Oklahoma City Bombing

Marissa Pittman went to the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial and Museum for the 16th anniversary service on April 19, 2011. There, she heard stories from Donna Weaver, the widow of Michael D. Weaver who was killed in the attacks, Major Ed Hill of the Oklahoma City Police Department, a rescue worker on the day of the attacks, John Richels, the Chairman of the Oklahoma City National Memorial Foundation and Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin. Also, Marissa talked to Jordan Turner, an 18 year-old Oklahoma City native whose mother, Shelly D. Bland, was killed during the attacks.


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VIDEO BY: Marissa Pittman

Following the devastating acts of the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995, the United States federal building security was created.

Currently, there are 9,000 federal facilities with about one million employees protected under this security. It is overseen by the Federal Protective Service (FPS) with a budget of about $1 billion. The FPS employees about 1,200 full-time workers and about 13,000 guards deployed at federal agencies.

“With this Memorial and Museum, it is the hope of the rescue workers that our stories continue to be shared with future generations so they can understand the full impact and senselessness of such violence,” Major Ed Hill of the Oklahoma City Police Department said.

This security ensures many rules to keep federal buildings safe, including classifying buildings into five different levels and establishing security requirements for each of them.

Level V was created for the buildings that are critical to national security, such as the Pentagon and CIA Headquarters. Level V requires 451 or more federal employees occupying the building and over 150,000 square feet of space. The tenants of these buildings secure the site according to their own requirements.

Level IV has the same requirements for the number of people and space as well as having a high volume of public contact. It also includes agencies that are high-risk law enforcement and intelligence agencies, such as the FBI, DEA and ATF. Level IV also includes the Federal courts, judicial offices and highly delicate government archives.

Level III is a building with 151 to 450 federal employees with a moderate to high volume of public contact and 80,000 to 150,000 square feet of space. This type of building includes law enforcement agencies, court related agencies and function and government records and archives.

Level II is a building that has 11 to 150 federal employees, moderate volume of public contact and 2,500 to 80,000 square feet of space. Level II includes federal activities that are routine in nature, similar to commercial activities.

Level I has 10 or fewer federal employees with a low volume of public contact or contact with only a small percentage of the population. It has 2,500 or less square feet of space, such as a small “store front” type of operation, such as a military recruiting office. Level I is more susceptible to be attack.

“As we continue forward, we know that what was meant for evil has been used for good,” Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said.
Other methods are used to make sure that these buildings are safer, including glass glazing to reduce the possible injuries from shattering glass. Also, measures have been taken to prevent progressive collapses of buildings.

The U.S. General Services Administration website states that “from the installation of alarm systems, x-rays, magnetometers and entry control systems, to monitoring those systems 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, providing uniformed police response and investigative follow-up, the FPS is organized to protect and serve.”

The United States federal building security is available to help minimize terrorist attacks and damage caused from terrorist attacks so that Americans do not have to be in fear of another attack like that of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.

LoneStar Sports Center Coming to Frisco!

Frisco Athletic Network is set to open its very own sports facility May 21.

The facility, LoneStar Sports Center, is a 36,000 sq. ft. area that will include seven volleyball courts, a snack shop, pro-shop kiosks, offices and a conference room. It will be home to LoneStar Volleyball Club, Frisco Youth Volleyball League, LoneStar Academy and Smackdown Tournaments.

“I am very excited about the fact that we are going to be able to promote volleyball from a volleyball-specific facility,” founder and director Arneva Martin said. “The LoneStar Sports Center will bring attention to youth volleyball in a city that is nationally recognized as one of the best places to raise an athlete.”

The Center will host many of Frisco Athletic Network’s activities including club volleyball tournaments, youth volleyball games, volleyball practices, private lessons, skills training and open-play nights.

“We’ve got professional athletes coming in to conduct skills camps,” Martin said. “We are also looking at adding on other sports, such as wrestling and indoor tennis.”

Arneva Martin has been looking for a home to call her organization’s own for nine years.

“We started out as a group of parents with talented young athletes on a single team and as the visibility and popularity has grown in Frisco and the surrounding cities, the organization grew as well,” Martin said. “We started with ten kids and are now at somewhere around 1,200 members.”

Martin said that as the number of athletes grew, so did her want and need for the facility.

“Because we’ve grown so much in size, we have outgrown the facilities that we are renting now,” Martin said. “We are a year-round program and other seasonal sports took up our court space. This will truly allow us to be a fully functional, year-round training center.”

Martin credits her family of coaches and administrative staff for bringing this dream to fruition, most notably Technical Director and former UNT coach, Harvey Sanders, scouting expert and former South Eastern Oklahoma State University head coach, Skip Freeman, and financial director and USA Volleyball National Referee, Chris Mares.

