Reporter

Free Flowing. Beginning Aug. 2, the City of Tulsa will host nine informational open houses -- one in each council district -- to educate Tulsans about water topics such as water treatment and processing, tap water and the City's upcoming conversion from chlorine to chloramine disinfection.

Water and Sewer Department employees will be on hand to educate residents about Tulsa's water system with interactive displays and informational materials. In addition, City employees will be available to answer questions about the City's upcoming conversion to chloramine disinfection.

In November, the City of Tulsa and the Tulsa Metropolitan Utility Authority will switch Tulsa's secondary water disinfectant from chlorine to chloramine to meet stricter EPA regulations, which go into effect in 2012.

Chloramine, like chlorine, must be removed from the water before entering dialysis machines and fish tanks or ponds. Medical professionals and representatives from Petco will be available at each open house to answer questions about the change dialysis patients and fish owners will need to make in the coming months.

Each open house will be held from 6--8pm. Dates and locations for the meetings are: District 1: Aug. 2 at Rudisill Regional Library Ancestral Hall, 1520 N. Hartford Ave.; District 2: Aug. 8 at Zarrow Regional Library South Meeting Room, 2224 W. 51st St.; District 3: Aug. 15 at McClure Recreation Center, 7440 E. Seventh St.; District 4: Sept. 19 at Central Library Aaronson Auditorium, 400 Civic Center Dr.; District 5: Sept. 13 at Hicks Park Multipurpose Room E, 3443 S. Mingo Rd.; District 6: Aug. 22 at Martin Regional Library Auditorium, 2601 S. Garnett Rd.; District 7: Sept. 26 at Herman & Kate Kaiser Library, 5202 S. Hudson Ave.; District 8: Sept. 20 at Hardesty Regional Library Frossard Auditorium, 8316 E. 93rd St.; District 9: Aug. 30 at Whiteside Recreation Center Gymnasium, 4009 S. Pittsburg Ave.

Visit tulsawater.com for more info.

New Home. Barthelmes Music Conservatory will move operations and classes to The Sun Building, 907 S. Detroit, upon the completion of the Music Center Summer Session.

Kanbar Properties evicted all tenants of the Avanti Building -- Barthelmes' current location -- due to an apparent selloff of property holdings.

Spread the Word. Students at The University of Tulsa College of Law have launched a new foundation to improve primary education in Malawi. Led by third-year student Mbilike Mwafulirwa, the Let Us Read Foundation will provide books to schools in his native country of Malawi in Southeastern Africa.

Malawi is one of the world's poorer countries and lacks sufficient resources to provide a quality education. Classroom materials, including books, are in short supply, and classes are overcrowded, often with more than 100 pupils per classroom.

The foundation is accepting donations of books in English and suitable for ages 7-16. There is great need for English, math, and science books, although fiction and non-fiction books at a beginning reading level will be accepted. Book donations may be placed in boxes by the front door of the Mabee Legal Information Center at the TU College of Law at 3120 E. Fourth Pl.

To date, the Let Us Read Foundation has obtained more than 2,000 books and is currently in need of $3,000 to cover the shipping fees necessary to get the books to Malawi. Visit the letusreadfoundation.org, or contact Mark Smith at 918-231-6317 for more information.

Traveling Education. Around 1,800 students will have the opportunity in the 2011-2012 school year, to tour the Gaylord-Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum as part of the free field trip program thanks to donations from the Museum's Teen Board, the Williams Foundation, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Union Pacific Foundation and the Kiwanis Club of OKC.

Created in 2008 in response to educator feedback that economic factors were making it increasingly difficult to authorize field trips, the program also offers teachers the option of free lunches for each student or a stipend to help with transportation costs.

The field trips are open to any school in Oklahoma and are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Visit oklahomaheritage.com for more information.

Swing Away. Oral Roberts University junior Crystal Reeves from Broken Arrow recently qualified for the U.S. Women's Amateur competition which will take place August 8-14 at Rhode Island Country Club.

Reeves posted a 3-under 69 in qualifying competition and coasted to a three shot victory at Stonewall Golf Club in Fairview Heights, Ill.

Reeves helped the Golden Eagles to their 14th Summit Title in April, and was the team's number one finisher at the NCAA West Regional in Auburn, Wash. Most recently, she was named to the National Golf Coaches Association All-Scholar Team.

Dress the Part. Tulsa Public Schools (TPS)announced that all of the district's students enrolled in elementary, middle and junior high schools will be required to wear uniforms. The new uniform requirement will be effective beginning the first day of classes for the 2011-12 school year. The decision was approved June 21 by the TPS school board. All TPS middle schools have required uniforms since the fall of 2006. The board elected not to require uniforms for high schools at this time, with the exceptions of East Central and McLain high schools, which already have uniform requirements, and the new Will Rogers College High School.

TPS, Partners in Education and Project Elf are sponsoring a uniform drive in response to the new uniform policy at TPS. The community is asked to purchase new white polo shirts (with no logo or pocket) in any size, or a pair of non-cargo khaki pants or shorts and skirt or jumper in any size. The items can be purchased at a variety of retail and discount locations throughout the Tulsa area. Uniform donations may be taken to any Oklahoma National Bank or Salvation Army metropolitan locations through Sept. 30 from 9am-3pm.

Project Elf will collect the items and distribute them to Tulsa Public Schools through their collaboration with principals and school counselors based on need. Please contact Paula Wood at 918-746-6304 or woodpa@tulsaschools.org with questions related to uniform donations.