Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree
Shop the Look
Mo Anderson and Jane Jayroe were two of many Fridaylanders who enjoyed holiday parties last year. The two are at a girl party hosted by Judy Love, Susan Johnston and Barbara Brou. For more, see Pages B1, B2 & B6.
The latest looks in fashion are available locally, too. Page 9.
OKC FRIDAY Vol. 53 No. 36 • Two Sections • 16 pages January 10, 2020
www.okcfriday.com facebook.com/okcfriday OKC’s only locally-owned legal newspaper with all local news Serving Oklahoma City, Nichols Hills, The Village, Quail Creek, The Greens and Gaillardia for 46 years
Committee hard at work on Winter Ball
With new year, Village is not dropping the ball on progress By Ashley Haley Staff Writer
By Rose Lane Editor The theme of the 2020 Winter Ball won’t be revealed until the 400 guests all dressed in black and white tie walk through the doors of the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club on Jan. 25. “The invitation is the first hint of the ball's theme,” committee member Sally Starling said. “Painted by Susan McPherson, this invitation can be opened up so you look through the windows of a loggia at an ocean scene. The theme will be continued in the flowers and decorations at the country club and the evening’s food.” Karen Browne is the chairman of the Winter Ball and Connell Branan is her co-chairman. They lead a group of 40 members who have
hazardous waste management. The appointment was announced by NLC President Joe Buscaino, council member, Los Angeles, Calif. “What an honor, as a newly elected City Councilman, to have been chosen to sit on this committee,” Graham said. “I will not take this opportunity for granted. I look forward to serving and representing
With the new year now in progress, The Village City Council is discussing plans for 2020, which include possible Embark bus routes in the city and solidified TIF project plans. During a regular Jan. 6 meeting, the council talked about the possibility of a bus route in the city. This came after Mayor Cathy Cummings and Vice Mayor David Bennett met with Embark officials. City manager Bruce Stone said when he spoke with Embark representatives last year, they proposed an option that would bring a dedicated bus and driver to The Village. The bus would travel from Penn Avenue to Britton Road and circle around every 30 minutes. But the council decided to forgo the plan because of the costs. “We’re trying to work on a less expensive bus route through The Village,” Cummings said. “We’re trying to get some different options on the table.” She said the possible route would be short. For example, the bus would go past the library and the YMCA and travel to May Avenue. The bus would also only make a few stops a day, as councilman Sonny Wilkinson said the goal is to help residents travel to various places outside of The Village, rather than just through the city. Cummings said they will meet with Embark again next week to get a price estimate for the three-mile bus route. She also has plans to meet with the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments (ACOG) to see if any grants are available to help fund the plan if the council decides to move forward. The council also discussed the need to solidify plans for the proposed TIF project. The project is primarily focused on the corner of The Village near Hefner Road and Penn Avenue and it includes new signage, a park, playground, art walk, dog park, walking paths, town center and much more. The design would also reduce the number of lanes on Vineyard Boulevard to provide pedestrian paths away from street traffic. The proposed design is estimated at almost $9 million,
See GRAHAM, Page 3
See VILLAGE, Page 2
Photo by Sunny Thomas, daybreakpics.com
Winter Ball Chairman Karen Browne and Co-Chairman Connell Branan have led a committee of 40 for the past two years to plan the Jan. 25 event.
spent the last two years planning this special event, Starling said.
Other committee chairmen include Carol Joullian, treasurer; Julie Hall, co-
treasurer; Sally Lenz, secretary; Susan See BALL, Page 3
Graham named to national board
ADAM GRAHAM
Adam Graham, The Village councilman, has been appointed to the National League of Cities (NLC) 2020 Energy, Environment and Natural Resources (EENR) federal advocacy committee. This committee has the lead responsibility for developing NLC’s federal policy positions on issues involving air quality, water quality, energy policy, national wetlands policy, noise control and solid and
McGuinness senior is co-author of published astrophysics research paper Bishop McGuinness senior Katherine Hill has really reached for the stars as she was the lead author of a published astrophysics research paper. Her co-authors were two astronomers from the University of Notre Dame and one from the University of Washington. Katherine’s love for the cosmos began at a tender young age. She read about the celestial realm’s sacred importance to ancient civilizations and gazed from her backyard into the night sky, marveling
at the constellations and their mythological connections. She was also fascinated to learn about the expansion of the universe. That expansion, scientifically demonstrated in the 1920s, serves as a profound metaphor for Katherine’s quest to expand her mind and ponder her place in God’s creation. In 2018 Katherine took part in a summer astronomy program at See PAPER, Page 7
FRIDAY’s
Dog of the Week Nala loves sleeping and snuggles. Her humans are David and Ellie Valdez. Email Dog of the Week, Baby of the Week and Cat of the Week submissions to rose@okcfriday. com. Submissions are used in the order they are received.
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