Friday, September 5, 2025
Rise after the fall Reflecting on Hurricane Katrina bringing NBA to Oklahoma 20 years later Raynee Howell
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CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
bby Morgan was one of the thousands whose lives changed when Hurricane Katrina made landfall in August 2005. Morgan was working in the marketing department of the Oklahoma State men’s basketball office. She was a business administration graduate student at OSU. The news of Hurricane Katrina reached every corner of the world, including hers. “It was huge national news,” Morgan said. “It obviously was a very large storm that they talked about even before it hit. It was worse, I think, than everybody expected.”
See KATRINA on page 3A
Chance Marick
Park View Estates HOA is suing Google and other companies, claiming public nuisance, private nuisance and negligence for not preventing stormwater runoff and causing pond pollution at a neighborhood pond.
HOA sues Google over pond pollution Raynee Howell
CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
A pond reserved for fishing, walking dogs and spending time with family has turned into an eyesore for Doris Al-Harake and other residents of Park View Estates in Stillwater. As the City of Stillwater held meetings to prepare citizens for the up to $3 billion data center project, Al-Harake’s mother was in hospice. She had to take a
step back from monitoring the information being released from the city. “As they (Google and its construction companies) started proceeding across the street, I was thinking, ‘Well, whatever is going to come is going to come,’” Al-Harake said. “Once the red silt started pouring into our pond and turned it red, I said, ‘This is a sign that I need to get involved.” Al-Harake is the president of the property’s Homeowner’s
Association. She said she began reaching out to the companies involved and nothing changed. She sought out an attorney and filed a lawsuit in Payne County district court Aug. 19, suing the four companies involved with the construction — Kipper LLC, a subsidiary of Google, Manhattan Construction Group, LLC, Olsson, Inc. and Sapp & Sons, Inc. — on behalf of the Park View Estates HOA.
See HOA on page 8A
Courtesy Tulsa World Archives
Chris Paul was a guard for the New Orleans Hornets during the two seasons the team played in OKC.
Stillwater business owner arrested on allegations of child stealing; son returned to mother’s custody Raynee Howell
CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Stillwater business owner Darrell Dougherty was arrested on allegations of child stealing, engaging in pattern of criminal offenses and obstructing an officer Aug. 28. Dougherty, an owner of a Stillwater gas station, was being held in lieu of a $1 million bond in Payne County, a local bondsman confirmed to The O’Colly. The court records show his bond would be reduced to $250,000 upon producing the child to law enforcement. Judge Jason Reese, Payne County district judge, then permitted Dougherty to be released on the reduced bond when there was proof the child was in the mother Chelsie Conner’s custody. Conner posted to Facebook saying Dougherty took her son Aug. 20. Conner confirmed to The O’Colly that her son was returned to her Aug. 29. Dougherty was released from custody on the same day. Dougherty pled not guilty to the charges Tuesday. A preliminary hearing date will be set after he appears before the judge Sept. 19. Chance Marick
Darrell Dougherty is a local business owner and member of the Oklahomans for Children’s Rights organization.
See ARRESTED on page 4A