Top Stories
By RANDY KREHBIEL
World Staff Writer
The first decade of the 21st century began with a gigantic sigh of relief. At the stroke of midnight, the world’s computer systems did not shudder to a halt or careen into chaos as some had predicted.
The smooth transition that made Y2K a non-event would not be a foretaste of the decade to come. From lingering bitterness over the outcome of the 2000 presidential election to the current acrimony over health care reform, from economic recession to boom to recession again, Oklahomans have been carried along on a global tide of conflict and uncertainty.
The decade’s defining moments occurred on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, when hijackers crashed two jetliners into New York’s World Trade Center and a third into the Pentagon outside of Washington, D.C. A fourth plane, apparently intended for an attack on the capital city itself, spiraled into a Pennsylvania field after its passengers rose up against the terrorists who had seized the cockpit.
Tulsans reacted with outrage and fear. Long lines formed at gas stations and in stores. Schools, government offices and businesses shut down. Planes at Harvey Young and Riverside airports were grounded and security increased at Tulsa International Airport. The Tulsa World printed its first extra edition in decades.
The effects of the Sept. 11 attacks continue to be felt, from heightened security measures to thousands of lives disrupted and - and in some cases ended - by service in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Tulsa’s top 10 news stories
1. Sept. 11 attacks: To borrow from an earlier time, a day that will live in infamy.
2. State politics: Having been on the offensive for years, Republicans gain numerical control of the House in 2004 and - for the first time ever - the Senate in 2008. Brad Henry’s surprising victory in the 2002 gubernatorial election and re-election in 2006, though, maintains some leverage for Democrats.
3. Indian casinos: Oklahoma voters authorize both a state lottery and tribal gaming compacts. With most of the attention on the lottery, few realize just how much of an impact the tribal compacts would have. Today Oklahoma ranks second in the nation in Indian casinos and total gaming machines, and the gambling industry proves to be the state’s most resilient in the current economic downtown.
View a comparison of Oklahoma casinos at tulsaworld.com/casinos.
4. Roller-coaster economy: Recessions early and late book-end a mid-decade boom as energy reasserts its position as the driving force of Oklahoma’s economy.
5. Vision 2025: The 2003 initiative authorizes $575.5 million in capital improvements, including the BOK Center, to be paid for with a 13-year, 1-cent sales tax. An additional $350 million in infrastructure and incentives for Boeing also pass but are never collected because the aircraft manufacturer decides on another location.
6. 2007 ice storms: Tulsans aren’t likely to forget the sheet of ice that descends upon the city in mid-December, but a January storm is at least as devastating to rural eastern Oklahoma. In between, record rainfalls lead to flooding throughout the state. Thirty-two people die in the January storm, and another 29 are killed in December, when as many as 600,000 people are without power for days and even weeks.
See photo galleries, get safety tips and more at tulsaworld.com/icestorm.
7. Immigration: A record influx of Hispanics, many of them in the U.S. illegally, reshape the state’s demographics and lead to a bitter backlash. House Bill 1804 is adopted in 2007 and makes it more difficult for illegal immigrants to obtain state services, including drivers licenses, and provides penalties for hiring or transporting them.
8. Oral Roberts University upheaval: Charges of mismanagement lead to the ouster of ORU President Richard Roberts in 2007. With Roberts go regents Creflo Dollar and Jesse Duplantis, controversial televangelists whose financial dealings come under scrutiny. Shortly after, Oklahoma City businessman Mart Green pledges $70 million to wipe out the university’s debt on the condition it professionalize administration.
Read more about the lawsuit, view documents and more at tulsaworld.com/orulawsuit.
9. OSU plane crash: A private aircraft carrying two players and eight other members of the Oklahoma State University men’s basketball team traveling party plummet to the ground near Byers, Colo., on Jan. 27, 2001, killing all on board. The crash leads to an investigation that reveals Coach Eddie Sutton has circumvented university policy to use private planes to transport the team.
10. I-40 bridge collapse: Fourteen people die when a 600-foot section of a bridge on Interstate 40 near Webbers Falls falls into the Arkansas River early on May 26, 2002. The bridge falls when barges being pushed up-river by a tug boat hit a supporting pier. The tug boat’s captain, Joe Dedmon, tells investigators he passed out just before the crash.
Newsmakers
By RANDY KREHBIEL
World Staff Writer
Newsmakers may come and go, but Oklahoma’s two U.S. senators were headline constants during the first decade of the 21st century.
