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News on 6 in High Definition.
Right now our officers are just responding to calls.
Now at 10 o'clock, how vision money will get more officers patrolling Tulsa streets.
What a broken arrow a lawmaker is doing to get a Ten Commandments monument back on the Capitol grounds.
To have that next leg of the people living down here, that will just really help things go even better.
And the new business is coming to historic downtown Tulsa.
But first at 10 o'clock, a breaking news update.
The legislature is tapping the rainy day fund to help get Oklahoma's schools and prisons to the end of the fiscal year in June.
$51 million will go to schools.
$27.5 million goes to the Department of Corrections.
Since December, the state has slashed $109 million from the education budget.
And today's move gives less than half of that back.
We think that this is a very responsible, available action that we can take immediately to address the concerns that we have.
Certainly the public has to make sure that our children get the education services that they need and that we keep our public safe.
We hope that this measure will mean that schools will not take drastic means and have a four-day school week to finish the year.
But several school districts have already decided they will take those drastic means.
Wagner Public Schools is the latest to move to a four-day school week starting next fall.
News on 6 reporter Annie Chang spoke with the superintendent and parents who have mixed reactions.
Believe it or not, first grader Emily Fox doesn't like the idea of a three-day weekend.
It's because I really like school rules.
Come fall, Emily and about 2,400 other Wagner students will go to school Tuesday through Friday, 8 to 4.
It's a move that saves up to $200,000 a year, enough to keep four teachers on staff.
And Superintendent Randy Harris says studies show students don't learn any less on this system.
I spent about two weeks doing that research and investigated several districts across many states.
I kind of went, there's really no evidence to say it's a bad deal.
He says 91% of teachers were on board. As for the parents, they're more across the board.
I understand that our district needs to save money and I get that.
And we have to do everything we can to save and cut costs. But I also see the other side of it.
The other side meaning the working parents who will have to find a babysitter on that Monday off, including Emily's parents.
It's another hurdle, you know, I believe, you know, because she's going to be somewhere,
whether it's in child daycare or whether it's in school, and I'd rather be in school learning.
Harris says he's not sure what this emergency rainy day money means for his district.
But this is one of the best last resorts.
Everybody's been cutting and everybody's been cutting and now you're to the point where you look around and you say,
I don't know what else we have to cut.
Harris believes four-day weeks will become more popular in districts across the state.
Both Inola and Oktawha schools made that switch earlier this year.
If you'd like more information about those changes, head to our website, news on six dot com.
Annie Chang, News on Six.
New tonight, the bond of a man accused of breaking into the Inola home of a Craig County Assistant District Attorney has been reduced.
Brian Starkey is charged with first degree burglary and several other felonies.
In December, Erin O'Quinn shot Starkey when she says he broke into her home.
If he makes bond, he can't contact O'Quinn and he must wear a GPS monitoring device.
His next court date is in April.
The judge also ruled there is no conflict of interest in Rogers County prosecuting the case.
Back to the Capitol now, and Broken Arrow State Representative Mike Ritz wants voters to decide what to do with the Ten Commandments monument.
His bill to put the issue on the November ballot passed the House 86 to 10 today.
It would amend the state constitution to allow public money or property to be used for the promotion of religion.
Now it moves on to the Senate, which is also expected to sign off on it.
You know, right now the citizens of Oklahoma believe that it's a historical significance.
The Ten Commandments represents our heritage and we just want to bring it back for future generations to see forever.
Ritz's family donated the original monument back in 2012.
It was removed last October after the state Supreme Court ruled it violated the state's constitution
that prohibits the use of any state money or property to support a religion.
A bill that would allow law enforcement to collect a person's DNA after a felony arrest made it through the state house today.
Under House Bill 2275, anyone arrested for a felony could have their DNA taken.
The sample would only be uploaded to the state's database if a judge finds there's enough evidence to go to trial.
Unlike a fingerprint, which puts some ink on a piece of paper, a DNA swab is actually a piece of my body.
It is literally a set of cells that are mine. They're not the government's and they're being taken from me.
They're then being analyzed to determine all kinds of things about me.
This is the fourth time Representative Lee Denny of Cushing has pitched this bill.
