Tulsa City

AA workers in Tulsa campaign to save jobs

musiclover — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 22:31:41 +0000

American Airlines workers in Tulsa said they are stepping up a public campaign to draw attention to the 2,100 employees whose jobs are on the struggling air carrier’s chopping block as the company goes through bankruptcy, the local Transport Workers Union said Tuesday.Employees are printing up about 500 yard signs touting their campaign’s website, www.isupportamericanjobs.com , where visitors are asked to sign an online petition as a show of support. More than 15,000 people have signed so far.

“We work so hard for this company but they gave up on us,” said 16-year American employee Malinda Hamm, who described the mood among coworkers as “terrible.”

The workers union, which represents about 6,000 employees at the company’s maintenance hub, is asking the company to offer incentives for workers to retire early instead of going through a mass layoff. A spokesman for American said the company is still considering that plan.

The Texas-based company filed for bankruptcy protection on Nov. 29 after posting $11 billion in losses since 2001. Corporate executives have said the company plans to lay off about 13,000 employees companywide, including thousands of mechanics, flight attendants, pilots and management staff as it goes through reorganization. American hasn’t said which jobs in Tulsa would be targeted or when layoffs might happen.

“These skilled workers are military veterans, mothers, fathers and heads of households,” said Rick Mullings, an organizer for the union. “They pay taxes, support local charities … They spend their wages throughout our communities. If they lose their jobs, the impact will be felt throughout northeastern Oklahoma.”

Andrea Huguely, a spokeswoman for American Airlines, said the company is “committed to preserving thousands of quality jobs in Tulsa.”

“We realize change is difficult, but it’s necessary for American to become a successful company and continue to employ thousands of people in Oklahoma,” she said. “Our roots here are deep — dating back nearly six decades.”

Labor talks are ongoing between company representatives and union officials.

“There’s more fear and uncertainty than there is optimism,” said Gary Elias, a 25-year employee.

The maintenance hub’s economic impact on the Tulsa region is enormous. City experts estimated that if all 2,100 jobs were eliminated, the city would lose $300 million annually, including about $5 million in county and sales tax revenue.

There are hundreds of mechanics and technicians on the list of America workers who could be targeted. Distributed by the corporate office Wednesday, the list includes 4,000 mechanics and work groups, 4,200 fleet service and other Transport Workers Union workers, along with 2,300 flight attendants, 1,400 management and support staff, and 400 pilots.

American Airlines’ Tulsa Workers Fight For Jobs

musiclover — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:17:58 +0000

American Airlines workers in Tulsa say they are stepping up efforts to save hundreds of local jobs that could be on the bankrupt company’s chopping block. On Tuesday, workers with the Transport Workers Union were printing up 500 yard signs touting their campaign’s website, www.isupportamericanjobs.com , where visitors are asked to sign an online petition More >

Come hear Gingrich speak live in Tulsa Monday

musiclover — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:05:27 +0000

Former Speaker of the House and GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich will make a campaign stop in Tulsa Monday afternoon. The event is free and open to the public.

One of his rivals, Pennsylvania’s Rick Santorum spoke at the same venue February 9th to a crowd estimated at more than 4,000 people.

He told KRMG that it was the largest crowd he’d had thus far in his campaign.

Gingrich hopes his conservative message will resonate in what some call the “reddest state.”

Oklahoma was the only state in which President Obama did not win a single county during the 2008 presidential election.

Attendees of the Gingrich event should enter through the north side of the Mabee Center, 7777 S. Lewis Ave.

The event is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m.

Oklahomans will go to the polls for the presidential primary on March 6, one of several states holding primaries on what has become known as “Super Tuesday.”

The other states holding votes on Super Tuesday are Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Ohio, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia.

State GOP Chairman Matt Pinnell has indicated that the other two Republican candidates, Ron Paul and Mitt Romney, may stop in Oklahoma in the near future.

Tulsa airport industrial park considered

musiclover — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 22:23:48 +0000

A half-dozen developers and Realtors on Thursday considered the technical requirements and opportunities presented by the creation of a 136-acre aerospace industrial park at Tulsa International Airport.

