Here are 2022's most-read stories at Tulsaworld.com
On the final day of the year, here's a look at the stories that connected with readers the most online this year.
20. Circumstances result in QB Jackson Presley’s move from Jenks back to Los Angeles
Two months after the splashy announcement that Los Angeles quarterback prospect Jackson Presley would play at Jenks as a ninth-grader, circumstances resulted in a Presley family decision to stay in California.
Brian Presley, Jackson’s father and the quarterback of Jenks’ 1993 championship squad, now is a film actor and producer. In June, he announced a plan to bring his P12 Films company to Tulsa and his son to the Trojan football program, but Brian Presley says he was unable to secure hoped-for tax incentives in Oklahoma.
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19. Two of the nation's top recruits were asked this question: How strong are your commitments to Oklahoma?
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Oklahoma’s roller-coaster football season has been hard for Sooner Nation to accept.
But have the results put commitments from a pair of major 2023 recruiting targets in jeopardy?
Defensive end Adepoju Adebawore and offensive tackle Cayden Green (above, right) met with the Tulsa World this week and were asked this question: How strong are their pledges?
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18. New barbecue restaurants open as Tulsa becomes barbecue hot spot
There are days — such as last Thursday — when those who own and operate food trucks think seriously about reconsidering their career path.
That was one of the coldest days so far this winter, with temperatures shivering around 20 degrees.
“Yeah, we were partially frozen up that day, and we had to lose a day’s business,” said Justin Carroll, who co-founded 1907 Barbecue with John Karr. The duo have been serving their style of Oklahoma barbecue at their truck that has been located outside Tulsa’s Cabin Boys Brewery since 2019.
That wish will come true in a few weeks, when 1907 Barbecue becomes the newest addition to the Mother Road Market, 1124 S. Lewis Ave.
The change in location is also representative of the Tulsa barbecue scene in general, which has grown to feature cooks who take the tradition of smoking meats seriously, but also are willing to explore and invent.
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17. ‘He looked at life differently than most people’: Former Sooners assistant Mark Mangino reflects on Mike Leach and a lone season together at OU in 1999
Mark Mangino (above, left) and Mike Leach (above, right) landed in Oklahoma on the same day in late 1998. That night, the pair of assistant coaches met inside a Norman restaurant in one of the first gatherings of Bob Stoops’ inaugural coaching staff.
Over the decades that followed, through to his death Monday night following complications from a heart condition, Leach would morph into a legend of college football as innovator of the Air Raid offense and a personality capable of turning the mundane into moments of dry hilarity in an instant.
But on the December evening Mangino first encountered Leach, sitting amongst early Stoops-era staffers like Cale Gundy and Jerry Schmidt, he found the Sooners’ new offensive coordinator to be something Leach seldom ever was: quiet and reserved.
“He just sat there and listened to everybody,” Mangino recalled to the Tulsa World Tuesday. “And listened and listened. He didn’t say much that night.”
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16. Asbury splits from United Methodist Church, changes name amid denomination talks
One of Tulsa’s largest churches says it has begun the process of officially splitting off from its parent denomination.
The former Asbury United Methodist Church is now Asbury Church, officials said, and will remain so for at least an interim period during which a decision will be made on the appropriate denomination to join.
The church, 6767 S. Mingo Road, has almost 7,000 members, and is one of the largest Methodist churches in the country.
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15. Tulsa family buys Patterson estate for $13 million: 'There will be no redevelopment'
A historic residential estate in midtown Tulsa has sold for a record $13 million.
The Patterson estate, a seven-acre property at the southeast corner of 31st Street and Peoria Avenue, sold in mid-August, according to Tulsa County land records.
The property at 3105 S. Peoria Ave. was bought by Stonewood Estate LLC, an Oklahoma-based company, records show.
Stonewood Estate is the operating entity of the family who owns it, said Jonathan Graber, an attorney for the family and broker for the purchase.
Graber described the new owners as a multigenerational “private Tulsa family” who “intend to fully restore the property to its original condition and make it their home.”
“There will be no redevelopment, no breaking up of the property,” he said.
Part of the family’s motivation in buying the property was to preserve the character of midtown Tulsa and make sure these kinds of properties aren’t redeveloped for commercial uses or subdivided, Graber said.
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14. Board member calls for superintendent's resignation after contentious TPS meeting with walkout
Tempers boiled over Monday night at Tulsa Public Schools’ Board of Education meeting after Superintendent Deborah Gist voiced her concerns about some of the board's decisions.
Board members Jennettie Marshall (above), E’Lena Ashley and Jerry Griffin walked out of the meeting after Gist began using the superintendent's report portion of the agenda to lay out her objections about some of the board’s votes on items that did not receive the required majority for adoption.
“What she is saying is an attack on this board,” Marshall said, speaking over Gist and drawing applause and cheers from one side of the room. “This is an attack on the board for taking the actions that they saw fit. The board had the right to vote the way it wanted to. … I will absolutely not stand for this.”
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13. Tulsa pastor goes viral with 'nasty' sermon: How has Transformation Church responded?
