BROKEN ARROW — Following a contentious week that saw supporters and opposition for a new Islamic Society of Tulsa center that was being proposed to be constructed on a large city parcel of land in Broken Arrow, members of that town council voted 4-1 on Monday to deny rezoning for a 15-acre Islamic center and retail complex proposed by the Islamic Society of Tulsa on land owned by the North American Islamic Trust. Locals raised practical concerns like traffic congestion, stormwater drainage, and septic capacity during intense testimony from over 400 speakers, while council members emphasized their decision focused on infrastructure feasibility, not religion. The vote followed a planning commission recommendation for approval and came amid an Oklahoma Attorney General probe into the project’s compliance with state laws, given NAIT’s past links to a terrorism-financing case it denies. Vice Mayor Bill Green cast the lone yes vote, citing economic benefits, as the decision halts the project for now with appeals possible.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that Bill and Hillary Clinton had “declined” to refuse a Congressional subpoena to testify before the Republican-led House Oversight Committee during its Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking hearing. Chairman James Comer says he may seek Court action on their denial..

to point Publisher While the beginning of a new year gives us a very obvious opportunity to turn another page in our lives, our jobs, or in other important facets of our daily endeavors, in reality, we have those same opportunities with each new day. There’s no reason why New Years Resolutions cannot be transformed into “Daily Resolutions.” I would wager that people who approach each day with a positive attitude...

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK —US Senator James Lankford (R-OK), Senate Republican Conference Vice Chair and member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, released the following statement following the arrest of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.

“Maduro was a dictator who ruled through fraud, repression, and corruption, and his regime enabled drug trafficking that sent deadly narcotics into the United States. The Venezuelan people deserve free and fair elections and a peaceful return to freedom and prosperity. Thank you, President Trump, for keeping your word to stop the flow of drugs and crime into our nation.”

According to industry reports, Venezuela seized significant American corporate assets in the oil industry in 2007, under President Hugo Chávez, as part of a broader nationalization of heavy oil projects in the Orinoco Belt. On Feb. 26, 2007, Chávez issued a decree nationalizing the remaining foreigncontrolled oil operations, requiring the state-owned Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) to take majority control (at least 60%) of four major strategic associations. On May 1, 2007 (International Workers’ Day), Venezuelan workers and troops took operational control of the oil fields and installations, marking the effective takeover.

to point Publisher As you are reading today’s missive, another year has slipped into the history books and we shift our gaze to a new year that will be filled with opportunities that can have big and positive impacts on our lives. To a very large extent, we buy into the philosophy that “we choose” the kind of year we are going to have.

The Oklahoman A graduate assistant at the University of Oklahoma who gave a student a failing grade on a controversial essay will no longer be teaching at the university, school officials have announced.

“We need vibrant immigration,” the 55-year-old told “The Shawn Ryan Show” during a five-and-ahalf hour conversation that dropped Monday. “But we don’t want immigrants that are coming here illegally, draining us of resources, and being prioitized above people that are actual, literal heroes, that are still recovering from 21, 20 years of endless war — or anybody else in our society.” During Joe Biden’s presidency, an estimated 2.4 million immigrants entered the US each year, according to the Congressional Budget Office — with a Goldman Sachs analysis finding that 60% crossed the border illegally.

the point Publisher Each year as the Christmas season arrives, we are engrossed by so many activities that are intrinsic to the Christmas season. Our spirits are lifted by the joy on the faces of little children and on their parents and other family members around them.