KGOU PM NewsBrief: Recent Episodes
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Cover-up Alleged in Pottawatomie County Jail Deaths
Pottawatomie County is accused of keeping details on deaths in the county jail from the deceased detainees’ family members and from reporters.
Oklahoma Watch journalist Whitney Bryen reported that the county ignored the families’ requests for information on the deaths and refused to comply with court orders to produce records on the seven people.
"Of those people, only two of them were reported to the state health department, which the jail is supposed to do by law any time somebody dies," Bryen said.
Bryen also said officials cancelled and interview she had with them about the jail deaths, claimed an attorney told them to not do the interview and refused to tell her who their attorney was. One of the seven was Ronald Given, who died in 2019 after he struggled with jailers while he was naked and hallucinating.
Bryen said three of the families of the deceased, including Given’s family, have sued the jail over the lack of information about the deaths.
Superintendent Walters Faces Another Lawsuit
State Superintendent Ryan Walters is facing his seventh lawsuit. This one comes from a former State Department of Education employee who was terminated after she spoke at her children’s school board meeting.
Former department employee Janessa Bointy filed suit last week against the state department and its head, Superintendent Ryan Walters, alleging she was wrongfully terminated and her First Amendment rights were violated.
Bointy is the parent of four Edmond Public Schools students. At an Edmond school board meeting’s public comment period, she spoke about mental health resources in light of a student’s recent death from suicide.
That, according to the state department, constituted a breach of confidentiality and a violation of the agency’s media policy.
"I just felt compelled to speak at the school board meeting just to share some of the current statistics, data, surrounding child and adolescent mental health. I never thought for a minute that I was doing anything that was violating any policies at work, or would put my job in jeopardy" said Bointy.
Asked for a response, a spokesperson for Walters says the office doesn’t comment on personnel matters.
Lighthorse Police Officer Killed In ATV Accident
The Choctaw Nation is mourning the death of a Lighthorse Police Officer.
Rance Warren was a 13-year veteran of the Choctaw Nation’s Department of Public Safety.
He worked in the Pittsburg County Division of the Lighthorse Police.
He died at a McAlester hospital following an ATV crash in rural Latimer County on Labor Day. The McAlester News-Capital reports the crash was caused by high speed.
Warren was not wearing a seatbelt. A child and a woman who were passengers during the crash were also hospitalized, but both were treated and released.
Public Services for Warren will take place next week at the McAlester Expo Center.
Free Mental Health And Substance Abuse Trainings
The State Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services is offering three free mental health first aid trainings.
In recognition of National Suicide Prevention and Recovery Month, two Oklahoma prevention services are offering classes to Oklahomans 18 years or older so they can assist adults and youth exhibiting mental health or substance abuse warning signs.
The training addresses the importance of early intervention, as 4.1% of adults in Oklahoma had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year, with one in 10 students reporting attempted suicide in the past 12 months.
It will also teach attendees how to handle crises through role-playing exercises and videos illustrating real-life situations.
The mental health first aid training will be offered through in-person, blended and virtual sessions. To learn more and register, head to this website.
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Coalition Of Norman Leaders Propose $1 Billion Entertainment District
A $1 billion entertainment district is in the works for Norman.
A coalition of city, county, business and University of Oklahoma leaders unveiled the plans Wednesday.
The development would be located at Rock Creek Road and 24th Avenue Northwest.
The plans include a venue for major entertainment and sports events, an outdoor plaza, retail, restaurants, bars, offices and various housing options.
Officials say in a news release that about 80% of the plan’s $1 billion cost would be paid through private investment.
The remaining 20% would be paid through public sources. None of the funds would come from the city or county general funds.
Del City Officer Shooting Update
A lawyer for one of the people who was shot a recent high school football game is releasing some details.
An off-duty Del City police officer shot Demetrize Carter, 43, in the chest at a Choctaw High School football game more than a week ago.
At the game, a 16-year-old student was shot and killed by a minor who has since been arrested.
Billy Clark, an attorney hired by Carter’s family, said Carter was attempting to help Cordea Clark — no relation — when the off-duty officer shot him.
"He had his hands up speaking with one of the Del City officers, basically explaining that, you know, the kid that was shot was on the ground dying. He was attempting to help him as best he can, and his hands were up the whole entire time. No weapon, nothing in his hands that was of a threat. And then all of a sudden he got shot," Clark said.
Clark said Carter is still in the hospital.
The Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the shooting.
Oklahoma Kindergarten Vaccination Exemptions Now Highest In Region
An analysis by the non-profit news outlet Oklahoma Watch shows Oklahoma's kindergartners are now the least-vaccinated in the region.
The latest survey of school-year exemption rates shows that 3.5% of kids entering kindergarten got an exemption from getting the standard vaccines to start school. That's up a full percentage point from the previous year.
The growth is almost entirely for religious or philosophical reasons.
Health officials say vaccinations—and a critical mass of children getting them—prevent the spread of disease in classrooms.
- Read more about this story here.
Tulsa Begins Another 1921 Race Massacre Gravesite Search
The city of Tulsa is conducting its third excavation to find gravesites of victims of the 1921 Race Massacre.
At a news conference at City Hall Tuesday, Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said the city is searching for more graves of massacre victims.
“We will follow this investigation wherever it leads us," said Bynum.
Bynum was joined by state archeologist Dr. Kary Stackelbeck and Brenda Nails-Alford, a descendant of massacre survivors.
Dr. Stackelbeck says her team found a series of bricks that were laid out in a way consistent with makeshift headstones.
“We had one... and then we had another, and then we had another until we ended up actually exposing a row of these," said Stackelbeck.
Bynum said the city’s goal is to use DNA analysis to connect any possible remains of victims with their living descendants.
Crews at Oaklawn Cemetery will be using heavy equipment before hand-excavating the site as work continues for roughly a few weeks.
- Read more about this story here.
Former Teacher Sues State Superintendent Ryan Walters
A former Norman Public Schools teacher is suing State Superintendent Ryan Walters for defamation and other allegations.
The lawsuit filed last week stems from Walters publicly targeting the teacher last year when he was Secretary of Education and campaigning for his current seat.
Summer Boismier is alleging defamation, false representation, slander and libel against Walters for open letters he posted to his social media - letters Boismier claims caused harassment and numerous threats, to the point she felt she had to leave the state for her safety.
Boismier was teaching English at Norman when she shared a QR code to a program at the Brooklyn Public Library that gives access to banned or frequently challenged books.
Boismier ultimately resigned, and Walters publicly called for her teaching certificate, saying without evidence she provided students access to pornographic material and she’d caused harm and shame to the teaching profession.
Walters also falsely claimed Boismier had been fired - an error he corrected some of in a subsequent letter, but the original post with the error still remains up and the correction is still not entirely true.
In August, the Assistant Attorney General reviewed Boismier’s case, found no evidence to back Walters’ claims and recommended against revoking her license to the state board of education. Boismier is seeking $75,000 in damages.
Edmond Plans To Build New Fire Station
The City of Edmond is relocating a fire station.
Fire station No. 3 on West Danforth Rd. will be relocated to a site about a half-mile away.
City officials have agreed to purchase land at the southwest corner of Danforth Rd and Kelly Ave. for nearly $1.3 million.
The city says the 40-year-old fire station has been plagued with maintenance issues.
The new station will have pull-through bays and more space.
It’s estimated to take at least three years to finalize the plans for the new fire station.
Oklahoma Receives USDA Funding For Renewable Energy Projects
More than three dozen rural businesses will get federal funding to start renewable energy projects.
More than $4 million dollars in grants from the USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program will help 38 rural Oklahoma businesses and agriculture producers to develop renewable energy systems and lower their energy costs.
A distribution center for Milo’s Tea Company in Owasso is the largest recipient with a grant of more than half a million dollars. The business will use the money to install a renewable solar system that will help them save nearly $90,000 a year on energy costs.
Oklahoma is one of 47 states sharing more than $260 million in grants dedicated to funding renewable energy systems across the country.
Indigenous Maternal Health Grant
The OU College of Nursing is taking up maternal health inequities in Indigenous communities.
The school received a $10.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health last week to get the study going.
Indigenous women in Oklahoma and across the U.S. experience the highest death rates and health complications during and after pregnancy.
Data from the CDC shows that over 90% of these pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. Because of a seven-year grant, the OU College of Nursing will get to study what is causing this increase in death and disease.
The college will work closely with the Southern Plains Tribal Health Board — representing 43 tribal nations in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas — to research and develop interventions like addressing food insecurity for expecting mothers.
The grant’s work will result in the creation of the Center for Indigenous Resilience, Culture, and Maternal Health Equity, or CIRCLE, which represents how Indigenous communities honor the interdependence and interconnectedness of all living things. This center will serve mothers in Oklahoma and the Southern Plains.
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Fighting rural overdoses
The U.S. Department of Health announced over $2.6 million in awards on Thursday to support Oklahoma’s response to fentanyl and other opioid overdose risks in rural communities.
According to the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, 300 people died from fentanyl overdoses in 2022, which is a 538% increase from 47 deaths in 2019. People in rural communities with opioid addictions experience increased barriers in accessing treatment and mental health services.
The federal funding breaks down like this: $1 million to establish treatment sites, $1.2 million to help communities distribute opioid overdose reversal medications, and around $500,000 to help prevent, treat and care for infants exposed to opioids. These awards align with the Biden-Harris administration’s 2022 Unity Agenda, which includes commitments to address opioid overdoses in the U.S.
Cherokee harm reduction services
The Cherokee Nation is launching a new mobile harm reduction service in Northeast Oklahoma. The new initiative builds off the tribal nation's efforts to combat addiction.
Cherokee Nation already has a harm reduction clinic near downtown Tahlequah. Trained staff offered people a kit with narcan, fentanyl test strips and clean syringes. It's also a place to pick up hygiene supplies or have coffee and snacks. But the tribal nation is taking that effort on the road: in a brand new van to bring those same services to people who maybe don't have transportation to Tahlequah. The mobile van will launch in Vinita and move to other communities.
Cherokee Nation reached a $75 million settlement with opioid manufacturers for their role in the opioid crisis. The tribe is using that money to fund these harm reduction services and a new behavioral health center.
A note... our next installment of the AM NewsBrief will be on Tuesday, Sept. 5. From all of us at KGOU, have a safe and happy labor day weekend.
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For additional news throughout the day visit our website, KGOU.org and follow us on social media.
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Labor Day weekend travel expectations
If you are traveling for Labor Day Weekend, you’re not alone. Triple-A Oklahoma says travel is expected to be up over last year with most hitting the roadways to get to their destinations. Booking data show flights and cruises are also up over 2022.
The national average for a gallon of regular was $3.78 on Labor Day 2022. This summer, gas prices spiked in July due to a tight supply and the increased cost of oil. Early August brought some relief, but as hurricane season mounts, so do concerns about higher gas prices heading into Labor Day weekend.
Oklahoma DEQ receives $3 million grant to look into the state’s air quality, workforce development
The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality has received a $3 million federal planning grant to develop a statewide greenhouse gas inventory and develop plans for reducing emissions. The funding comes from the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act.
The department announced on Wednesday it is working with state agencies, Oklahoma universities, Tribal Nations, and local governmental agencies to determine projects and planning coordination opportunities for the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant.
Projects on vehicle charging infrastructure, methane detection, carbon capture, and workforce development centered around the reduction of greenhouse gasses are will be considered as the DEQ develops a statewide priority action plan and comprehensive action plan for better air quality.
This comes at a time where this year’s annual air quality life index from the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute was released earlier this month. The index shows that air pollution continues to be the greatest external threat to human life expectancy on the planet.
According to the EPA, in many parts of the United States, climate change is expected to worsen harmfulground-level ozone, increase people’s exposure to allergens like pollen, and contribute to worsening air quality. It can also decreasevisibility so that it is harder to see into the distance. Changes in the amount of outdoor air pollutants can also affectindoor air quality.
The next phases of the planning grant include a road show later this year to get input from communities and stakeholders around Oklahoma on how to use the Climate Pollution Reduction grant. The department is taking public comment until Sept. 15. You can submit a comment through email to CPRGOK@deq.ok.gov.
The Cherokee Nation to grow its filmmaking operations
The Cherokee Nation has announced an expansion and reorganization of its filmmaking operation. The Cherokee Nation Businesses have announced the rebranding of their filmmaking, storytelling and content creation collective as Cherokee Film.
Cherokee Film will provide an outlet for tribal filmmakers to remove barriers surrounding Indigenous film and production. Cherokee Nation businesses are aiding in the growth and future of television and film production in Oklahoma, while allowing tribal members to take part in it.
Nation leaders expect economic growth with the announcement. The entity will have more than 30 full time employees.
Hoping to diversify the stories of mainstream media, Cherokee Film leaders say the operation is driven to create a lasting and more inclusive ecosystem for generations to come.
Cleveland County deputy arrested on charges of murdering another deputy – his wife
Oklahoma City police arrested Cleveland County Deputy Vaughn Cannon in the early hours of Wednesday morning after officers responded to a domestic disturbance and possible shooting.
At the scene, they found his wife, Cleveland County Deputy Jordan Cannon, deceased.
In a press release, Oklahoma City police say she appeared to have been fatally shot. Vaughn Cannon was arrested at the scene and booked in the Canadian County jail.
At a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Cleveland County Sheriff Chris Amason said Vaughn Cannon has been terminated from his position at the sheriff’s office. The Oklahoma City Police Department is investigating the homicide.
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Investigation Into Train Derailment Ongoing
Authorities are investigating the cause of a train derailment Sunday afternoon in Marlow.
The city of Marlow says in a Facebook post no injuries or deaths occurred from the derailment. No hazardous chemicals were involved either.
As of Monday morning, only one rail crossing remains closed for investigation.
No timeline is available for this crash.
This derailment comes after several across the globe this year. In February, a train hauling dangerous materials derailed in East Palestine), Ohio.
The day before the crash in Marlow, a passenger train in India left nearly 300 people dead and 900 injured after 2 trains derailed.
Update On Clinton Hospital
Clinton residents may not have to wait as long as originally anticipated for their hospital to reopen.
Since the beginning of the year, the city of Clinton has been without a hospital after the company managing it pulled out and canceled state and federal licenses to operate the facility.
Recently, the city hired a new consultant to work on getting the hospital reopened.
The Clinton Daily News reports the consultant is in talks with the state health department to allow the hospital to meet the existing standards of its previously terminated license, rather than the standards for a new hospital.
If OSDH agrees, the facility would only need to meet the codes from the 1970s when the hospital was originally opened. The newspaper reported by meeting the existing requirements, the hospital could avoid $6.2 million in upgrades estimated to take 15-18 months
Cherokee Nation Elections
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner were re-elected over the weekend.
The unofficial results point to a landslide victory for incumbents Hoskin Jr. and Warner.
Both walked away with more than 60% of the vote on Saturday – that's 30 points more than their next closest challenger.
Hoskin Jr. said he will continue to focus on criminal justice issues and health care over the next four years.
"...Finishing some really big projects that we've started in health care. The ones that are most important to me are the drug treatment effort that we are doing over the next five years," said Hoskin Jr.
Districts 1, 3 and 8 will head to a runoff next month after no one secured more than half of the vote for those seats.
More than 16,000 Cherokee citizens voted in this election cycle. That's up from 13,870 voters in 2019.
Holt Elected President Of U.S. Conference of Mayors
The U.S. Conference of Mayors elected Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt to serve as the organization’s next president.
During its annual meeting in Columbus, Ohio Monday, the United States Conference of Mayors elected Holt to serve as its 2025-2026 leader.
Upon learning of his election, Holt expressed his gratitude, stating the position presents an opportunity to tell Oklahoma City’s story as the 20th largest city in the U.S.
Holt, who is a member of the Osage Nation, will be the first Native American to assume the position.
He has previously served on various committees for the organization, and before his term begins will assume the position of Second, and then First Vice President.
He is the second mayor from Oklahoma City to be elected, and will be the 83rd President since the conference’s founding in 1932.
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Oklahoma’s FY 2024 Budget Goes Into Law
Gov. Kevin Stitt let the fiscal year 2024 state budget go into law without his signature today.
Last week, Oklahoma lawmakers approved an almost $13 billion budget package for the upcoming fiscal year. That’s despite hesitancy from Stitt.
The Governor and the legislature spent months debating how education funding should work during the 2023 session.
They did come to a resolution on a massive education funding boost. But the governor objected to other parts of the budget.
Stitt says lawmakers have “relied on one time revenues” for recurring expenses in a fiscally irresponsible way.
He also objected to lawmakers withdrawing roughly $2 billion out of the state’s savings account.
Had he vetoed the budget, lawmakers were prepared to come back into session to do a veto override.
This isn’t the first time Stitt has battled with lawmakers over the budget.
In 2022, he vetoed part of the budget and called for a special session to end the grocery tax.
And in 2020, Stitt also vetoed the budget bill, which was overridden by state lawmakers.
OKC's Point-In-Time Report Results
The number of people experiencing homelessness appears to be rising in Oklahoma City. Here's details from the city’s 2023 Point in Time count released Thursday.
Census takers identified almost 1,500 people experiencing homelessness in Oklahoma City during the annual January count. Last year’s count found a little more than 1,300.
The point-in-time count is federally mandated and meant to serve as a snapshot of homelessness in the city. It is not a full picture of homeless people in OKC, but offers several insights.
One major problem detailed in the report is a lack of affordable housing in Oklahoma County. The authors write that more than 4,500 units are needed to meet housing demand.
They also found that $50 million in investments by the city toward affordable housing will help ease the burden in years to come. Voters approved that investment as part of the MAPS 4 program in 2019.
Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority Law
A new law gives the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority more ways to test for compliance to state standards.
Gov. Kevin Stitt signed Republican Senator Jessica Garvin’s Senate Bill 813 on Wednesday.
The law now allows the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority to operate its own quality assurance laboratory in addition to contracting with a private lab to conduct compliance testing on medical marijuana businesses licensed in the state.
The new law also creates a petty cash fund for the authority to conduct undercover operations, including providing money for secret shoppers to purchase medical marijuana to prove compliance with the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana and Patient Protection Act.
Cherokee Nation Elections
Election Day is tomorrow for the Cherokee Nation.
Cherokee citizens living in at-large areas and the tribal nation's 14 county reservation will decide whether Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. will keep his job.
Hoskin Jr. says he's running on his record: over the last 3 1/2 years he led the tribal nation through the pandemic, the landmark Supreme Court ruling in McGirt v. Oklahoma and has built up the tribal nation's health care system.
His three opponents say his administration lacks transparency and one of them would be better suited for the top job.
"So this group has epically failed to increase the wages for not just our behavioral health, but for all of our health care providers and staff," said former tribal council woman Cara Cowan Watts.
Wes Nofire and David Cornsilk, the two other candidates running for the top job say there needs to be a plan to staff the new hospital the nation is building and more accountability for the $3 billion in COVID-19 relief funds the tribal nation received.
