Tulsa Data Center Approved, Police Aid in NM Floods, Illegal Dental Clinic Busted

Good morning, this is Tulsa Local Pulse for Thursday, July 17th, 2025. We wake up today to a brilliant Oklahoma sunrise and another hot summer day ahead. Temperatures are already pushing past eighty, and forecasters expect a high near ninety-four. It’s looking dry and mostly clear, so if you have outdoor plans, you’ll just want to make sure to stay hydrated and take breaks in the shade. Tomorrow, we’re headed even warmer, with highs creeping toward ninety-six and just a slight wind picking up in the afternoon. Major news this morning centers on a big decision from our Tulsa County Commission. Yesterday, commissioners voted unanimously to approve the rezoning of a five hundred acre stretch just south of Owasso between 76th and 86th Streets North for a new data center project. That meeting drew a packed house, with more than a hundred neighbors and advocates crowding county headquarters downtown—some eager about the potential for hundreds of new high-paying jobs and others worried about water use and environmental impact. The developer hasn’t officially named which company will run the center, but says it’ll be focused on cloud computing and data storage. Both the Tulsa and Owasso Chambers of Commerce are behind the project, while neighbors continue to push for transparency on everything from lighting to runoff. Meanwhile, we want to take a moment to recognize some of our finest. A group of Tulsa Police officers, including Lieutenant Patrick Stephens and Adam Woodard, are on the ground in Ruidoso, New Mexico this morning, helping that community manage dangerous flash floods following devastating wildfires. Oklahoma’s own experience with tornadoes and floods made our crew a key part of coordinating emergency response and relief for exhausted local teams. Turning to public safety closer to home, Tulsa officers and federal agencies shut down a makeshift dental office discovered inside an apartment on East 61st Street Wednesday. Two people are now in custody following an investigation by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, Homeland Security, and the Dental Board. Investigators stress how important it is to seek care from licensed professionals, especially with reports of unregulated drugs and unsafe procedures putting residents at risk. Staying with crime, Tulsa police are investigating a crash involving an SUV and an ATV near Newton Street that resulted in the hospitalization of a local teen driver. More encouraging, officers recently tracked down a stolen Chevy Camaro from 2022, finding it submerged but thankfully intact out at Lake Sahoma—just another reminder of the dedication our law enforcement shows every day. Our city continues to focus on safety for our young people. Last month, the Tulsa City Council imposed a youth curfew downtown to cut down on late-night incidents. That curfew, which remains in effect until October, hopes to keep our streets safer as we continue this busy summer. Looking to Tulsa’s job market, today the Regional Chamb This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.