This time she says she has enough votes to get it through the Senate.
Well, News on 6 has found that tonight, Tulsa police officers are not on regular patrols of the city and they haven't been for a long time.
There aren't enough officers and because of that, they can only respond to 911 calls.
News on 6 reporter Allison Harris is live down at Tulsa police headquarters.
And Allison, if voters pass the vision extension, that means the city can hire more officers, right?
That's right, Scott. Officers here at Tulsa police headquarters say they are overstretched.
The president of Tulsa's Fraternal Order of Police says this is a safety problem for Tulsa and the vision Tulsa proposal is the fix.
There are 760 Tulsa police officers, but a study suggests TPD needs 943.
The more officers we have, it allows us to do our job better.
Officers only respond to 911 calls. There is no community policing.
The more than $200 million proposed in vision Tulsa would add patrol officers as well as detectives, school resource officers and traffic cops.
Honestly, to just show up and take a report and do a follow up investigation is not what we prefer to do.
We want to get out there and actively find these people that are committing crimes and put them in jail.
At a vision Tulsa meeting Wednesday, city councilors talked about another issue for police and taxpayers.
We are so short of police officers right now that they are having to work overtime.
A News on 6 review of Tulsa police records found more than 30 TPD officers earned $20,000 in overtime in 2013, some earning almost half their income in overtime.
More officers would also open stations after 4 p.m. and on weekends.
If you need an officer, the door is locked and all you can do is punch a button or pick up a handset and call dispatch and wait for an officer to respond.
The vision Tulsa vote is part of the April 5 election.
It also includes money for firefighters, transportation and economic development.
Live in Tulsa, Allison Harris, News on 6.
An update here at 10, breaking news. We brought you on our earlier newscasts tonight.
Garnet Road just south of the Broken Arrow Expressway is open again after being shut down by a fatal accident during the evening rush hour.
Officers confirm a motorcycle was involved. TPD, still investigating, will bring you more information when we get it.
And another person died in a three vehicle crash on I-44 near the Arkansas River.
Troopers say traffic slowed on the interstate when a car rear-ended a pickup truck and then another car smashed into it.
DOHP says a woman riding in the second car was not wearing a seatbelt. She died at the scene.
Three others were treated at hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries.
The family of a boy who was attacked by a dog in McAllister needs the owners of that dog to come forward.
The dog got off its leash during a walk and knocked 10-year-old Orenzi to the ground and bit his face.
He told his mom the three women walking the dog left, leaving him lying on the ground, bleeding from wounds to the face.
The boy's family and friends joined police in looking for the dog but haven't been able to find it.
Now the third grader has to get a series of painful rabies shots.
We still were not wanting him to have to go through with that but we just told him get ready because you're going to have to go down and get these shots.
And then we had to go through what happens if you don't get the shots. And there's always that what if.
His mom hopes the dog will be found so other kids might be spared a similar attack.
With so many residential projects on the drawing board, downtown Tulsa is on the verge of more than doubling its population.
A number of those projects are in the historic Deco District surrounding 5th and Boston.
News on 6 Anchor Megan Farley joins us live from there with how business owners are getting in on the ground floor. Megan?
Terry, this area has its anchor tenants like Bank of Oklahoma and OneGas but the neighborhood is starting to fill in around them with things like apartments, hotels and small businesses.
Julie March couldn't wait to show me the latest in her new clothing boutique.
Say like Mayfist or something. So there you go, you've got this, here's your little purse and it comes with it.
She opened Jewels three months ago and is already catering to the neighborhood after a life in corporate America.
I just had an epiphany one day. I wanted to work for myself and I thought now is the right time to be downtown.
Her shop in the Deco District is right next to another brand new business, Studio One Yoga. It's a start up venture between Jessica Sprinkle and Teresa Moyer.
Both of us spend a lot of our time around these four blocks and we wanted people to have a place to come and work out with us.
Jessica fell in love with Tulsa while visiting from Austin and moved here last year.
It felt like the right vibe to start my own thing.
The businesses sit right in the middle of two soon to be apartments in the Deco District and those people moving in are going to want places to shop and work out.
While there are still a number of for lease and available signs, William Franklin, who's owned Decopolis for three years, says these new tenants will help complete what the neighborhood needs.