If no candidate for Principal Chief gets more than half the vote, there will be a runoff in.
Polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. It will also include Deputy Principal Chief and several tribal council seats.
- Read more about tribal elections here.
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More OKSDE Lawsuits
More Oklahoma State Department of Education employees are taking legal action over employment issues. Now, three former employees are taking their cases to court.
Cheryl McGee served as the executive director of school based mental health, and Matt Colwell served as the executive director of school success. Both filed lawsuits claiming they were wrongly fired for sharing information from the agency.
The department sent out an email Thursday threatening employees with termination if they were found to have leaked information. A state official later posted on social media different versions of the email were sent to employees to track who leaked them.
Another employee, Janessa Bointy, served as a school counselor specialist for about two and a half years. According to the filing, Bointy spoke about adolescent mental health during the public comment section of an Edmond Public Schools School Board meeting, which took place in the wake of a student suicide. Bointy has four children enrolled at Edmond. She was fired for allegedly breaching the agency’s confidentiality agreement and violating its media policy.
A spokesperson for State Superintendent Ryan Walters’ office provided a statement, “Contrary to public servants, these individuals are political activists who have no business being funded by Oklahoma taxpayers.”
Supreme Court Ruling On Wetlands
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Environmental Protection Agency cannot enforce certain federal regulations on wetlands that aren’t physically connected to lakes and rivers.
The Sacketts are an Idaho couple who bought a piece of land and started hauling in dirt to build a house. Because their property contained wetlands that feed into a nearby lake, the EPA said they were violating the federal Clean Water Act.
The Sacketts sued, saying their wetlands shouldn’t fall under the act.
The U.S. Supreme Court sided with them last week, overturning an earlier circuit court ruling and affirming that the Clean Water Act only protects wetlands with a physical surface connection to lakes and rivers.
EPA administrator Michael Regan says the court’s decision QUOTE “erodes longstanding clean water protections.”
But Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond says giving the federal government too much power over wetlands would undermine conservation efforts.
State Ag Secretary Blayne Arthur praised the court for lifting what she says are unnecessary regulations.
New Mental Health Options Coming To Norman
A new mental health center is being built in Norman.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Wednesday to expand the Behavioral Health Center.
Hospital officials say the center’s construction is a part of a collaboration between Norman Regional Health System and Oceans Healthcare.
The new state-of-the-art facility will be able to accommodate more people.
In addition, there will be an outpatient counseling program, and a dedicated unit for seniors.
The new health center is expected to open early next year.
Tribal Nations Holding Elections
It's election season for several tribal nations in Oklahoma.
Several tribes will hold elections for key positions including tribal leaders and district council seats.
The Cherokee, Sac & Fox Nations and Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma have elections this weekend.
In the last 50 years, tribal nations have developed their own constitutions and governments after enduring decades of federal policies meant to terminate or reduce their sovereignty.
Warren Queton is the district seven legislator for the Kiowa Tribe and an adjunct professor at the University of Oklahoma's Native American Studies Department.
“I think tribal citizens want real transparency. Call it radical transparency. They want people that are not afraid to fail, to people that have personal courage to kind of come out there and make change happen,” Queton said.
Cherokee Nation will hold elections for Principal Chief, Deputy Principal Chief and several tribal council seats this weekend.
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Oklahoma's New Education Budget
The legislature’s battle over Oklahoma’s school funding has finally come to an end with the state adding about $800 million to the education budget.
Gov. Kevin Stitt signed the funding package into law at a Thursday ceremony.
Stitt’s main focus was on the voucher-like tax credit part of the package, which would give public funds to families to use for private school and homeschool tuition and expenses.
“If a school has chose to close down, or maybe they're not teaching kids, they're trying to indoctrinate kids, or maybe they're just not performing well,” Stitt said. “Now that parent has a choice to take their kid, and we're gonna inject some competition into the system, which is going to be fantastic.”
Also in the package is a $3-6,000 teacher and certified staff raise, six weeks of paid maternity leave for teachers, a program to upgrade school security systems and another program to create a literacy instructional team stationed around the state.
Rural school funding was a major sticking point for House Republicans during the months-long stalemate, and though they didn’t get exactly what they wanted, rural schools are getting a boost to pay for things like buildings, infrastructure and transportation costs.
DOC Lifts Lockdown For All Correctional Facilities Except Dick Connor
The Oklahoma Department of Corrections has lifted the lockdown on all facilities except one following a stabbing incident last week.
The department says the Dick Conner Correctional Center in Hominy will remain on lockdown until further notice.
The DOC is allowing structured movement of inmates, and visitation at all other Oklahoma correctional facilities beginning this weekend.
Correctional centers across the state went on lockdown last Friday after an inmate died from a stabbing at the Dick Conner Correctional Center.
OETA Veto Overridden
Oklahoma lawmakers took another look at several of the bills the governor vetoed amid an education funding standstill. Lawmakers overrode the veto that would have led to the end of Oklahoma’s public television broadcaster.
Big Bird fans can rest easy. Lawmakers in both the House and Senate voted to override the Governor’s veto that would have led to the end of Oklahoma’s public television broadcaster, OETA.
At the time of his veto - Gov. Kevin Stitt said that Oklahoma Educational Television Authority’s long-term strategic value was quote “unclear if not outright imagined.”
But lawmakers defended the public broadcaster known for airing programs like Sesame Street and NOVA. State law requires the agency to have its board’s authority renewed by the legislature every three years.
Lawmakers in both chambers overwhelmingly supported the veto override - with a supermajority vote both times.
Oklahoma City Is 6th Fastest Growing City In U.S.
Oklahoma City maintains its spot as the nation's 20th largest city, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau population estimate.
The city's growth has been consistent, and it is now recognized as the 6th fastest-growing city among the top 20 from 2020 to 2022.
Between those years Oklahoma City experienced a growth rate of nearly 2%, with the addition of about 14-thousand new residents.
OKC Mayor David Holt says he attributes the growth to quality-of-life improvements and ongoing development projects.
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Plan To Extend Tribal Nations’ Tobacco, Tag Compacts Moves Ahead
The Oklahoma Senate Wednesday moved forward a plan to extend Native American tribal nations’ tobacco and tag compacts – without the approval of Gov. Kevin Stitt.
Lawmakers are aiming to extend existing compacts with tribal nations for tobacco and car tags by one year. Many of those compacts are set to expire in the coming months.
The move comes amid stalled negotiations between Stitt and the tribes.
Choctaw Nation Chief Gary Batton told The Oklahoman the terms Stitt brought to the table were a “non-starter.”
Leaders of the state’s five largest tribes endorsed Stitt’s Democratic opponent Joy Hofmeister last year. That move came after Stitt unsuccessfully tried to re-negotiate the state’s gaming compacts with tribal leaders.
The bill would mean existing tobacco and tag compacts would run through December 2024, giving time for Stitt and the tribal nations to repair their fraught relationship. But if that can happen remains to be seen.
New FDA Rule For Livestock Owners
Oklahoma livestock owners are being urged to familiarize themselves with their veterinarians following a new Food and Drug Administration rule.
Starting next month, the FDA will require a prescription for obtaining antibiotics for animals, a move that supporters say will help reduce antibiotic use.
A spokesperson for the Oklahoma Veterinary Board says there is a shortage of large animal veterinarians in the state.
The board is encouraging farmers and ranchers to seek out and establish relationships with veterinarians to comply with the new FDA rule.
Oklahoma Senate Approves Maternity Leave For State Employees
The Oklahoma Senate has approved a measure that allows maternity leave for state employees.
The Senate Bill 16-X gives 6 weeks of paid maternity leave for Oklahoma’s full time state employees after the birth or adoption of a child.
Duncan Republican Sen. Jessica Garvin introduced the reform at the start of the 2023 session. Garvin praised her colleagues for supporting the policy.
"You know as a Republican we always talk about being pro life, well this is part of that. We’ve got to support families after the birth and not just through birth," said Garvin.
Garvin also says this will help with recruitment and retention of state employees.
"This is a huge benefit and a huge win for state employees, this incentivizes people to come in to work for state agencies and when we are able to hire and recruit and retain high quality employees in state agencies that helps with government efficiency."
The benefit would be available to state employees who have been on the job for at least two years. The bill now moves to the house.
West Nile Virus Detected In Oklahoma County
Health officials warn recent rain brings an increased risk for mosquito-borne illnesses like West Nile Virus.
The Oklahoma City-County Health Department confirmed two positive mosquito pools carrying the West Nile Virus in Oklahoma County this week.
Officials suggest residents take extra precautions by avoiding mosquito bites and reducing habitats where mosquitos live and breed, like standing water.
Basics to reduce mosquito habitats: Empty buckets, flowerpots, wheelbarrows, and old tires from holding standing water. Empty and refill birdbaths and your pet’s outdoor water bowl daily.
For standing water sources that cannot be drained, OCCHD recommends microbial larvicides, commonly called “Mosquito dunks,” that kill mosquito larvae before they emerge as adults. They are available at hardware or home improvement stores.
West Nile symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, and sometimes a rash.
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Oklahoma Supreme Court Rules Against Group Opposing Turnpike Plan
The Oklahoma Supreme Court has ruled against a group opposing the highly-contested ACCESS turnpike project.
The court ruled that the group “failed to establish that they have a clear legal right to the injunctive.”
Pike Off OTA, the group opposing the plan, had sued the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority over the construction of three proposed turnpikes.
Despite the court’s ruling, the OTA still cannot proceed with the project or secure funding. Pike Off remains confident and awaits the Supreme Court's decision on if the OTA can enter the bond market to pay for the projects.
Meanwhile, the state attorney general has requested an audit of the OTA
Eco-Friendly Refinery Coming To Cushing
A $5.6 billion dollar refinery is coming to Cushing.
The city and company promise the facility will be more eco-friendly than existing refineries.
Southern Rock Energy Partners says when the refinery opens in 2027, it should only produce 5% of the greenhouse gas emissions and use a tenth of the water a normal refinery would.
If all goes according to plan, the facility will only use renewable energy to power the refining process.
The City of Cushing says it expects the project to create hundreds of jobs and generate $13 billion in economic benefits over its first decade.
Cushing beat out a site near the Gulf Coast in Texas for the refinery.
This announcement comes just days after a company called Enel unveiled plans to build a $1 billion solar panel factory in Inola, about 70 miles east of Cushing.
Oklahoma AG Joins Lawsuit To Stop Robocalls From Telecom Company
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has joined a multi-state lawsuit against a telecommunications company over illegal robocalls.
According to a news release from the AG, authorities claim Avid Telecom made billions of calls on the “do not call” registry between December 2018 and January of this year.
Nearly 100-million of those calls were reportedly made to Oklahoma numbers.
Drummond said not only are robocalls a nuisance, but oftentimes they cause financial harm to Oklahomans, and those making such calls need to be held accountable.
State Park Restaurants Back In Business
Restaurants are opening in Oklahoma State Parks for Memorial Day weekend.
The Lookout Kitchen will be up and running this weekend across Oklahoma’s state parks.
The menu will feature American style foods, desserts and breakfast options.
It will be operated by Oklahoma City-based company La Ratatouille.
Four locations are already open.
Another will be ready at Beavers Bend in time for Memorial Day weekend. And a sixth at Quartz Mountain will launch sometime in June.
The Lookout Kitchen replaces Swadley’s Foggy Bottom, a chain of eateries that closed last year.
The state terminated their contract with the restaurant group following suspected fraudulent activity. The OSBI’s investigation into those allegations continues.
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Two Injured In Fire At Wynnewood Refinery
A fire at a Wynnewood refinery injured two people Tuesday morning.
The plant is operated by CVR Energy Incorporated.
The troubled facility has had several major fires and explosions in recent years, including a 2012 fire that killed two.
The Garvin County Sheriff's Office says the company is investigating the incident.
Stitt Says No To KU License Plates
Gov. Kevin Stitt has vetoed a measure on specialty license plates.
Stitt vetoed House Bill 2255 that would have added six new specialty license plates to Oklahoma.
Among these plates was a design for the University of Kansas.
Stitt said in his veto message that his decision was not intended to offend the neighboring state, but rather to assert that Oklahoma should not engage in public relations activities for another state’s university.
Stitt encouraged those who would like to show their support for an out-of-state college to purchase a license plate frame.
Jewel Theater Restoration Project
An historic Black cinema in Oklahoma City is set to undergo a major repair and restoration.
The Jewel Theater located at NE 4th and Laird Ave. is the last surviving historic Black cinema in Oklahoma City, and possibly the entire state, according to a report from The Oklahoman newspaper.
The facility is set to receive much-needed repairs thanks to a $1 million grant from the Mellon Foundation.
An architectural and design firm obtained the grant to work with the theater's owner in preserving the historic landmark.
The grant will cover stabilization of the main structural elements and fund project management and architectural services for the theater's full restoration.
Built in 1931 by African-American businessman Percy James, the theater held a prominent place in the entertainment scene for the Black community until its closure in the 1970s.
Longtime local residents emphasize the theater's importance in rejuvenating the neighborhood while preserving its African-American heritage
Memorial Day Travel Expected To Exceed Pre-Pandemic Levels
If you're planning to get away for Memorial Day weekend, expect lots of company.
AAA Oklahoma projects more than 80 percent of the 550,000 people traveling will be hitting the road.
The most congested times to travel are expected to be Thursday and next Monday afternoons.
A spokesperson for AAA says travel should be as busy as it was pre-pandemic, and Oklahoma’s numbers mirror the increase across the country.
Despite soaring airfare, air travel is expected to be up by 8 percent in the state compared to last year, and up 11-percent by car.
A news release from AAA notes travel by other means, like by bus, train and cruise ship have been slowest to recover, are up 30 percent over 2022.
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Solar Panel Factory Coming To Tulsa Area
A solar panel manufacturer is planning a $1 billion dollar factory in Inola.
Enel North America will build the two million sq. ft. facility at the Port of Inola, 25 miles east of Tulsa. The Italian manufacturer constructs solar panels.
Gov. Kevin Stitt is praising the deal as a major economic development win.
“It is over $1,000,000,000 worth of investments, over 1500 jobs. When you put both of those together, that's the largest in state history,” Stitt said.
The announcement comes in the wake of a more than $200 million package of incentives approved by the legislature and governor last week for the company.
Oklahoma Legislature Appropriates Remaining ARPA Funds
Two years and nearly $2 billion later, the Oklahoma Legislature is set to assign the last of its money from the American Rescue Plan Act.
President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act into law in early 2021, earmarking money for state, tribal and local governments to help their communities in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Oklahoma’s state government received nearly $2 billion.
To divvy it up, the legislature’s Joint Committee on Pandemic Relief Funding had to select from project applications totaling $18 billion in requested funds.
The committee just recommended projects to receive the last of the funding on Friday. But Rep. Kyle Hilbert, who sits on the committee, says its job isn’t quite done yet.
“Of course, getting the money out the door was the first piece, but the second and probably even more important piece is oversight, making sure that these dollars are going where they're supposed to be going,” Hilbert said.
The full legislature still needs to approve these most recent funding recommendations, and recipient projects will need to spend the money by the end of 2026.
Mexican Consulate Opens In Oklahoma City
State and national officials celebrated the grand opening of the Mexican consulate in Oklahoma City with an inauguration ceremony Saturday.
The consulate is in Film Row in downtown OKC and has been a work in progress with the Mexican government.
The ceremony featured music, food and local vendors. Ambassador of Mexico to the United States, Esteban Moctezuma was in attendance.
"Today is a party day here in Oklahoma because we're opening the consulate of Mexico, which will serve a community of almost half a million people," said Moctezuma.
Previously, citizens of Mexico living in Oklahoma had to travel out of state to receive consular services.
Gov. Kevin Stitt praised the efforts of Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt in bringing the consulate to OKC.
Driver's Permit For Farm Kids
Farm kids in Oklahoma as young as 14 can apply for a special driver’s license later this year. Gov. Kevin Stitt recently signed the farm permit into law.
House Bill 1962 allows 14 year-olds who live or work on a farm to apply for a Class D driver's license – but only drive under certain conditions.
The permit allows the teens to drive a car to and from farm related work. It also allows teens that live on a farm to drive to and from school on the most direct route from their home.
Teens under 16 will also be able to drive cars anywhere – except on an interstate or turnpike – as long as a licensed driver is sitting in the passenger seat, similar to an Oklahoma learner’s permit.
Other states like Kansas have similar restricted licenses like the one Gov. Stitt signed off on. The new law goes into effect Nov. 1.
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State AG Won't Enforce New Law Banning Gender-Affirming Healthcare For Minors
Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a law banning gender-affirming healthcare for minors in May.
Republican Attorney General Gentner Drummond is signing on to an agreement to not enforce that law for now.
Despite fervent protests from the state’s few Democratic lawmakers and trans-rights advocates, the ban on gender-affirming care passed through the state legislature and was eagerly signed by the governor.
But now, Attorney General Drummond is joining with the ACLU, the families of transgender adolescents and medical providers in a non-enforcement agreement as federal litigation over the law continues.
While the agreement makes it clear the AG isn’t conceding anything or acknowledging any harm, it does instruct him not to enforce the law for the time being.
In a statement, Drummond's office says a temporary stay of enforcement allows more time to mount the strongest possible defense of the legislation.
School Reading Program Bill
The education funding stalemate is coming to a close. So after months of negotiations, what made the cut?
Here's a break down one of the recent additions to the final package — a 3-year pilot program supporting reading proficiency.
Senate Bill 1118 would put $10 million over three years into the program, which would employ a literacy instructional team of five people placed regionally around the state.
The team would help districts with screening and support for dyslexia and other reading disabilities. A minimum of ten additional people would also be designated as literacy specialists.
Tulsa Republican Sen. Dave Rader presented the bill, and he says more specifics are still to-be-decided.
"The details are for the state board to set up, and for them to use the funds in this pilot program as best they can to improve, or meet the goals, or attempt to meet the goals that are set out in the bill," said Rader.
The department would submit a report to the governor, pro tem and house speaker by the end of 2026, which includes districts’ evaluations of the program, data on the program’s literacy impact, and any recommendations on the Reading Sufficiency Act — that’s the state’s effort to ensure all Oklahoma third-graders are reading on-level.
The joint committee report still needs to go through the House before it hits the governor’s desk.
Deer Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant Gets $2M For Updates
Residents near the Deer Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant may not have to put up with a stench from the facility much longer.
House lawmakers passed a bill that would give $28 million in Federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to the Oklahoma Water Resources Board for infrastructure investments.
Rep. Nicole Miller said residents told her about the ongoing odor problem.
Miller took part in authoring House Bill 2942, which appropriates nearly $2 million to Deer Creek’s plant for critical updates.
The bill now moves to the Senate for a vote.
Sneak Peak Of Killers of the Flower Moon
A trailer for the much anticipated film Killers of the Flower Moon is out.
