Tulsa Police made a carjacking arrest. Police arrested 25-year old Brandon Brixey Thursday after a citizen gave them information. Brixey is suspected of kidnapping and sexually assaulting an eight-year old girl after he allegedly carjacked a van near 61st and South Memorial early Thursday then led lawmen on a chase.

With so many high-profile crimes remaining unsolved in recent times here in Green Country (Weleetka murders, home invasion murder, BA 5-year-old that was abducted), it is pleasing to see this suspect being taken off the streets so quickly.

Good job TPD.

Speaking of which, I was comparing the police sketch artists rendering of the suspect and the actually booking photo when he was apprehended.

Very close resemblance, I'd say:

That quickly became a home invasion murder.

From our KRMG 24-Hour NewsCenter:

Tulsa police are investigating a home invasion homicide. Police say a man broke into a couple's home near 38-hundred South Union about four Wednesday morning and demanded money.

Police say there was a struggle with a gun that belonged to the homeowner. During the struggle, the woman was reportedly shot and killed. The resident was shot in the hand. Police say the suspect got away in an off-white 90's mid-size S-U-V.

Police are looking for a dark-complected white male about 20 who was wearing a dark beanie. Police are investigating if the man who entered the home knew the victims.

This is the latest in a series of home invasion crimes in recent months in Tulsa. As with any crime of this type, it routinely takes the investigators days/weeks/months to sort out the facts.

Answers that are always important to me:

• Is this crime random or did the victims know the suspect?
• If this crime is random, what weakness did the suspects exploit to commit this crime?
• What can we all do to make sure we mitigate the same weakness in our homes to prevent ourselves from being victimized in the same manner?

The greater likelihood is that there is familiarity in this crime - that somehow, someway, the victims knew the intruder(s). Crime statistics have long supported the greater likelihood of familiar crime versus truly random crimes.

Of course, it's very important to note that a familiarity with the criminal does not in any way diminish the magnitude of the crime or the loss of a family member. Nor does it decrease the vigor for which the police will hunt down the suspect and the DA should prosecute.

But it does telegraph to the rest of the community whether or not we have a cold-blooded murder in our community and that our lives can be largely impacted by the relationships in which we engage.  

From KRMG News:

Big Splash owner Loretta Murphy says the rotten beams, noted back in December by labor department inspectors, should have been replaced.  In an interview with KRMG news Murphy said, "I make no excuses for it.  I don't like to mess up and do anything wrong but it was my responsibility to change those out and those were not done before opening."

KRMG's Nicole Burgin and I talked to Loretta yesterday (Monday) just after lunchtime. You can here the full interview here.

Clearly Big Splash is seeking to manage the story ... retroactively.

Local media that all have the Big Splash story:

KOTV

KTUL

Tulsa World

Not only did I ask Murphy about why the beams were not replaced in a timely fashion, but about the PR challenge posed by this story being out since late last week and not being addressed until Monday.  

It was radio/print versus TV.

I hadn't swung a bat since last year's event and hadn't used my glove or cleats either.

Yet, I managed to get hits on both at-bats (thrown out both times at first base) and did OK as the catcher for the whole game. Since our opponents (TV) had no runs, there was very little action at home plate during my tenure there.

Until Monday, most of the voices making the accusations in the Tulsa Academic Center scandal were people directly involved in the situation: students, parents and teachers. Because of that, the Tulsa World suspended final judgment on the problem and on Tulsa Superintendent Michael Zolkoski.

All that changed Monday night when the school board released a summary of the school district's internal investigation of how the district's alternative school so quickly got to be in such a mess.

...

In short, the summary describes the school as violent, overcrowded and out of control. It wasn't a school. It wasn't even a zoo. It was a madhouse, and no one behaved as if it was his job to stop the madness.

That's a failing grade from an objective source, and an immediate, severe response is needed.

It's time for the district to fire Zolkoski.

He either knew, or should have known, that the school was in chaos. Either possibility is unacceptable.

Dr. Z's salary clocks in around the $200,000 mark.

Many will argue for that level of compensation, Dr. Z should not be allowed to be rewarded for sub-standard performance with a contract payout. Make him fix this problem.