Senior Sen. Jim Inhofe, a fixture in Oklahoma politics since the 1960s, continued his conservative crusade unabated, winning re-election in 2002 and 2008 without much difficulty.
Sen. Tom Coburn, who began the decade in the House of Representatives, remained in the news despite leaving public office for four years. During that time, Coburn published “Breach of Trust,” a book sharply critical of his former congressional colleagues.
Coburn returned to the arena in 2004, easily winning a three-way GOP primary and defeating Democrat Brad Carson, who had held Coburn’s former House seat.
Although Coburn and Inhofe often disagreed on particular issues, their outspoken and often controversial positions made them the public face of Oklahoma for the past decade.
Tulsa’s top 10 newsmakers
1. U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe: The senator ends the decade much as he began it - railing against a Democratic president, government spending and environmentalists.
In 2000, Inhofe tries to block the judicial nominations of President Bill Clinton and ridicules Vice President Al Gore’s claims about a warming planet. Although he is heavily involved in military and transportation issues as well as the federal buyout of contaminated homes in the Tar Creek Superfund site, Inhofe may be most remembered for his skepticism concerning climate change. In 2009, Inhofe proclaims victory in his war against what he has called the greatest hoax in history.
2. U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn: The Muskogee physician earns the nickname “Dr. No” for his resistance to federal spending and the holds he places on dozens of appointments and pieces of legislation. He also becomes a vocal critic of government health care programs, such as Medicare, the Veterans Administration and the Indian Health Service, and warns of dire consequences should Democrats succeed in passing health care reform.
Originally elected to Congress in 1994, Coburn left at the end of his third term in 2001 but re-enters active politics upon the retirement of four-term senator Don Nickles.
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3. Gov. Brad Henry: Although more low-profile than Inhofe or Coburn, Henry exerts great influence while serving as governor for the last seven years of the decade. Through negotiation and veto, he largely decides which pieces of the rising Republican legislative majority’s agenda make it into law and in what form. Henry’s hand is seen in early childhood education, adoption of the lottery, Indian gaming, lawsuit reform and tax policy. He also pushes for stricter controls on the state’s “rainy day” reserve fund, resulting in a $600 million balance at the outset of the current downturn.
4. George Kaiser: Whether through his business savvy or his philanthropy, Kaiser probably does more to mold Tulsa than any single person during the past decade. Besides his leadership of Bank of Oklahoma and his standing in the energy industry, Kaiser and his foundation are integral to the development of early childhood education programs in the city, as well as the BOK Center, ONEOK Field and other infrastructure improvements.
5. Kathy Taylor: Although the energetic Taylor serves less than four years as mayor, her hard-driving style brings many changes to Tulsa. During Taylor’s tenure the BOK Center is finished, City Hall moves to One Technology Center, a major street bond issue passes and ONEOK Field is built as a downtown home for the Tulsa Drillers. Often at odds with the City Council and criticized for her spending and aggressiveness, Taylor decides not to seek a second term.
6. Carrie Underwood: The “American Idol” winner from Checotah becomes one of country music’s most successful acts, charting 10 No. 1 singles in the past five years - the most of any country music female performer this decade.
Watch Carrie Underwood's music videos, see photos and more at tulsaworld.com/carrie.
7. Bob Stoops: Stoops leads the University of Oklahoma back from the college football wilderness, winning a national championship, six conference championships and coaching two Heisman Trophy winners.
8. Richard Roberts: No story is followed more closely by Tulsa World readers than the Roberts saga. It begins with Roberts’ alleged involvement in Randi Miller’s failed 2006 mayoral campaign, then escalates in 2008 when three former faculty members file suit claiming misuse of Oral Roberts University funds. Roberts, the son of ORU founder Oral Roberts, resigns as the school’s president in late 2008.
9. T. Boone Pickens: Always colorful, the energy legend remakes himself as a successful hedge fund manager, alternative energy advocate and philanthropist. His $400 million in contributions to his alma mater, Oklahoma State University, remake the campus - most notably the football stadium, which is renamed in his honor.
Pickens also is prominent in conservative politics, giving $2 million to the controversial Swift Boat Veterans for Truth advertising campaign against 2004 Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry.
10. Chief Chad Smith: Elected leader of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma in 1999, Smith is now serving his third term. During those years, the tribe expands its financial interests through Cherokee Nation Businesses LLC to include casinos, resort hotels, telecommunications, personnel services, distribution and manufacturing, with revenues approaching $500 million annually.