The sneak peek features Lily Gladstone, Leonardo di Caprio, Robert de Niro and some of the first scenes filmed in Osage county.
Osage News editor Shannon Shaw Duty is in Cannes right now to attend the premiere. She says the movie is going to transform the Osage Nation.
“It was thrilling. You know, it shows the non-Indian community being complicit, the greed, the evil of it all,” Duty said.
The film depicts the 1920s murders of Osage citizens for their headrights, money and land.
The film is making its premiere at Cannes Saturday night and will be in wide release this fall.
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Oklahoman Convicted For January 6 Insurrection
Another Oklahoman has been convicted for his actions during the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Anthony Alfred Griffith is an electrician from the Muskogee area who participated in the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Griffith was found guilty of four misdemeanors related to disrupting government business and trespassing.
He stormed the Capitol with his former employee Jerry Ryals, who pleaded guilty last year to charges for his actions that day and was sentenced to nine months in jail.
Griffith is one of at least 11 Oklahomans and more than 1,000 people charged with crimes related to the insurrection.
Bartlesville Closes Public Pools
A city in northeastern Oklahoma says the pools will be closed for the summer due to ongoing water shortages.
Even with a bump from last week’s rain, the lakes that supply Bartlesville are sitting at about 56% capacity.
To address the shortage, the city says it won’t open either of its public pools this summer but will continue watering the greens at its two municipal golf courses.
The city says it’s prioritizing golf courses because they bring in tourism money and provide a fundraising venue for local businesses.
The city says it hopes to eventually use recirculated pond water on the greens instead.
City officials insist they don’t want to burden specific businesses with water restrictions. That’s why car washes won’t close despite complaints from residents.
If Bartlesville’s water supply gets out of the rough - that would be at 70% capacity - pools could open if the city can staff them.
Mosquito Population Expected To Increase
Recent soaking rain has helped tame Oklahoma’s dry conditions, but it also means the mosquito population is about to swell.
Dr. Justin Tally with Oklahoma State University says standing water and warm temperatures are what mosquitoes need to lay eggs. Within seven days, the mosquitos grow into a blood-feeding adult.
With parts of the state seeing more than seven inches of rain over the past month and temperatures expected to climb into the 80s next week, Tally says the mosquito population is expected to grow.
Experts say the best defense against the insects is to apply spray products with DEET in a well-ventilated area. You’re also encouraged to get rid of any standing water on your property.
'Killers of the Flower Moon' At Cannes
Killers of the Flower Moon is a bestselling book about the 1920s era murders of Osage people. It’s now being turned into a movie set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in Southern France.
"It's Oklahoma's dirty little secret," said Osage citizen Margaret Sisk.
Growing up, Sisk was told by her dad and others that you just didn't talk about what happened to Osage people during the Reign of Terror.
But, with a new movie about to hit the world stage, Sisk thinks it's time everyone knows.
"It's a part of history that needed to be told because it's not in Oklahoma history," said Sisk.
Killers of the Flower Moon examines the story of the 1920s Osage murders after oil was discovered on their land.
White people flocked to Osage County to get wealth for themselves. And dozens of Osages were murdered in a plot to obtain money and headrights.
Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear says he was concerned about how Osages would be depicted in the movie.
"We're used to Hollywood stereotypes and not being accurate to our language, our culture…and so that was always a concern," said Standing Bear.
The film premieres at Cannes on Saturday and will be in wide release this fall.
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Oklahoma City Animal Shelter Sees Influx of Animals
Oklahoma City Animal Welfare is facing a new challenge after reopening this week.
The facility is now over capacity for dogs, and is asking the public for help by making adoptions.
The shelter took in 269 abandoned animals since it reopened on Monday.
The facility was closed for more than six weeks due to a rapidly spreading upper respiratory infection among the animals.
To encourage adoptions, the shelter has waived all dog adoption fees.
Public Safety Bill Fails
A bill that would give the Governor the power to launch investigations through the Department of Public Safety failed on Tuesday.
Republican Rep. Justin Humphrey’s House Bill 1976 was met with bipartisan opposition during its fourth reading on Tuesday.
The bill would have given the Commissioner of Public Safety, who takes direction from the Oklahoma Governor, the ability to launch investigations on anyone “reasonably believed to be engaged in terrorism, threats to public safety, organized crime, criminal conspiracies, or any other threats of violent crime.”
Democratic Rep. Jason Lowe spoke in opposition and said the bill was full of unconstitutional provisions and due process violations.
"You can be investigated for anything. We’re not just talking about terrorism. Anything," said Lowe.
The bill failed with a vote of 30 to 63.
Lawsuit Filed Over Tribal Regalia Issue
A high school senior has filed a lawsuit against the Broken Arrow School district after school officials wouldn't let her wear an eagle plume during her graduation ceremony.
Student Lena Black is Otoe-Missouria and of Osage descent. She says the plume was damaged, and that the school district violated her right to freedom of speech and her right to exercise her religion.
Gov. Kevin Stitt recently vetoed Senate Bill 429. The legislation would have affirmed and clarified Indigenous students' rights to wear tribal regalia like eagle feathers during graduation ceremonies.
New Resort-Style Casino Coming To Central Oklahoma
The Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma is partnering with Caesars Entertainment to open a new resort-style casino.
The new resort and Casino will be built off of the 1-44 turnpike between Tulsa and Oklahoma City and will be Harrah's branded.
It will feature various dining options and a hotel.
Caesars has partnered with other tribal nations before and the new casino means more jobs for Oklahomans and tribal citizens.
The tribe says more details about the business will be announced soon.
Thursday Funerals Planned For Unclaimed Vietnam Veterans
Two unclaimed veterans will be laid to rest in Southwest Oklahoma Thursday.
U.S. Army Private William T. Jones and U.S. Air Force Airman 3rd Class Gerald G. Quick both served during the Vietnam War era.
They will be buried Thursday afternoon at 1 p.m. at Fort Sill National Cemetery in Elgin.
The funerals will take place at Shelter 2.
Cemetery officials say the community is invited to attend these funerals, so the veterans are not laid to rest alone.
Education Funding Stalemate Ends
After a months-long standoff, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and legislative leaders are celebrating a deal on education funding. The plan increases recurring funds in the annual education budget by $625 million.
Here’s how it breaks down: $500 million is going into the funding formula, and much of that is aimed at getting more money to rural schools.
Teachers and other certified staff will see a $3,000-$6,000 raise depending on years of experience, and teachers will also get six weeks of paid maternity leave.
The remaining $125 million of added recurring funds will go to the Redbud fund, which largely benefits rural districts and is for buildings and infrastructure improvements.
"We hear you, teachers. We need you to stay in the classroom," said Edmond Sen. Adam Pugh, who shepherded much of the Senate’s package. "Moms and dads, we want you to find the right education experience so that your children can thrive. And we hope that this great investment in education will allow that to happen."
A couple of other measures also made the cut: a $10 million, three-year reading proficiency program and $150 million three-year school safety and security pilot program.
- Read more about this story here.
Oklahoma City Apple Retail Union Begins Contract Negotiations With Apple
Months after winning their union election, the Oklahoma City Apple Retail Union is beginning contract negotiations with the corporation.
After successfully becoming the second Apple store in the country to join the Communications Workers of America last October, the Oklahoma City Apple Retail Union began its contract negotiations with the corporation on Monday.
This follows the CWA filing an unfair labor practice charge against Apple with the National Labor Relations Board last month after they say an Oklahoma City employee was illegally fired without union representation.
Union members will meet with Apple for two days of bargaining a month. According to a Bloomberg Law analysis from 2022, signing a union contract can take around two years to complete.
Despite Recent Rain, Drought Persists In Driest Areas
The next chance for widespread rain comes in Thursday and Friday, and includes areas of the state that are dealing with drought.
Just about everything northwest of a line that stretches roughly from Altus to Miami is in some stage of drought right now. The worst of it is in the panhandle. Unfortunately, that’s not the part of the state that’s been getting drenched for the last few days.
Oklahoma Mesonet measurements show most of central and eastern Oklahoma received between 1 and 6 inches of rain over the last week. That was enough to put huge swaths of the state under a days-long flood watch.
The panhandle and northwestern corner got some rain too, but it was less than an inch over the whole week.
The U.S. Drought Monitor shows about 60% of the state is in drought. That could change when a new report comes out later this week.
Mona Lee Brock Memorial
The late Mona Lee Brock was known for her work supporting struggling farmers through the Farm Crisis of the 1980s. She also had an impact on mental health services for farmers and ranchers.
Brock became a suicide intervention counselor for farmers in the 1980s when she and her husband noticed a need in their community after losing their Lincoln County farm.
The CDC says farmers and ranchers are almost twice as likely to die by suicide in the U.S. compared to people in other occupations.
“Mental health in our rural areas and our farming community, people were taught not to express your feelings, not to ask for help and there's just certain times in people's lives that that's not enough,” said Scott Blubaugh, president of the American Farmers and Ranchers Cooperative.
At a recent event, farmers and ranchers who were helped by Brock shared how she impacted them and how they help others today.
The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture Food, and Forestry and the farmers and ranchers group honored Brock with a bronze sculpture and display case of mementos.
You can see it in ODAFF’s building by the State Capitol.
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911 System Update Bill
A bill that would update Oklahoma’s 911 system for the first time since 1975 is headed to Gov. Kevin Stitt’s office.
Republican State Rep. Jim Grego’s House Bill 1590 passed its fourth reading late last week.
The bill requires the state’s 911 system to undergo infrastructural upgrades to improve dispatch centers’ accuracy and to reduce delays.
The bill also requires emergency telecommunicators to receive CPR training.
The bill is called the Haiden Fleming Memorial Act, named for an Oklahoma man who died from a cardiac incident in Peggs in 2021. 911 was called but dispatch struggled to locate where he lived. He died before the ambulance arrived.
I-35 Improvement Project in Edmond Moving Forward
A nearly $45 million dollar project will improve traffic flow and safety on Interstate 35 in Edmond.
The project includes making access roads one-way, and adding lanes and so-called Texas turnarounds at exits.
The turnarounds allow drivers to bypass some traffic lights while exiting, easing flow.
Merging lanes will also be widened and lengthened.
The improvements will be made between the Memorial Road and Second Street exits.
The work is partially funded by the City of Edmond, with most of the project paid for by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.
Construction will begin in 2024 and is expected to take about 18 months to complete.
New Law Targets Illegal Marijuana Grow Operations
Oklahoma lawmakers are cracking down on illicit marijuana grows.
State law enforcement officials estimate as many as half of Oklahoma's licensed marijuana grow operations could be participating in illegal activity.
Gov. Kevin Stitt signed House Bill 2281 into law last week.
The measure makes the use of a straw purchaser - an Oklahoman who sets up a cannabis business for an out-of-state third party - a felony.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond praised the new law.
The state’s top law enforcement officer also touted the recently passed HB 2095, which gives his office the authority to subpoena business documents and conduct unannounced on-site inspections.
The measure is also designed to increase collaboration between state agencies like the OMMA or the OSBI in cracking down on illicit operations.
Chickasaw Police Officer Receives Special Recognition
A Chickasaw Lighthorseman is the 2023 officer of the year in Indian Country.
Jared Buckaloo was named the Indian Country Law Enforcement officer of the year because of his handling of a harrowing situation near the WinStar Casino in 2022.
Buckaloo struggled with an armed suspect -- taking his weapon while protecting people around him and ultimately ensuring no one was killed in the incident.
That's why he received an award from the International Association of Chiefs of Police, an organization that's been around since 1893.
Buckaloo has been a lighthorse police officer since 2020 and works at the Winstar Precinct with his K-9 Gaucho.
He likes mentoring other officers and aspires to become a criminal investigator.
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Preliminary Reports Show EF-1 Tornado Hit Noble, Cole
The National Weather Service is surveying at least 13 storm paths to determine the number of tornadoes that touched down in central Oklahoma last night.
The service reported Friday afternoon that crews found E-F-1 tornado damage in Noble and southeast of Cole.
In Noble, the tornado damaged a few businesses and at least one home in about a one block area along Main Street.
Lawmakers Approve Changes To Who Makes Appointments To OTA Board
Since the Turnpike Authority’s unveiling of its ACCESS Oklahoma expansion project, the agency has drawn increased scrutiny of its practices.
Much of the opposition is from Pike Off Oklahoma, a group made of residents who would be displaced by the project.
Those lobbying efforts seem to be paying off.
Since Pike Off began organizing last spring, they’ve gotten several big wins:
A judge ruled the OTA violated the state’s Open Meeting Act, the Bureau of Land Reclamation barred the agency from building next to Lake Thunderbird, another lawsuit on the OTA’s authority to build in certain areas is going to the State Supreme Court, and the attorney general has called for an investigative audit.
And Thursday, the group’s efforts to reform the OTA Board sailed through its last legislative hurdle and now heads to the governor’s desk.
The board is made up of six members appointed by the governor.
House Bill 2263 would change that to two members appointed by the governor, two by the Speaker of the House, and two by the Senate Pro Tem.
It would also cut down term lengths from eight years to six years, and change who can remove a board member - it was just the governor, now it would also be the Speaker and Pro Tem.
And finally, it bars members from voting on issues in which they have a direct financial interest.
But, whether the governor signs off on sharing his power over the OTA, remains to be seen.
Shawnee High School To Reopen
Shawnee High School will reopen for in-person learning.
School officials say the high school will reopen Monday, May 15. This comes after a tornado struck the school nearly a month ago.
Initially, students were going to finish the school year virtually, but following a slew of safety and structural inspections, the school will reopen.
Some areas will remain inaccessible, but the approved areas have been deemed safe.
Oklahoma City Sues Plaza Inn
Oklahoma City is taking legal action against a hotel due to its alarming history of violence.
According to records, police have responded to the Plaza Inn 784 times between January 2022 and May 10, 2023.
In a lawsuit filed by the city, recent incidents include a kidnapping, a shooting and a stabbing.
Despite warnings, the city says the hotel has neglected to address the issues.
The lawsuit goes on to say that the city is seeking complete closure of the facility or mandatory restrictions to ensure public safety.
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State Collections For April Down
For the first time in nearly a year, tax collections were down last month in Oklahoma.
The latest gross receipts report from the state treasury shows a decrease in tax collections for the first time since June 2022.
That means the state collected less tax money over the previous 12 months than it had the 12 months before that.
That’s largely due to a big drop in oil and gas production revenue. The state saw an almost 34 percent drop in oil and gas production taxes year-over-year. Personal income tax revenues also fell.
Meanwhile combined sales and use taxes actually increased by almost 5 percent - that includes sales tax and use tax receipts which are collected on out-of-state purchases.
The state treasury also reports the state’s unemployment rate remains unchanged since February at 3% and the overall economy seems relatively stable.
OKC Animal Shelter Reopening
The Oklahoma City Animal Shelter is reopening after being closed for several weeks due to canine illnesses.
The shelter says it will reopen only for adoptions May 12-14.
During that time, the shelter will not be accepting animals.
Normal operations will resume Monday, May 15.
The shelter has been closed for nearly seven weeks to contain and treat a contagious upper respiratory infection that killed five dogs and infected hundreds of others.
OKC Settles Lawsuit Over Stolen Water
Oklahoma City and the city’s Water Utilities Trust have reached a settlement in their suit against an oil company for stealing water and harming protected lands at the Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge.
The City filed a lawsuit saying Revolution Resources and contractor Select Energy Services had built water lines from the North Canadian River to a drilling site at the Wiley Post Airport in Bethany, even though the city had rejected their permit application.
The city says the companies damaged the Stinchcomb Wildlife Refuge and took water intended for emergency drought relief last summer.
In the original suit, the city requested compensation for at least $75,000 worth of damages. A judge refused Revolution’s request to dismiss the suit and have the city reimburse the company’s legal fees.
Revolution offered to settle last month. The Oklahoma City Council voted unanimously to approve the settlement for almost $250,000.
Hannah McKenzie Act Advances Through The Legislature
A bill aims to regulate opioid substitution treatment programs is advancing through the Legislature.
Republican Rep. Rick West’s House Bill 2686 passed its fourth reading unanimously on Wednesday.
The Hannah McKenzie Act would require opioid substitution treatment programs to comply with federal requirements, including providing drug abuse testing services that are directly observed by an employee of the treatment program.
Hannah McKenzie was a young woman from West’s district who died of a methadone overdose in 2017.
Methadone is a common drug used in opioid substitution treatment programs to treat opioid dependency, but it can be fatal if taken in improper amounts.
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Voters In 22 Counties Cast Ballots In Local Elections
Voters in Norman approved an increase of the city's hotel room excise tax in yesterday's election.
The rate will go from from 5 percent to 8 percent. Visitors staying in Norman--not residents-- pay the tax.
For the second time since 2016, voters in Moore said NO to a curbside recycling program, with nearly 55 percent of the vote against.
In Garfield County, voters rejected a 0.3% percent sales tax increase to expand and renovate the county jail.
Voters rejected a similar proposal last fall.
Elections were held in 22 counties yesterday. You can find the results on our website.
Juvenile Sentencing Reform Bill Moves Forward
A bill that could help protect children who are victims of sexual abuse or sex trafficking is advancing through the Legislature.
Republican Representative Marilyn Stark’s House Bill 2210 passed its fourth reading unanimously on Tuesday.
The bill would allow courts to depart from mandatory minimum sentencing for minors convicted as adults for offenses they committed against a person who is found to have sexually abused or trafficked the minor within 90 days of the offense.
The bill also allows the court to suspend portions of the sentence or to send the minor to the juvenile division for further proceedings.
Earlier versions of this bill allowed for a window of one year between the instance of sexual abuse or trafficking and the criminal offense committed by the minor.
Cherokee Nation Helping Tribal Citizens Keep Medicaid Coverage
The end of the COVID-19 Pandemic Emergency means an end to Medicaid coverage for hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans.
The Cherokee Nation is working to make sure tribal citizens don't lose coverage.
Special pandemic continuous Medicaid enrollment stopped at the end of March. And many states like Oklahoma are terminating coverage for those who no longer qualify.
Cherokee Nation health officials say at least 3,000 tribal citizens could lose their Medicaid coverage as a result.
Cherokee Nation Patient Benefit Coordinators are contacting those tribal citizens who may be at risk of losing their access to health care and helping them get covered.
More information is available on the tribal nation's website.
Stillwater Plans To Turn Abandoned Railroad Into Trails
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation has awarded the city of Stillwater a $1.2 million grant to turn an abandoned railroad into hiking and biking trails.
The project will ultimately lead to a 1.25-mile hiking and biking trail near Boomer Lake Park in Stillwater.
City officials say they want to connect it to another rails to trails project, eventually connecting Boomer Lake to Couch Park in southeastern Stillwater, and increasing municipal trail connections in the area.
The city will use eminent domain to claim some of the land, so dozens of property owners may be eligible for federal payments.
