Reporter

Taking the Wheel. Thousands of fans are expected to attend NCAA playoff games March 18-20 at the BOK Center. AAA Oklahoma will offer Tipsy Tow for those who drink too much at the event.

"You don't need to be a member of AAA to call for Tipsy Tow," said Chuck Mai, spokesman for AAA Oklahoma.

AAA will give the motorist and one other person a free ride home or to their hotel plus a free tow for their vehicle, within a 15-mile radius of point of pickup.

Tipsy Tow starts at noon on March 17, and runs until 10pm on March 20. Call 800-222-4357.

Lady Liberty Lyrics. "Let Freedom Ring, Sing, & Swing!" is a national celebration of the 125th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty. The national concert is coming to the Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center, 701 S. Main St., on April 10.

The show will feature the American Celebration Orchestra with national recording artists Dave Boyer and Ernestine Dillard.

Voices of Our Nation Choir will also perform with the orchestra. This group of 400 singers will be comprised of community residents.

The choir is currently forming; individuals or community choirs interested in joining should register at liberty125.org or call 918-365-1111.

Constructing Smiles. The Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) Action Committee invites every community to take action for children by participating in their third annual "Build a Blue Ribbon Tree for Kids" campaign.

The blue ribbon is the international sign for child abuse prevention. Various community organizations are working together to build a "Blue Ribbon Tree" state.

Blue Ribbon Trees will be blossoming throughout Oklahoma communities in April. The theme for this year is, "It's Your Turn to Make a Difference in the Life of a Child."

Tree photos will also be highlighted and displayed during the Child Abuse Prevention Day at the State Capitol on April 12.

To participate, trees must be completed and registered by April 5. Forms, suggested materials and designs can be found at ok.gov or 405-271-7611.

True Heroes. The Oklahoma State Interagency Child Abuse Prevention Task Force and the Office of Child Abuse Prevention are accepting nominations for persons and organizations demonstrating outstanding commitment and dedication to child abuse prevention in Oklahoma.

For the first time, these awards will be presented at a special ceremony during the annual Child Abuse Prevention Day at the State Capitol on April 12.

The four awards represent an elected official's service to children and families; an individual who has made a significant contribution to the prevention of child abuse on a statewide level; an exceptional community program; and an individual demonstrating outstanding commitment and dedication to child abuse prevention in a community.

Nomination forms can be found at ok.gov or 405-271-7611. Completed forms can be sent to sheriet@health.ok.gov.

Brighter Future. New revenue figures show the state will have $106.4 million more than estimated at a previous board meeting in December.

"The revenue estimates certified today show lawmakers will have a budget shortfall of approximately $500 million to make up during the coming fiscal year which is an improvement over previous estimates and gives us hope the economy is slowly recovering," said Gov. Mary Fallin.

The revenue estimates certified by the Board of Equalization were enough to enact the income tax trigger in state law, meaning the individual state income tax rate will drop to 5.25 percent from 5.50 percent.

Gouging Gallons. For the first time in more than 28 months, Oklahoma's average price for a gallon of self-serve regular has climbed above $3, according to AAA Oklahoma.

AAA's fuelgaugereport.com shows the Oklahoma gas price average today standing at $3.002, more than 57 cents above the price recorded one year ago.

"Continued unrest in Egypt and surrounding nations seems to have spooked the markets," said Chuck Mai, spokesman for AAA Oklahoma.

AAA reported Oklahoma's statewide gasoline price average was $3.047 on Oct. 8, 2008, the last time the state average was above the $3 mark.

Learning Curve. On March 9 at 7pm, the Interdisciplinary Program in Creative Writing at The University of Tulsa will host the second Agents Summit in the Chapman Hall Lecture Hall on the TU campus, 800 S. Tucker Dr.

Anna Webman, Eddie Gamarra and Jonathan Lomma, three top agents from the literary, film and theatre areas, respectively, will present lively talks on their specialty and answer questions from the audience.

For more information, contact professor Michael Wright at 918-631-3174 or michael-wright@utulsa.edu.

Watch Out Spielberg. Triple Threat, a local film team, captured the Student Division of The 24 Hour Video Race. The team was also awarded the prestigious Viewers Choice Award, voted by viewers at the screening as the best film in all categories for their entry, Maybe Tomorrow.

The race is a statewide contest in which contestants were given a prop (a yoyo), one line of dialogue to be used verbatim (devil may care), and a theme (the future). Contestants received the information at midnight on Friday and had till midnight Saturday to turn their movie in.

The team submitted their entry with 12 minutes left on the clock. This is the third win in a row for Tomlinson and teammate Jackson Fall of Classen High School. Evan Anne Rathjen, also of Classen, joined the team last year. Mitchell Brown of Classen, Katelyn Moore of Enid, and Joel Anderson of Choctaw were all new additions to the team this year.