By Darla Shelden, The Oklahoma City Sentinel Senior Reporter OKLAHOMA CITY – Organizations that advocate on behalf of Hispanic Oklahomans are celebrating the recent announcement that a permanent Mexican Consulate will be coming to Oklahoma City.   On October 26, Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs Marcelo Ebrard and other officials of the Secretariat announced in Mexico City a plan to open two new consulates in the United States, one in Oklahoma City and the other in New Jersey.   Scissortail Community Development Corporation President Robert Ruiz said the new consulate is both a p ..read more

By Tim Farley, The Oklahoma City Sentinel Only one Oklahoma City resident was squawking Tuesday when three council members introduced a measure that would change the backyard chicken ordinance. However, the noise level might increase in about 30 days after the planning commission hears the merits of the issue and the council conducts a public hearing in November. The ordinance was requested by councilmembers JoBeth Hamon, Nikki Nice and Bradley Carter. Hamon described the proposal as “an issue of well-being for our residents” since it’s related to food security for many families. Currently, th ..read more

The Oklahoma City Sentinel, Staff Report The Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust (OCWUT) received the Platinum Award for Excellence in Utilities Management from the Association of Municipal Water Agencies (AMWA) during the organization’s national convention on October 4, 2021. Utilities Director and OCWUT’s General Manager, Chris Browning presented the award at the Trust’s meeting on October 26. The AMWA Platinum Award for Utility Excellence recognizes select public water utilities that have made a commitment to management that achieves a balance of innovative and successful efforts in areas o ..read more

A man wanted in connection to a pair of armed robberies over the weekend is behind bars after police were able to set up surveillance on his vehicle, following the fleeing suspect and making an arrest. 19-year-old Jarmal D Burris is charged with robbery with a firearm, kidnapping, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Burris’ charges are enhanced due to his priors. Burris was arrested Oct. 23. Police say Burris walked into a marijuana dispensary in the 3100 block of W. Britton Saturday, brandishing a gun and demanding money and marijuana. Burris is said to have grabbed the female attendant ..read more

By Darla Shelden, City Sentinel Senior Reporter STILLWATER – Studies have shown pets are good for both mental and physical health. Rachel Morse, Oklahoma State University Extension mental health specialist with the Oklahoma 4-H Youth Development program explains what exactly this statement means. “It means they can improve the mental and physical wellbeing of any pet owners, not just those who are facing health challenges such as cancer, depression or some other illness,” said Morse, “Research has shown that pet owners had greater self-esteem, were more physically fit, tended to be less lonely ..read more

The Associated Press (The City Sentinel) ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that he had ordered 10 foreign ambassadors who called for the release of a jailed philanthropist to be declared persona non grata. The envoys, including the U.S., French and German representatives in Ankara, issued a statement earlier this week calling for a resolution to the case of Osman Kavala, a businessman and philanthropist held in prison since 2017 despite not having been convicted of a crime. Describing the statement as an “impudence,” Erdogan said he had ordered the ambassador ..read more

By Darla Shelden, City Sentinel Senior Reporter OKLAHOMA CITY – LifeShare of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation have announced that for the first time, hunters and anglers can register to become an organ and tissue donor when they purchase a hunting and fishing license. LifeShare of Oklahoma is a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives through organ, eye and tissue donation in Oklahoma, “Hunting and fishing are very important in Oklahoma, and we hope by partnering with the Wildlife Department, outdoorsmen will see that creating a tradition of generosity ..read more

The City Sentinel, Staff Report OKLAHOMA CITY – City Manager Craig Freeman has announced the selection of Jeff Mulder as the City’s new Director of Airports Mulder, 56, begins Nov. 1. He will oversee the department’s $20.8 million budget and manage the City’s three airports: Will Rogers World Airport, Wiley Post Airport and Clarence E. Page Airport. Mulder served as the Airport Director in Tulsa from 2005 to 2016. He operated the Southwest Florida International Airport from 2017 to 2019 and most recently worked as a senior consultant for Woolpert, an architecture, engineering, geospatial and s ..read more

Ray Carter, Center for Independent Journalism August 30, 2021 – When the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma, which effectively decided that Indian reservations comprise most of eastern Oklahoma, it stripped the Oklahoma state government of the ability to prosecute crimes committed by or against American Indians in those areas. Tribal leaders have suggested tribal police forces will fill much of the gap. But many Cherokees indicate their tribal police have too often been used as political enforcers rather than as law-enforcement officials in the 14 counties that c ..read more

Tim Reynolds, AP Basketball Writer (The City Sentinel) Chinese broadcaster and NBA partner Tencent is not showing current or archived Boston Celtics games on its platforms, in apparent response to comments that Celtics center Enes Kanter made to advocate Tibetan independence. Kanter, as part of a series of social media posts, also called Chinese President Xi Jinping a “dictator.” Kanter did not play in Boston’s season-opening 138-134 loss to New York on Wednesday night. The game that was not shown on the streaming services that typically broadcast most NBA games to millions in China. The NBA h ..read more