Tulsa

Latest News

The latest from Positively Tulsa.

Gordon Ramsay's Next Baking Competition Has a Tulsa Twist

The famous chef's holiday competition is bringing a hometown baker to national television. Meet Trung Pham, the local contestant giving Tulsa a reason to cheer.

Ryan Dean

Ryan Dean

Nov 3, 2026
Gordon Ramsay's Next Baking Competition Has a Tulsa Twist
Tulsa home baker Trung Pham is one of nine contestants on FOX's Next Level Baker, premiering November 19 at 8 p.m. Central. Gordon Ramsay, Carla Hall and Waylynn Lucas mentor the bakers through a three-level holiday competition, giving Tulsa a hometown name to cheer.

A Tulsa Teenager Spoke Up. Someone Listened. Look What Happened.

One simple question about missing trees reached a city official willing to listen. Fifty years later, Tulsa is still enjoying the results.

Ryan Dean

Ryan Dean

Nov 2, 2026
A Tulsa Teenager Spoke Up. Someone Listened. Look What Happened.
A Tulsa high schooler's question about trees removed for roadwork reached city commissioner Sid Patterson in the mid-1970s. The response helped spark Up With Trees, whose first planting came in 1976. Today its volunteers continue that effort, with November 21 and 28 planting opportunities listed.

There's Something Unusual About the Drones Being Built in Tulsa.

The most interesting part isn't necessarily how they fly. It's the question OSU-Tulsa researchers ask before they ever start building.

Ryan Dean

Ryan Dean

Nov 2, 2026
There's Something Unusual About the Drones Being Built in Tulsa.
What if the job came first and the drone came second? At OSU-Tulsa, Anthony Comer and S2FAR researchers work on mission-specific aircraft, including a largely 3D-printed experimental project. Their real design and testing work is opening possibilities without claiming future firefighting missions are already happening.

At This Tulsa Theater, Booing the Villain Is Only the Beginning

What began as a production planned for just a few performances in 1953 is approaching its 73rd anniversary—with an unusual part for the audience to play.

Ryan Dean

Ryan Dean

Nov 2, 2026
At This Tulsa Theater, Booing the Villain Is Only the Beginning
At Tulsa Spotlight Theater, audiences can boo the villain, cheer the hero and toss tomatoes during The Drunkard. What started as a small production in 1953 is celebrating its 73rd anniversary on November 14, 2026, in a former piano studio designed by Bruce Goff. The tradition included a pandemic pause.

She Was Offered a Second Chance. The Hard Part Came Next.

Lindsay Gantz entered Tulsa County’s Alternative Courts unconvinced. Fifteen months later, she joined 49 other graduates—and saw a future she once thought was out of reach.

Ryan Dean

Ryan Dean

Nov 2, 2026
She Was Offered a Second Chance. The Hard Part Came Next.
Fifty people graduated from Tulsa County Alternative Courts, according to KJRH. Lindsay Gantz describes how a demanding 15-month journey changed her outlook and gave her reason to imagine life beyond addiction. Graduation is a milestone, not a guarantee of lifelong recovery.

The Next Chapter of Cherokee Storytelling Could Take an Unexpected Route Through Hollywood

Cherokee filmmakers have spent years telling their own stories. A new four-year exchange plans to bring students and filmmakers between Los Angeles and Cherokee Film's studios in Owasso—with Cherokee language and creative leadership at its center.

Ryan Dean

Ryan Dean

Oct 31, 2026
The Next Chapter of Cherokee Storytelling Could Take an Unexpected Route Through Hollywood
Cherokee Nation and UCLA have signed a four-year filmmaking partnership connecting Owasso and Los Angeles. Planned reciprocal exchanges aim to support Cherokee-led storytelling and new Cherokee-language films; these outcomes are not yet complete.

When a Raven Becomes a Pattern: Shane Brown’s Tulsa Exhibition

At Wilderness of Mirrors, an Oklahoma photographer transforms familiar animals, landscapes, and moments in the sky into a remarkable kind of photographic design.

Ryan Dean

Ryan Dean

Oct 30, 2026
When a Raven Becomes a Pattern: Shane Brown’s Tulsa Exhibition
Oklahoma photographer Shane Brown transforms photographs of wildlife, landscapes and eclipses into intricate repeated patterns in Wilderness of Mirrors, a free Tulsa Artist Fellowship Flagship exhibition running through January 2, 2027.

A Camera, a Family Farm, and a New Kind of Coffee Story in Tulsa

Artist Eyakem Gulilat is preparing to introduce Midrib Coffee on November 6. The backstory stretches from his childhood in Ethiopia to years of photography, coffee ceremonies, and conversations about belonging.

