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The Tulsa County Sheriff's Office hung out with members of the community to build better relationships, and also pass out a few gifts before the holidays.

TULSA, Okla. -

The Tulsa County Sheriff's Office hung out with members of the community to build better relationships, and also pass out a few gifts before the holidays.

Community members said many of them didn't know how to get help from law enforcement, but they now know the faces behind the badge.

Christmas came early for people gathered at Our Lady of Guadalupe Activities Center. Each winning number meant an early Christmas gift to take home, but organizers of the event hope families took home more than just toys.

"There's nothing better than to make things fun to build a good relationship," said event organizer Vicente Ruiz.

The goal of the event was to help create a stronger bond between law enforcement and the community because for people like Natalie Quijada, that good relationship hasn't always been there.

"Many of us, especially [the] Hispanic community, they don't know anything about how they can get help, or how law enforcement can help them if they have a problem in the community or anything that they want to report," Quijada said.

After the event, people on both sides of the badge hope that's changed.

"We just want to show them that we're not all bad. We want to be out here to protect them first and foremost, and we want to let them know that we're trustworthy," said Sergeant Brandon Hendrix with the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office.

Event organizers said they want to continue to help build relationships while also creating memories that can last a lifetime.

"Maybe five or ten years from now they will remember, 'Well I remember when the officers were passing toys at the church'," said Ruiz.

The Tulsa County Sheriff's office said it would love to send more deputies to events throughout the county.

The number to get on their schedule is (918)-595-5601.

Missouri State Bears @ Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Current Records: Missouri State 7-3, Tulsa 5-3

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane will be home for the holidays to greet the Missouri State Bears at 3:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at Donald Reynolds Center. The timing is sure in Tulsa's favor as the squad sits on five straight wins at home while Missouri State has not had much luck on the away from home, with three straight road losses.

After soaring to 88 points the game before, Tulsa faltered in their contest on Sunday. They took a 72-57 bruising from the Cowboys. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Tulsa has scored all season.

Despite the loss, Tulsa had strong showings from Tyshawn Archie, who scored 13 points along with five steals, and Carlous Williams, who scored 11 points. Those five steals set a new season-high mark for him.

Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Tulsa struggled to work together and finished the game with only four assists. That's the fewest assists they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, the Bears beat the Bearkats 69-60 on Saturday.

Missouri State's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Damien Mayo Jr., who scored 13 points along with three blocks. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Mayo Jr. has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Donovan Clay, who scored 20 points along with six rebounds.

The Golden Hurricane have traveled a rocky road recently, as they've lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-3 record this season. As for the Bears, their win bumped their record up to 7-3.

This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Tulsa have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 40 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Missouri State struggles in that department as they've been averaging 40.8 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

Looking ahead, Tulsa is expected to win a tight contest, barring any buzzer beaters. For those looking to play the spread, take note: they are a solid 4-0-1 against the spread when playing at home.

Tulsa is a slight 1-point favorite against Missouri State, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 1-point spread, and stayed right there.

The over/under is set at 141.5 points.

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Tulsa won the only game these two teams have played in the last 8 years.

TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — Changes are coming for Tulsans who are running behind on their water bill.

They’ll have a bit more time before the city sends delinquent accounts to collections.

“We have about 73,000 work orders to cut and pull water services,” said City of Tulsa Water & Sewer business analyst, Jhoanna Murray.

Jhoanna Murray, business analyst for the City of Tulsa Water & Sewer Department, says the new changes only impacts customers whose water is scheduled to be turned off when their water bill has gone delinquent for more than 24 days.

“We will turn your water off at the same time period. So you know you have gone two bill cycles without paying your bill, we’ll cut your water services, said Murray. Turn your water services off and at that time we will lock the meter. So that you can not restore the services yourself.”

Murray says that if someone tries to restore services on their own,

Click here to view the PDF file.

“There is a tampering fee associated with that and that is $60. And if they damage the water meter, there is also a fee to replacing the water meter. So, if they have the old-style water meter, that was about $65, said Murray. Then once we switch everyone to new meters, those meters cost start about $230.”