They have that next leg of the people living down here that will just really help things go even better.
Now, Canbar Properties, who owns a number of the buildings downtown, says just in the last few months they've leased out more than seven thousand square feet of space.
Some specific tenants they are going after now. They tell me they include grocers and pharmacies, but also things like salons and new restaurants.
Live in downtown Tulsa, Megan Farley, News on 6.
Spring break starts early for students at Anderson School west of Sand Springs over in Osage County, but it's because of a leaking gas pipe beneath the playground.
Repairs are still going on there, so classes are canceled tomorrow.
A Green Country school produced not one, but seven big winners.
I didn't understand it, so I had to teach it to myself.
Next at 10, how this junk sophomore impressed C-SPAN's national judges.
It was a pretty good day today considering the fact that we didn't have a whole lot of things going for us like sunshine, but temperatures still managed to get into the 60s across a big chunk of the area.
We still have some rain coming, but tonight no problems across downtown.
Osage SkyCab Network looking good, bright lights in the big city, but will that still be good as we go through tomorrow and into the weekend?
Have some changes that are good and maybe bad. That's coming up in six minutes.
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It's that time again. Country Mart and Apple Market is having an unbelievable two-day massive meat sale this Friday and Saturday only. Hurry in and stock up on whole boneless rib-eyes only $7.99 a pound. Cut any way you like.
Whole New York strips, now $5.99 a pound. Boneless pork loin, $1.79 a pound. Cut to order. Beef brisket, $2.99 a pound. Value-packed brown chuck, $2.59 a pound. This Friday and Saturday only, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. A butcher shop with supermarket prices. Country Mart and Apple Market.
Severe weather in Oklahoma. It's damaging, always changing, and often deadly. But when the storm moves in, we'll keep you out of the path of danger. New weapons in storm chasing, the biggest team of trackers, and over a hundred years of combined experience.
Travis Meyer and the Oklahoma weather experts take you ahead of the storm Thursday night at 8. Brought to you by FlatSafe Tornado Shelters and News on 6.
Something good's going on over at Jenks High School. Seven students won cash prizes in C-SPAN's Student Cam Video Competition, including the grand prize of $5,000. Sophomore Olivia Heard's documentary, Up to Our Necks, is about the federal debt. She said she didn't understand it, so she taught herself and then taught others in her film.
What are you going to do with the money? Ooh, that's a good question. I'm probably going to be boring and save a lot of it. I know, I know. Okay, I just did a piece on the debt. A court. She's got a point. Now if you want to check out Olivia's film, we've posted a link to it on our website, News on 6.com.
It's so good to see claymation again, too. Here are the top trending videos now at News on 6.com. A $1 million donation helps AIM High Academy build a new gym. Last March, a tornado destroyed their West Tulsa gym, and since, the girls have been using gyms in two other towns. They hope to break ground on their own new space later this year.
Young chefs put their culinary skills to the test this afternoon at the Sodexo Future Chefs Challenge. It's a way to get kids thinking about healthy eating. Peyton Barnard of Elliott Elementary won with her frittata recipe.
Travis Meyer has the American Meteorological Society seal of approval.
Alright, something I'd like for you to be paying attention to as we go on into tomorrow evening at 8 o'clock. We have a brand new special. It's called Ahead of the Storm and sponsored by FlatSafe. And we are getting ready to tell you and share with you information about how to stay ahead of the storm.
And guess what? This year with El Nino, things are going to get a little crazy. We're thinking it already is crazy. But that'll be coming up tomorrow night at 8 o'clock. I hope you join us for that.
And it will be some good information, we do believe, that will help you prepare for the upcoming season. Right now as we look at what's going on, we've had just a little bit of patchy light drizzle. You'll be able to see just a little bit of midtown Tulsa.
And then some of this is a ground clutter. And then you see some showers and drizzle moving across the areas from Owasso, then fading out and extending from around Vertigris and then moving back into this area.
Now a little bit more in the way of showers are showing up a little bit further to the east. So if you're east of town, you're getting more showers and they're dying down again. It's just kind of been around Spavinaw to Salina, Locust Grove and then some around Adair and then from Chelsea.
