 edition. Email rose@ okcfriday.com.
Vol. 58 No. 26 • Two Sections • 18 pages • October 25, 2024 $1 per copy
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
Public input sought for OKC’s 2025 bond election
Focus on Home strives to turn houses into homes
Fridayland teens help families in need Teen Board members, from left, Elliott Jones, Grace Grimes, Grace McDaniel and Blair Houser prepare to decorate a home.
By Eric Oesch Staff Writer For Fridaylander Joli Sanders, helping families in need has become a mission that has changed the lives of hundreds of families. Sanders first became aware of the need for furniture for fami-
lies through her personal experience of having a baby and facing the challenge of having no furniture or the means to buy. The experience enlightened her of the importance of having a comfortable and supporting environment, inspiring her to found Focus on Home. Focus on Home is a 501(c)3
non-profit organization which for 10 years has provided furniture and other household essentials to families and individuals transitioning out of homelessness or other challenging situations. Sanders is both founder and CEO of the organization. See FOCUS, Page 2
The Clements are going into Maestro’s Circle By Rose Lane Editor Sody and Robert Clements are to be inducted into the
Maestro’s Circle during the OKCPHIL’s POPS of Color Maestro’s Ball. The event is set for Friday, Nov. 8, beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the
Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club. The ball’s co-chairmen are Terri Cooper and Farooq Karim. The dress is black tie
with a colorful twist. The Clements are civic leaders, having chaired campaigns for
OKC FRIDAY: Fabulous at 50
It’s like a weekly letter from home By Tom McDaniel President American Fidelity Foundation Growing up in rural Oklahoma, the local weekly newspaper was always a big part of our family’s life. Everyone knew the publishers and they knew the community. The paper reported births, deaths, weddings, vacation trips, traffic accidents and everything that happened in the churches and schools, especially the schools. From music concerts and cakewalks to basketball games and track meets, there were always pictures and lots of them. They seemed to be perfectly sized for scrapbooks and
frames for moms like my Brenda. Then there were the editorials opining on local issues and endorsing political candidates in local elections. Letters to the editor were welcomed and often entertaining. It was a weekly highlight to see if a picture or story of family and friends “made” the paper. Brenda’s oldest sister, Miriam, and her husband, Dale Colbert, were the publishers of the Northwest Oklahoman, a local weekly in Shattuck. We heard a lot about the importance of local advertising and legal publications necessary to keep subscriptions affordable for all. See 50, Page 5
The City of Oklahoma City is seeking input from residents as it plans for a general obligation (GO) bond election in fall 2025, in which voters decide to fund major infrastructure projects across the city. GO bonds are the city’s most important tool to fund major infrastructure projects like building or rebuilding streets, bridges, parks, police and fire facilities, sidewalks and more. Bond projects have been used since before statehood to pay for the city’s critical infrastructure and are determined by street and bridge ratings, planning studies, the City Council’s priorities, operating impact and resident survey results. There are many ways people can provide input on what should be included in the 2025 bond package: • Visit okc.gov/GO. People can visit okc.gov/ GO, drop a pin on the interactive map to show locations where improvements are needed. • Organize a meeting. Gather your neighborhood, club or group and use the City’s downloadable tool kit to collect, share and submit ideas about what you think should be included in the bond. Email public.info@okc.gov to get your toolkit. •Attend a bond engagement workshop. OKC Councilmembers will host come-and-go workshops in each ward, where people can speak directly with city staff about their needs and priorities. One workshop is be offered in Spanish. Residents who need accommodation during a workshop can contact public.info@okc.gov. People can attend any workshop they want.
See CIRCLE, Page 12
FRIDAY’s Cat of the Week Alley is a 12-year-old feline that Lauren Dockrey found in an alley, thus her name. She loves cat treats. Email Pet of the Week submissions to rose@ okcfriday.com.
See BONDS, Page 5