<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3tFbu1_1GycoWSq00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3tFbu1_1GycoWSq00" width="600" height="398" ><figcaption>David Gaede , Owasso</figcaption></figure>OSU Has a Written Plan to Join Forces With TCC. Oklahoma Watch Got It.Oklahoma State University President Jim Hess made headlines in September when he floated the idea of merging with Tulsa Community College at a Tulsa Press Club event. What most people didn’t know: he’d already been circulating a detailed written roadmap for months.Andrea Eger reports that an Oklahoma Watch public records request surfaced the document, which Hess calls “A Higher Education Solution for Tulsa” — and which he had already shown to TCC leaders, the OSU A&amp;M Board of Regents, the State Regents for Higher Education, Gov. Stitt, both gubernatorial candidates, Tulsa-area lawmakers and the Tulsa Regional Chamber.The plan calls for renaming TCC as OSU Tulsa Community College, placing it under the OSU A&amp;M Board of Regents, expanding the OSU-Tulsa Board of Trustees to include current TCC regents and installing a single president over both institutions. Hess says it would eliminate duplicative lower-division course offerings — OSU-Tulsa has stood up 72 of them since SB 701 passed in 2025 — and channel those resources toward producing more engineers, accountants and project managers in Tulsa.TCC President Leigh Goodson isn’t buying it. The college serves 17,211 students and receives about $58.5 million — 43% of its budget — from local ad valorem property taxes approved by Tulsa voters. Goodson says she’s reviewed similar consolidations in Connecticut, D.C. and Georgia, and found that workforce programs in nursing, allied health and advanced manufacturing shrink when community colleges merge with four-year institutions. She says TCC can achieve a single-admissions experience through partnership without the risk.Hess says he’s not trying to impose anything. “If Tulsa would like that solution, we’d love to provide it,” he said. Meanwhile, University of Tulsa President Stacy Leeds is slashing tuition from $54,000 to $25,000 starting in 2027, sharpening the competition for the same students everyone is trying to attract.More worth knowing: Edmond City Attorney FiredThe Edmond City Council fired attorney Madeline Sawyer by a 3-2 vote Monday night, a final action in an employment saga that still lacks public explanation six weeks after it began. [NonDoc]Tulsa Has $6.6 Million to SpendTulsa city councilors have a $6.6 million surplus from an overperforming sales tax package approved a decade ago. On Nov. 18, they’ll decide whether to use that money to create after-school programming and bridge funding gaps in ongoing projects. [Tulsa Flyer]New Law Could Mean DUI Charges for Marijuana CardholdersA new Oklahoma law declares that marijuana’s active ingredient is a Schedule I dangerous drug, and, as a result, any driver with THC in their blood could face a state charge of driving under the influence, or DUI, even if not impaired. [The Oklahoman ▲]OKC Extends Data Center MoratoriumThe Oklahoma City Council approved an ordinance extending a moratorium on new data centers through 2027. The moratorium suspends the acceptance of new applications, rezoning requests and permits for the construction or expansion of data centers with electrical loads exceeding 75 megawatts. [OKC]▲=Possible paywallOn November 11, 1926, Route 66 was born, championed by Tulsa’s Cyrus Avery, “Father of Route 66,” and today it turns 100.Ciao for now,Ted StreuliExecutive Director, Oklahoma Watch<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3IgxKp_1GycoWSq00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3IgxKp_1GycoWSq00" width="800" height="1000" ></figure>Help Us Make a DifferenceOklahoma needs high-quality investigative journalism. That is our mission at Oklahoma Watch. We produce stories that hold government and public officials accountable and make transparent what some prefer to keep secret. We depend on financial support from readers like you to sustain our coverage. Will you help us make a difference?<h2>Support our publication </h2>Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.</div></body>

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OSU Has a Written Plan to Join Forces With TCC. Oklahoma Watch Got It. Oklahoma State University President Jim Hess made headlines in September when he floated the idea of merging with Tulsa Community College at a Tulsa Press Club event. What most people didn’t know: he’d already been circulating a detailed written roadmap for months.

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OSU Has a Written Plan to Join Forces With TCC. Oklahoma Watch Got It. Oklahoma State University President Jim Hess made headlines in September when he flo

First Watch: Stuff You Should Know

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