Tammy Maus

Child Care Business Consultant/Coach, Small Business Owner, Mom, Mimi, lover of America 🇺🇸and the beach. RT do not = endorsement

[Norman Police @normanokpd]

MISSING + ENDANGERED PERSON: NPD is requesting the community’s help to locate 45-year-old Melanie Garcia. She was last seen today at approximately 11:30 a.m. in the 2000 block of 24th Avenue NW in Norman.

Melanie is described as 5'5" tall, 155 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a denim blouse, black pants, and white shoes.

Investigators believe her recent behavior is abnormal and that she could be a danger to herself.

If you have seen Melanie or have information about her whereabouts, please call 405-321-1444.

[Skate Coach 𓅄 @Sk8Couch]

People on here will ask “Is it too late to start over at 28?” and everyone will reply “Yikes. Hate to break it to you gramps but it was over for you 10 years ago.” Meanwhile my 63 year old neighbor is taking the bar exam because he has a list of pharma companies he plans to sue

[James Lucas @JamesLucasIT]

This is one of the most beloved paintings in America, and it puts its finger on something we all pass through, first as the child, and one day as the parent left behind...

The painting is Breaking Home Ties, by Norman Rockwell, on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post in 1954. A father and his teenage son sit side by side on the running board of a battered farm truck, waiting at a railway stop. A single track runs along the bottom of the picture. A ticket pokes from the boy's pocket. His suitcase is stacked with schoolbooks and wears a "State U" pennant. The train is coming to carry him off to college, away from home, for the first time in his life.

Everything is in the way they sit.

The son sits upright, scrubbed and dressed in his best, eyes fixed on the horizon, on the track, on the future rushing toward him. He is already half gone. For him that train is the beginning of everything.

His father sits beside him in worn work clothes and scuffed boots, looking the other way, down the line, as if he cannot bear to watch it arrive. The same train means the opposite thing to him. For the son it is the start of a life. For the father it is the day the house grows quieter, the chair at the table sits empty, and the person he built his world around walks out into a life that no longer has him at its centre.

Look at his hands. He is holding two hats. His own battered one, and resting on top of it, his son's crisp new one, held carefully together, because it is the last small thing he can still do for the boy...

And then the dog, its head laid in the son's lap, gazing up, refusing to look away. Rockwell knew exactly what that was for: "The father couldn't show how he felt about the boy's leaving," he said. "The dog did."

It has moved people for 70 years because every leaving is a beginning for one person and an ending for another. The child steps out into the world, as they should. And someone stays behind, watching them go, and loving them enough to let them go anyway...

[News 9 @NEWS9]

Stolen daycare van in Perry puts children's summer field trips on hold https://t.co/yaver6jx4N

[David Payne @tornadopayne]

Must see from Jake Brewer on the 4th in Mustang!! Drone up with fireworks and lightning!! #okwx #fireworks #storms #lightning

[Winning in America @WinningintheUSA]

Mother of Two Boys Killed in the Murrah Building Bombing Speaks Out

“Thirty-one years ago, I lost my two little boys, Chase and Colton Smith, in the Oklahoma City bombing, the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in American history. Like the other parents who buried children that day, my life changed forever.”

Those are the words of Edye Smith, a mother whose world was shattered on April 19, 1995, when Timothy McVeigh’s bomb destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. Chase and Colton were among the 19 young children killed that day, innocent lives taken in an instant. A total of 168 people lost their lives, with hundreds more injured, many permanently.

Over the years, Congress has expanded and extended compensation to include victims of current and past terrorist attacks… MANY terrorist attacks. Those families deserved every bit of support they received, and continue to receive.

But the families of the people murdered in Oklahoma City were left behind. Because our tragedy was classified as “domestic terrorism” instead of “international terrorism,” we were excluded. We didn’t receive the same recognition or compensation.

In 1995 there were no GoFundMe pages, no social media, and no way for grieving parents to tell our stories to the world other than an occasional magazine article or news story. We quietly buried our children and loved ones and tried to survive.