Attorneys from the firm Lewis Rice will be holding educational meetings at the Stillwater Public Library next week, discussing compensation.
Tinker Air Show Returns July 1-2
The highly anticipated Tinker Air Show is making a comeback this summer.
The show paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and now will return to the base July 1 and 2.
The event will feature the renowned U.S. Navy Blue Angels as the main attraction, along with a lineup of other military aircraft.
The last time the air show took place was in 2019.
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Election Day Summary
It’s Election Day in 22 counties across Oklahoma.
Garfield County residents will vote on a 0.3% percent sales tax increase to expand and renovate the county jail.
Approval would help ease overcrowding by adding 82 beds and 16,000 square feet. The same proposal was rejected by voters last fall.
Voters in Moore will decide whether the city establishes a curbside recycling program, at a residential rate of nearly $4 per month. A similar proposal was defeated by voters in 2016.
In Norman, voters are deciding whether to increase their hotel room excise tax from 5 percent to 8 percent. The tax will NOT be paid by Norman residents.
Polling places are open until 7 p.m. tonight.
You can check your polling location and view a sample ballot at elections.ok.gov.
Mullin, Lucas Seeking $92 Million For New Pilot Training Center
U.S. lawmakers from Oklahoma are seeking $760 million in funding for state projects this year, with Senator Markwayne Mullin accounting for almost half of the total requests.
The Oklahoman newspaper reports Mullin and Representative Frank Lucas are seeking $92 million to construct a new pilot training center at Vance Air Force Base.
Major highway projects in the state's two metro areas are also on the lawmakers' list of requests.
More than $80 million is being sought for improvements to the I-240 and I-35 interchange in Oklahoma City.
Last year, lawmakers secured more than $650 million in projects for Oklahoma.
FEMA Assistance For Cleveland County
Cleveland County residents and businesses who were impacted by last month’s tornadoes are now eligible for federal disaster relief.
Significant destruction in the Shawnee area and the tiny town of Cole prompted quick approval of a Major Disaster Declaration from the federal government for Pottawatomie and McClain Counties in the days following the storms.
Gov. Kevin Stitt in a news release Monday announced Cleveland County residents and businesses can now also qualify for assistance through FEMA to help with housing repairs, get low-interest federal loans to replace damaged property and grants for other necessary needs and expenses.
The statement goes on to say nearly a million dollars in FEMA aid has already been disbursed related to the April storms.
Lost Creek Safari Temporarily Closes
A popular zoo in Stillwater is temporarily closing following an incident between a visitor and an animal.
Lost Creek Safari announced on social media that it will be closing for a few days after an incident that involved one of the animals and a visitor who acted QUOTE "inappropriately".
Zoo officials say they contacted authorities, and will review what happened to decide their next course of action.
The zoo said they hope to reopen soon.
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AG Investigation Into McCurtain County Sheriff
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has requested that the OSBI expand its investigation into McCurtain County Sheriff Kevin Clardy, following allegations of racist remarks and a murder plot on journalists.
In a letter from the AG, the investigation revealed evidence of wrongdoing, and includes eight potential grounds for removal.
Community members and Gov. Kevin Stitt have called for the Sheriff's resignation, but he has refused to step down, claiming that the audio recording was altered.
New Law Provides Safety Provisions For Election Workers
Oklahoma election workers will have new safety protections while working the polls.
Gov. Kevin Stitt signed Senate Bill 481, authored by Senator Dave Rader and Representative Jeff Boatman, into law last week.
The law makes it a crime to harass, intimidate, threaten or “dox” an election worker - and also makes it a crime to impersonate an election official with the intent to influence the election.
“As someone who has personally been doxed and threatened, I can tell you that I and election officials across the state are very, very grateful to the Legislature and the Governor for taking these threats against election officials seriously,” said Oklahoma State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax.
The punishment for threatening and intimidating or impersonating an election official is now a misdemeanor charge.
Elections will held in 22 counties tomorrow.
Sen. Dahm To Lead Oklahoma GOP
The Oklahoma Republican Party has new leadership.
Oklahoma Senator Nathan Dahm will take over as the new GOP chairman for Oklahoma’s Republican Party. He is widely known for being one of the most conservative Republicans in the state legislature.
The Broken Arrow senator pushed anti-abortion legislation and pro-gun laws and has been a candidate for open Congressional seats in the past - losing in primaries.
As state party leader, Dahm will be responsible for things like fundraising efforts, voter registration and recruiting candidates - which he says will be a major focus.
Dahm takes over for former chairman A.J. Ferate - who filled a vacancy left by GOP Chairman John Bennett.
Dahm will hold the chairman position for the next two years. He also says he will retain his state senate seat.
Federal Relief Funding Available For Native American Farm, Food Workers
Farm and food workers of Native American tribes are eligible to receive federal relief money to help offset the costs related to the pandemic.
Under the Farm and Food Workers Relief Program, the Cherokee Nation is giving one-time $600 relief payments to farmworkers and meatpackers who performed their jobs during the pandemic.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture allocated $41 million to Cherokee Nation to distribute federal relief payments over the next two years.
Applicants must have worked at least an hour of work on a farm, ranch or meat processing facility between January 2020 to April of this year to be eligible for the relief money.
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. says as many as six million Natives may be eligible for relief payments.
Farm and food workers living within the Cherokee Nation reservation can apply but priority will be given to applicants of federally recognized tribes across the country.
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U.S. Supreme Court Halts Richard Glossip’s Execution
Death row inmate Richard Glossip’s execution has been stayed again, this time by the U.S. Supreme Court. The decision comes less than two weeks away from Glossip's execution date.
The Supreme Court granted Richard Glossip’s application for stay of execution on Friday.
Glossip filed the application following the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board’s split vote at his clemency hearing late last month, which resulted in no recommendation for clemency.
Glossip was given the death penalty after being convicted of the 1997 murder-for-hire of Barry Van Treese. However, recent investigations have found evidence which calls Glossip’s guilt into question.
Glossip has received an unprecedented amount of support from Oklahoma lawmakers and officials, including Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who supported both his application for clemency and for stay of execution.
The Supreme Court’s order stays the execution pending existing petitions from Glossip.
Public Education Roundtable A No Show Event
State Superintendent Ryan Walters and Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat planned to hold a public roundtable with the governor and Speaker of the House Thursday to hash out education funding proposals. But, it all fell apart.
At a news conference Thursday afternoon, Treat said he backed out of the discussion when he learned it would be just Walters and him.
McCall refused the invitation, calling it “political theater.”
Treat says McCall is being disingenuous in how he characterizes the plans on the table.
McCall claims a big part of the Senate plan is unfunded - Treat says that’s not true and seems intentionally misleading.
Another major sticking point for McCall is a plan that would give smaller and rural districts more money per student than larger districts.
Treat says his senators met with their House counterparts and presented an alternative path to get rural schools more money, this time through a more equitable funding formula adjustment.
“What was told, relayed to me was they said, ‘You all are so caught up on the policy end of this, you’ve got to realize that we’ve got rural members that we’ve made promises to, we’ve got to have a political win here.’ And that was not in our interest. Our interest was trying to get the right policy and to help kids,” Treat said.
Treat says he’ll continue pressing for an open discussion.
MMIP Day Raises Awareness
Today is Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Day.
Organizations across Oklahoma have been calling for more accountability around this issue, that they're calling a crisis.
Oklahoma has some of the highest rates of domestic violence in the country; many of the victims are Indigenous.
Kayla Woody is the prevention specialist for House of Hope, an organization run by Citizen Potawatomi Nation. They help Native and non-Native survivors of domestic violence.
“There is a lot of gaps between those different entities working together,” Woody said.
Last month, local organizations including House of Hope gave blistering testimony to the Not Invisible Act Commission saying that the response to MMIP cases were inadequate and that local law enforcement needed more education on the issue.
“There's a different process that needs to be taken when Native individuals are experiencing these types of crimes or when homicides are happening,” Woody said.
Oklahoma has recently passed two laws to help in MMIP cases: Kasey's Act, which is an alert system for missing Indigenous Adults and Ida's Law: designed to get state, federal and tribal officials on the same page and solve MMIP cases.
Soaking Rain This Week Helps Oklahoma Drought
Drought still persists across northwestern Oklahoma, but recent soaking rain has helped put a dent in the dry conditions.
Areas experiencing the two highest levels of drought decreased by about ten percent, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor report. But State Climatologist Gary McManus says there’s still a way to go.
"It’s not just the northwest, most of the state has bigger deficits over the last 365 days. Remember, we had that horrible flash drought last summer. The deficits really built during that time frame, and we don’t get out of those quickly. We do need repeated rainfall events like we’ve seen over the last few weeks," said McManus.
And we may see that. McManus says the precipitation outlook is leaning above normal. He says that’s significant considering this is our wettest time of the year, and the last few years have favored dryer conditions.
"So just getting that equal odds for above, below or near normal precipitation. I think that’s a win for itself, "McManus said.
McManus says we’ve now come out of the La Nina weather pattern and are now in what are considered neutral conditions, which hopefully will continue to bring more drought relief.
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DEQ Issues Order Not To Use City of McAlester Water
The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality has issued an order not to use water from the City of McAlester and several nearby Rural Water Districts.
An electrical problem shut down the pumps that feed McAlester’s water towers on Wednesday.
Later that evening, the city told residents it had bypassed the pumps and restored water.
That bypass involved using a fire truck as a pump. A DEQ spokesperson says a fire truck is “not approved equipment” for moving potable water.
The DEQ issued an order not to use the water Thursday morning.
This is not a boil order. Boiling water kills bacteria but doesn’t help with other contaminants, and the DEQ doesn’t know what McAlester’s water might contain.
The agency says affected residents should use bottled water for drinking, cooking, doing dishes, brushing teeth and washing hands.
It’s unclear when the D-E-Q will lift the order. But an agency spokesperson estimates next week. For now, the National Guard is in McAlester providing assistance.
Cherokee Nation Pumps Up Water Infrastructure in Salina
The Cherokee Nation is making $1 million in improvements to water infrastructure in the small Northeast Oklahoma town of Salina, 60 miles east of Tulsa.
The funds will rehab the town's water storage tanks and repair pump stations to improve water pressure in homes and businesses.
Cherokee Nation estimates the project will serve more than 540 households in the town with a population of about 1,300.
The money comes from federal COVID relief funds. The tribal nation has budgeted almost $60 million for water infrastructure across its 14-county reservation over the last three years.
Opioid Antagonist Bills Vetoed
Senate Bills 711 and 712 would have used state funding to pay for overdose reversal drugs — the first providing it to people who were just released from prisons or county jails, and the second to people just released from overdose care at the hospital.
They also would create a program to educate these people on signs of overdose and how to administer the medication.
Access to naloxone or narcan has become a major public health initiative since the onset of the opioid epidemic, and even more so after synthetic fentanyl has been showing up in supplies unexpectedly and causing people to overdose.
"They need some help. We want to save their lives just like we would anybody else," said Senate Health and Human Services chairman Paul Rosino, the author.
But in an effort to pressure the Senate into taking up his education plan, Gov. Stitt has been mass vetoing Senate bills, including these.
"I hope and pray that no one in Oklahoma dies ‘cause of these vetoes. But, you know, I used to tell my children: actions have consequences," said Rosino.
The Legislature could vote to override the veto.
In 2021, 960 Oklahomans died of a drug overdose, according to the CDC.
Richard Glossip Requests Clemency Hearing Be Deemed Null And Void
Death row inmate Richard Glossip is asking the Oklahoma County District Court to declare his recent clemency hearing null and void.
Following last week’s split Pardon and Parole Board vote that resulted in no recommendation for clemency, Richard Glossip filed an amended petition to ask the Oklahoma County District Court to nullify the hearing.
Only four of the five board members were present at Glossip’s clemency hearing. Richard Smothermon, who is married to a prosecutor from Glossip’s 2004 retrial, recused himself.
The petition argues the board should have found a substitute member to vote in the hearing and further says state statute and code that does not require this is in violation of the state constitution.
In addition to requesting the statute and code be deemed unconstitutional, Glossip seeks an emergency stay of execution and a permanent injunction preventing him from being executed without a new clemency hearing.
He is scheduled to be executed on May 18.
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New Move In Education Funding Debacle
On Tuesday, the National Day of Teacher Appreciation, the Oklahoma House of Representatives rejected a hefty teacher pay raise proposal and passed a voucher-like tax credit program — sort of. Here's the newest legislative chess move and what that could mean for education funding.
House Bill 1934 would give public dollars to families to use for private school or homeschool tuition and expenses.
The issue has spawned weeks of back-and-forth at the Capitol, with the most recent iteration including a few guardrails the House doesn’t love, but appears to be stomaching. But it’s not hitting the governor’s desk just yet.
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker, I’d like to serve notice that on some future legislative date, I might like to reconsider the vote whereby House Bill 1934 passed," said House Speaker Charles McCall.
That's House Speaker using the rare procedural move of capturing a bill.
That gives the House some leverage to negotiate on the Senate’s newly amended version of the other big education bill — House Bill 2672.
That includes teacher raises, school employee stipends and new school funding. But House leaders claim the measures aren’t fully funded, and the bill lacks the House’s Oklahoma Student Fund, which gives smaller districts disproportionately more money per student than large districts.
Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat says the House is trying to force the Senate’s hand to revisit the funding bill, or else the House will kill the tax credit bill. He calls for state leaders to hold a public meeting with all plans on the table, to “let the public see what we continue to argue about.”
- Read more about this story here.
Gov. Stitt Vetoed Tribal Regalia Bill
Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoed a bill that would have strengthened protections for Indigenous students who want to wear tribal regalia in Oklahoma.
Senate Bill 429, otherwise known as the tribal regalia bill, had bipartisan support in both the Oklahoma state House and Senate. Only one person voted against it in the House.
Tribal leaders like Choctaw Chief Gary Batton, Muscogee Nation Principal Chief David Hill and Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. are calling on Oklahoma lawmakers to override the governor's veto.
"This is a popular, common-sense measure with no costs for the state or schools," Batton wrote in a press release. "We hope the House and the Senate will quickly override the veto to provide more freedom for Oklahoma students who want to honor their heritage."
That's something Senator John Montgomery, R-Lawton, one of the bill's authors, is considering.
"It's certainly an avenue that I'm looking at to try to figure out, 'do we have the votes for it?,'" the Lawton Republican told KOSU. "I'm inclined in my reading on it is most likely I do."
In a statement explaining his veto, Stitt said there isn't anything on the books that prevents a school from allowing Native students from wearing tribal regalia at graduation.
In 2021, then state Attorney General Mike Hunter sent a letter to the Secretary of Education and State Superintendent of Public Instruction saying students should be allowed to wear such things as eagle feathers on their caps or other items in line with the students’ religious or cultural practice.
Montgomery says SB 429 would just strengthen what’s already on the books. The bill, in his mind, is a clarifying action.
"This is something that should be allowed," said Montgomery. "[It clarifies] that students know what they're able to do here for these graduation ceremonies."
Cindy Nguyen from the ACLU of Oklahoma agrees, and says she's heard from Native students that have been denied the right to wear tribal regalia in their district. The ACLU has been advocating for this bill to pass.
"It costs nothing to implement, it doesn't hurt anybody. So it makes no sense for the governor to veto it,"Nguyen told KOSU.
Indigenous citizens in Oklahoma and others are reacting to the veto with outrage over what they see as a basic right. Sarah Adams, a Choctaw citizen who has also advocated for the bill, sees the denial by certain school districts as a violation of the Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act.
"I think it's just another oppression tactic by our state, the leader of our state, our governor, who will continue to oppress communities of color, queer communities, and especially for some and some reason specifically attacking children this legislative session," said Adams, who is also on the board of the ACLU of Oklahoma.
She said graduations are joyous occasions.
"If you've been to any graduations in the last decade that allows students to be able to express themselves or wear what they want, you will see that these graduations are not divisive — they're celebratory," said Adams.
Stitt's veto has drawn criticism from national organizations as well.
Diana Cournoyer, executive director of the National Indian Education Association, said that Stitt has, "has failed to uphold his duty to the over 130,000 Native students in public schools in Oklahoma."
Stitt’s position is that any decision like this needs to ultimately be decided by local school districts — not the state government, and that this bill would allow anyone to go over the heads of local superintendents to wear what they want.
It's unclear if the veto is part of the Governor's fight with the Senate over education funding bills having to do with spending and school vouchers.
A bill similar to SB429 to prevent public and charter schools from denying Native students from Tribal regalia was introduced in 2021, but failed.
Oklahoma County Jail Trust Selects Brandi Gardner As New CEO
The Oklahoma County Jail Trust has selected a new CEO.
Brandi Gardner, who has served as the jail trust’s interim CEO since last December, was chosen to take on the position permanently earlier this week.
She succeeds Greg Williams, who resigned in December amid safety and health concerns about the Oklahoma County Jail, including many inmate deaths at the facility.
Forty-three inmates have died since the trust took control of the jail in 2020 - seven of which died since Gardner became interim CEO.
This comes after a multi-county grand jury released a report in March which cited issues with the administration as the main causes of inmate deaths.
The report also recommended the jail trust dissolve and return control of the jail to the county sheriff.
OU Bids Farewell To Longtime Dorm
The University of Oklahoma plans to demolish Adams Center, a dormitory that has been a home for OU students for nearly 60 years.
A farewell ceremony will be held in front of the building at 10 a.m. tomorrow.
Demolition of Adams Center will officially begin May 15.
The demolition will make way for construction of Phase one of the university’s first-year housing project, in which two new residence halls will be built in its place.
OU also plans to demolish and replace Walker and Couch Centers in future phases of the housing master plan.
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Oklahoma Legislature Moves To Exempt Natural Gas Industry From Price Gouging Law
Legislation to exempt the natural gas industry from an Oklahoma price gouging law is headed to the Governor’s desk.
The existing Emergency Price Stabilization Act prohibits anyone from increasing prices more than 10% after a declared emergency in Oklahoma.
Rep. Mark McBride authored House Bill 2561, which exempts the natural gas industry from the rule. He says Oklahoma’s natural gas utilities can’t control the market and shouldn’t have to foot the bill after emergencies.
But Democrats say this leaves Oklahoman utility customers no recourse against natural gas price surges, like those after Winter Storm Uri in 2021.
Del City Rep. Andy Fugate says the new amendment could prevent future state investigations into potential natural gas price gouging.
"We should allow an attorney general the opportunity to go look the next time around, instead of writing into statute, 'You will turn a blind eye,'" said Fugate.
The bill cleared the Senate last week, and is now awaiting the governor’s approval.
- Read more about this story here.
Superintendent Ryan Walters Attends A House Committee Meeting, Answers Questions About Policies, Rhetoric
After initially refusing invitations earlier this session, Superintendent Ryan Walters attended a House committee meeting Monday to answer questions about his policies and rhetoric.
