Tulsa Pulse: Fire Marshal Mourned, Hoops Streak, Midtown Traffic Calming, Jobs, Homes Up 5%

Good morning, this is Tulsa Local Pulse for Sunday, January 4. We start with a heavy heart as the Tulsa Fire Department mourns Assistant Fire Marshal Stephen Mixon, who passed away after a medical emergency on shift yesterday. Stephen served nearly 28 years, keeping our buildings safe from Station 1 to downtown high-rises, educating kids on fire safety, and always treating folks with kindness. We hold his family and TFD close in our thoughts today. Shifting to brighter news, our Golden Hurricane mens basketball team rides a 10-game winning streak, the longest in over a decade, with their fourth-best start ever. They face North Texas at 3 p.m. today in Denton, aiming for win number 11 on ESPN Plus. Freshman Jaylen Lawal lit up Rice with 25 points last time out. Closer to home, the Tulsa Oilers fell 3-2 to Iowa Heartlanders last night at the BOK Center, but they battle back Wednesday. In racing excitement, local driver Jett Yantis just won the A-Class Golden Driller at the 2026 Tulsa Shootout, bringing home hardware from Expo Square. Weather-wise, chilly winds around 35 degrees with light flurries could slick up Riverside Drive for drivers, so take it slow heading to the game or Gathering Place outings. Expect partly cloudy skies through afternoon, warming slightly to 42 by evening. City Hall approved a new traffic calming plan for Midtown near Cherry Street, easing daily commutes with speed bumps and better crosswalks. Jobs look strong with about 1,200 openings downtown in tech and energy per recent listings. Real estate heats up too, median home prices around 285,000 dollars up 5 percent year-over-year near Utica Square. Quick community lift: Booker T. Washington High celebrated a robotics team victory at the state fairgrounds expo, heading to nationals. No major crimes in the last 24 hours, just a routine arrest near 71st and Sheridan for shoplifting, Tulsa Police remind us to lock vehicles at night. Mark your calendars for the Oilers next home skate Friday and First Friday art crawl on Brookside tomorrow. Thanks for tuning in, listeners, and subscribe for daily updates. This has been Tulsa Local Pulse. Well see you tomorrow with more local updates. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai. For more http://www.quietplease.ai Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.