Oklahoma City residents came very close to losing Ballet Oklahoma performances at the Civic Center Music Hall due to financial difficulties, and the company is not out of the woods yet. At its meeting this week, the board of directors voted not to dissolve or merge with the Tulsa Ballet and instead will attempt to "reinvent" itself.

Taking over as interim artistic director is former Ballet Oklahoma dancer Robert Mills, and the organization is now trying to raise the $1.1 million necessary to continue. At a time when Oklahoma City's downtown cultural scene continues to grow, it would be a travesty to lose a 30-year metro treasure. If you can help with a donation, call the Ballet Oklahoma offices at (405) 843-9898.

_{Photo © Adam Knapp}

Just a few months ago, residents were enthralled with the lion cubs at the Oklahoma City Zoo, participating in naming them and even watching them through a live "cub cam" from KFOR. Now, zoo officials are expecting similar fanfare over the snow leopard cubs born last May.

The new duo, a male and a female, will make their Oklahoma City Zoo debut in the Cat Forest on August 1st and be outside, weather permitting, daily from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. In the meantime, you can check out news on the cubs at the zoo's MySpace page.

Snow leopards are considered a critically endangered species, with only 3,500 to 7,000 left in the wild. These cubs are the first snow leopard litter born at the OKC Zoo in 16 years.

_{Photo © Adam Knapp}

I think this one is probably trickier than the past couple. Tell us in what area of the metro this shopping center is located. As always, bonus points for naming the intersecting streets.

_{Photo © Adam Knapp}

AC/DC's "Thunderstruck"? Garth Brooks with "Thunder Rolls"? It's easy to picture the loud pre-game theatrical possibilities at the Ford Center this fall if a report from KOCO's Mark Rodgers is correct. According to sources close to the ownership group, the metro's NBA team will be called the Oklahoma City Thunder.

It will be no surprise if the team goes for a weather-related name, of course, and Thunder has certainly been tossed around as a possibility. Personally, I'm a bigger fan of names that end in "s" but I, like many Oklahomans, am just ready to give our team an identity. I suspect that regardless of the choice, it'll be mocked by commentators around the country as it will be replacing a longtime and storied franchise moniker. But that means little to me. More importantly, it's going to grow on us here in Oklahoma City, even those who don't initially like the choice, because it's ours. Boy, that still feels wonderfully strange to write.

POLL: What do you think of the name Oklahoma City Thunder?
1) I love it.
2) It's not too bad.
3) I'm not a fan
4) I hate it.
5) I'm not sure yet.

_{Photo © Adam Knapp}