Getting out again
Mahen homers
A group of Fridaylanders got their vaccinations and waited two weeks before heading out to New Mexico to see their friend, Chuck Robertson. At left: Former Governor and First Lady, George and Donna Nigh, in Chuck’s fabulous, giant, log cabin.
Crossings Christian’s Preston Mahen belted a solo homerun in an 8-6 loss at Cascia Hall. See Sports, Page 5
OKC FRIDAY Vol. 54 No. 48 • One Section • 12 pages • April 9, 2021
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 47 years
Loves on Forbes’ billionaires list By Rose Lane Editor
Inspiring Hope Award Upward Transitions’ An American Tourist in Paris event chairman Mary Blankenship Pointer, the organization’s board President Bob Lane and President and CEO Periann Pulliam, right, present OKC Mayor David Holt with the Inspiring Hope Award. The Inspiring Hope Award recipient embodies a phrase from the Upward Transitions’ mission statement — “inspiring hope with our neighbors,” especially those experiencing homelessness and housing instability. “Mayor Holt’s ‘One OKC’ message reflects his belief that Oklahoma City can continue to thrive only if we set aside the things that divide us and find a common purpose,” Lane said. For tickets to the May 7 An American Tourist virtual event when footage of the award presentation will be shown, go to upwardtransitions. org/americantourist/.
With an estimated net worth of $10.8 billion, landers Judy and Tom JUDY LOVE Love ranked 205th on Forbes’ 2021 list of the world’s billionaires while Oprah Winfrey ranked 1,174 with $2.7 billion. The Loves are the founders of Love’s Travel Stops and Country Stores, boasting more than 510 locations in 41 states. Forbes found 2,755 billionaires across 70 countries. That is about a third more than the
2,095 people on the list in 2020. The United States is home to almost half of the world’s richest people. Other OklaTOM LOVE homans on the billionaires list include David Green, of Hobby Lobby, at No. 327 with $7.6 billion, and George Kaiser, chairman of Bank of Oklahoma, who ranked No. 476 with $5.8 billion. Jeff Bezos is the richest person in the world with $177 billion. He founded e-commerce giant Amazon in 1994 out of his garage in Seattle, Wash.
Sifting through sewage: Clues to COVID mutations float in wastewater By Rose Lane Editor Researchers from the University of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation are trying to get a head start on the spread of mutations of the COVID virus by analyzing sewage. Oklahoma City is one of five Oklahoma municipalities taking part
in the study. Oklahoma City funded the project through the CARES Act, Kristy Yager, director of public relations and marketing, said. The Oklahoma City-County Health Department is also collaborating on the effort. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), many people infected with COVID-19 shed the virus in their
waste before developing symptoms. Because of this, municipalities and universities worldwide are monitoring sewage for the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, that causes COVID-19, which may serve as an early indicator of potential outbreaks. “By analyzing wastewater collected from geographically distinct areas that represent a specific population, locales experiencing higher levels of
the virus can be identified and additional mitigation efforts for targeted populations may be implemented,” said Jason Vogel, Ph.D., director of the Oklahoma Water Survey and professor at the OU School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science. The mutations that were detected See COVID, Page 2
Heritage Hall teacher receives National Educator Award Heritage Hall announced that Upper School Social Studies teacher Dr. Chris Hamel has been awarded the 2020-21 Battey National Educator Award by the DePauw University Honors Scholar Program. Established in 2008, the award recognizes educators
who have made a difference in the lives of DePauw's senior honors scholars students. Described by Heritage Hall Head of School Nick Carter as a “true scholar, mentor, educator, and gentleman,” Hamel has been an esteemed member of the Upper School Social Studies department since
2009. The same year, Hamel established the School’s nationally recognized Model United Nations program, which he continues to lead. Additionally, Hamel served five years as director of the Heritage Hall Independent Studies Program. Hamel was nominated for
Policing Virtual Town Hall is Monday Oklahoma City’s Law Enforcement Policy Task Force and Community Policing Working Group are jointly hosting a virtual town hall Monday for public feedback on policing in our community. To attend the OKC Policing Virtual Town Hall, which begins at 6 p.m., visit okc.gov/21cp. The meeting is facilitated by a consultant, 21CP Solutions. The task force and working group are reviewing and revising the police department’s de-escalation policy, and developing strategies to
provide credible and independent accountability back to the community. The virtual town hall is a public opportunity for citizens to be heard about interactions with Oklahoma City police, priorities for policing in your community, ways to improve the relationship between police and the community and more. “We need to hear directly from the community about experiences with the OKC Police Department,” said Ganesha Martin with 21CP Solutions. “We can
read policies and trainings, but we need to know what is really happening out in the city to understand public safety in Oklahoma City.” The task force and working group will make recommendations to the Oklahoma City Council and city manager for potential adoption. Those who can’t attend the virtual meeting can submit comments about Oklahoma City police by email at voicesofokc@21cpsolutions.com, or by text message or voicemail at (405) 467-0685.
the award by DePauw senior and Heritage Hall alumna Maggie Ephraim (Class of 2017). In her nomination, Ephraim, who is majoring in English writing and minoring in Ancient Greek, wrote: “Hamel is a tough, but fair, See HAMEL, Page 3
DR. CHRIS HAMEL
FRIDAY’s
Dogs of the Week Two boys were picked up in The Village late last week and are very bonded, seemingly the same age, older adults and neutered. They are sweet, loving kids, both about 70 pounds. Sherlock the yellow lab mix, rolls on his back wanting belly rubs, and Watson, the brindle plott hound mix is very demure. Call Kadin to reclaim at 751-9518. They were named after famous detectives because it's a mystery how no one has come to reclaim them.
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