A Tulsa pastor has gone viral after Transformation Church aired a sermon in which he rubbed mucus and saliva on his brother's face to illustrate a point about receiving God's miracles.
Pastor Michael Todd (above) has become known for widely broadcast sermons seen by congregants across the world, with as many as 24,000 people watching his live-streamed sermons.
On Sunday, Todd's message was about the potential for a negative response for those on whom God is working miracles: "Receiving vision from God might get nasty," he said.
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11. U.S. Supreme Court revisits McGirt: Oklahoma can prosecute non-Natives on tribal land
In a ruling that greatly limits how the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2020 McGirt ruling can be applied, the high court ruled Wednesday that the state of Oklahoma can prosecute non-tribal citizens who are accused of committing crimes against tribal citizens on reservation land.
The court’s 5-4 ruling, which clarifies its McGirt decision, is a victory for Oklahoma Attorney Gen. John O’Connor, state prosecutors and Gov. Kevin Stitt, who had argued against a state appellate court ruling that said otherwise.
The Supreme Court ruling overturns a decision by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals that determined that the state of Oklahoma did not have jurisdiction to prosecute crimes committed by non-tribal members against tribal members on tribal land.
The decision, authored by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, overturns an April 2021 Court of Criminal Appeals ruling that vacated the Tulsa County conviction and sentence of Victor Manuel Castro-Huerta.
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10. Tulsa couple mourning suspected murder-suicide of son, daughter-in-law and six grandchildren in BA
There was nothing out of the ordinary about the request Danny Nelson received in a phone call from his 34-year-old son, Brian, on Thursday.
Would you babysit at 3 o’clock?
Danny and his wife, Marilyn, frequently pitched in to watch their grandchildren. But Marilyn, 74, has health issues that keep her close to home, and there were six grandchildren to wrangle now — including a 1-year-old and 2-year-old.
Danny asked if the children could come over to their grandparents’ south Tulsa apartment instead, so he wouldn’t have to take on all six kids alone in their Broken Arrow home.
“OK,” Danny said Brian told him, “but we’ll bring them over at 5.”
“Five came and went. Then it was 6. I texted them — no responses,” Danny said. “I turned on the 6 o’clock news, and they said there had been a fire near Hickory and Galveston in Broken Arrow. That’s where my son lives.”
Danny said he wasn’t worried — but he still felt compelled to go.
“I’ve had almost psychic feelings before, and dreams,” he said, explaining why he hopped in his car and made the 5-mile drive east.
When he pushed past the crime scene tape, he came upon a scene too horrifying even for a parent’s worst nightmares.
Broken Arrow Police said six children were found dead in a back bedroom of a 980-square-foot home that was on fire at 425 S. Hickory Ave.
But not from smoke or burns.
Two adults, whose bodies were found near the front of the house, are law enforcement’s prime suspects — meaning they could have been killing their children in the same time frame Danny was originally asked to come there to babysit.
Police have not released any more details or the identities.
But in their south Tulsa apartment home on Friday, the Nelsons told the Tulsa World in their first in-depth interview that their son Brian Nelson, 34, daughter-in-law Brittney Nelson, 32, and six grandchildren — Brian II, age 13, granddaughter Brantley, 9, grandsons Vegeta, 7, Ragnar, 5, and Kurgan, 2, and granddaughter Britannica, 1 — are the deceased family.
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9. DNA points to longtime primary suspect in 1977 Girl Scout slayings, sheriff says
The case against the main suspect in the 45-year-old murders of three Tulsa-area Girl Scouts is only growing stronger with time, authorities say, with DNA testing results recently made public pointing right at him again.
Gene Leroy Hart (above, middle), who died in 1979 while in prison on unrelated charges, was acquitted for the slayings two years earlier of Lori Farmer, 8, Michele Guse, 9, and Denise Milner, 10, at Camp Scott near Locust Grove.
But over four decades later, the latest DNA testing in the case, although officially inconclusive, strongly suggests Hart’s involvement, officials say, while eliminating several other potential suspects.
Mayes County Sheriff Mike Reed said, “Unless something new comes up, something brought to light we are not aware of, I am convinced where I’m sitting of Hart’s guilt and involvement in this case.”
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8. USC's Lincoln Riley chased Gentry Williams. Jackson State's Deion Sanders wanted him. But the BTW star stayed true to OU
Gentry Williams’ anticipated signing ceremony with Oklahoma was canceled by inclement weather on Wednesday.
The disruption seemed unfair for the Booker T. Washington star, who earned a much-deserved public event to celebrate his college decision.
It may have been a blessing in disguise. There still was a party at the Williams home with his parents Thomas and Ureka, sixth-grade sister Claire and “G-momma” Shirley Shaw nearby when he inked his letter of intent to play football for the Sooners.
Gentry Williams may have been destined to play at Oklahoma, as evidenced by the framed picture of him nearby as a newborn wearing an OU onesie.
Wednesday ended a 106-day journey for Williams, who gave a verbal commitment to OU on Oct. 18. When Lincoln Riley abruptly departed as coach, it caused Williams’ family to pause about his next step.
After exploring things, it turned out Oklahoma was the right home for the cornerback.