Another key point is that past-due customers will now receive an extension and have until 52 days past the bill’s due date before the account is sent to collections. In the past, accounts would be closed and sent to collections after 41 days.

And the water cut-off fee has been reduced.

“If you have water services turned off and the meter pulled, you can pay up to $70 in fees and fines. But with the new changes and procedures, it’s going to be $40,” said Murray.

You can thank that fee reduction for the time and money it takes to go out. Pull a meter and then go back out to reset it.

In a year, Tulsa Water and Sewer has received about 18,000 orders to reset water meters.

And that includes people that are moving in and out.

The new procedures plan to go in effect on Jan. 1, 2024.

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane (5-3) host the Missouri State Bears (7-3) after winning five home games in a row. The Golden Hurricane are favored by just 1.5 points in the contest, which tips at 3:00 PM ET on Saturday, December 16, 2023. The matchup has a point total of 141.5.

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Next: Ear candy.

Corey Taylor II and Eric Sherburn, co-founders of Tayburn Music, acquired the former church with the aim of converting it into a music venue.

“We looked at properties for a year,” Taylor said. “There is not a single commercial property that is available for sale in downtown Tulsa or anywhere close to it that we haven’t thoroughly looked at. We did that with architects and engineers to try and find a place that really suited the vision that we are trying to bring to life.”

Selecting the former church, located at 924 S. Boulder Ave, was an easy decision.

“It was very clear the moment we walked in,” Taylor said. “We walked out and said, ‘What do we need to do to make this a reality?’ After a year of looking, you can make a pretty informed decision. You know what is out there and you know what you want. You have seen enough to know what you want and what you don’t want. When we walked in here, we said, ‘We have a unique opportunity to create something special right here in the heart of Tulsa.’”

With 10 exterior pillars and a domed top, the soon-to-be music venue (name: The Dome) looks as if it could double for a scaled-down capitol building.

How’s the inside view? Taylor and Sherburn provided a tour of the former church. They escorted visitors to the second floor where — wow — it’s apparent why they coveted the property.

“You don’t expect this room when you come up in here,” Sherburn said.

The upper level features an enormous space where church services were held and where concert events will be staged. A sloped floor provides easy sight lines to a stage area on the west end of the room. Natural light trickles in through stained glass windows. Look up, and there’s a view of the dome overhead.

When transformed into a music venue, the former church will be able to accommodate standing crowds in the 800 to 1,200 range for concerts. Capacity will be smaller if the venue hosts an event that requires table seating.

The target year for opening is an ambitious one: 2024. But there’s much work ahead, both aesthetically and to get the venue up to code.

“It’s a heavy lift,” Taylor said. “And it’s not like we got into the project blindly, not knowing it was going to be a heavy lift. But we just felt like it was time to give the community something with this much attention and thought put into it so it can host exceptional experiences.”

From small venues to historic Cain’s Ballroom to casino concert halls to BOK Center, Tulsa is not without music rooms. Does Tulsa really need another?

“There is this growing and budding appetite for music within the city,” Taylor said. “Any city that we see as a music city has a ton of venues and of different sizes. And I just think everybody has a way of doing things and we are excited to give it our go at it and try to separate and distinguish ourselves in that way.”

Continuing, Taylor said the goal is not to only have local acts at The Dome (“which is a huge part of our mission”), but to bring in national acts and allow larger artists to connect in an intimate way with fans.

Mission? “It’s to provide a platform and voice to creatives here in the city on a national level and then invest in real-time infrastructure,” Taylor said. “There’s the infrastructure we are doing here in the building, but also initiatives that we are pioneering and beginning to start.” Among them is Kroma, a nonprofit initiative announced by Tayburn Music.

The Dome, which will also be equipped with a recording studio, will not be restricted by genre. Taylor indicated the venue will be home to many genres of music.

During the tour of The Dome, Taylor said the venue’s exterior makes a “bold statement.” He hopes the venue will make another bold statement inside.

“We are excited to bring life back into it,” he said. “I think it already had an amazing character and personality that we don’t look to completely change. Rather, we want to enhance and do what we can to add to its history. We are very excited to get started.”