“We have a phenomenal coaching staff who is completely dedicated to the sport of volleyball and sharing their knowledge of passion and the game,”
Martin said. “Not only are they coaches, but they are also an integral part of this overall organization.”

The new facility will also make it easier to control schedules, optimize the court time and the coaches availability to train more kids as the sport grows in the North Texas area.

“There’s a need for a focus just on this sport,” Martin said.

Parents in the programs have shown an overwhelming amount of support for Martin’s endeavors. They have been volunteering their time, their networks and their resources to help get the doors open.

“Before the announcement of the Sports Center, word got out that we were close to realizing our dreams and the support from the members grew faster than the facility itself,” she said. “Our club family has a pride of ownership before it is even open.”

Construction has started on the LoneStar Sports Center and will open the day of the Frisco Youth Volleyball League tournament.

Jeanine L'Ecuyer Visits OU

Jeanine L’Ecuyer, journalist and former Director of Communications and Press Security for the Governor of Arizona, visited journalism students at the University of Oklahoma to discuss her role in the Arizona prison hostage situation of 2004.

L’Ecuyer spoke to the students about how the media reacted to this devastating event.

“Was I happy with the way the media handled this?” she asked. “95 percent yes, for the most part I thought they did a good job. They handled it respectively.”

The scene of the hostage situation, Arizona State Prison Complex- Lewis in Buckeye, AZ, became a camp ground of media. Trucks were parked there for the entire two weeks of the standoff so that they would not miss anything as it happened.

“The challenging aspect of this case for the media was that there was not a lot of information given,” L’Ecuyer said.

L’Ecuyer explained that she had to hold information from the press, such as the victim’s names and certain situations that happened. This was done because they did not want the prisoners to know how much information they had.

“Advantages are hard to come by, and you need to preserve them as long as you can,” she said.

The Arizona prison hostage situation lasted for 15 days in Jan. and Feb. It is the longest prison hostage situation ever. Two inmates, Ricky Wassenaar and Steven Coy, tried to escape the prison, but instead took two of the guards, one female and one male, hostage.

The female hostage, Lois Fraley, said that the voice of radio host Andy McKinney kept her alive throughout the situation.

After 15 long days, the prisoners surrendered their weapons because of the negotiations that were made between them and the government, including food, beverages, cigarettes and airtime on news channels. Fraley was released to the police and taken to a local hospital to be treated.

L’Ecuyer said that had this have happened now, social media would play a large role with the media.

“If I was doing this today, I would go straight to Twitter and release as much as I can from the Governor’s office,” she said.

Jeanine L’Ecuyer told students that monitoring social sites like Twitter and Facebook could possibly change the outcome of a situation like this in today’s time.

Cajun King Buffet is Set to Rule Norman

Cajun King Buffet, a popular Oklahoma City restaurant, is set to open a new location in Norman.

“We hope to open the Norman location within 30 to 45 days,” co-owner and chef Ken Mills said.

The new restaurant is situated on Ed Noble Pkwy. near The Home Depot and PetSmart. Mills is more than excited for this location to open.

“We wanted a restaurant in Norman because of the population,” he said. “There is a lot of demand there. I have customers that come from Purcell, Norman and Pauls Valley to eat my food. It just made sense.”

Mills and his partner Simeon Adda opened the first Cajun King Buffet in Oklahoma City in Jan. 2010. The restaurant quickly became a popular place for people looking for some soul food. Mills and Adda know how to serve up the Cajun cooking because of their roots in New Orleans.

“We’re from New Orleans,” Mills said. “I had a restaurant across from the Superdome in the heart of the city, so when I moved up here, I wanted to bring the Cajun flavor with me.”

Flavor, Mills says, is what sets Cajun food apart from other types of food. Cajun food mixes the cuisines of the French, Spanish, American and a bit of Cuban to make something truly unique. The mixing of different spices and seasonings from these places gives the food the special “kick” that people in New Orleans expect.

There is no shortage of food for those looking to try the Cajun cuisine. The buffet includes favorites such as gumbo, crawfish etouffee, collard greens, blackened pork chops and fried chicken, but it is the catfish that keeps people coming back.

“We have the best catfish you’ll ever eat,” Mills said. “It melts in your mouth like butter. It is definitely the most popular thing we have.”

For those looking to cure their sweet tooth, Cajun King Buffet offers
their famous bread pudding, covered in a sweet sauce. Also, beignets are brought straight to the table once you arrive. Beignets (pronounced “ben-yays”) are French fried pastries reminiscent of doughnuts.

This restaurant is easily accessible to all looking to fill up on an all-you-can-eat buffet. Lunch prices are $8.99, plus the cost of drink, and dinner is priced at a reasonably low $9.99, plus the cost of drink. People can experience New Orleans fare without having to break the bank in this economy.