Ryan Dean

Ryan Dean

Oct 30, 2026
A Camera, a Family Farm, and a New Kind of Coffee Story in Tulsa
Tulsa Artist Fellow Eyakem Gulilat plans to introduce Midrib Coffee on November 6. The story connects his family's Ethiopian coffee farm with photography, coffee ceremonies and years of artistic exploration of identity and belonging.

Safe Move Tulsa Reports 820 Exits—and Many Paths Toward Stability

Housing connections, practical assistance, and ongoing support are behind a growing tally. What happens after an exit matters, too.

Ryan Dean

Ryan Dean

Oct 30, 2026
Safe Move Tulsa Reports 820 Exits—and Many Paths Toward Stability
Safe Move Tulsa reports 820 exits from homelessness, including connections to housing and services as well as rapid-exit assistance. Its results cover different pathways, and questions about long-term stability remain important.

The Spring Rolls Started in a West Tulsa School Garden

At Under the Canopy School, third-graders are learning where food comes from by growing and harvesting it. On one recent school day, their work became lunch.

Ryan Dean

Ryan Dean

Oct 29, 2026
The Spring Rolls Started in a West Tulsa School Garden
Under the Canopy School in West Tulsa teaches children to grow and harvest food. A reported classroom activity brought garden-grown vegetables into spring rolls for lunch.

At 15, William Pickard Helped Start a Tulsa Bakery With His Dad

A summer job search led William into his father’s years-long sourdough experiment. Now he helps bake, run the website and reach Redwinter Bakery’s customers.

Ryan Dean

Ryan Dean

Oct 28, 2026
At 15, William Pickard Helped Start a Tulsa Bakery With His Dad
At 15, William Pickard joined his father Nathan's whole-wheat sourdough project and helped build Redwinter Bakery in Tulsa. His work now includes early baking mornings, the bakery website, marketing and sales.

The Little Garden That Made It Through a Tulsa Summer

After years of false starts, a water line, donated supplies and neighbors willing to keep showing up helped a Crosbie Heights community garden survive the heat. Now they're thinking about what to grow next.

Ryan Dean

Ryan Dean

Oct 28, 2026
The Little Garden That Made It Through a Tulsa Summer
After earlier failed attempts, Crosbie Heights neighbors kept their community garden growing through Tulsa's summer with water access, donated supplies and hands-on volunteer work. Now they are planning winter crops.

The Flight That Gave 109 Oklahoma Shelter Pets Another Chance

Some had waited more than 100 days. After a flight to the Pacific Northwest, a Tulsa animal-welfare leader reported that the passengers found homes in less than a week.

Ryan Dean

Ryan Dean

Oct 27, 2026
The Flight That Gave 109 Oklahoma Shelter Pets Another Chance
Some had waited more than 100 days. After a flight to the Pacific Northwest, a Tulsa animal-welfare leader reported that the passengers found homes in less than a week.

The Cracks in the Walls—and the Help That Followed

For one East Tulsa couple, foundation trouble brought questions about repairs and their cost. A free inspection and $10,000 in assistance offered a practical way forward.

Ryan Dean

Ryan Dean

Oct 27, 2026
The Cracks in the Walls—and the Help That Followed
For one East Tulsa couple, foundation trouble brought questions about repairs and their cost. A free inspection and $10,000 in assistance offered a practical way forward.

The Sweet Potato-Mango Surprise on North Peoria

From a converted shipping container, Chris Walker is serving adventurous fruit drinks—and giving North Tulsa another option to discover.

Ryan Dean

Ryan Dean

Oct 27, 2026
The Sweet Potato-Mango Surprise on North Peoria
Chris Walker's Blends North Tulsa serves unexpected fruit-drink combinations from a converted shipping container on North Peoria, bringing another locally owned food-and-drink option to the neighborhood.

A Tulsa Welcome That Goes Beyond Hello

Tulsa's Professional Connector Program helps internationally trained newcomers meet people who know the city. For one woman displaced from Ukraine, those connections became part of a new chapter.

Ryan Dean

Ryan Dean

Oct 26, 2026
A Tulsa Welcome That Goes Beyond Hello
Tulsa's Professional Connector Program helps internationally trained newcomers meet people who know the city. For one woman displaced from Ukraine, those connections became part of a new chapter.

Dinner Has a New Way Home in Tulsa: Through the Sky

Drone delivery is already reaching parts of the city, giving neighborhood restaurants and their customers something unfamiliar to try—and residents some fair questions to ask.

Ryan Dean

Ryan Dean

Oct 25, 2026
Dinner Has a New Way Home in Tulsa: Through the Sky
Drone delivery is already reaching parts of the city, giving neighborhood restaurants and their customers something unfamiliar to try—and residents some fair questions to ask.

