by Casey Holcomb

Norman is a growing city. In the past 20 years the population has increased more than 30 percent, to about 106 thousand people today. This growth potentially brings many benefits to Norman. When handled wisely, an expanding labor market and higher demands for goods and services can contribute to the prosperity of all of us…

Juvenile detention agency may have furloughs
Mint excludes Survivor Tree from Oklahoma quarter
Oklahoma County officials defend staff raises
Oklahoma bankruptcies up almost 30 percent from last year
Mercury Marine will pay back Oklahoma tax incentives
Edmond preacher gets rich mixing faith and financial advice
Over $100k in fines to Oklahoma Ethics Commission going unpaid
[Video] Oklahoma’s second ‘Gold Standard’ green home nearing completion

OK Policy Blog: Taking on tax incentives
The Lost Ogle: Sally Kern and politics in the classroom
Okie Funk: Why we need economic diversity
An Elegy for the Factory Job: Mr. Nguyen
BatesLine: Running for mayor — The $50 meal ticket
A Downtown on the Range: Oklahoma River master plan…a must see video
Dustbury: Resizing the House

From The Journal Record:
Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson has joined the attorneys general of 23 other states to support creation of a federal consumer financial protection agency.
Edmondson said the new entity should oversee large financial institutions, not local banks.
“Local Oklahoma banks did not cause the financial collapse and should not be subjected to the additional burdens imposed on the institutions who played with fire and ended up getting burned,” the attorney general said.
Read the rest.

From NewsOK:
Oklahoma’s relatively healthy economy and resilient housing market landed it in the No. 2 spot among the states for home value appreciation in the second quarter, the Federal Housing Finance Agency reported Tuesday.
The Sooner State saw home values tick up 0.94 percent, between June 2008 and June 2009, the agency reported in its Purchase-Only House Price Index. Only North Dakota homes saw greater appreciation during the period, 2.82 percent, the agency reported.
Read the rest.