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Welcome
to the Norman Economic Development Coalition's E-Digest, a monthly update on
economic development and Norman news. OCAST Announces March
Deadline for $2.5 Million Applied Research Solicitation Deadlines for this fiscal year's second round of
competition for OCAST applied research awards were announced today with
approximately $2.5 million in state funds to be made available to the
successful applicants. OCAST is the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of
Science and Technology, the state's technology-based economic development
agency. Steve Biggers, OCAST R&D division director, said past awardees
report they have returned more than $682 million to the Oklahoma economy in
the 13 years since the program began. Click here to read the full story Keeping crime in check Norman Police Chief Phil Cotten believes Norman is
a “safe and wonderful place to live,” and he’s compiled the statistics to
prove it. And the 2004 year end statistics bear him out. Total Category One
crimes – those considered violent – including criminal homicide, rape,
robbery, felonious assault, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft and arson,
are down from 2003. Courtesy of The Norman
Transcript Click here to read the full
story Big ideas advance
weather enterprise It took big ideas to advance a “third
rate” weather enterprise to be at the forefront in predicting severe storms.
More big ideas are on the way, said Jeff Kimpel, director of the National
Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman. During a lecture on January 6, 2005,
Kimpel described some of the milestones leading to the creation of the
National Weather Center and what lies ahead for the collaborative venture. Courtesy of The
Norman Transcript Click here to read the full
story Sam’s Club opens to fanfare With jumbo check giveaways and deafening chants
from pumped up employees, Sam’s Club opened officially to shoppers on January
29. The company’s charitable foundation, flush with donations from Sam’s Club
employees and the corporation, wrote $1,000 checks presented to 31 Norman
charities, schools and public service organizations. Courtesy of The Norman
Transcript Click here to read the full
story NEDC
and the Oklahoma Department of Commerce Complete Weather Videos With all the weather experts in Norman, NEDC and
the ODOC produced a series of videos to showcase the variety of talent in
Norman. You will need Windows Media Player to view the six videos. Oklahoma Scholars program kicks off in
Norman More than 50 Norman educators and
business leaders were on hand January 13 to “Kick-Off” the Oklahoma Scholars
program. Speaking from the Nancy O’Brian Center, 1809 Stubbeman Ave.,
officials from the Norman Chamber of Commerce, Norman Public Schools and the
State Board of Education formally announced the program that will introduce
local business leaders into the classroom, encourage students to become more
aggressive in their high school course selection and prepare them for higher
education and the workforce. Courtesy of The Norman Transcript Click here to read the
full story Tulsa couple donates Taos
masterworks to OU museum University of
Oklahoma President David L. Boren announced the donation of an important
collection of Southwestern art – 12 masterworks by members of the Taos
Society of Artists – to the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art by Priscilla C. and
Joseph N. Tate of Tulsa. The Tate Collection will complement the museum’s
existing collection of works by the Taos Society of Artists. The Richard H.
and Adeline J. Fleischaker Collection was acquired in 1996 with initial major
gifts from the late Mary Eddy Jones, the late Edith Kinney Gaylord, and Cy
and Lissa Wagner. In 2003, the museum acquired the Thams Collection, 31 works
by the Taos Society, given by OU alumnus William H. Thams of Midland, Texas,
in memory of his wife, Roxanne. Courtesy
of The Norman Transcript Click here to read the full
story
WDT and TOA Launch U.S. Precision Lightning
Detection Network Click here to read
the full story Fostering a climate for weather firms A
blanket of freezing rain and sleet drew a lot of attention to Norman on
January 5 – not because the south metro area was harder hit than anywhere
else, but simply because the weather is a big business in Norman, and growing
bigger. Courtesy
of The Journal Record Click
here to read the full story Economic Indicators Provides
important statistics regarding the economy of Norman, including unemployment
figures, city and use sales taxes, and building permits. Click here to view the chart
WDT Licenses New Weather Prediction Technology from McGill
University Weather
Decision Technologies, Inc. (WDT) recently announced the signing of an
exclusive license agreement for the latest advanced forecasting technology
from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Named MAPLE, the technology
provides four-to-six-hour highly specific nationwide forecasts of
precipitation and its intensity. WDT plans to commercialize the application
and offer it as part of their suite of services under the name Storm
Predictor™. Click here to read the full story Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art to reopen
amid fanfare The 20-month wait is over. On January 20 The Fred Jones Jr.
Museum of Art dedicated the Mary and Howard Lester Wing and re-opened to the
public. The museum had been closed since May 2003 for the 34,000-square-foot
wing's construction. The Lester wing provides new galleries, an auditorium
and classroom space and is housing the Weitzenhoffer Collection of French
Impressionism, the single most important gift of art ever given to an
American public university. Courtesy of The Norman
Transcript Click here to read the full story FYI:
Newsletter subscription If you would like to subscribe to NEDC’s e-digest
please e-mail News and include
your name and e-mail address. In addition, the e-digest is archived on NEDC’s
website under news. Need Space? Saxon office building for sale With the purchase of Saxon Publishing by
Harcourt Achieve, the operations will be consolidated to Harcourt’s Austin
office. Click here for information
about the office building. You
will need Adobe
Reader Progress of the
National Weather Center on OU’s south campus
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