Walters responded to a question from Democratic Representative Forrest Bennett, who asks how Walters’ recent video encouraging more Bibles in classrooms wouldn’t be considered indoctrination — a refrain Walters uses often.
Walters says the representative’s question was illustrative of how, “Democrats want to strike out any mentions of the Bible from our history.”
And that was one of several contentious moments during Monday’s hearing, which also included Walters calling teachers’ unions “terrorist organizations,” and saying his agency was an “absolute dumpster fire,” when he started and one that previous Superintendent Joy Hofmeister “ran… into the ground.”
Walters was also tasked with providing data to back up his claims that indoctrination is what’s keeping Oklahoma students from reaching higher academic outcomes.
Oklahoma AG Urging Medicare Coverage For Drug To Delay Alzheimer’s Disease
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is leading a coalition of 26 other states to petition the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to provide coverage for an FDA-approved drug for Alzheimer’s Disease.
In a letter, the attorneys general ask for Medicare coverage for the monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) directed against amyloid to help delay the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Those antibodies are typically only covered when administered through clinical trials or other studies.
The letter says the coverage would be consistent with a quote “decades-long practice of covering FDA-approved prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries.”
According to the Alzheimer’s Association more than 6 million Americans are living with the disease.
More Syphilis Testing Required
Oklahoma ranks in the top five states for babies born with syphilis, but that could change soon.
The governor signed a bill that will require more frequent screenings for pregnant patients.
The CDC estimates from 2016 to 2020, the rate of babies born with syphilis in Oklahoma went up by nearly 2,000%.
There are a few reasons for that, but chief among them is syphilis was rare in women until about 2014, when cases began to skyrocket.
Syphilis is a treatable infection. Left untreated, it can be passed on to babies, which can cause serious health problems such as muscular and skeletal deformities and neurological issues.
Current state law requires one syphilis screening: right at the beginning of pregnancy, but on Monday, Gov. Kevin Stitt’s office announced he signed Senate Bill 292. It requires doctors and health care providers to follow CDC screening recommendations.
“Currently, recommendations are screening at the first prenatal visit, re-test at 28 weeks’ gestation, and at delivery if at high risk,” Sen. Brenda Stanley, the bill’s author, said.
In 2021, the latest figures on record, Oklahoma ranked fourth in the nation for reported cases of syphilis.
INTEGRIS Health To Take Over Woodward Hospital
The city of Woodward has announced a new hospital operator.
According to the Woodward News, INTEGRIS Health has been selected to be the next health care operator for the Woodward hospital.
The current operator, AllianceHealth, announced last year that it would not be renewing the lease for the hospital.
The lease is set to expire at the end of November this year. INTEGRIS will begin operating the hospital on December 1, 2023.
Gov. Kevin Stitt Says He Won't Further Stay Execution of Richard Glossip
Oklahoma Death Row inmate Richard Glossip is asking the U.S. Supreme Court for a stay of execution.
Following the Pardon and Parole Board’s decision against recommending clemency last week, Richard Glossip filed an unopposed application for stay of execution to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Gov. Kevin Stitt, who has stayed Glossip’s execution in the past to allow time for the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals to examine claims of innocence and prosecutorial misconduct, says he will not attempt to further stay Glossip’s execution.
“This person has been through two different trails and was convicted by a jury of their peers twice. And unless the courts intervene or act, we’re going to follow the law,” Stitt said.
Glossip is scheduled to be executed on May 18.
Proposed Heartland Flyer Extension Update
It’s still going to be a while until passenger rail connects Oklahoma City to Kansas. But there’s some movement on the proposed Heartland Flyer Extension.
The Kansas and Oklahoma Departments of Transportation are hoping to connect Oklahoma City with much of the rest of the country via Amtrak.
The states are applying for the Federal Railroad Administration’s Corridor Identification and Development Program - paid for by the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
K-DOT’s Cory Davis says there’s still a long way to go.
"Right now we’re in the planning phase where we are developing a service development plan that kind of provide a roadmap for moving the service forward… Our goal right now is to get in that pipeline to be able to access those federal fund," said Davis.
If the states do get the federal funding, the development of the project would still be years away.
If and when the program is completed, the Heartland Flyer Extension would reconnect Oklahoma and Kansas communities north to the national Amtrak network.
Federal Agencies Working To Preserve Indian Boarding Schools History
Two federal agencies are partnering to ensure the history of federal Indian Boarding schools is preserved and documented.
The Department of the Interior and the National Endowment for the Humanities announced a partnership to expand the Federal Boarding School initiative by collecting oral histories from survivors and digitizing records from 408 boarding schools throughout the United States.
The National Endowment for the Humanities has committed $4 million for the project.
The effort will culminate in a permanent collection that documents the experiences of survivors.
The Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative is an ongoing effort by the Department of the Interior to recognize the troubled legacy of federal Indian boarding schools.
An initial report was released last year and was followed by a listening tour where Interior Secretary Deb Haaland heard from survivors of some of these schools.
Oklahoman's Journey On American Idol Concludes
Lawton native PJAE’s American Idol Journey has concluded, but he’s not done with music.
PJAE made it to the Top 26. He says his American Idol journey was fun, but there’s more on the horizon he’s excited about.
"From what I can say, I have more music coming, which is exciting to say, so that’s one thing that’s next. There’s more that I can’t necessarily share. But I think honestly a fresh attitude is the biggest thing," PJAE said.
PJAE says he was touched by the support of the Lawton-Fort Sill Community.
“It was really awesome to kind of see the community band together and support me… it taught me a lot about community and my hometown honestly.”
PJAE’s time on American Idol ended in Hollywood when the top 20 contestants were announced last week.
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Gov. Stitt Praises Senate Education Funding Plan
The Oklahoma Senate made a move Thursday to end the education funding stalemate.
In a resounding answer to the House’s education plan, the Senate’s is markedly different: instead of the $2-5,000 teacher raises from the House, the Senate’s plan bumps that to $4-8,000 depending on experience.
That’s in addition to a new $3,000 one-time stipend for all full-time school employees returning from the last school year.
Also on the table is 8 weeks of paid maternity leave for teachers, a student literacy pilot program, and $150 million added to the funding formula.
The Senate plan also includes voucher-like tax credits for private and homeschool students, but notably, the Senate’s plan divorces that from the rest of the education funding package - meaning it would not have to pass for the rest of the measures to pass.
Gov. Kevin Stitt praised the new package as a move toward resolution.
OETA Future In Jeopardy
Governor Kevin Stitt has vetoed legislation to renew the authorization of the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority.
The broadcaster that has beamed children’s programming like Sesame Street and several locally produced programs into the homes of thousands of Oklahomans is at risk of being shut down by Gov. Kevin Stitt.
In his veto message Stitt said,"although the OETA may have played a principal role in the provision of educational television services at one time, today the OETA’s long-term, strategic value is at best unclear, if not outright imagined."
Without legislative intervention, OETA's legal mandate as Oklahoma's public broadcaster will expire on July 1. If the entity’s sunset legislation isn't adopted before the expiration date, state law allows it to operate for one additional year.
Supporters of OETA are advocating for an override of the veto, emphasizing the organization's 67-year history of providing programming for education, public safety and civic leadership.
Fentanyl Test Strip Bill
Soon, there could be no legal concerns about giving out fentanyl strips. A bill making its way to the governor protects the tests people can use to protect themselves from accidental opioid overdoses.
The Senate gave final passage to House Bill 1987 on Thursday. It ensures that fentanyl test strips aren’t considered drug paraphernalia.
Without the measure, there’s some ambiguity. Drugs such as cocaine, heroin or methamphetamine can be clandestinely laced with lethal doses of fentanyl. The strips are a protection device. T
The author, Rep. Mickey Dollens faced some opposition during the bill’s House floor hearing.
"Representative, why would you carry these strips, except to test drugs?, said Crosswhite Hader. "That’s the entire purpose," said Dollens. "You know, we do not condone drug use, but we want to help people get rehabilitated. And in order to do that, they must be alive.
Twenty-two House members voted against it, but it passed out of the Senate unanimously.
New Pictures From Osage Murder Film Released
Three new stills from the upcoming film "Killers of the Flower Moon” dropped on Thursday.
The film is based on David Grann's bestselling novel about the Osage murders.
Last year, Apple TV released a photo of Leonardo di Caprio and Lily Gladstone, two of the main stars in Martin Scorsese's highly anticipated movie. It almost broke the Osage News website when it appeared.
On Thursday, Osage News published three more production stills-another one with Lily Gladstone, who plays Mollie Burkhardt and Leonardo di Caprio, who plays Ernest Burkhardt, another with Lily Gladstone and director, Martin Scorsese in a church in Fairfax and one with Robert de Niro, who plays WIlliam Hale.
“Killers of the Flower Moon” is set to premier at the Cannes Film Festival next month in France and has a total running time of 3 hours and 26 minutes.
It will be in wide release this fall.
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Bill Providing Tax Credit For Caregivers Moves Forward
Oklahoma lawmakers pushed forward a measure that gives tax credit to people who spend their time helping care for family members.
House Bill 1368 gives a tax credit to caregivers who provide hours of unpaid care every year.
Lawton Senator John Michael Montgomery says when people have to care for a family member it puts an undue burden on them financially.
“There’s a lot of time and effort that people put into caring for someone, so this is just more of acknowledgment of the kind of time, the resources that are required to do that and basically it’s just a small way of trying to help them out with the incurred costs,” Montgomery said.
If the bill becomes a law, it would provide at least a $2,000 tax credit to cover caregiving expenses for an adult relative 62 or older.
It now returns to the House before it can go to the Governor’s desk.
Walmart Health Expanding To OKC
Walmart Health is expanding its services to Oklahoma.
The company plans to open four health centers in the Oklahoma City area next year.
The centers will offer primary care, labs, X-ray, behavioral health, dental, hearing, community health and telehealth. The facilities will be located adjacent to Supercenters.
The expansion is part of the company's mission to make quality healthcare more accessible and affordable for customers in underserved communities.
Walmart Health also plans to expand to Arizona and Missouri in 2024, doubling the number of its locations to 80 by the end of that year.
Bill Banning Gender-Affirming Care For Minors Moves Forward
A bill banning gender-affirming care for minors is nearing the finish line. The measure criminalizes care.
Senate Bill 613 mirrors the state’s abortion bans, in that it makes performing the service a felony, threatening medical providers with up to a decade in prison and $100,000 in fines.
It also mirrors the abortion ban that allows private citizens to file lawsuits for damages against doctors in civil court. It also adds providing gender-affirming services to children as a cause for medical and nursing license revocations.
The bill bans surgeries, which medical providers generally recommend only for adults, as well as less intense and non-permanent treatments such as puberty blockers.
The bill passed off the House floor Wednesday night along party lines.
There is a House bill that bans the care for minors, as well as all public funding and insurance coverage for gender-affirming care for Oklahomans of any age. It didn’t get a hearing in the Senate.
The bill is headed back to the Senate for another vote before it can go to the governor’s desk.
USDA Offers Producers Funding To Transition Farms To Organic Operation
The USDA is offering producers $75 million to help transition their farms to become certified organic operations.
Demand for organic produce and meat has been on the rise in Oklahoma. From 2016 through 2019 organic product sales doubled.
But as of 2021, there were only six certified organic operations in the state.
The USDA is hoping to change that by assisting producers – here and across the country – through the Organic Transition Initiative.
From managing land without using prohibited pesticides, to logistical challenges, farmers face a multitude of struggles during the first few years of certification. The National Resources Conservation Service will dedicate financial and technical assistance to help.
Farmers, ranchers, and other producers beginning or in the process of transitioning to organic certification are eligible to apply.
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Death Row Inmate Glossip Denied Clemency
Despite an unprecedented amount of support from state officials, a split vote from the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board led to no recommendation for clemency for death row inmate Richard Glossip.
Glossip was found guilty of the 1997 murder-for-hire of motel owner Barry Van Treese.
Prior to the clemency hearing, several state lawmakers pushed for an independent investigation of Glossip’s case.
That investigation found several problems with the trial, including the state’s destruction of material evidence and false testimony from the key witness.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond also spoke to the board.
“I’m not aware of any time in our history that an attorney general has appeared before this board and argued for clemency. I’m also not aware of any time in the history of Oklahoma when justice would require it,” Drummond said.
The Pardon and Parole Board is meant to have five members, but the fifth member, Richard Smothermon, recused himself from this vote. His wife was a prosecutor in Glossip’s 2004 retrial.
Glossip is scheduled to be executed on May 18th.
Following State Supreme Court Ruling To Life-Saving Abortions, New Study Finds Oklahoma Hospitals Unclear On Legal Line
The state’s supreme court ruled last month Oklahomans have a right to life-saving abortions, whether it’s an emergency or not. A new study finds hospitals are still unclear on where the legal line is.
Physicians for Human Rights partnered with the Oklahoma Call for Reproductive Justice and organized the study. Researchers posed as prospective patients and spoke with representatives at 34 of the 37 Oklahoma hospitals that offer obstetric care, asking about what would happen if their health suddenly took a turn for the worst, and they needed an abortion.
"Overall, hospital staff could not clearly articulate their hospitals’ emergency policies," said Dr. Michelle Heisler, one of the study's lead authors.
She says 22 of the 34 hospitals weren’t able to give the callers any information about procedures, policies, or support provided to doctors when an abortion becomes medically necessary.
And only two hospitals described providing legal support for doctors in that situation.
This is important, in part, because malpractice insurance doesn’t apply to criminal proceedings, and performing an unnecessary abortion is a felony.
New Food Waste Law Could Help Environment
A bill addressing food insecurity has been signed into law.
Gov. Kevin Stitt has signed legislation granting civil immunity to restaurants and school cafeterias for donating leftover food.
House Bill 1542 addresses food shortage issues in the state by encouraging more donations of perfectly good food to those in need.
The bill provides protection from civil action, except in cases of willful or negligent donation of spoiled food.
Furthermore, the legislation has the potential to have a positive impact on the environment as food waste, according to the EPA, is the single most common material landfilled.
Decomposing food creates potent greenhouse gasses that have been linked to climate change. The law goes into effect Nov. 1.
Classes Resume Thursday in Tornado Devastated Shawnee
Classes resume Thursday for Shawnee Public Schools following last week's devastating tornado.
Buses will run and elementary students will return to schools, but middle and high school students will begin remote learning.
Superintendent April Grace says Shawnee High School will remain closed for the rest of the school year.
"We are going to conitnue to work to do everything we can to make the end of the school year as normal as possible for the seniors with activities, athletics, graduation--all of those aspects," Grace said.
Grace says they'll determine the status of the middle school next week. Roof damage is an issue.
The district is replenishing its food supplies and plans to begin meal distribution soon.
Several tornadoes hit Pottawatomie County last Wednesday including an EF-2 tornado that touched down in Shawnee.
The county had widespread damage and was declared a federal and state disaster.
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Oklahoma AG Requesting Clemency for Death Row Inmate Richard Glossip
The state’s top prosecutor is requesting clemency for death row inmate Richard Glossip.
The Associated Press reports, ahead of Richard Glossip’s Wednesday clemency hearing, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond wrote a letter to the Pardon and Parole Board requesting they vote for clemency.
This follows the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals denying Drummond’s request to vacate Glossip’s conviction last week.
Earlier this month, Drummond’s office released an independent report highlighting the issues with Glossip’s case, including undisclosed documents and prosecutorial failures during his murder-for-hire trial.
If a majority of the five-member board votes to recommend clemency, the decision whether to commute Glossip’s sentence to life in prison or allow the execution to proceed will go to Governor Kevin Stitt.
House Lawmakers Pass Paid Maternity Leave for State Workers
The Oklahoma House of Representatives passed legislation Tuesday to provide six weeks of paid maternity leave for full-time state employees following the birth or adoption of a child.
Under Senate Bill 193, mothers must be full-time state employees for at least two years before being eligible for the leave.
Representative Nick Archer says paid maternity leave will help state agencies recruit and retain state workers.
According to the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, employee turnover cost the state more than $100 million in 2021.
The bill now returns to the Senate for further consideration.
“America’s Teacher of the Year” Ceremony at White House
A Tulsa teacher was honored as America's Teacher of the Year at a White House ceremony Monday.
Rebecka Peterson, a Union High math teacher, met with President Biden and the First Lady in the Rose Garden.
Peterson is a Swedish Iranian immigrant. She thanks her family and her teachers who she said channeled their influence for good and inspired her to follow their path.
“I want to bring the good news of joy and hope to my students and to reciprocate that gift of education that my teachers gave me,” Peterson said.
Peterson is the third Oklahoma teacher to win the award since the 1960's.
Passenger Traffic Sets Record at Will Rogers World Airport
Will Rogers World Airport set a record for travelers last month.
The airport says more than 391,389 people used the airport in March, which is 22% higher than last year at this time.
There were also a record 980,188 people who flew in and out of OKC from January through March.
The high passenger traffic returned the airport to pre-pandemic travel levels.
The previous record for travelers was set in March 2019.
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Deadly Shooting at Rose State College
Police are trying to find out what led to a deadly shooting on the campus of Rose State College this afternoon.
Midwest City Police say a man shot and killed another man shortly before 1 p.m. The suspect was taken into custody when confronted by police who work on campus.
The shooting happened near the Humanities and Administration Building.
The men apparently knew each other, but no information yet on what their relationship was or what led to the shooting.
The campus has about 13,000 students.
Rose State canceled classes for the remainder of today after a lockdown was lifted about 2 p.m.
White House Approves Federal Disaster Declaration for Two Counties
President Joe Biden approved Gov. Kevin Stitt’s request for a major disaster declaration for McClain and Pottawatomie counties following last week’s tornadoes.
That means anyone with damage may be eligible for federal assistance for housing repairs or temporary housing.
Federal funding also is available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work in the counties of McClain and Pottawatomie.
The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security Oklahoma say the tornadoes and related violent storms caused an estimated $9 million in damages.
Damage assessments found more than 2,000 homes and apartments were impacted, including at least 231 that had major damage or were destroyed.
According to the National Weather Service, supercells across the state produced at least 12 tornadoes and hail between 1-3 inches in diameter. Damage assessments are continuing in other areas, and more counties and additional forms of assistance may be designated after the assessments are fully completed.
Two Inmates Die At The Oklahoma County Jail
Two inmates at the Oklahoma County Jail have died within just days.
The year’s fourth and fifth inmate deaths at the Oklahoma County Detention Center occurred in two days.
37-year-old Courtenay Doyle was found unresponsive in her cell on Friday morning and died about an hour later after being transferred to the hospital. She had been in the detention center since March on drug trafficking and possession of paraphernalia charges.
On Saturday evening, 37-year-old Frank Ramirez was also found unresponsive in his cell. Like Doyle, Ramirez died about an hour after being found in his cell and being transferred to the hospital. He had been in the detention center since August 2021 on multiple charges including robbery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery.
All jail deaths are investigated as homicides until a final determination is made.