Attending a “pre-proposal” meeting at the Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust’s conference room in Tulsa International’s passenger terminal, the master developer candidates listened as TAIT staff outlined the region’s strengths and needs, the site’s advantages and how the proposed industrial park could be developed.

TAIT officials said they require a master developer to submit a proposal that includes development of at least 45 acres of the site.

The proposal submission deadline is 4 p.m. March 29. TAIT staff will select a master developer by April 30, and the TAIT board is expected to approve the selection at its May 10 meeting, officials said.

Airports Director Jeff Mulder said the 136-acre site, which is south of 36th Street North and east of Mingo Road, is in the east central area of 4,471-acre Tulsa International Airport. It borders North Mingo Road, which is the address of American Airlines’ Tulsa Maintenance Base, Spirit AeroSystems Inc. and Navistar Inc.’s Tulsa bus factory.

The airport has four commercial airlines that carried 2.79 million passengers in 2011, has 70 tenants, its businesses employ 13,000 people and its industrial and air service complex provide a $3.2 billion economic impact on the region, TAIT officials said. The airport also includes a Foreign Trade Zone, officials said.

“We are a sub-zone of the Port of Catoosa’s Foreign Trade Zone,” said Alexis Higgins, deputy airports director of marketing, “so you can bring parts in and not pay taxes on them, modify them and ship them out again. We think it’s valuable for manufacturers.”

The site’s proximity to the Port of Catoosa, U.S. 169, 36th Street North, the Gilcrease Expressway, the South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad “provide added value to companies looking to maximize the efficiency of their distribution systems,” TAIT says in its 161-page Request for Proposals (available on its website at www. under “About TAA).

“The site has been identified in an overall development plan as suitable for industrial, warehouse or office use,” TAIT’s RFP says. “The site proposers are encouraged to submit conceptual plans for a single, large-scale project, or multiple, smaller-scale projects that will fully utilize all portions of the site.”

Residential development will not be considered as part of any master development plan, officials said.

Carl Remus, deputy airports director of finance and administration, said the successful master developer will be required to enter into a master developer agreement and one or more ground lease agreements. The lease agreements will be for a term of 20 or more years but less than 50 years, Remus said.

“The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) regards anything longer than 50 years to be a conveyance,” Remus said. “The ground lease rate will be 8 percent to 11 percent of the appraised value, depending on its use.”

Higgins said ground lease payments would begin within 36 months of the signing of the master developer agreement.

“Ultimately, we would like to see development of the entire (136-acre) site within 10 years,” Higgins said.

Higgins said the successful proposer must submit an irrevocable letter of credit prior to the signing of the final contract. The letter of credit will cover the lease value for a three-year term, as determined by an appraisal, officials said.

Master developers will have the options of using the resources and working with the City of Tulsa, the Tulsa Industrial Authority, Tulsa Development Authority, the Tulsa Economic Development Commission, the Tulsa Economic Development Corp., the Tulsa Metro Chamber and the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, officials said.

Tulsa hires retired Sounders goalie as assistant

musiclover — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:55:04 +0000

Recently retired Seattle Sounders backup goaltender Terry Boss has been hired as an assistant coach at the University of Tulsa. Head coach Tom McIntosh announced Thursday that Boss would replace Colin Clarke, who is retiring after nine years as an assistant for the Golden Hurricane. Tulsa made six NCAA tournament appearances during that time.

Boss retired from the MLS in December after playing the past three seasons with Seattle, recording shutouts in three of his eight starts. He also previously played for the New York Red Bulls of the MLS and the Puerto Rico national team, following his college career at Tulsa.

USM Hosts Tulsa Wednesday Night

musiclover — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:13:10 +0000

The Southern Miss men’s basketball team closes its two-game homestand this Wednesday, Feb. 15, when it hosts Tulsa. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.

Southern Miss and Tulsa will meet for just the 10th time, with the Golden Hurricane holding a 6-3 advantage. This will be just the third meeting in Hattiesburg, with the teams splitting the first two. Tulsa has won the last four games, including a 78-70 victory last year in Tulsa.

Southern Miss enters Wednesday night’s contest with a 21-4 record, and 8-2 in Conference USA. The Golden Eagles defeated UCF last Saturday, 78-74.