How Tulsa Saved the Meadow Gold Sign on Route 66

How Tulsa rescued its historic Meadow Gold neon sign from demolition, restored it along Route 66, and gave the landmark a second life.

Ryan Dean

Ryan Dean

Oct 20, 2026
How Tulsa Saved the Meadow Gold Sign on Route 66
An enormous dairy advertisement, a little neighborhood rivalry, and the remarkable rescue that gave one of Tulsa's Route 66 landmarks a second life.

The Room She Made for Ten

A Tulsa-area foster who has helped more than 150 dogs clears out her garage to welcome a mother dog and nine puppies in need.

Ryan Dean

Ryan Dean

Oct 19, 2026
The Room She Made for Ten
When a mother dog and nine puppies required somewhere to go, a Tulsa-area foster with an extraordinary history of helping animals made room for them all.

The Other Side of the Bridge

A simple welcome in a Jenks store opens a heartfelt Tulsa story about work, self-advocacy, family and finding a place to belong.

Ryan Dean

Ryan Dean

Oct 19, 2026
The Other Side of the Bridge
A simple welcome in a Jenks store opens a heartfelt Tulsa story about work, self-advocacy, family and finding a place to belong.

Two Tulsa Landmarks, and Two New Questions About What Comes Next

One building once made dairy products along Route 66. Another served generations of worshippers downtown. Both have now received national historic recognition.

Ryan Dean

Ryan Dean

Oct 16, 2026
Two Tulsa Landmarks, and Two New Questions About What Comes Next
Two Tulsa buildings with very different histories have gained National Register recognition. Hawk Dairies and First Christian Church now raise questions about how historic places may be preserved and adapted for future use.

Tulsa’s Next Trees Start With a Saturday Morning

A quick planting lesson comes first. Then Up With Trees volunteers fan out in small groups near 81st and Memorial.

Ryan Dean

Ryan Dean

Oct 7, 2026
Tulsa’s Next Trees Start With a Saturday Morning

Up With Trees is inviting Tulsa volunteers to learn the basics of planting a tree and then put that lesson to work together during an October 10 community planting near 81st Street and Memorial Drive.

Tulsa’s Library Card Has Apparently Been Busy

Three October additions give local cardholders new ways to stream films, share stories across languages and dig deeper into research.

Ryan Dean

Ryan Dean

Oct 6, 2026
Tulsa’s Library Card Has Apparently Been Busy

Tulsa City-County Library is highlighting three digital additions this October: Kanopy, LOTE4Kids and Examine. Together, they give one library card more ways to open movies, multilingual stories and research from across Tulsa.

Downtown Tulsa Gets a Grocery Store Back

Oasis Fresh Market brings full-service grocery shopping to Sixth Street, adding another piece of everyday life to a downtown still taking shape.

Ryan Dean

Ryan Dean

Oct 6, 2026
Downtown Tulsa Gets a Grocery Store Back

Oasis Fresh Market has brought full-service grocery shopping back into Downtown Tulsa. Beyond another opening, the store adds something far more ordinary—and useful—to a neighborhood increasingly becoming a place people live every day.

In Broken Arrow, Plywood Turns Into Practice—and Dog Houses

Options Academy students built dog houses for BARC Rescue, turning construction lessons into something useful beyond school.

Ryan Dean

Ryan Dean

Oct 6, 2026
In Broken Arrow, Plywood Turns Into Practice—and Dog Houses

Broken Arrow Options Academy students turned construction practice into dog houses built for BARC Rescue. The project gave classroom skills a practical destination beyond school—and one student was already considering what to build next.

Greenwood’s New Rudisill Is Built for Memory—and Making Some Noise

The 33,000-square-foot library pairs deeper historical resources with recording tools, creative space and room for another generation.

Ryan Dean

Ryan Dean

Oct 6, 2026
Greenwood’s New Rudisill Is Built for Memory—and Making Some Noise

Greenwood’s new Rudisill Regional Library gives local history more room while adding recording, making and creative spaces for another generation. The new building brings memory and creation together at one address in Historic Greenwood.

Newsletter

Never miss a story.

Get the best of Positively Tulsa in your inbox — free, no spam.

Positively Tulsa

© 2026 Positively Tulsa.

Positively Tulsa tells the stories of a city with something to share. Tulsa is creative, neighborly, surprising, and always becoming—full of people building, cooking, creating, helping, restoring, celebrating, and finding new ways to make this place their own. We follow the good happening across the city, from local people and businesses to food, arts, events, neighborhoods, animals, and unexpected discoveries, so you can get to know Tulsa not just as a place on a map, but as a community with character, momentum, and plenty left to discover.

© 2026 Positively Tulsa.