And this is just kind of expanding westward a little bit. So it's around, but it's not major. The major stuff was way off to the southeast. This is where the heaviest of the rains are located in Arkansas.
And we've just had sprinkles and showers across eastern Oklahoma. So far cry from what we anticipate last night. We're talking about the potential for flooding on the Illinois River that hasn't happened or transpired.
And what we're talking about here is that this system is part of a huge system that's down into portions of old Mexico. But this is just a conveyor belt of moisture. It's a lot of water, a lot of flooding going on.
And we're just missing it. If it's back to the northwest about 150 miles, eastern Oklahoma would be a big mess tonight. But that is not the case. So what we're talking about is a system that is still down in central portions of Mexico.
This just doesn't happen very, very seldom. Do we ever see anything like this? But this is just transporting moisture from deep in the Gulf of Mexico and then shooting it all the way up across much of the areas, even in the Missouri and around St. Louis, all the way to just into Ohio.
So that gives you an idea of where things are located. Now, as we take a look at what's going on, we go all the way down from just northwest Mexico City is about right here. And as we look at an area called San Julian, this is in Mexico.
This was a picture taken from again where it never snows. 1967 was the last time it snowed down around areas of Mexico City to this area of San Julian.
So again, it just gives you a pretty good idea how crazy it is. And that was in Mexico. Now, as far as what's going on closer in, it's time for spring break. And there are some things going on in Colorado as well, especially out around the Crested Butte area.
Most of these areas that are right around Crested Butte and most of the Rocky Mountain Range, they're doing OK. They had about anywhere from about a foot to a foot and a half of fresh powder on some of the higher mountain ranges with this past storm system.
Another one's coming in before too long. This gives you an idea. If you like to ski, which I was going with you, I'd probably run into a tree and then that would not be good for me.
But as far as conditions are there, that is not too bad. But we've got to come back to Oklahoma because it's beautiful here and our Tulsa sunset. Tony Young sends this picture into us.
And again, the sun was just setting. This is Turkey Mountain on your far right side that you see. And that's looking over the Arkansas River. Again, beautiful shot for the sunset.
We're at 59 degrees right now. Northeast wind is 794 percent humidity. 57 is the dew point. 29.95 and falling is a barometric pressure reading.
All right. Temperatures in the metro 59 or was so in Tulsa and also at Bixby 60. If you're in Jinx and Broken Arrow and Coetah 57 Claremore. So it's cool, but it's not bad.
Most of eastern Oklahoma in the upper fifties to low sixties. And we're not going to drop a whole lot tonight.
We'll be holding steady generally in the mid fifties. A few areas we clear out a little bit could make the lower fifties and then we're we're totally clear.
We're some patchy fog conformity 45. But we'll have some light rain or drizzle in the morning.
And then we kind of get a break during the day for a while. This back to cloud. So it's overall more clouds and sun by any stretch of the imagination.
Temperatures be in the sixties to low seventies across the area. And as we extend the forecast out, that chances of rain is not over with because here comes Friday.
And look what happens on Friday. That system out of Mexico starts building back into the area. And then that sets us up for some rain that could continue on into Saturday morning.
So from Friday, Friday night into Saturday will be our best chances of precipitation. And that's going to stick around for a while Saturday.
Sorry to say I have some folks in the studio are too happy about that because something special going on about 11 o'clock.
I think on Saturday for one of our friends, 52 degrees, seven o'clock in the morning, some rain and look for 64 mostly cloudy with a few showers as we go through the course of the midday hours.
And in the afternoon again, still a few showers mainly to the east and high temperatures around 71 extend the forecast out.
We're looking for a best chance of rain on Friday temperatures in the sixties. Unfortunately, I've been trying to erase that 40 percent off Saturday.
I cannot do it. Working on it. I'm working.
Katie is working on it. It does get better on Monday. That'd be a great day to get married or something. Do something. Rain on your wedding day means like fertility or something.
Yeah. Katie, good luck with that. I don't know that she's smiling yet. Keep working on it. Thank you, Trav.
Well, that was quick, Charlie. What happened? Well, John will be back tomorrow.
It'll be a short trip there in Kansas City. So I'm not really sure how I'm supposed to follow that.