Ken Mills and a bevy of hungry customers are excited for the opening of the new location of Cajun King Buffet in Norman so that they can get their hands on his famous catfish.

The new Cajun King Buffet on Ed Noble Pkwy
PHOTO: Marissa Pittman

Billy Sims Barbecue Hits it Big in Oklahoma

If there is two things Oklahomans love more than anything, it is Sooner football and some good barbecue.

At Billy Sims Barbecue, that is exactly what they get. This barbeque joint combines Billy’s history at the University of Oklahoma with some good, down-home barbeque.

“We focus on the key things like quality food,” manager Mike Kirby said. “We are set apart from other barbeque restaurants because we are also geared towards sports, especially because of Billy’s connection to OU.”

This restaurant has everything that any barbecue lover could want, from the Bevo Plate (beef brisket) to the Pulled Razorback (pulled pork). As for sides, there is Mini-Huskers (corn on the cob) and Sooner Slaw-ter (cole slaw), among others.

“Our sliced brisket sells the best,” Kirby said. “We always get compliments on how tender and juicy it is.”

The walls are completely covered with photographs from Billy’s playing days, giving the atmosphere a warm feeling. There are helmets from all of the Big 12 teams lined up on a partition. You even get a dose of Sooner Magic in the bathrooms, where there are upside down Longhorn stickers in the toilet bowl.

Billy Sims was a running back at the University of Oklahoma from 1975-1979, where he won the Heisman trophy in 1978. After his remarkable career at OU, he was the first pick in the 1980 NFL draft, where he was selected by the Detroit Lions and played from 1980-1984.

His first barbecue restaurant was opened six years ago in Tulsa and has now franchised over 15 other, including one in Norman. The location in Norman was opened on Nov. 4, 2009.

“Billy’s name definitely influences people to come in, especially in Norman,” Kirby said. “They continue to come back for the good food.”

Sooner fans can even meet Billy, if they are lucky. He frequents the restaurant quite a bit to check on things or to get some food.

“Billy sometimes comes in,” Kirby said. “He likes to talk to the customers, it gives their experience a personal touch.”

Those fans can even get their hands on some merchandise. Billy Sims Barbecue sells anything from t-shirts to collector’s cups to an autographed football helmet by the man himself.

After going into this restaurant, people can understand why Billy always says, “It’s not just barbecue… it’s BOOMER-Q!”

O'Connell's is Creating New Traditions at the New Location!

It is out with the old and in with the new for O’Connell’s Irish Pub and Grille.

O’Connell’s on Campus Corner has been doing just fine since its long-standing sister store shut down Jan. 29.

“Business has definitely increased significantly since the old one shut down,” manager Amanda Gorbet said.

The new location began to build a strong customer base, so when the original location closed, its regular customers moved to the new one. They have adjusted quite well to the new one, Gorbet said.

“It took some of them a while to get situated and feel comfortable to the new one, but eventually they did and they continue to come back,” she said.

For some of those regulars, they could be seeing one of their favorite items from the original location added to the new menu. Food is a big topic of discussion for the managers, as they are trying to decide what to have on their menu.

“We’re planning on sitting down and merging the menus together. We hope to add favorites from the old menu and the new menu,” Gorbet said.

The original O’Connell’s opened on Lindsey St. across from the football stadium in 1968 and became a campus landmark for Sooner students throughout the years. The new location opened in 2008 and has been enjoying immense success on Oklahoma’s legendary Campus Corner.

The University of Oklahoma bought the land where O’Connell’s sat to build new Sooner Housing dorms. The demolition of the old location occurred in early 2011.

The staff who have worked at both locations have mixed emotions about the closing of a Norman icon.

“It is definitely bittersweet,” Gorbet said. “Having both of the restaurants about a mile apart from each other worked, oddly enough. Some people like the old location and some people like the new one.”

One of the major problems for the new location is parking. Campus Corner is limited to parking spots and without a place to park, some customers will just leave and go somewhere else.

“Some people will make one or two passes and then decide not to come in,” Gorbet said. “We are trying to work it out so that our employees to park in the church parking lots across the street to open up more space for the customers that are close to the restaurant.”

When football season rolls around, fans will not be disappointed that they cannot tailgate in the parking lot anymore because the new location will host game day festivities.

“We will do all of the same things on game day as the original location,” Gorbet said. “Everything will be just like the old one.”

Arneva Martin

Arneva Martin is fueled by anything and everything volleyball. She is the Director of LoneStar Volleyball Club in Frisco, TX. Marissa Pittman followed her as she traveled with three of her teams to Denver for a National Qualifier called Colorado Crossroads.



VIDEO: Marissa Pittman
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