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Monday, August 10, 2026 • The heat continues. 100. ☀️
Poll results:
We received 182 votes on the Saturday poll, “Should candidates for statewide or national office be required to release financial and health records?”
129 people said, “Yes to both.”
31 people said, “Just financial.”
4 people said, “Just health.”
18 people said, “Neither.”
New poll question at the bottom of today’s newsletter. (You can also suggest a poll question by emailing me at [email protected].)
After a decade of promises, dirt is moving on $8.3M investment into Tulsa’s Fred Johnson Park
Ground is broken at Fred Johnson Park on Friday, August 7, 2026. (Credit: Milo Gladstein / Tulsa Flyer)
By Haley Samsel, Tulsa Flyer
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A looped walking trail and misting plaza outside a covered basketball court. A dog park with three enclosed areas. A playground that’s a hop, skip and a jump away from a splash pad, baseball field and pickleball courts.
The list of major improvements on the way to Fred Johnson Park is long — as is the time residents have spent waiting for those renovations to become reality. Now, shovels are hitting the dirt at 6002 S. Riverside Drive. Tulsa leaders hope $8.3 million in investments will rejuvenate the area around 61st and Peoria when construction is completed next year.
“A word that comes up when I talk about this project over the last couple years and where we were headed, and people will say: ‘Finally, finally,’” Tulsa Parks Director Anna America said Friday during a groundbreaking event.
In 2021, city officials announced they had funding in hand to reimagine the park from top to bottom. Over time, as City Council representation of the area changed hands, its budget grew by the millions. The project is funded through $3.125 million from the voter-approved Improve Our Tulsa 2 bond package; $5 million from Improve Our Tulsa 3; and an additional $200,000 for playground improvements.
Johnson Park straddles two council districts, sitting in Carol Bush’s midtown-centered District 9 and across the street from Anthony Archie’s westside District 2. Both attended the celebration alongside Mayor Monroe Nichols and councilors Phil Lakin Jr. and Karen Gilbert.
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Because HR shouldn’t feel like a thankless job. And you shouldn’t feel alone in it.
The Oklahoma Rundown 📰
Editor’s note: Links requiring subscriptions have an *.
Here’s what’s happening in Oklahoma today:
Hear directly from Republican governor, state superintendent candidates at free forum (Tulsa Flyer)
Who bought that ad? We’re following the money in Oklahoma elections (The Frontier)
Drummond on Fauci, Inola aluminum smelter, Broken Arrow mosque and more (KOSU podcast)
Are we focusing too much on data center downsides? | Your Vote Counts (News On 6)
Tulsa company would play key role if state gets nuclear industry innovation campus (Tulsa World)*
Hydro under boil order after E. coli is found in drinking water, ODEQ says (KOCO)
Oklahoma County burn ban in effect as firefighters prepare for wildfire risks (KOCO)
Guthrie man arrested following OSBI child exploitation Investigation (Guthrie News Page)
Family, friends identify pilot killed in Guymon plane crash; fundraiser created for son (Fox 25)
3-year-old boy killed after being hit by vehicle in southwest Oklahoma City (Fox 25)
Police report man killed in fiery crash near Lake Hefner Parkway and Memorial Road (KOCO)
Phillips 66 donates $20,000 to Habitat for Humanity of Ponca City (Kay News Cow)
‘Nobody should be alone’: Doula brings holistic birthing wellness center to north Tulsa (The Oklahoma Eagle)
More Tulsans voice concerns about upkeep at cemetery (KJRH)
15-year-old’s heartbroken quinceañera after father is detained by ICE (News 9)
🎙️ Oklahoma Memo Podcast 🎙️
OKLAHOMA MEMO
Drew Williamson on Drummond vs. Mazzei, Data Centers and Stitt’s Next Move
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