OKC FRIDAY Vol. 54 No. 2 • One Section • 12 pages May 22, 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
Editorial: Stop the virus, wear a mask By Vicki Clark Gourley Publisher No one wants to be a Typhoid Mary, yet thousands of Oklahomans unknowingly spread the COVID-19 virus. They are either asymptomatic (carriers are usually young people) or older people at
the early stages. Internet charts show if two people are not wearing mask and one is viruspositive, there is an 80 percent chance the other person will become infected. If the virus carrier is wearing a mask infection, infection of the second person drops below 10
percent. If both are wearing a mask, cross-infection drops to one percent. The President and governors refuse to order us to wear masks fearing public riots. In Asian countries where the masks are now compulsory, the spread and death rates are plunging.
My nephew owns a business in China and I have been going there frequently for the past 15 years. Everyone getting off the plane had their temperature taken by one of those guns that don’t touch you. Masks were required. This procedure was to
Don’t get trapped in your storm shelter
By Rose Lane Editor
the City of The Village and the state of Oklahoma declared Tom Graham Day by proclamation in 2019. Graham founded and owned Graham Pest Control, Industrial Weed Control and
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, The Village’s revenues are 1.76 percent ahead of what city leaders projected for revenue at the end of the third quarter. The City Council approved a resolution declaring that 90 percent of budgeted revenues had been received which authorizes budget expenditures beyond the 90 percent limit. This is an annual vote. As of May 11, 139 percent of the budgeted use tax has been collected, followed by 124 percent of technology fees, 110 percent of the alcohol tax and 105 percent of the 911 tax. Vice Mayor Sonny Wilkinson said he believed the city was
See GRAHAM, Page 3
See VILLAGE, Page 3
- Photo by Joy Richardson
Getting married 2020-style Betsy and Devon Hyde: not the wedding they envisioned — but just as married! For more, see Page 12.
Former mayor of Village dies at age 101 in Dallas
TOM GRAHAM
Tom L. Graham, the former mayor of The Village, died May 13 in Dallas. Graham served on The Village council from 1960-64 and then again from 1972-75. He was twice elected mayor by the City Council in 196162 and again 1973-74.
Graham celebrated his 101st birthday on March 5 with his children, Vicki Graham Clark-Gourley and June and Michael L. Graham, at the Juliette Fowler facility in Dallas, where he lived for the past five years. On his 100th birthday, both
Sody Clements elected NHills mayor
FRIDAY’s
Dog of the Week
By Rose Lane Editor Nichols Hills City Councilman Sody Clements has been elected mayor of the city. The vote was among the City Council. Peter Hoffman was named vice mayor. Clements has served on the City Council since 2009. This is her fourth term as mayor. In her first official action as mayor, Clements presented outgoing Mayor Steve Goetzinger a proclamation deeming him a Pandemic Pathfinder. “This has been an usual year,” Clements said in light of the coronavirus. Geotzinger was therefore commended for guiding the city through the tough times of quarantine. He will continue to be the point person on that topic while Clements will concentrate on economic development.
See VIRUS, Page 3
Village revenues are up in pandemic
Many residents have built tornado or storm shelters due to Oklahoma’s severe weather. There are incidents where residents have been trapped in their shelter because the exit is blocked by debris or structural damage caused by severe weather. The cities of Oklahoma City and Edmond have Shelter Registration Programs in efforts to be proactive in response to rescue situations. Shelter Registration Programs are free and voluntary programs, which allow residents who own a personal severe weather shelter to register their shelter with the city. Shelter registration is part of an effort to be proactive in response to rescue situations that can occur as a result of severe weather. These programs will provide rescue personnel with valuable, timesaving shelterlocation information. In Oklahoma City, go to okc.gov. Then highlight “I want to” and click on Register My Storm Shelter. Or call 405-297-2535. In Edmond City limits go to: See SHELTER, Page 3
stop the “bird flu” on one trip, then SARS the next. Our country could drop our virus numbers so low we could probably completely open this summer if everyone would wear a mask when they left their house. Reports now show
This is Chewy. Kaye Hubbard is his human and they live in Glenbrook. Chewy has many friends! 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.
Sponsored by Paulette and Leo Kingston of WePayFast.com SODY CLEMENTS