Widespread Rain Welcome in Drought-Stricken Oklahoma
Oklahoma is expected to receive widespread rain over the next few days, and the rain could put a significant dent in drought.
Conditions across the northwestern half of Oklahoma have been getting drier with extreme to exceptional drought taking its toll.
Much of western Oklahoma hasn’t seen a quarter inch of rain in over two months, and parts of the panhandle haven't seen even a tenth of an inch in over 100 days, according to the Oklahoma Mesonet.
But that could be coming to an end as much needed rain is expected across Oklahoma.
State Climatologist Gary McManus says that this system is “shaping up to be a drought-quencher, if not a drought-ender, for some parts of the state.”
McManus says flooding will be a concern over the next few days because the ground is so hard due to a lack of moisture. It could take some time for the rain to start soaking in.
He says storms could produce up to 3 inches of rainfall within just a couple of hours. No major severe weather outbreaks are expected.
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Governor Releases $800 Million Education Funding Plan
Governor Kevin Stitt is hoping to bridge the divide between House and Senate leaders and end the standoff on education funding.
Stitt unveiled his $800 million compromise at a Friday news conference.
“I’m really just trying to listen to both sides, bring them together, and I believe I’ve captured that with this document. And so this is what I’m pushing them to pass and get on my desk,” Stitt said.
Similar to the Senate’s teacher raise, Stitt’s plan calls for graduated teacher raises based on experience. But the Senate plan was $3-6,000, and Stitt’s plan lowers that to $2-5,000, closer to the level the House had called for.
It also has $300 million for new school funding, but keeps the House’s cap at $2 million per school. That would be a boon for smaller districts, but the cap leaves large schools with disproportionately lower new funding.
It also includes a voucher-like tax credit program for households who send their kids to private schools or homeschool. There’s no income cap for eligibility, but the governor says the plan would be QUOTE “prioritizing” households that make under $250,000 a year.
Lawmakers Considering Imposing Regulations on Wind Turbine Blade Disposal
A bill aimed at imposing strict regulations on wind turbine blade disposal operators has garnered overwhelming support in the Oklahoma Senate.
The growth of wind farms across the nation, including in Oklahoma, has created new concern: what to do with old turbine blades, which have a life-span of about 20 years.
House Bill 2359 would impose strict regulations on wind turbine blade disposal operators and would mandate them to file annual reports with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and provide evidence of financial security.
In 2019, a landfill in Wyoming accepted more than 1,500 used blades.
Currently, there are no widely scalable or cost-effective technologies for recycling wind turbine blades, leading to many of them ending up in landfills.
But, wind turbine manufacturers are examining ways to make the blades more recyclable, and some recyclers are looking at ways to reuse the blades in hopes of keeping them out of landfills.
Deadline Looms for Bacone College’s Appeal of Campus Sale
One of Oklahoma's oldest Universities may have to sell its campus to pay off a debt.
Bacone College in Muskogee has until the end of next week to delay the sale.
Bacone College is being sued for breach of contract over the installation of energy saving services by the company Midgley-Huber Energy Concepts.
A district judge ruled the college owes more than $1 million to the business and ordered Bacone's campus -- valued at $10 million -- to be sold to pay the debt.
Bacone is appealing that decision. It must post a bond that would delay the payment and a sheriff's sale of the college until the appeal is over.
Bacone is formerly known as The Indian University and was founded in 1880. It's well known for its art department and its role in creating and nurturing Native American artists A C Blue Eagle, Woody Crumbo and Dick West.
Wildlife Rehab Center Celebrates Earth Day with Baby Shower
Earth Day is tomorrow. One way to celebrate is by checking out the annual baby shower at the WildCare Oklahoma wildlife rehabilitation center in Noble.
As spring begins, so does the influx of orphaned baby wildlife. That’s why every year, for one day, WildCare Oklahoma opens the center for the public to come see all kinds of babies.
There are baby possums, raptors, racoons, squirrels, and even a baby otter.
The event will feature trivia games, an interactive art mural, and wildlife education.
Executive Director Inger Giuffrida hopes the event will inspire donations - she says WildCare’s animal admissions are already up by 15% so far this year, and they’ve recently had to spend $60,000 on new medical equipment.
“Financial donations are the ones that provide us with the most flexibility, but we also deeply appreciate all of the supplies that people donate to help us raise our babies,” Giuffrida said.
The center needs things like plastic critter keepers and cleaning supplies like bleach, unscented laundry detergent and Dawn soap.
Tickets are limited, and you can register at WildCareOklahoma.org. But if you don’t manage to snag one in time, WildCare still takes donations at their center or on their website.
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EF-3 Tornado Hit Cole, Damage Surveys Continue
Three deaths are confirmed in central Oklahoma from Wednesday night's large tornadoes that moved through the area.
The tornadoes struck overnight Wednesday, so it was only in the light of day that the destruction became clear.
McClain County and the tiny town of Cole is where lives were lost. But Shawnee took a significant hit as well.
Governor Kevin Stitt spoke this morning from Oklahoma Baptist University, where multiple buildings were damaged.
“All the families in Shawnee and that have students who go here from out of state, everybody’s been accounted for, all the students,” Stitt said. “We’ve canceled class for the next two days. And so we’re rebuilding and going to put things back together. But let all the families know that all the kids are OK.”
Stitt says he’ll be asking for a disaster declaration for the impacted counties.
The National Weather Service sent crews out Thursday to multiple locations to survey damage and determine the strength of the tornadoes. The NWS says at least one home in Cole suffered EF-3 tornado damage. Preliminary estimates found EF-0 damage just south of Tinker; EF-1/EF-2 type damage near Cole and near Etowah.
Death Row Inmate's Conviction Stands
Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s request to vacate Richard Glossip’s death penalty sentence was denied Thursday morning.
After more than two decades on death row and five previous delays to his execution, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals will not vacate Richard Glossip’s sentence or grant him a new stay of execution.
The court said they “found no credible claims to prevent the carrying out of Glossip’s sentence on the scheduled date” which is now May 18.
Earlier this month, AG Drummond’s office released an independent report highlighting the issues with Glossip’s case, including undisclosed documents and prosecutorial failures. The report came with the recommendation to vacate Glossip’s conviction.
Glossip was found guilty of hiring another man, Justin Sneed, to kill motel owner Barry Van Trese in 1997.
Drummond says he will continue his efforts to delay and stop Glossip’s execution.
Lawmakers Work To Override A Veto, Spend $600 Million In Medicaid Surplus
Despite the governor’s best efforts, Oklahoma lawmakers are going to spend the state’s $600 million Medicaid surplus. A fight over leftover federal funding ended this week with a veto override.
Throughout the pandemic, the federal government was giving states extra funding for their Medicaid programs. Oklahoma’s Medicaid agency held onto that money and put it in a special fund, kind of like a savings account.
The Legislature passed Senate Bill 1130, which ordered the agency to use the money for normal operations. The half-billion would replace appropriations that would otherwise come from the Legislature, so it shores up resources for members to send elsewhere. Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoed the bill. He wanted to safeguard the money for longer-term health policy initiatives.
The Senate voted almost unanimously to override the veto. Appropriations Chairman Roger Thompson said the Legislature designs the budget, not the governor.
He bristled at Stitt calling the bill imprudent in his veto message.
Weekend Festivals Dedicated to Tribal Art
Displays of First American and tribal art are coming to Oklahoma this weekend.
This weekend marks the 10th annual Artesian Arts Festival in Sulphur. The festival features more than 100 artists displaying a wide array of original art, beadwork, cuisine and a variety of tribal performances.
Headlining this year’s entertainment will be Oklahoma City rappers Lil Mike and Funny Bone. The Pawnee and Choctaw siblings perform as Mike Bone and specialize in motivational speaking and dancing. They’re best known for their recurring roles on the show “Reservation Dogs.”
Tulsa will host the 2nd Annual Mvskoke Art Market at the River Spirit Casino Resort. The event will showcase over 80 artists showing off woodwork and Native American jewelry.
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Remembrance Ceremony Held for 28th Anniversary of OKC Bombing
Oklahomans paused Wednesday morning to reflect on the 168 lives lost and those who survived the Murrah Federal Building bombing on April 19, 1995. The ceremony was held indoors across the street from the Memorial at OKC First Church due to the weather.
During the program family members and survivors read the names of the 168 people killed, and there were 168 seconds of silence.
Retired State Supreme Court Chief Justice Steven Taylor was the keynote speaker. Taylor presided over the trial of bombing co-conspirator Terry Nichols in Oklahoma in 2004.
"Never forget that these 168 were the victims of hate and violence and domestic terrorism. As a nation we find ourselves divided on almost every subject...and I remind us that Abrahman Lincoln said, ‘that a house divided against itself cannot stand',"said Taylor.
Gov. Kevin Stitt and Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt also provided brief remarks
Bill that Would Affect School and Public Libraries Still Alive
A school library bill many thought was out of the running after it missed its committee deadline... has been resurrected.
BW: Senate Bill 397 by Republican Senator Sherrie Conley would require school and public libraries to conduct inventories of all library materials and designate them into four categories: elementary, junior high, under 16, and juniors and seniors.
Then, next July, districts would be required to separate the books into their corresponding buildings, like elementary-designated books in an elementary library.
But books labeled “juniors and seniors” would have their own rules: in school and public libraries, they would go to a section only accessible by staff and only available to a student with written permission from a parent or guardian.
The bill was thought to be out-of-play after it missed a key legislative deadline, but was resurrected through a procedural shortcut.
Opponents are concerned the censorship could go too far, and there’s no calculation of how much the new system would cost schools and libraries to implement.
Judge Rules Lawsuit Involving Poultry Megafarms Can Move Forward
A grassroots group in Northeast Oklahoma has sued the state for more public input on poultry mega-farms.
The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry says the group did not have the standing to sue, but a judge disagrees.
After its waters bubble up from the ground, Spring Creek winds across the Cherokee Nation Reservation and through three counties before flowing into Fort Gibson Lake. On that 35-mile journey, the stream passes by dozens of poultry farms.
The Spring Creek Coalition says the state licenses those facilities without alerting residents, considering public comment or gathering information on the potential impacts to public health and the environment.
It filed a lawsuit against the state Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry two years ago.
State officials acknowledged that Oklahoma provides no notice to surrounding residents before approving new poultry facilities.
But they argued the Spring Creek Coalition couldn’t bring this issue to court on behalf of individual landowners.
But last week, a district judge said the case should be heard in court.
The attorney representing the Spring Creek Coalition told the Tulsa World they’re working to set a date for the hearing.
Update on Bill Related to Forensic Exams for Sexual Assault Survivors
Oklahoma lawmakers are working for better access to sexual assault forensic exams.
Senate Bill 572 would create a new funding source for the state department of health. The specifics on how the department would use that funding to improve access are still in the works.
The title is off, which means the bill is in the draft process. But the goal is to make it easier for sexual assault survivors to get these exams.
The legislation’s author, Lawton Sen. John Michael Montgomery, says the district attorney’s council has a fund to help people pay for them.
“What we’re looking to do is supplement that … so that it is not as inconvenient to actually try to be able to get these kinds of exams when they’re necessary,” Montgomery said.
The measure passed out of the House appropriations committee on Tuesday, but it’s going to require a bit more work before it can become law.
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McCurtain County in National Spotlight for Recorded Conversation
The McCurtain County Sheriff’s Office claims that recordings that allegedly captured county officials making violent and racist remarks are fake and were released illegally
At a March 6 meeting, the four county officials were recorded saying they allegedly missed when racist violence in law enforcement was acceptable, threatening to kill journalists and making fun of a burn victim.
Here’s part of an alleged conversation between county commissioner Mark Jennings and sheriff Kevin Clardy discussing killing journalists:
Clardy: “What comes around goes around. It will. I told you.”
Jennings: “I know where two big deep holes are here if you ever need them.”
Clardy: “I’ve got an excavator.”
Jennings: “Well, these are already pre-dug.”
In a Facebook post Monday night, the Sheriff’s Office claimed their preliminary investigation showed the audio had been altered, and that the recording was a violation of the Oklahoma Security of Communications Act.
The McCurtain Gazette-News, which broke the story and the recordings, claimed the recordings could be shared because they were taken at a public meeting.
The statement comes after Governor Kevin Stitt called for the immediate resignation of Jennings, Clardy, investigator Alicia Manning and jail administrator Larry Hendrix after the recordings surfaced.
Norman Food Pantry Building New Facility
Leaders with Mission Norman are building a new food pantry to address the increased demand for food assistance.
Mission Norman is currently operating out of a converted house on East Lindsey.
The new state-of-the-art facility is being built behind the current location. It will offer more than 7,000 square feet to store food for those in need.
The nonprofit helped about 16-thousand people last year, and distributed more than 330-thousand meals.
The new food pantry is expected to be completed this fall.
Chairman of The Quapaw Nation Resigns
Over the weekend, Chairman of the Quapaw Nation Joseph Byrd resigned.
Citing death threats and continued criticism over his character and integrity, Joseph Byrd, resigned.
"The reality is that I can no longer do what is necessary because it requires me to stay on the warpath. And even though it's something I am good at, it's a path I'm unwilling to continue down, especially while I help my partner raise our two daughters," said Byrd.
Byrd was elected in 2020 after ousting longtime chairman John Berrey, who was accused of financial management and embezzlement.
Last week Byrd received notice that a recall petition had met the required amount of signatures necessary to call a special election for his position. He had drawn criticism for his decision to run for District 3 of the Cherokee Nation tribal council.
It's unclear who will take over a chairman of the business committee before a special election happens to replace Byrd. Tribal nation rules say an election must be held within 90 calendar days of Byrd’s resignation.
Wednesday Marks 28th Anniversary of Oklahoma City Bombing
The Oklahoma City National Memorial hosts the 28th annual Remembrance Ceremony tomorrow morning.
The ceremony will include 168 seconds of silence, to be observed at 9:02 a.m.
Family members and survivors will read the names of the 168 people who were killed in the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995.
Seating will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the full ceremony will take place at 8:45.
Following the Remembrance Ceremony, the Memorial grounds will open to the public.
A live stream of the ceremony will be available on MemorialMuseum.com.
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OU is Not Alone: Hundreds of Swatting Hoaxes Happened in U.S. in March and April
It’s been more than a week since the University of Oklahoma was the victim of a swatting incident.
The fake 9-1-1 calls put the campus under lockdown and brought hundreds of law enforcement officers to the scene. The incident lasted less than two hours on April 7, and ended when officials found no evidence of a shooter and no evidence that a shooting had occurred.
Schools in Texas, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, Wyoming and Missouri were also ‘swatted’ in March and April.
The Educator’s School Safety Network reports 384 swatting incidents this school year.
The hoax isn’t new, but its occurrence has ticked up in the past few weeks. An anonymous caller dials the police and claims there’s an active shooter at a local high school, elementary or college campus. The goal is to incite fear and a large police response.
In an era where school shootings are such a big concern, these calls are not taken lightly.
OU had more than 100 police units responding to the fake call, with multiple alerts urging students to find safety.
The university says the FBI is “actively investigating these dangerous and criminal threats.” Many of the calls are believed to be originating from outside the U.S.
Oklahoma Lawmakers Push Through Marijuana Bills
Oklahoma lawmakers continue tinkering with Oklahoma’s medical marijuana laws.
Measures that would limit THC levels in products, monitor cannabis growers water and power usage - and authorize a quality assurance lab - are still alive.
Even after Oklahomans voted down recreational marijuana last month, Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat says he wants to proceed cautiously.
“You don't want to overreact on a state question going down. But you do see that there's a will to make modifications to make the industry safer and more responsive,” Treat said.
Bills are now being considered on chamber floors before potentially heading to the Governor’s desk.
Oklahoma is Top Contender for New Clean Energy Facility
A clean energy company wants to build a solar panel manufacturing facility in Oklahoma.
According to The Frontier, Enel North America is eyeing the Tulsa Port of Inola as a potential site for the plant, which would create an estimated 1,500 jobs.
The publication reported Governor Kevin Stitt is seeking support from state lawmakers for an undisclosed incentive package to secure the deal.
In a statement from the company, Enel said Oklahoma is the top contender for the facility, and they are eager to expand their presence in the state.
However, a disagreement over tax cuts has stalled progress, with the House insisting on tax cuts as a condition for providing incentives, while the Senate opposes tax cuts.
The terms of the deal would require legislative approval and the governor's signature.
Oklahoma City Dodgers at Top of League Standings
The Oklahoma City Dodgers are back in action for the 2023 season and off to a great start.
The Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers is 11-4 and now at the top of their league standings.
Much of the early success is due to a talented roster that features 3 players within Major League Baseball’s top 50 prospects: pitchers Bobby Miller, and Gavin Stone, and infielder Michael Busche.
This season, the team is celebrating the 25th anniversary of playing at the historic Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in downtown O-K-C.
The OKC Dodgers are currently on a 6-game road trip in New Mexico and are set to return home for 6 straight days beginning Tuesday, April 23.
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Oklahoma's AG Calling for Action in Response to LOFT Report
Oklahoma Attorney General Genter Drummond issued an opinion on the recent report from the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency. The LOFT report found shortcomings in state purchasing oversight.
Drummond released a formal opinion on Thursday affirming the LOFT report that found the Office of Management and Enterprise Services has not provided accountability for more than $3 billion in state expenditures from various agencies during the 2022 fiscal year.
Additionally, Drummond found OMES has not followed its statutory duty to verify the legitimacy of exemption claims.
This follows financial discrepancies between the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department and former state parks restaurant vendor Swadley’s Barbeque that led to a termination of the contract and the resignation of the head of tourism last year.
Drummond has urged state legislators to consider the recommendations given by LOFT earlier this month.
Oklahoma COVID-19 Update
The state Health Department reports that 45 more people died of COVID-19 in the last week.
The deaths brought Oklahoma’s Provisional Coronavirus Death Count to 18, 184.
In its weekly update, the Health Department reports there were nearly 1600 new positive tests for the Coronavirus since April 6.
The number of active cases is down to fewer than 2,900.
The agency also reports 138 COVID-19 patients in Oklahoma hospitals... including 22 in intensive care and 12 children.
The Cherokee Nation Plans More Affordable Housing
The Cherokee Nation is set to build new housing for its citizens in Muskogee.
This latest project comes as the area faces a growing shortage of affordable housing.
The new 12-acre area in Muskogee will be called Warrior Addition. Initially it will include only 12 homes but over time will increase to fill the property's 30 lots.
In 2019, Cherokee Nation officials created the Housing, Jobs and Sustainable Communities Act which was a $30 million dollar investment into affordable housing. Today, the total dollar amount is $120 million.
The 12 new Muskogee homes being built are part of the Housing Authority of the Cherokee Nation’s New Construction Homeownership Program for Cherokee families who have applied and were on the waiting list for housing but do not have their own land.