But we'll just go with it and we'll say out with a whimper on the Bob Mills Sports Desk tonight.
It's been a long season for Oklahoma State this year and now it's over.
Cowboys played most of the conference schedule bothered by injuries and the depleted roster didn't put up much of a fight tonight in the Big 12 Tournament.
Cowboys in Kansas State to play around in Kansas City. This one was all K-State early in transition.
Barry Brown gets the tough lab to go in his 21-8 Wildcats.
A nice entry pass to Wesley Awundu. K-State led by 17 at the half.
Give the Cowboys a little bit of credit though. They did try to make a run in the second half.
Layton Hammons hits the three and Oklahoma State was back with a nine.
Then in the final minute Tyree Griffin got it within four but Kansas State holds on to win 75-71.
John Holcomb has more from Kansas City.
A short stay for the Cowboys at the Big 12 Tournament. A really poor first half did OSU in tonight.
Second half they scored 48 points. The season over now at 12 and 20 and afterwards.
Travis Ford told me that while a lot of things didn't go well there are some things that he's proud of.
The character of this team showed. The fight that they showed.
Every day I would be concerned every day are they going to come back with the same fight.
And they did with their eyes big wanting to learn, wanting to get better.
What do we need to do to try to win the next game?
One of the leaders for the OSU come back in the second half Tyree Griffin.
A double-double, 11 points and 10 assists. But now things are over for this season.
And the speculation will now focus on Travis Ford and whether he'll be back for another year as OSU's head coach.
In Kansas City, I'm John Holcomb.
Dean Blevins is also in Kansas City. He's covering the Sooners.
Big men needed big time in the big game.
It'll be number six Oklahoma playing number six tournament seed Iowa State in their first match in the Big 12 Tournament.
Iowa State looking for its third straight Big 12 Tournament title.
We're ready, we're excited, we're anxious.
And we just we're willing to take on any challenges and just really impose our will.
And we're looking for big things this year. So let's do it.
This year I feel like we got to you know our focus is broader.
Like we got a we got a we got a big goal in mind and that's to win the championships.
And you know not only here but to advance and get a number one seed.
Iowa State's crowds are always unbelievable here in Kansas City.
They'll have a four to one or five to one advantage.
I believe that Buddy Heal will be awesome the way he typically is in the big games.
But I think it's going to come down to those big guys to Latin and Spangler.
To see whether Oklahoma is one and done or whether Iowa State's run of two straight Big 12 Tournament titles ends here in Kansas City.
Reporting from Kansas City, I'm Dean Blevins.
Bishop Kelly Grad and Cyagwinner Dallas Keichel through two shout out endings in his spring training debut for the Astros today.
The Thunder tries to take down the Clippers when we come back.
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The end of a thunder start of the night a game and a half up on the Clippers for third in the West.
Kevin Durant looking good early.
You might want to cover him a little tighter.
There's the driving dunk.
It's 1911 Oklahoma City then and his cancer down low.
Well, scratch that.
This is Russell Westbrook going coast to coast.
How about that?
In and the foul.
Pretty good move there.
That game made it a five point game.
Thunder leading 92 83 in the third.
More after this.
For two generations at Broken Arrow Lawn and Garden we have made many little customers.
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The city of Broken Arrow is a growing thriving community.
Matthews Ford and News on 6 are proud partners with the city.
We'd like to recognize the people that make it that way.
Excellence in leadership highlights those who serve our city and all aspects of their roles to make the city of Broken Arrow great.
This month we want to congratulate the Animal Control Division for their excellence in leadership.
A job requiring a careful balance of meeting the needs of animals and humans in our community.
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For better tomorrow.
High temperatures should be around 70 71 but we have a good chance of rain Friday into Saturday if you missed it.
Don't forget daylight saving time begins Saturday night into Sunday morning as we say spring forward lose an hour of sleep.
But otherwise it should be a beautiful spring kickoff as we go on into Monday and Tuesday of next week.
So no major changes compared to the new data we have.
Get spring break started right. Yes.
All right. Thank you.
Good to have you here at 10 o'clock.
Have a great night everybody. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is coming up next.
See you tomorrow.