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7. House sends near-total abortion ban to Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt
With no fanfare and very little noise of any kind, the Oklahoma House of Representatives on Tuesday morning passed and sent to the governor a near-total ban on abortion.
Perhaps not coincidentally, the final vote on Senate Bill 612, by Sen. Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, occurred as abortion rights activists and others gathered outside the Capitol for a previously scheduled protest against several bans implemented this year by the Republican-controlled state leadership.
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6. Death of Chuck Drummond, 79, leaves family, 'Pioneer Woman' fans mourning
The death of Osage County rancher Chuck Drummond is mourned beyond his Pawhuska family to fans of his daughter-in-law's who got to know him through "The Pioneer Woman."
Drummond died Friday, Nov. 4, at 79, according to Kendrick McCartney Johnson Funeral Home in Pawhuska.
"He raised three sons, taught them all he knew about ranching, then did the same with his six grandchildren," his daughter-in-law Ree Drummond said on her "Pioneer Woman" blog.
Pictured above is Chuck's son, Ladd.
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5. Owasson gets home turned into film set for Christmas movie, meets Candace Cameron Bure: ‘It was very special’
For Amy Whitmarsh (above, left), rubbing shoulders with the Hollywood elite has become commonplace — at least when it comes to celebrities who use her home as a film set.
Whitmarsh, who lives in Owasso’s Stone Canyon neighborhood, recently opened her doors to give actress Candace Cameron Bure a place to shoot scenes for her upcoming holiday movie, “A Christmas ... Present.”
The longtime Owasso resident works as a franchise owner for several RE/MAX offices around the Tulsa metro area, and received a call from the film crew inquiring about a recent listing, which led them to roll footage in her luxury development.
“It was very special that they chose our house,” Whitmarsh said. “It was exciting for our community and just the neat opportunity for us to host, and that they would even think of our town.”
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4. Gunman bought rifle one hour before slaying 4 people, Tulsa police chief says
Two orthopedic surgeons, a medical office staffer and a patient visitor were killed in a mass shooting Wednesday on the campus of Saint Francis Health System in Tulsa.
The gunman reportedly was able to purchase a semi-automatic rifle just hours before the slayings targeting a specific physician, according to investigators.
Mayor G.T. Bynum and officials from Saint Francis Health System and Tulsa Police Department offered more details Thursday on the shooting that left four innocent people dead, as well as the gunman.
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3. Broken Arrow open-carry incident raises law enforcement questions
An incident in Broken Arrow a week ago raised fresh questions about how witnesses and law enforcement should respond when people walk around in public armed with assault-style rifles.
A man in a tactical vest with a semi-automatic rifle and holstered pistol prompted Broken Arrow Justice Center employees to lock their doors June 13, according to a news release.
AT&T store employees who then saw the man proceeded to “run out the back of the store,” and multiple 911 calls came from the parking lot of a Target store that he was walking toward, Broken Arrow police said.
Due to Oklahoma’s constitutional carry laws, police determined that at each location the man “was not breaking the law” with the rifle and vest.
But “quite honestly, nobody needs to be walking down the street with a rifle,” Rogers County Sheriff Scott Walton said in an interview about dealing with such situations. “But I don’t make the laws; we just try to live by them and do a very difficult job in a world that’s got those people in it.”
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2. Jocelyn Alo's college career will end against Mike White, the coach who took away a scholarship offer from her
OKLAHOMA CITY — A young Jocelyn Alo was prepared to play softball at Oregon instead of Oklahoma.
The 13-year-old from Hawaii was already drawing recruiting interest when she visited a camp run by the Pac-12 school. She was extended a scholarship offer from the Oregon head coach, but wanted to make one more trip to another camp at Arizona, where no offer was provided.
“I’m ready to make my lifelong decision at 13, and I called Mike White and said that I had wanted to be a Duck, and the offer wasn’t on the table anymore,” Alo said. “I don’t know what happened. Yeah, didn’t go to Oregon.”
White, who is now the Texas Longhorns head coach, said pulling back an offer to Alo was “probably the worst day of my coaching career” during Tuesday’s Women’s College World Series news conference.
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1. 'Catastrophic scene' inside Tulsa medical building where five people died in mass shooting
Tulsa police described a “catastrophic scene” inside a medical office building in south Tulsa where five people died and multiple more were injured during a mass shooting on Wednesday afternoon.
The shooter, who took his own life, was armed with a rifle and a handgun as he entered Saint Francis Health System’s Natalie Building, 6475 S. Yale Ave., and began shooting both guns just before 5 p.m., Tulsa Police Deputy Chief Eric Dalgleish said.
Police said the shooting occurred in an orthopedic clinic on the Natalie Building’s second floor. Saint Francis Hospital’s online directory says Warren Clinic Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine and orthopedic urgent care is located on the second floor, with nine physicians listed.
Saint Francis Health System released a statement Wednesday night saying it is “grieving the loss of four members of our family,” but it did not release the names or positions of those killed or injured. (Update: Those killed were Dr. Preston Phillips, 59; Dr. Stephanie Husen, 48; receptionist Amanda Glenn, 40; and William Love, 73, who was accompanying a patient.)
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