Jonathan Mills led the Golden Eagles with 18 points and eight rebounds, including hitting 12-of-13 from the free throw line. Neil Watson scored 15 points on 11-of-12 free throw shooting, and added eight assists and seven rebounds. LaShay Page scored 15 points and grabbed seven boards while Torye Pelham added 12 points.

Page leads the team with 12.6 points. He is also second in the league in three-pointers made (2.6) and is sixth in three-point field goal percentage (.374). Dodson is scoring 12.6 points while pulling down 5.3 rebounds.

Watson is adding 11.4 points while connecting on 89.1% of his free throws, which leads C-USA. He is also second in assists (4.6). Bolden is scoring 10.4 points while grabbing a team-high 5.7 rebounds. He is also 10th in the league with 1.2 blocks per game. Angelo Johnson is also scoring 9.4 points and is 10th in the conference with 3.2 assists.

As a team, Southern Miss is scoring 72.1 points and is allowing just 63.1. The Golden Eagles are hitting 42.2-percent of their shots and 36.6% of their three-pointers. Their opposition is connecting on 43.2% from the field and 34.0-percent from behind the arc. The Golden Eagles hold the advantage on the boards, as they are outrebounding their opponents 36.8-to-31.6, a difference of 5.2 per game, good for third on Conference USA. The Golden Eagles are also leading the league in free throw percentage (.753).

Attorneys for the suspect in the Tucson shooting

musiclover — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:52:55 +0000

Attorneys for the suspect in the Tucson shooting that wounded then-U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords are objecting to prosecutors receiving a prison psychologist’s personal notes on their client.

Jared Lee Loughner’s lawyers asked a federal court Monday to withhold from prosecutors 62 pages of notes that Dr. Christina Pietz made during Loughner’s previous four-month restoration commitment at a Missouri prison facility.

Mental health experts who have determined Loughner suffers from schizophrenia are trying to make him fit to stand trial.

The 23-year-old Loughner has pleaded not guilty to 49 charges stemming from the January 2011 shooting in Tucson that killed six people and left 13 wounded, including Giffords, who was shot in the head.

Giffords resigned from Congress last month to focus on her recovery.

Winter Storm Warning now issued for Tulsa area

musiclover — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:24:33 +0000

The National Weather Service upgraded our current weather condition from a Winter Weather Advisory to a Winter Storm Warning just before 11:00p.m. Sunday for Tulsa and surrounding counties. The warning is in effect through 6:00 p.m. on Monday.

Counties affected by the warning include: Craig, Creek, Delaware, Mayes, Nowata, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Rogers, Tulsa, and Washington.

Areas of light to moderate snow will spread into eastern Oklahoma around midnight Sunday. The snow will begin to transition to more of a sleet/freezing rain mixture south of Tulsa.

Conditions will continue into late Monday evening with high temperatures in the mid 30′s. Snow and sleet accumulations of one to three inches are expected for some areas. Roads may become slick and hazardous especially on bridges and overpasses.

The KRMG StormCenter has been activated, is fully staffed and will continue to bring you the latest winter weather information as the weather turns severe. Join us for a special edition of The KRMG Morning News Monday morning on AM 740 & FM 102.3, NewsTalk KRMG: we’ll have frequent updates on road conditions, school closings, and the latest forecast info as you start your morning.

Tulsa Hard Rock redesigns after roof collapse

musiclover — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:56:06 +0000

Almost one year ago, snow and ice from a winter blizzard caused a portion of the roof at the Hard Rock Casino to collapse. Thanks to an alert employee, the bingo hall area was evacuated and no one was injured. The calamity spurred a redesign rather than a repair. Instead of repairing the older part More >

UTEP snaps five-game skid against Tulsa

musiclover — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:56:35 +0000

The Miners took the early lead and never trailed, ending the Tulsa Golden Hurricane’s seven-game winning streak and halting UTEP’s four-game slump in a 64-55 victory Feb. 8 at the Don Haskins Center. Freshman guard Julian Washburn came out of the locker room, scored eight of his 13 points to begin the second half and More >