The Cherokee Nation also broke ground in February on a similar project with 24 homes and room to build more on a 23-acre tract of land in Tahlequah.
Bridges in Six Counties Set for Overhaul
Northwestern Oklahoma will receive federal funds to replace seven rural bridges.
The Federal Highway Administration says the bridges are crucial for economic growth.
Located in six different counties, the bridges are in poor or fair condition. They don’t have the clearance or load-bearing capacity they need to support heavy farm vehicles or oilfield equipment.
This federal grant money will cover $11 million of the $15 million needed to completely overhaul the bridges.
On Thursday, the Biden-Harris administration announced the grant for Northwestern Oklahoma as part of a $300 million investment in small bridges across the country.
Late last year, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation received similar infrastructure funds to improve Roosevelt Memorial Bridge, which spans almost 5,000 feet over Lake Texoma between Kingston and Durant.
ODOT has called that 80-year-old bridge QUOTE “functionally obsolete.”
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Oklahoma Joins Lawsuit Over Status of Lesser Prairie Chicken
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has sued the Biden Administration over a rule designating the lesser prairie chicken as a threatened species.
Drummond sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, alongside attorneys general from Texas and Kansas, over a rule that designates the lesser prairie chicken as threatened and endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
The ruling took effect last month. It requires companies, farmers and ranchers to take special care - that can prove costly - not to harm the birds.
Drummond says the rule places burdensome restrictions on Oklahoma ranchers who graze livestock and impedes the development of energy pipelines, oil drilling, wind farms and roads.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ruling states the primary risk for the lesser prairie chicken is habitat loss and land fragmentation.
The agency estimates there are about 32,000 in the wild.
Drummond says he’ll be using a fund that was recently created by the state legislature to help Oklahoma in litigation against the federal government for the suit.
Fort Sill Death
Officials are investigating after a soldier serving on Fort Sill was found dead in his home off-post.
Fort Sill officials announced that a drill sergeant with the 434th Artillery Brigade was found dead in his home off-post Tuesday morning.
Brigade Commander Colonel Michael Stewart was solemn in a statement included in the announcement.
He said, “We are saddened by the loss of a teammate, our thoughts are with the family, loved ones and fellow Soldiers during this difficult time.”
Lawton Police Department and Fort Sill’s Criminal Investigations Division is investigating.
Update on a Lawsuit Involving Water Rights in Oklahoma
A federal court in North Dakota has blocked the implementation of a rule that would broaden the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulatory authority.
The Biden administration’s Waters of the United States rule defines which bodies of water are federally regulated under the Clean Water Act.
After a decade of flip flopping policies, the new rule says the EPA can regulate not just navigable federal waters but everything upstream of them.
But Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond and other state officials say the new definition is confusing and places unreasonable burdens on farmers and ranchers, whose farm ponds and pastures might be saddled with regulations meant for drinking water sources.
At the end of February, Oklahoma and 23 other states sued the EPA, saying the new rule violates their Tenth Amendment rights.
A federal judge has granted those states a preliminary injunction to maintain the status quo while courts figure out a permanent solution.
That means the EPA won’t be able to implement the new definition in Oklahoma and the other states who challenged the rule.
Police Dogs Complete Sniff Test
Before police dogs can sniff out explosives they have to pass a test. One of those tests was held recently at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds.
About 20 K9 units are in Oklahoma City for the AFT national odor recognition test.
Trained on almost 19,000 smells, the dogs are tested on their ability to distinguish the difference between explosive materials and distracting odors.
The test consists of 15 cans, containing a multitude of odors.
Two-year-old K9 officer Jasmine was able to identify all the “hot” or explosive materials in her test. Jasmine is trained to work with a bomb squad.
Her handler, Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Mark Tschetter, has a lot of respect for his partner.
That kind of bond is common between officers and their canines, says Special agent Kevin Brown. “Without a doubt, they are the heroes of the heroes,” Brown said.
Once the animal has passed its test, the dog and their handler are federally certified.
The Tiger King Launches 2024 Presidential Bid
The Tiger King, also known as Joe Exotic, is running for president - again.
Joseph Maldonadoo is well-known in Oklahoma, but rose to national fame during the pandemic as the star of the Netflix series “Tiger King.”
Now he’s launching a 2024 presidential bid from prison.
He’s running as a Democrat. He also ran in 2016 as an Independent, and in 2018 ran for governor as a Libertarian.
Maldonado’s Twitter account says he changed his affiliation to force the Democratic Party to “answer legitimate questions and meet in the middle on hot-button issues.”
His platform: responsible gun regulation, reproductive rights, mental health and criminal justice reform.
Maldonado is currently serving a 21-year federal sentence for multiple crimes, including violations of the Endangered Species Act while running his zoo in Wynnewood, and a murder-for-hire plot against his rival and fellow wildlife park owner Carol Baskin.
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Vote on First Publicly Funded Catholic Charter School On Hold
The Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board met Tuesday to review an application for an unprecedented, publicly funded Catholic charter school.
A vote on the proposal was delayed for 30 days.
All of the public commenters came out against St. Isidore of Seville’s Catholic Virtual Charter School’s application - the majority of whom were ordained clergy.
But State Superintendent Ryan Walters spoke against the comments, which caused Board Chairman Robert Franklin to step in.
“You’ve heard from some radical leftists that their hatred for the Catholic church blinds them in doing what’s best for kids. Their hatred for the Catholic Church has caused them to attack our very foundational religious liberties,” Walters said.
“No disrespect to you, but I didn’t hear a radical position, nor did I hear an attack to the Catholic Church,” Franklin said. “From just the chair’s perspective, I just want to make sure and go on record that I didn’t hear that from these comments today.”
“I’m sorry Dr. Franklin, the attacks have been really clear. And I think that we should distance ourselves from allowing radicals to inject their way into this and overly politicize this decision,” Walters said.
The Board will likely take up the application again at its May 9 meeting.
Canine Illnesses Continue To Spread
An outbreak of canine influenza and strep is hitting the metro area.
The highly contagious illnesses have led to animal shelters closing and experts urging caution.
Symptoms of the flu in dogs include coughing, runny nose, labored breathing and loss of appetite.
While most dogs recover within a few weeks, some may experience secondary infections or even death.
Animal experts are urging dog owners to talk to their vet about vaccination and when it's safe for their dogs to be around other dogs again.
The disease outbreak has closed or restricted access to several animal shelters. Oklahoma City's shelter was the first to close at the end of March with five dogs dying from the disease.
Moore and Midwest City shelters have also announced precautions and restrictions.
The Norman Animal Shelter says they have not been impacted by the flu and remain open, but they are only accepting dogs with proof of Norman residence.
College Athlete Compensation Bill Moves Forward
A bill aiming to help Oklahoma attract more college athletes is advancing in the State Legislature.
Republican Senator Greg McCortney’s Senate Bill 840 would get rid of the requirement for Oklahoma student athletes wanting to profit off their name, image, or likeness to hire a registered sports agent or attorney to negotiate their contracts. Instead, any individual could negotiate for the student.
Proponents of the bill say it would help make Oklahoma’s college sports programs more competitive with programs in other states where there are no restrictions for student athletes to be compensated through NIL.
The bill was granted a conference on Tuesday after House amendments were rejected last week.
Increasing Chance for Severe Weather and Fire Danger Friday
Much of Oklahoma is facing an increasing risk of severe weather and fire danger by the end of this week.
Although drought conditions continue to improve across the state, the panhandle and northwestern Oklahoma remain in exceptional or extreme drought, putting them particularly at risk for fires.
The Oklahoma Forestry Service says most of western Oklahoma has gone more than 40 days since receiving any significant moisture.
In the panhandle, Texas County has gone almost eight months.
As a cold front blows more dry air across the state on Friday, the Forestry Service says fire-favoring conditions will reach “a crescendo.”
People in Dumas, Texas, 60 miles southwest of Guymon, coordinated a regional prayer for more rain Tuesday night. But the forecast for the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles is still clear and breezy for now.
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Oklahoma City Chosen For NOAA's Urban Heat Island Mapping Campaign
Oklahoma City will be part of an Urban Heat Island study. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has chosen OKC among 17 other cities to take part in this national effort to map extreme heat cities.
The mapping campaign aims to identify places with extreme heat where the city might take action to alleviate the effects of heat on residents. NOAA Chief Scientist Dr. Sarah Kapnick explains these so-called heat islands.
"Roads and buildings gain heat during the day and then radiate the heat into its surrounding air. Some areas of cities can be 15 to 20 degrees warmer than areas with more green spaces," said Kapnick.
The heat mapping initiative will rely on volunteer citizen scientists who will travel through Oklahoma City with special heat sensors mounted on their cars, recording temperature, humidity, time and location. The data will be used to develop strategies to mitigate the harmful effects of heat in these areas.
Other metros selected for heat island mapping include Dallas, Little Rock and Salt Lake City.
Anyone interested in volunteering for the heat mapping campaign in Oklahoma City can find more information at KGOU.org.
Toxic Gas Release At ReddyIce Building
Hazmat teams were called to the ReddyIce building in Southwest Oklahoma City Monday after a toxic gas release.
Workers were installing new equipment when a line was cut, resulting in the release of 100 pounds of Anhydrous Ammonia into the air.
The ReddyIce building and nearby locations were evacuated as a precaution.
Hazmat teams worked on the area and the chemical release has since dissipated. No injuries were reported.
Beyond Apology Community Sessions Begin in Tulsa
A series of community conversations about the impact of the Tulsa Race Massacre began in Tulsa today.
The Beyond Apology sessions will examine repair and reparations for the harm caused by the race massacre.
Tulsa City Council formally apologized in 2021 to mark the centennial commemoration of the tragedy.
But the city is not obligated to take any formal action for that apology.
City Council will consider further action following the community sessions.
The Oklahoma State University Center for Public Life plans to compile a report that includes feedback from the sessions.
Another community session will be held Thursday and more will take place in the next couple months.
State Health Departments Recommends STI Screenings
The State Department of Health is recommending screenings for sexually transmitted diseases.
Oklahoma consistently ranks high nationally for STI rates. In 2020, it was in the top five for gonorrhea, syphilis and babies born with syphilis, and the state came in at 11th for chlamydia. The department says all of these infections are easily treatable once they’ve been diagnosed.
The CDC recommends annual STI screenings for adults, and more frequent testing for those with multiple partners — more like every 3 to 6 months.
Oklahoma’s county health departments offer free, confidential STI screenings. You can find locations and contact information for those offices at oklahoma.gov/health.
Love's Travel Stops Are Getting a Make-over
Love's Travel Stops plans to invest more than $1 billion to upgrade 200 of its locations over the next five years.
The Oklahoma-based company says the improvements will bring older properties up to current brand standards.
The upgrade will include a more modern look with open-concept stores, additional restaurant options, updated truck service centers and dog parks where space allows.
The company also plans to open 25 new locations this year.
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New Report Find Oklahoman Agencies Spent Billions Without Oversight
A new report says the state spent billions on purchases that lacked oversight.
According to the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT), in fiscal year 2022, Oklahoma agencies spent $3 billion while navigating around rules meant to promote transparency.
State Senator Julia Kirt says even when possible corruption is flagged, there’s not enough push for follow through.
"They also have big concerns in that about enforcement. So, if central purchasing recognizes something that is a problem, apparently we are not using the enforcement measures that are available,” Kirt said. “And we may need more enforcement measures in place. So, I'm really concerned about that in terms of fairness and ethics."
The LOFT report also says following the rules is time-consuming.
If state agencies followed the letter of the guidelines, it would take an average of about 100 days for purchases to be approved.
Clinton Hospital Won’t Be Reopening Anytime Soon
It could be more than a year before Clinton residents have their hospital back open.
A private company managing the hospital shut down the facility at the end of last year when it canceled state and federal licenses to operate in Clinton.
The city and Carrus Health are working to bring the building up to code in order to obtain new operating licensing, but news from officials say it could still be a long time before the hospital can welcome back patients.
According to the Clinton Daily News, the city’s hired architect detailed several repairs needed.
The newspaper reported a long lead time for parts and other supply chain issues could push the re-opening back at least 15 months.
Just the first phase of work is estimated to cost $6 million-more than half of what’s available in hospital trust funds.
In the meantime, the Clinton Regional Urgent Care is open, but the city manager says tough decisions lie ahead due to limited funds.
Oklahoma State University Awarded Federal Funds For IAC Expansion
Oklahoma State University is one of five institutions to receive federal funding to host new Industrial Assessment Centers - which helps manufacturing businesses improve productivity, reduce waste and find energy efficiencies.
Nearly $19 million dollars will be shared across the five universities chosen. OSU is receiving nearly $7 million of those funds to establish the Great Plains Center of Excellence.
U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm made the annoucement late last week.
"This initiative is one piece of a grand strategy for us as a country to be able to get back the manufacturing jobs that we have lost over the past couple of decades," said Granholm.
The investment is paid for by congressional infrastructure legislation. The initiative hopes to pay for a ‘clean energy’ economy here in Oklahoma - where oil and gas is a major employment sector.
Oklahoma City Thunder Headed to NBA Play-in
The Oklahoma City Thunder has defied the odds to make the NBA play-in this year.
Before the season, sports outlet FiveThirtyEight predicted the Thunder finishing with only 24 wins.
The Thunder instead finished with 40 wins.
The team is comprised of newly emerged superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a lineup of young talent assembled from draft picks and trades.
The team ended its regular season on Sunday with a win that didn’t feature any of its starters.
With their record, the Thunder has earned the 10 seed in the Western Conference, meaning they’ll play two elimination-style games, and must win both to have the final spot in the playoffs.
If they win, they’ll play the top-ranked Denver Nuggets in a best-of-seven series.
The Thunder will play the New Orleans Pelicans at 8:30 p.m. CST Wednesday for the final spot in the NBA playoffs.
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Congressman Cole Supports Ukrainian Soldiers Training at Fort Sill
Two members of Oklahoma’s congressional delegation were in Lawton Thursday.
Congressman Tom Cole and Senator Markwayne Mullin attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for a new park and facility meant to bridge the community with the defense industry.
They also talked about the Ukrainian soldiers training at Fort Sill.
Congressman Tom Cole says on a national level, the collaboration happening in Lawton will mean a stronger military, and cites the ongoing training for Ukrainians and how American equipment is shaping their fight against Russia.
“In other words, our equipment has made an incredible difference on the battlefield with everything from javelins that have decimated Russian tanks to PATRIOTS that are now being deployed and frankly Ukrainians trained right here at Fort Sill to try and protect their air space,” Cole said.
Senator Markwayne Mullin praised the Fires Innovation Science and Technology Accelerator program as the gold standard for defense innovation.
It’s expected to create dozens of $100,000 dollar per year jobs and increased investment in community STEM education and workforce development.
Stitt Confirms Project Ocean Is Back In The Running For LEAD Act Funds
Panasonic is back in the running for a multi-million dollar incentive to bring a new facility to Oklahoma.
Governor Kevin Stitt confirmed that Panasonic, whose code name is Project Ocean, is considering options in the state.
"We’ve had a company that has applied for that LEAD Act funds. I'm not sure if it obligates them post that, or if there has to be a contract, so we’re still working through those details," Stitt said. "The good news is it’s a major company that feels like that they apply or they can qualify for that. ...That’s Project Ocean that has applied for that LEAD funds, yes."
The governor's comments Thursday comesas the deadline on LEAD Act funding gets closer.
The nearly $700 million in LEAD Act funding has been in limbo over the past year after Panasonic and, more recently, Volkswagen chose other locations to build electric vehicle battery manufacturing plants.
Lawmakers have set an April 15th deadline on the LEAD Act funds. If the money isn’t claimed by that date it will be returned back to the general revenue fund.
Oklahoma Tax Revenues Dip in March
Oklahoma's red hot economy appears to be cooling down.
Tax revenues collected by the state only grew by about 1 percent when comparing March 2023 to March 2022.
Year-over-year growth rates have consistently been higher than 10 percent in recent months.
Oil and gas revenues, corporate collections and motor vehicle sales tax money have all fallen... when compared to last year.
And though the economy appears to remain strong, state Treasurer Todd Russ says high inflation seems to be taking a toll.
DA Seeks To Close Hughes County Jail
The newly elected district attorney of Hughes, Pontotoc and Seminole counties has recommended closing the Hughes County jail. D.A. Erik Johnson is wanting to shut down the jail due to unsafe conditions for both detainees and detention officers.
According to reporting from Oklahoma Watch, the jail has failed seven health inspections over the past four years. Inspectors found numerous violations such as detainees wearing torn clothing, sleeping on the floor in cells with leaking toilets and blocked emergency exits.
The jail is located in the basement of the courthouse, and it’s designed for 36 prisoners, but last year, there were nearly 12 times that number detained there pushing the facility well past capacity.
Johnson has proposed a plan to house detainees in nearby Seminole County. If the jail is shut down, Hughes would become the only county in Oklahoma without its own jail.
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Earthquakes rattle central Oklahoma
A 4.0 magnitude earthquake rocked parts of Oklahoma at about 4 a.m. Thursday.
The quake's epicenter was roughly 40 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. A couple of smaller aftershocks quickly followed at the same location.
U-S-G-S citizen reports show the quake was felt in both the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metro areas.
So far, there have been no reports of damage from the earthquakes.
Cherokee Nation kicks off construction of a new hospital
Cherokee Nation held a ground-breaking ceremony today for a new 400,000 square foot hospital.
The new facility will replace the aging W.W. Hastings hospital in Tahlequah and expand services for Cherokee and Native citizens.
It will include 127 beds, an ICU, pharmacy and a helipad for emergencies. The price tag: $400 million.
This new hospital will have a connecting bridge between it and the existing Cherokee Nation Outpatient Health Center.
Officials from the Cherokee Nation say the project will take two years to complete
Langston University President To Step Down
The president of Oklahoma's only historically Black university will end his tenure after 11 years.
Langston University announced Tuesday its president, Kent J. Smith Jr., will depart at the end of the current spring semester.
Smith said he will retire from his 30-year career in education to follow entrepreneurial pursuits.
The Oklahoma A&M Board of Regents will conduct a national search for a successor.
OKC Wants Public Input on Park Plan
Do you want to have a hand in shaping Oklahoma City parks?
The city is seeking public input on a nearly $70 million park improvement plan.
The improvements are being funded by MAPS 4 - a sales tax passed by voters in 2019 for a variety of projects throughout the city..
The Neighborhood and Community Parks project of MAPS 4 aims to make improvements to all 105 community and neighborhood parks in Oklahoma City.
Officials estimate they’ll be making around $69.6 million dollars in improvements.
City officials are hoping to use community input they gather this month to develop a master plan and assess current park conditions, accessibility or potential expansion needs.
There are six scheduled days in April for public comment meetings - also a survey is available for residents to take in both English and Spanish at maps4parks.com.
Dozens of Oklahoma United Methodist Churches Aim To Leave Denomination
Fifty-five Oklahoma United Methodist Churches are trying to leave the denomination, per a list obtained by The Oklahoman newspaper.