Health
By KIM ARCHER
World Staff Writer
Tulsa’s top 10 health stories of the decade.
1. OSU Medical Center: State and local leaders create a city trust to take over ownership of the aging osteopathic hospital, which is area’s primary indigent care facility. By doing so, they keep a key piece of Tulsa’s health care system in place as well as a critical training program for medical school residents.
Read more about OSU Medical Center at tulsaworld.com/osumc.
2. Locust Grove E. coli outbreak: The largest outbreak of a rare and especially virulent form of E. coli in the U.S. kills a Pryor man and sickens hundreds, many of whom are permanently disabled. State health officials determine the E. coli O111 stemmed from a popular restaurant, the Country Cottage, but never pinpoints its source.
Read more about the outbreak at tulsaworld.com/countrycottage.
3. Oklahoma’s consistently bad health rankings: By the time the decade ended, the Sooner state ranks 49th in the country for its poor health. The state has one of the highest percentages of diabetes, smoking, obesity and other unhealthy conditions. But the State Board of Health in December announces a new statewide initiative to improve the physical, social and mental well-being of all Oklahomans.
4. Insure Oklahoma: The 4-year-old public/private program subsidizes health insurance premiums for small businesses and individuals who qualify, and its growth has been dramatic. It is aimed at reducing the high number of uninsured Oklahomans. Due to its popularity, it recently has outgrown its financial capacity.
5. Growth of area hospitals: Aside from the traditional big three stand-by tertiary care hospitals in Tulsa, medical centers popped up with abandon over the past decade. SouthCrest is the first to open just more than a decade ago. Most recently, Owasso opens two new hospitals with St. John Owasso and Bailey Medical Center, a part of Hillcrest HealthCare System. St. John’s Broken Arrow hospital will open soon.
6. Smoking ban: Oklahoma passes a statewide smoking ban in most public places in 2003 after a lengthy battle in the state Legislature. Restaurants had until 2006 to comply by providing a separate ventilated smoking area, or going entirely smoke-free. All Tulsa hospitals band together to ban smoking on their campuses in late 2006. It began on the 30th anniversary of the Great American Smokeout, and officials say it was done to promote better health and set a healthy example.
7. Meth: Methamphetamine use rises in the state over the decade and is identified by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency as the principal drug of concern in Oklahoma. A rash of fatal automobile accidents and meth lab explosions are a visible symptom of the problem. The economic impact of substance abuse in the state is estimated at more than $4 billion per year.
Map Tulsa area meth labs at tulsaworld.com/methlabmap.
8. OU/TU medical program announced: The University of Oklahoma and Tulsa University recently announce plans to form a four-year Tulsa medical school to address the declining numbers of physicians in the state amid an explosion of medical care need. It will be the first four-year medical school built in the state in many years. Officials hope the school’s first class will enroll in 2014.
9. Swine flu: The novel H1N1 virus first emerges in April 2009 and looks to be a frightening prospect as it roars through Mexico, killing dozens of people before crossing the border into California and Texas. Because it spread globally, the World Health Organization proclaim it an epidemic. Although it has killed around 10,000 Americans - mostly children and young adults - it is still considered a mild disease. Flu activity has declined in the country, but experts say another wave could come.
Get swine flu safety tips and more at tulsaworld.com/swineflu.
10. Schusterman Health Sciences Center: For the first time in decades, all of the University of Oklahoma’s health sciences programs in Tulsa come together on one campus - the Schusterman Health Sciences Center at OU-Tulsa. OU purchases the BP Amoco campus, at 41st Street and Yale Avenue, for $24 million in 1999 and move its Tulsa-based health sciences programs and College of Medicine there in 2000. Now, the Schusterman campus is a well-established part of Tulsa’s educational complement, along with its Bedlam Health Clinic that opened in 2003 to provide medical care for those who can’t afford health insurance.
Education
By ANDREA EGER
and SHANNON MUCHMORE
World Staff Writers
Top 10 education stories of the decade
1. ORU: Amid allegations he misspent thousands of dollars in university funds to support his family’s lavish lifestyle, Oral Roberts University President Richard Roberts resigns in November 2007. After accepting a $70 million donation from the family that founded Hobby Lobby, ORU then names its first president without the Roberts name - Mark Rutland - in January 2009.
2. The No Child Left Behind Act: The 2002 legislation revolutionizes the federal government’s role in school accountability, leading Oklahoma to adopt additional standardized tests and new penalties for schools that don’t meet new federal and state requirements.