It is also worth examining the performance of the other schools in TPS. If TAC is a disaster but the rest of the schools are improving, it might seem unwise to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Either way, people who pay taxes into the TPS system have every reason to be chafed by the seemingly endless flow of troubling news that comes from them.  

The 2005 shooting death of a Reuters journalist in the midst of a firefight in Baghdad was justified because U.S. soldiers believed the camera protruding from an unmarked car was a rocket propelled grenade, the Pentagon's internal watchdog has concluded.

In an 82-page report, the Defense Department's inspector general also said that Reuters safety practices contributed to the death of sound technician Waleed Khaled, and the wounding of cameraman Haider Kadhem.

While the report was critical of how the initial investigation was conducted -- saying the military unit's investigating officer did not follow correct procedures -- it nevertheless concluded that a "preponderance of evidence establishes that the cameraman and driver took actions during the incident that reasonably led U.S. soldiers to believe they were confronting hostile intent."

Reuters Editor-in-Chief David Schlesinger said he believes the inspector general took the case seriously and came up with positive recommendations.

"We are never satisfied when a journalist is killed in the course of covering a story," he said. "I welcome the recommendation that the military and media engage together to better ensure the safety of journalists on the front line."

He said Reuters will examine its safety procedures, and noted, "Better training for journalists and for the military, clear rules of engagement and a closer dialogue are essential in order to prevent further tragedies occurring."

We often hear of the trouble some journalists create for our troops in war zones. Yet, their role there is essential. Journalists are the historical documentarians of any war.

Both soldiers and journalists put their lives on the line in a war zone. Both must take great strides to reduce the chances of death or injury.

I appreciate Reuters' acknowledgment and open-mindedness that they use this incident as a learning opportunity for future encounters. Reuters could have just as likely discounted the military's findings.   

WASHINGTON - Tim Russert, NBC News' Washington bureau chief and the moderator of "Meet the Press," died Friday after being stricken at the bureau, NBC News said Friday. He was 58.

Russert was recording voiceovers for Sunday's "Meet the Press" broadcast when he collapsed, the network said.

He had recently returned from Italy, where his family was celebrating the graduation of Russert's son, Luke, from Boston College.

No further details were immediately available.

Russert was best known as host of "Meet the Press," which he took over in December 1991. Now in its 60th year, "Meet the Press" is the longest-running program in the history of television.

But he was also a vice president of NBC News and head of its overall Washington operations, a nearly round-the-clock presence on NBC and MSNBC on election nights.

He was "one of the premier political journalists and analysts of his time," Tom Brokaw, the former longtime anchor of "NBC Nightly News," said in announcing Russert's death. "This news division will not be the same without his strong, clear voice."

In 2008, Time Magazine named Russert him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. 

I had the opportunity to meet Tim Russert on a couple of occasions, most recently during his visit to Tulsa in January of 2007.

As Russert was viewed by millions of Americans as one of the best TV moderators, I was amused that I was asked to moderate the Tim Russert event at the Tusla Performing Arts Center.

I was surprised when I first saw Tim because he walked up to the backstage area on crutches. Tim later explained to me how he'd injured his leg. Many have noted that TV personalities rarely look the same in person as they do on TV. I thought the same of Russert. He didn't look as vibrant in person as on TV. His obvious pain and discomfort from his leg injury seemed a reasonable explanation for his appearance.

The irony is that days before the Tim Russert event, I had been released from the hospital after falling ill to pneumonia. I was 15-pounds lighter, weak and unsure on my feet.

As I stood on stage with Russert moderating questions from the audience - bright lights, many eyes on me -  there were several moments in which I was genuinely fearful that I was going to pass out.

I looked over at Tim on his crutches and thought to myself, "Neither of us are at the top of our game right now."

Yet, even in pain and discomfort, Russert was his typical self - easy-going, friendly and thought-provoking. 

Many people tried to find Russert's bias over the years. 

Did he have one?

Of course.

We all do.

Yet, week after week, Russert provided one of America's best outlets for honest and meaningful dialog with this country's power brokers.

Someone will certainly succeed him.

It will be sometime before anyone can truly replace him.

No where is that felt more deeply that with his widow and son.