“This isn’t about taking anything away from anyone else. It’s about asking why the first families to endure such a horrific act of terrorism in America were completely forgotten.”

“Thirty-one years is a long time to wait for our country to acknowledge that wrong. We’ve been speaking out on this for decades and nothing has ever been done. I’m using my voice to bring it to the forefront once again because I believe it’s time to correct it.”

Additionally, Smith points to one particular fund:

“There remains one particular fund containing thirteen million dollars specifically donated (by the public) for the Oklahoma City bombing victims, which has never been dispersed. That money belongs to the victims, not to the bank. It’s just sitting in a trust fund. It’s not right. We’ve tried 13 years to get this fund dispersed, even as recently as this year, and attorneys have told us there’s nothing we can do about it.”

The Red Cross alone received nearly $30 million after the Oklahoma City bombing and dispersed only a small fraction of that to the victims, making people jump through hoops, fill out endless forms, and wait weeks or months just to get help with medical bills, house payments, groceries, living expenses, etc. They put the majority of the donations (said to be well over $20 million) into their general fund for “future disasters.” They opened mail earmarked for specific victims, myself included, removed any donations (and kept them) before delivering the mail to the person’s home. They tried to do the same thing to the 9/11 victims, but after a major public outcry of disapproval, they reversed their decision.

To this day, there are people who survived the bombing who still have emotional and/or medical issues, often resulting in financial burdens, but can no longer get help.

168 LIVES LOST.
MANY INJURED FOR LIFE.
ZERO ACCOUNTABILITY.

This is Oklahoma’s tragedy. These are our neighbors, our families, our history. It’s time the country, and especially our leaders, make this right.

Share this post far and wide for the OKC victims and their families. Let’s demand real justice and accountability after 31 years.

🇺🇸 #OklahomaCityBombing #NeverForget #JusticeForOKC #ChaseAndColtonSmith #EdyeSmith #DomesticTerrorism

[James Taylor @JamesTaylorOK]

I spent 18 years in the classroom.

We must put students first, respect teachers, empower parents, and restore excellence in Oklahoma education.

Join our movement today: https://t.co/2CTJPMD6nq

[Winning in America @WinningintheUSA]

🗳️ CANDIDATE PROFILE: DR. JAMES TAYLOR

Republican Candidate for Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction

Dr. James Taylor is a longtime classroom teacher, senior pastor, author, and conservative activist seeking to lead Oklahoma’s public schools with a focus on faith, family, constitutional principles, and practical results.

📚 BACKGROUND & EXPERIENCE

• History and Government teacher at Little Axe High School with decades of direct classroom experience

• Senior Pastor of First Christ’s Church of Norman

• Author of It’s Biblical, Not Political! and producer of content contrasting Critical Race Theory with biblical principles

• Known as the “Patriot Pastor,” a longtime conservative voice advocating parental rights, local control, and keeping progressive ideologies out of classrooms

• Married to Rapheala, father of six children (including adopted children), and grandfather of five

Taylor has also made multiple runs for Oklahoma’s 4th Congressional District, demonstrating persistence in conservative politics, though he has not previously held elected office.

🇺🇸 PLATFORM & PRIORITIES

The 3 C’s Framework:
Constitution • Conscience • Constituents

Taylor says educational decisions should be guided by constitutional principles, moral conscience, and direct accountability to families and communities.

Key priorities include:

• Strong parental partnership, transparency, and local involvement in education decisions

• Improving literacy, math proficiency, civics education, and career/technical readiness

• Supporting teachers through competitive pay, reduced bureaucracy, and greater classroom flexibility

• Safe schools, student well-being, and discipline

• Accountability for education spending tied to measurable student outcomes rather than expanding administrative layers

His message centers on putting students, teachers, and families first while bringing classroom experience to a system often criticized as overly bureaucratic.

✅ STRENGTHS

Taylor brings an authentic classroom perspective along with a long record of faith-based, family-centered conservative advocacy.

His campaign resonates with voters who prioritize parental rights, constitutional education, local control, and traditional values.

