If you’re driving around Tulsa lately, you’ve seen them. Orange cones, orange signs…lots of reflective orange and white…our semi-permanent state colors. It seems that we’re always under construction.

Yesterday, several major projects started in and around Tulsa. From work on the inner-dispersal loop around downtown to construction project that has blocked off 101st street near Memorial along with other construction along Memorial — Tulsa better be prepared with patience for these oncomming projects.

Our streets are bad, they really are. They’re full of pot holes, cracks and in dire need of repair/replacing. We’re spending $75 million on these projects that will be split up in three different phases. We’re in phase one right now.

During this phase, construction workers are working on the east and south legs of the IDL. This is required first since it will be the major detour route when the “actual” construction begins which should take around two years to complete. During this and the next phase, be prepared for lane changes, lane closures, as well as motorists filled with road rage. It’s going to happen, so just be ready and try to keep a positive attitude.

Remember, all of us are inconvenienced by our own growth and needs as a city.

This past Saturday night Taylor Treat, 21, was crowned Miss Oklahoma at the Mabee Center in Tulsa. She beat out 41 contestants to win Oklahoma’s pageant.

Clay Clark, a Tulsa naitive and Proud Republican wants to run for Tulsa’s top spot. He wants to take out Kathy Taylor to be the next Mayor of Tulsa. He says he wants to promote conservative principles in a conservative town. Go get ‘em Clay.

The BOK Center declared that Rod Stewart will be performing on 9/20 as part of a “limited” tour this summer. Tickets will be on sale 10 AM on May 11th.

McKinney, Texas based Liberty National Life Insurance is opening a branch in Tulsa and plans to hire more than a hundred sales agents and sales management employees. Take that recession!

That’s right. Tulsa has now claimed the top spot on the 2009 Relocate America’s top 100 cities to relocate to.

OK State higher education regents approved a “School of Rock” degree program Thursday for the University of Central Oklahoma. Now only if Jack Black taught there…

Even though the economy is tough, South Tulsa is seeing no slowing down of the construction of luxury apartments.

Many of the Tulsa crime rates were down in 2008 including auto theft, rape (-15.7%), homicide (-14.5%), burglaries (-1.7%). Unfortunately, a few actually rose this past year: aggravated assaults (+11%), robberies (+7.1%), and larcenies (+1.7%).

At least the more violent crimes were down for the Tulsa metro.