3. Oklahoma Charter School Act: The 2000 legislation paves the way for the state’s first charter schools in Tulsa and Oklahoma City. According to the state Department of Education, there are 18 schools by the end of the decade.
4. Race-based quotas at TPS: Tulsa Public Schools abandons the use of race-based quotas in favor of a geographic system for student admissions at Carver Middle School and Booker T. Washington High School in December 2003.
5. TCC Tulsa Achieves scholarship: In March 2007, Tulsa Community College develops a program that pays 100 percent of tuition and fees for all Tulsa County high school students enrolling at the college. Officials expect the program to last for the life of the school, and liken its potential impact to that of the GI bill.
6. Tulsa Academic Center: In 2008, the new alternative school is plagued by overcrowding and violence in its first year of operation, which leads to the early departure of Superintendent Michael Zolkoski and eventual overhaul of all alternative education programs in Tulsa Public Schools.
7. T. Boone Pickens: Texas oilman and billionaire Boone Pickens donates an historic $165 million to the Oklahoma State University athletic department in January 2006. The money is set aside for renovations of the football stadium, now named after the alumnus, as well as other facilities for baseball, track, soccer and tennis programs.
8. Athletic department scandals: Violations lead Jenks and Booker T. Washington high schools to suspend their football coaches and force the reassignment of Booker T. Washington’s principal in 2009.
9. Sandy Garrett: The state superintendent announces in 2009 that she won’t run for reelection. She was elected in 1990 and will serve into 2010.
10. Schusterman Center: University of Oklahoma officials dedicate the Schusterman Center at 41st Street and Yale Avenue as a home for OU-Tulsa in November 2001. The campus, made possible by donations from the Schusterman and OU foundations, has 56 acres with 17 buildings.
Religion
By BILL SHERMAN
World Religion Writer
Top 10 Tulsa religion stories of the decade
1. Sept. 11 terrorist attacks: The attacks wake up Americans to the existence of Muslim extremists who consider them the Great Satan, and want them dead, sparking a huge interest in, and education about Islam. As Christians debate whether the Iraq war qualifies as a just war, Tulsa Muslims and other U.S. Muslims launch civil rights organizations, public forums, open houses at mosques and other education programs to convince Americans that they are good neighbors.
2. Two major Tulsa Christian leaders die: Oral Roberts, founder of the university that bears his name and one of the most influential Christian leaders of the 20th century, dies at age 91. Pastor Billy Joe Daugherty builds Tulsa’s largest church, and an international ministry, and is dies suddenly of cancer at the height of his influence at age 57.
Read more about Oral Roberts' life and view an interactive timeline at tulsaworld.com/oralroberts.
3. Catholic clergy sex abuse scandal: The scandal breaks in Boston and spreads across the U.S. Several Tulsa area clergy are implicated.
4. Episcopalians approve a gay bishop: The action sets off a firestorm of protests that eventually results in a split in the Episcopal Church. A Tulsa church joins the new Anglican denomination created by U.S. churches, dioceses and individuals that left the Episcopal Church.
5. Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian Church: Kirk of the Hills members vote to leave the Presbyterian Church USA because of concern about the church’s drift from biblical standards, and sue the denomination to keep their building. When they lose in court, they buy back their building from the denomination.
6. Richard Roberts: Facing lawsuits and allegations of financial improprieties, Richard Roberts steps down as president of Oral Roberts University and separates his television preaching and healing ministry, then called Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association, from the university. His ministry is renamed Oral Roberts Ministries.
7. The religious right: Conservative Christians flex their political muscles, assembling a voter block that helps put one of their own in the White House in 2000 and 2004. Toward the end of the decade, their influence leveling, Barack Obama, their antithesis, is elected.
Courtesy of Doug Henderson
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8. Carlton Pearson: Prominent Tulsa pastor rejects the teachings of his Pentecostal denomination by becoming a universalist, teaching that all people are saved. While making headlines and talk shows around the U.S., he loses his Tulsa church, eventually accepting the pastorate of a New Age-style church in Chicago.
9. Anti-God movement: Secularists, atheists and agnostics find their voice, publishing a flurry of books debunking faith in God and particularly Christianity. Tulsa humanists form an organization.
10. Evangelical social gospel: Evangelicals, historically focused on personal salvation and private spiritual growth, move into the social service arena traditionally held by liberal Christians. Tulsa Guts Church’s work in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and Rick Warren’s AIDS work are part of this movement.
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