His combined experience as an educator and pastor gives him a distinctive voice on character development, ethics, and community involvement in education.

❓FAIR QUESTIONS FOR VOTERS

Taylor’s professional experience is concentrated in the classroom and ministry rather than large-scale district or statewide administration.

His previous unsuccessful congressional campaigns may lead some voters to question his executive readiness and ability to navigate major operational challenges facing Oklahoma education, including teacher shortages, literacy recovery, rural district needs, and bureaucratic reform.

🗳️ RUNOFF UPDATE

Taylor advanced from the June 16 Republican primary and will face Robert Franklin in the August 25 runoff election for State Superintendent.

A candidate offering a conservative vision rooted in faith, family, and front-line education experience.

For more information:
https://t.co/ifHOngwVcT

[The Wall Street Journal @WSJ]

The “Toy Story” series has become a running exploration of childhood, parenthood and the passage of time through a world of playthings. 🔗 https://t.co/BYfouyf5vb

[News 9 @NEWS9]

Oklahoma childcare providers told News 9 on Friday that the statewide system designed to rate and improve childcare centers isn’t doing what it was created to do, but that there are other ways of finding good care.

Oklahoma was the first state to come up with a 5-star rating and improvement system for childcare centers. It’s called ‘The Stars Program’ and it started in 1998.

However, 28 years later, some childcare providers said the system isn’t the best determining factor of a quality daycare center.

Learn more about Oklahoma childcare access here: https://t.co/SrtSlNOkNx

[Lipedema Foundation @LipedemaFndn]

New from LF’s Courtney Mascio, OT/L, CLT & Allison Rhodes, MD, FOMA in @ObesityAction's Weight Matters Magazine: 10 Things About #Lipedema — diagnostic tips, management strategies & more.

Now free to access thanks to OAC: https://t.co/utvHINbAXm

[FOX 17 @FOX17]

Lipedema is a commonly missed condition that appears almost exclusively with women. Dr. Celia Egan shares more about the symptoms and treatments. https://t.co/nRLkfV0jj9

[News 9 @NEWS9]

Following the end of federal COVID-era childcare subsidies, many centers across the state were struggling to make ends meet.

While the state of Oklahoma does not have the money to make up the federal funding, they’re hoping this new state law will help.

Learn more about how this new state law here: https://t.co/hXN3H9e9Qt

[Tiffany Savage 🇺🇸 @patriot_savvy]

🇺🇸 To the ones who traded their tomorrow for ours,
This weekend we remember you. 🇺🇸

[Brandon Dutcher @brandondutcher]

Even the Black Wall Street Times, a lefty publication in Tulsa, acknowledges that “only 27% of Oklahoma fourth-graders scored at or above proficient in math.”

It would be difficult to argue that taxpayers are getting a good ROI.

[News 9 @NEWS9]

Multiple schools in Oklahoma are affected by a cybersecurity breach that threatens to release data of teachers and students across the state.

The online learning system Canvas is down for schools and universities nationwide.

We're learning more about the hacker group and additional details as more school district share their statements.

Follow the latest on this breaking news here: https://t.co/1zjen5NXyn

[Kendal Sacchieri for Oklahoma Senate @KendalforOK]

Weekly update, you don’t wanna miss what’s happened up here this week! Give it a listen, please.

[Joshua Lisec, The Ghostwriter @JoshuaLisec]

That was always the point—impoverish the middle class to protect the elite from upstart competition. The Obama legacy.

[Collin Rugg @CollinRugg]

NEW: Principal Kirk Moore surprises his students at prom after getting shot while disarming a school shooter.

Moore was seen being crowned as ‘Prom King’ at Pauls Valley High School in Oklahoma.

Just 10 days earlier, Moore heroically charged at a school shooter and was able to stop him from harming any students. Moore was shot in the leg.

The shooter reportedly said he intended to kill students, faculty members, Moore and himself.

Thanks to principal Moore, that didn’t happen.

Video: oz11201 / tt.