Valuck wins OGA senior amateur title Gaillardia member Dr. Jonathan Valuck, right, won the 2020 OGA Senior State Amateur championship last weekend at Belmar Golf Club in Norman. Page 4
FRIDAY gets look at stadium upgrades OKC FRIDAY photographer Richard Clifton got an early look at the new renovations at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium’s OGE Energy Field. Page 4
OKC FRIDAY Vol. 54 No. 7 • One Section • 12 pages June 26, 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
RIED Report: Our Repubs perfect scores, Dems fail
ReMerge opens a new facility, increases capacity by 50 percent
By Rose Lane Editor The Research Institute for Economic Development has graded Oklahoma representatives and senators with two Fridayland Republicans obtaining perfect scores and three of our Democrats failing. The RIED Report creates a profile of each legislator’s individual voting record for bills dealing with business, industry, job creation and economic growth issues deemed important by the private sector. Each legislator is graded with respect to his or her position on each bill. Receiving perfect scores were Republicans Representative Nicole Miller, R-82, and Senator Stephanie Bice, R-22. Failing were Democrats Representative Cyndi Munson, D-85, and Senators Carrie Hicks, D-40, and Julia Kirt, D-30. Love’s Travel Stop’s Chairman Greg Love is the chairman of the organization’s board. Other board members include Devon Energy Chairman Emeritus and Founder Larry Nichols, Grubbs Ellis/ Levy Beffort President/Manager Harrison Levy, Jr., OKC Thunder and Dorchester Capital Chairman Clay Bennett, BancFirst Vice Chairman Jim Daniel and IBC Bank Director Dr. Gib Gibson. The report is available at riedreport. com.
- Photo by Barbara Simons
In the good ‘ole summertime Little Drew Kaiser enjoys a popsicle at Scissortail Park as summer begins. She is the granddaughter of Barbara Simons.
ReMerge, Oklahoma County’s only comprehensive alternative to incarceration for women, hosted the grand opening of its new 19,000-square-foot campus. The new building will provide additional space for community partners and staff and increase access to other resources so the program can expand services to help 50 percent more mothers build healthier foundations for themselves and their families. “By expanding the facility and program, ReMerge can help more Oklahoma mothers reunite with their families and receive the assistance they need to break the cycle of incarceration and overcome trauma and addiction that keeps them from moving forward," said Robert J. Ross, chair-
man and chief executive officer of Inasmuch Foundation. “Ultimately, it is exciting to be a supporter alongside moms as they create a better life for themselves and their children.” Since 2011, ReMerge has offered a variety of basic needs provisions including housing, transportation, medical, as well as behavioral health care, domestic violence intervention and counseling, education training and job placement, parenting and family services, legal services, life skills and more. To date, 126 women have graduated and more than 317 children have been positively impacted by the program. “I walked into the doors of ReMerge at the lowest point in my life,” SEE ReMERGE, Page 11
Fill My Basket believes you don’t have to be rich to help others By Rose Lane Editor Through Fill My Basket, founders Matt Danuser and Disty Simpson want to show the community that you don’t have to be rich to help people around you. “Our goal is to pay it forward and prompt others to do the same — helping complete strangers with their grocery bill,” Matt said. What started as an idea between two friends with what little they did have has now turned into a worldwide movement. People all over the globe have since been
inspired to do random acts of kindness for strangers. Matt said he saw a video on Facebook of someone buying groceries for people. It made him tear up and it made him want to do it, too. “I posted the video and said I am doing this and my old high school friend Disty Simpson replied and said, ‘Let's do it.’” That was in October of 2017. With the limited resources they had, the pair started going and getting behind people at a local grocery
FRIDAY’s
Dog of the Week Mini dressed up for Cinco de Mayo while sheltering in place with her human Dick Sias. She has been his constant companion since roofers abandoned her when they finished the job at his house years ago. 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
See FMB, Page 12
R.D. Lasher, OU kicker and now MMA fighter, left, joins Jimmy Johnson, Matt Danuser, Travis Griffen and Disty Simpson as they prepare to go grocery shopping for Fill My Basket.
Edmondses are Distinguished Alums Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School awarded Bentley Edmonds (1981) and Lisa Ruffin Edmonds (1982) with its Distinguished Alumni of the Year Award during the 2020 Commencement Ceremony. The award was established 21 years ago to recognize outstanding alumni, and their commitment to the goals and objectives of BMCHS. It highlights the importance of what it means to be a person for others through their
actions not only in the Irish community, but also in their community and church. “Lisa and Bentley Edmonds are excellent examples of combined dedication to Catholic education, community and faith,” said Carly Wegener, Bishop McGuinness Alumni Executive Committee resident. “Together, they most certainly exemplify the Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School See IRISH, Page 3