BY RANDY KREHBIEL

World Staf Writer

Why, Eric McCray was asked, is
he running for U.S. Senate?
A 33-year-old mechanical con-
tractor based in Tulsa, McCray is
among the abnormally large num-
ber of little-known candidates to
le for major ofces in Oklahoma
this year.
Twelve people are running in
the Fifth Congressional District.
Eleven, including McCray, are
contending for the U.S. Senate seat
being vacated by Republican Tom
Coburn.
Eight are challenging three-
term incumbent Jim Inhofe for
Oklahomas other Senate seat.
The Senate races are particularly
noteworthy. Not since Oklahomas
rst two U.S. senators were chosen
by a combination of popular vote
BY CURTIS KILLMAN
World Staf Writer
Tulsa, Oklahoma City and a
handful of other Oklahoma cities
will be forced to dismantle their
property registration programs un-
der a new state law
approved during
the last session.
House Bill 2620,
known as the Pro-
tect Property Rights
Act, will prohibit
municipalities from
implementing man-
datory property
registration pro-
grams.
Tulsa already
requires nuisance
property owners
to register with
the city and had
been considering a
rental unit registra-
tion program in the
wake of a January 2013 quadruple
homicide at a south Tulsa apart-
ment complex.
That law took Tulsa a step back-
wards, said Dwain Midget, Direc-
tor of Community Development.
Unlike other city programs, the
city of Tulsas registration program
targeted only neglected properties
BY CASEY SMITH
World Staf Writer
More than 400 divorce cases are
led each month in Tulsa County.
Many divorces nalize quick-
ly. But lengthy pretrial matters,
busy attorneys, legal actions tied
to complicated emotions, and
swamped court dockets mean that
some cases can drag on for months
despite court policies and proce-
dures that aim for efciency.
Private trials are one option
Oklahoma families have to navi-
gate complicated divorce cases
more quickly than the traditional
trial setting may allow. Benets
of private trials include increased
speed, more privacy and in many
cases nancial savings, proponents
say. Finding those who oppose use
of the procedure in appropriate
civil cases is difcult, but some ad-
vise using caution as the concept
becomes more popular.
Deborah Shallcross served as a
Tulsa County District Court judge
for nearly 30 years. She now works
as an attorney at the law rm
GableGotwals and has refereed
four private trials since joining the
private practice in 2012.
Both parties must agree to a pri-
vate trial. If judges feel that request
is appropriate, they will appoint a
referee to run the private trial. Un-
like the guided negotiation that oc-
curs during a mediation, appointed
referees hear evidence and make
ndings of fact and conclusions of
law that the judges who appointed
them adopt as their verdict. Both
parties have the same right to ap-
peal that they would if a district
court tried the case.
Inside todays Tulsa World
Ask Amy .......... D2
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Editorial ............ A9
Horoscope ....... C8
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Obituaries .......A12
Sports TV ......... B2
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Today High 78, Low 61
Chance of storms. More weather on B6
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our weather blog at tulsaworld.com/weather
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MONDAY
June 9, 2014
$1.00
final home edition
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SERVING NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA SINCE 1905
What a ride
BY MURPHY MITCHELL
World Staf Writer
T
he culmination of this week-
ends Saint Francis Tulsa
Tough event for Steve Schle-
gel came in the form of dumping
beer on his scraped knee.
I was lifting my teammate up
after he won and just scratched my
knee up, he said, dousing his leg
with the rest of his Pabst Blue Rib-
bon. Theres nothing a little beer
cant x.
Schlegel, who was dressed in
a thong and a bowtie, was one of
thousands who made the trip to
Cry Baby Hill despite the overcast
weather Sunday.
After riding up from Oklahoma
City, he said it was worth it despite
the early rain.
The weather made it a little
harder for the racers, but ne for
the fans, Schlegel said. This turn-
out seems to be bigger than last
year, so the rain didnt hurt a thing.
David Brennan, also known
as Coach, donned a crown and
played a bugle while backing the
crowd of West 13th Street just
east of Riverside Drive when rid-
ers came through on the hill.
This is where Mardi Gras meets
Tour de France, for sure, he said,
struggling to move onlookers be-
hind the restricted area. Just like
Infamous Cry Baby Hill draws thousands
New law
bans city
property
registries
Political
long shots
crowd into
the ring
Private trials gaining popularity
TULSA TOUGH: MARDI GRAS MEETS TOUR DE FRANCE
Apple Igrek cheers for riders as they make their way up Cry Baby Hill
during the last day of competition in the St. Francis Tulsa Tough races in
Tulsa on Sunday.
Cyclists ride past while the Cry Baby Hill Police keep revelers back behind lines on the pavement on Cry Baby Hill during the last day of competi-
tion in the St. Francis Tulsa Tough races in Tulsa on Sunday.Photos by JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World
In Tulsa, most private
trials involve divorce or
other family law issues.
LEGAL UMPIRE
Deborah Shallcross:
A former Tulsa
County District Court
judge now in private
practice, Shallcross
serves as a referee in
private trials.
SEE TRIALS A4
Tulsas registry applied
to owners of vacant,
neglected properties.
An unusual number of
little-known candidates
vie for major ofces.
SEE LONG SHOTS A4
Tulsa had planned to require apart-
ment owners to register in the wake of
the Fairmont Terrace murders.
CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World le
SETBACK
Dwain
Midget: He
says the law
hurts eforts
to clean up
neighbor-
hoods.
SEE BAN A8
Aaron
Frank, of Tul-
sa, dances in
the street with
other people
on Cry Baby
Hill during
the last day of
competition in
the St. Francis
Tulsa Tough
races in Tulsa
on Sunday.
Townie Ride
canceled
Sundays Saint Francis
Tulsa Tough kids races
and Townie Ride were
canceled because of the
weather, organizers said.
With weather condi-
tions remaining wet, we
feel its important to avoid
any situations that may
pose a danger for these
riders, said Tulsa Tough
spokeswoman Stacey
Roggendorf.
The Lobeck Taylor Fam-
ily Foundation Townie Ride
for families and casual
cyclists typically draws
hundreds of participants.
Sundays competi-
tive races were held as
scheduled.
TULSAWORLD.COM
Cry Baby Hill: Watch
Watch a video of Tulsa
Tough cyclists on Cry
Baby Hill
tulsaworldtv.com
For more
Late crash enables United
Health Cares Bradley
White to win last race. B1
SEE CRY BABY A8
SCENE: Be sure to get
childrens eyes checked. D1
SPORTS: Heat bounces
back, evens series. B1