The move comes as the denomination banned same-sex marriage and gay clergy.
The newspaper reports the churches are seeking disaffiliation and a regional board recommends that 40 be allowed to do so.
One of the 15 not recommended for disaffiliation: the state's largest St. Luke's in Oklahoma City. More than 1,000 members of the church's congregation voted to leave the United Methodist church last month.
Church leaders say in a letter to the congregation they're still hopeful the disaffiliation will continue as United Methodist leaders do their due diligence in processing paperwork.
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Oklahoma City Animal Shelter Remains Closed Following Infection Outbreak
Some of the diseases that led to the temporary closing of the Oklahoma City Animal Shelter have been identified.
Tests from 10% of the population of sick dogs at the Oklahoma City Animal Shelter have been identified as strep zoo, H3N2 influenza, and canine flu.
130 dogs at the shelter were diagnosed with infectious upper respiratory diseases when the shelter first closed on March 29. Since then, five dogs have died and more have been euthanized due to the severity of their illness.
According to a news release from the shelter, it will remain closed until further notice while all the dogs undergo antibiotic treatment.
In the meantime, the shelter is asking the community to try to provide temporary housing for stray animals and locate the owners of lost pets themselves. Dogs at the shelter cannot be adopted at this time, but lost pets can still be reclaimed by their owners.
Rogers State Announces New Nursing Program
Another university is expanding the number of nursing school slots in Oklahoma.
Rogers State University is partnering with St. Francis in Tulsa to offer a new bachelor’s of nursing program. Students will take their prerequisites on the Claremore campus, and then they’ll spend junior and senior year taking classes and undergoing training at the hospital.
In the fall, 16 students will be enrolled in the program, but the goal is for 32 students to graduate annually.
This announcement comes a few days after Oklahoma State University announced it would create a bachelor’s of nursing program on its campus and about a year after the University of Oklahoma announced it would expand its nursing program.
Civil Rights Curriculum Advances Through The Senate Education Committee
After an emotional hearing, a bill that would require the State Department of Education to develop certain civil rights curriculum advanced through the Senate Education Committee. The bill says it represents a “reaffirmation of the commitment of the people of this state to reject bigotry.”
House Bill 1397 directs state education officials to develop a stand-alone unit of curriculum on the civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s. The measure outlines several curriculum objectives, like a focus on the nonviolent philosophies of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and genocides committed elsewhere around the world.
The measure comes from Adair Republican and former history teacher Rep. Michael Bergstrom.
"I grew up in a home with two parents that I loved and who loved me, but who were both bigots," said Bergstrom. "There were two things that helped me, that carried me to rise above and stand against the bigotry that existed in my home as a child and as a teenager — that was my Christian faith and the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We desperately need our children to think critically as he did. We need peacemakers to overcome bigotry."
The measure can now be heard on the Senate Floor.
Two Freedmen Descendants Seeking Citizenship
Two Freedmen Descendants got their first day in Muscogee Nation Court on Tuesday.
Rhonda Grayson and Jeff Kennedy appeared with their lawyer Demario Soloman Simmons seeking to get their citizenship.
More than a dozen supporters of the Muscogee Creek Indian Freedmen Band gathered outside the courthouse at the conclusion of the first day of proceedings.
The plaintiffs are seeking citizenship. Many Freedmen lost their citizenship after the Muscogee Nation's 1979 constitution stated that to be considered for tribal membership, you must be a by blood descendant of someone on the Dawes rolls.
Ron Graham is a Muscogee Freedmen descendant who sought citizenship more than 18 years ago and was denied.
He wants the case to get settled here-in Okmulgee-not at the federal level.
“I'd rather us settle our differences here at the Creek Nation. Because we are family. Freedman by blood-doesn't matter. We're one,” Graham said.
During the first day of the trial, the Freedmen's attorney argued they should be citizens because of an 1866 treaty Muscogee Nation signed with the federal government.
They argue the nation's 1979 constitution needs to reflect that.
Muscogee Nation attorney general Geri Wisner said that the citizenship review board followed the laws of the tribal nation when denying Grayson and Kennedy.
The trial is expected to last three days.
Festival Celebrates Native American Language and Cultural Heritage
Oklahomans gathered this week at the Sam Noble Museum in Norman to celebrate 20 years of Native American language learning.
Hundreds of student speakers and learners of native languages from Oklahoma and surrounding states were in Norman for the Oklahoma Native American Language Fair.
There’s storytelling, speeches and songs in a wide array of languages. There was also a fashion show called “Carrying Native Fashion Forward.”
Courtney Little Axe is a Cheyene-Arapaho designer. She’s sharing what inspires her to bring Native-owned businesses to the forefront of the alternative scene.
“That means don’t live a crazy, hurried life because it’s not a race. Slow down,” Little Axe said.
This was the 20th year of the festival.
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Oklahoma's top attorney issues a directive regarding the state schools superintendent
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond says the State Board of Education led by Ryan Walters cannot make rules without direction from state lawmakers.
The directive comes from a binding formal opinion issued Tuesday.
State Superintendent Walters recently pushed through administrative rules requiring teachers to out their students if they use different pronouns or names, allowing parents to review sex education materials in advance of teaching children receiving them, and penalize district accreditation statuses if they have QUOTE “sexualized or pornographic content” in the library.
Now, those requirements are moot.
In a four page opinion, Drummond says those rules went beyond Walters’ and the state board’s authority.
The legislature must pass a law for the state board of education or individual districts to enforce them.
Walters responded to the opinion in a written statement, saying he disagreed and that QUOTE "We must keep pornographic materials out of schools."
Walters sent out a 56-page news release Monday containing what he described as pornographic images in Oklahoma school libraries.
Oklahoma Participates in SNAP Mobile Payment Test
Oklahoma is one of five states that has been selected to test Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program mobile payments.
Officials say mobile payments are not only convenient for customers, they also provide a safer, more secure means of payment, reducing the risks for skimming and other fraud schemes.
Oklahoma retailers and SNAP customers may voluntarily participate in the pilot, or they may continue to use E-B-T card payments, if preferred.
Other states selected for the test program include Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts and Missouri.
Golfers with ties to Oklahoma are competing in the Masters Tournament
Thursday marks the beginning of one of the most historic golf tournaments in the world - The Masters Tournament.
Among the field of competitors are several graduates from Oklahoma universities.
The 87th Masters Golf tournament taking place at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia is about to start, and there are some Oklahoma connections.
Two former Oklahoma State University golfers will be in the field - Taylor Gooch and Viktor Hovland.
University of Oklahoma also has one alumni invited to the tournament, Abraham Ancer.
There is controversy surrounding Ancer's appearance. He left the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed competitor to the PGA Tour.
Gooch also currently plays on the LIV Tour.
The Masters begins Thursday and will crown its champion on Sunday Evening, I’m David Asche.
Entire Art Collection is Online
The Oklahoma City Museum of Art is digitizing its art collection.
More than 45-hundred works from the museum’s permanent collection can now be viewed digitally online.
Besides preservation, the move to digitize the collection offers more accessibility and increases the opportunity for research from others.
The museum's director of collections and exhibits says typically museums can only display less than ten percent of their collection at any given time, so the endeavor will allow visitors to see the museum's entire collection.
To capture the art, the museum is using a special high-resolution camera that stitches together pictures to form a giga-pixel image... allowing a digitized painting to be viewed down to the brushstroke level.
Eagle Baby Hatches In Bartlesville
A monitored eagle's nest in eastern Oklahoma is seeing new life.
Despite wind and wildfires over the weekend, a baby eagle hatched in a Bartlesville nest monitored by the Sutton Avian Research Center.
Baby eagles remain with their parents for about twelve weeks, and the center is urging interested people to tune in to its live cam to get a look at the baby bird in its element.
As of Monday morning, there were two other unhatched eggs in the nest that the center says should be opening soon.
The Sutton Avian Research Center has been working on bald eagle restoration since the 1980s and says there are now more than 300 active nests in Oklahoma. You can find the bald eagle live cam at SuttonCenter.org
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Oklahoma Wildfires Injure 32, Destroys Dozens of Homes
Dry air and strong winds are in the forecast for much Oklahoma tomorrow, creating the possibility of more dangerous wildfires.
Friday and over the weekend, nearly 100 wildfires burned land and structures in various parts of Oklahoma.
Firefighters were able to knock down many of the fires quickly, leaving only hotspots to monitor through the weekend.
At least 40 homes were destroyed in Logan, Oklahoma and Washington counties.
State health officials report at least 32 injuries related to the fires, fire weather and high wind.
Ongoing Drought Conditions Spell Trouble For Wheat Crop
As we start the month of April, drought continues to grip nearly half of the state. The extremely dry conditions are causing alarm for wheat farmers.
Divide the state down the I-44 corridor and you’ve got the latest drought monitor map. All areas east of I-44 are considered drought free, but just to the west conditions deteriorate quickly.
Western Oklahoma is known for wheat production, and some Ag officials are already sounding the alarm about this year’s crop. Richard Metscher with Farmers Cooperative of Western Oklahoma told the Clinton Daily News that producers are just hoping they can get some rain soon. Metscher said last year’s harvest was one of the worst he saw in years, and he's hoping this year won’t be a repeat of last year.
There could be some relief on the way. As of Friday, the Climate Prediction Center’s 6-10 day outlook shows rain chances are leaning above normal for that part of the state.
Oklahoma Gun Legislation
The Oklahoma Legislature is considering several gun-related bills this session.
Last week's school shooting in Nashville is making some of the proposed bills a little more urgent.
The House is going with the idea that schools need more teachers with guns.
"Now the House took another approach: The 'good guy with a gun' approach. It passed House Bill 2139, which permits local school boards to authorize school personnel, such as teachers who have a concealed-carry permit, to carry handguns on school property," said Quorum Call publisher Shawn Ashely.
On the Senate side, there are bills to require districts to conduct risk assessments of their campuses, provide grants for increased security, and mandate local law enforcement to participate in security drills at schools in their areas. Other gun-related bills would allow guns to be carried on boats, and lower the age requirement for purchasing a firearm from 21 to 18.
You can hear the full conversation on Capitol Insider at KGOU.org and on the Capitol Insider podcast.
Dozens Gather For Transgender Day of Visibility in OKC and Tulsa
Dozens of people celebrated Transgender Day of Visibility at Factory Obscura in Oklahoma City on Friday.
Attendees enjoyed the Mix-Tape immersive art experience, watched drag performances, and heard speeches from Kelley Blair, the CEO of the Diversity Center of Oklahoma and Democratic Representative Mauree Turner, the country’s first openly non-binary state lawmaker.
Turner spoke to supporters in attendance and said they hope people continue to show up when the party's over.
"The hope is that you’re not just sitting back and watching us put our necks and our bodies on the line day after day to survive a state like Oklahoma, but you’re actually saying, 'how do I put my neck, my body on the line for the community that I care about,'" said Turner.
The event was held in collaboration with Freedom Oklahoma, the OKC Pride Alliance, and the ACLU of Oklahoma.
In Tulsa, Osage citizen Marca Cassity, who also goes by Marx, performed outside the Equality Center near downtown for about 500 people who rallied to mark trans visibility day.
When Marca lived in Oklahoma in 1997, they said it was a lot harder to be trans.
"I left and traveled around and I healed myself and now I'm back. Thanks you to the community for your support,” Marca said.
Last month, Tulsa City Council passed a measure 9-0 declaring Tulsa a safe and inclusive space for all people - including 12 year-old Santos Flores.
"I go to school to learn. Not to get bullied-and not just by students,” Flores said. “The subs. The principal who tell us we're not normal. We're normal and we're here. This isn't a trend. We've been here for years, we've been here forever."
In the past month, the Oklahoma legislature has moved on bills targeting transgender health care and one that would limit drag performances.
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Oklahoma's Top Republican Weighs In On The Trump Indictment
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt says a New York Grand Jury's indictment against former President Donald Trump sets a dangerous precedent.
“It’s a dangerous, dangerous position for our country. This justice system, if they are going to go after political opponents. You know, I think Oklahoma and I think Americans are just disgusted by that,” Governor Stitt said.
Stitt made the remarks during a Friday news conference. The Republican has been a big supporter of the former president.
The grand jury’s indictment and Trump’s charges remain under seal.
D-A Alvin Bragg’s office told N-P-R they had contacted Trump’s attorney to “coordinate his surrender” for arraignment. That hearing is expected to take place next week.
Schools Superintendent No Show At Committee Hearing
State Schools Superintendent Ryan Walters claims Oklahoma public school libraries feature pornography.
So Republican Representative Mark McBride invited Walters to a committee meeting to provide support for his claims. But Walters did not show.
McBride invited Walters to Thursday’s meeting of the House Appropriations and Budget Education subcommittee, which McBride chairs.
In a letter sent to Walters earlier this week, McBride asked Walters to participate in a Q and A session with committee members, saying it was an opportunity for the Superintendent to answer the question, QUOTE, “What’s real and what’s not?”
At last week’s State Board of Education meeting, Walters presented sex scenes from books he says are available in Oklahoma school libraries.
“I don’t care if this was just in one classroom in the state, that is inappropriate for any child in the state of Oklahoma to have in their school libraries. Parents are under attack,” Walters said.
But despite the fact Walters was at the Capitol for a school choice rally that ended half an hour before the scheduled meeting, his assistant told media he wouldn’t attend.
McBride canceled the meeting and gave Walters ten days to appear before the committee.
The state health department reports that there are 43 more COVID-19 fatalities in the last week, bringing Oklahoma’s Provisional Death Count to 18-thousand-108.
In its weekly update, the Health Department reports more than 26-hundred new positive tests for the Coronavirus since March 23rd.
The number of active cases is down to fewer than four thousand. The agency also reports 187 COVID-19 patients in Oklahoma hospital beds... including 36 in intensive care and 17 children.
Tulsa Public Hearing Planned to Address Indigenous Women Crime Victims
Indigenous women are three times more likely to be victims of violent crime than non-native women.
A federal commission is working to change that.
The Department of the Interior and the Justice Department are leading efforts to implement The Not Invisible Act.
The 2020 law was authored by then New Mexico Representative Deb Haaland.
The goal: better coordinate federal, state and local authorities when a Native person goes missing. Oftentime, jurisdictional gaps exist that make it hard to investigate cases of missing and murdered Indigenous people.
Part of the commission's work includes holding listening sessions to get input from voices across the country.
The commission's first stop will be in Tulsa at the Osage Casino Hotel on April 11th. It will then head to Alaska and Arizona.
A national hearing involving the commission will take place this summer
An Oklahoman Is Living His Dream on American Idol
An Oklahoman is competing on American Idol.
PJAE was raised in Lawton, Oklahoma. He credits Lawton and local mentors for shaping his love of music.
“I think growing up in Lawton really helped nourish a love for music, especially mentors and people in my life at the time I was really involved with the church and you know they allowed me to become a worship leader and sing on stage and that’s where I think that love started to develop,” PJAE said.
PJAE says he hopes his story inspires others from small towns to follow their dreams.
“I would love to give back to Oklahoma and my town just in general, because if anyone can look at my journey and see, draw inspiration from it, and see that being from a small town or being from a place like Oklahoma, you can still do something like this and be successful at it regardless of what that succession looks like,” he said.
PJAE says while he’s not sure what his career looks like after American Idol, there’s a few things he’d like to do, including touring around Oklahoma to get his career started.
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House Lawmaker Wants Superintendent Walters to Explain Statements
Representative Mark McBride wants State Superintendent Ryan Walters to testify before a state House education budget sub-committee.
McBride is a Republican from Moore. He told nonprofit outlet "NonDoc" he wants QUOTE “a friendly question-and-answer” to address Walters’s comments on Oklahoma public schools.
At last week’s State Board of Education meeting, Walters criticized public school libraries for offering books he calls pornographic.
McBride says he’d like to give Walters the opportunity to explain those statements... and other claims.
Oklahoma City Housing Authority Adds Housing Units For People Experiencing Homelessness
The Oklahoma City Housing Authority will add 500 supportive housing units for people experiencing homelessness, thanks to funds from MAPS 4.
MAPS 4 is a debt-free public improvement program funded by a temporary penny sales tax that is projected to raise $1.1 billion over eight years.
The project aims to reduce Oklahoma City’s homeless population with a $55.7 million investment in truly affordable housing. The project’s strategy is to maintain and expand affordable housing, serving vulnerable and low-income people and families.
The Oklahoma City Housing Authority will work closely with partners at the Homeless Alliance, Mental Health Association of Oklahoma and Pivot to reach homeless and low-income families who have a need for housing and other supportive services.
More than 1,300 unsheltered people were counted in the city’s 2022 Point in Time Count. And thousands of people are on an OCHA waiting list for low-income housing.
Infection Closes OKC Animal Shelter
The Oklahoma City Animal shelter has been closed temporarily due to infection.
City officials say the shelter will remain closed for at least a week to identify and contain a contagious upper respiratory infection that has spread to more than 100 dogs in the last three days. Three dogs have died due to the infection.
Samples have been sent to a lab to identify the disease.
OSU Announces New Nursing Program
Oklahoma State University is adding a bachelor’s of nursing program to its Stillwater campus this fall. The addition will help combat the state’s nursing shortage.
Oklahoma has been in a nursing shortage for decades, and the pandemic worsened it. The state ranks 46th for nurses per capita. One of many contributing factors: nursing school barriers. Nursing programs are expensive for students and colleges, and nursing faculty are hard to find, so colleges offer a finite number of slots every year.
But there will be more in Oklahoma this year, thanks in part to the new nursing program at OSU. The program’s 50 new slots have already been filled, and the school aims to offer 100 slots in the coming years.
Last year, the University of Oklahoma expanded its nursing program and created about 100 new slots, including partnership slots in Norman and Duncan.
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Death Row Spiritual Advisor Sues
The spiritual advisor for several of Oklahoma’s death row inmates filed a lawsuit against the Department of Corrections last Friday.
Rev. Jeff Hood is seeking $10 million from the Oklahoma Department of Corrections for allegedly defaming him in a press release in January.
The DOC released a statement prior to the execution of Scott Eizember, who Hood was a spiritual advisor for, saying Hood would not be allowed in the execution chamber due to his history of arrests for “outbursts” in the past. The statement also said Hood has demonstrated “blatant disregard” for the families of death row inmates’ victims.
They later reversed the decision to avoid a postponement from any legal challenges.
Hood says while he has been arrested three separate times at protests across the country, he has never disrupted an execution and has never been disrespectful to victims’ families.
Economic Development Subcomittee
Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat is calling on a newly formed select committee to improve Oklahoma's economic development efforts.
The move comes after a trio of high profile competitions for high tech manufacturers where the state ultimately lost out.
Treat says he recognizes competition for these types of projects will be stiff.
"But I do want to see what we can do to put ourselves in a better position to attract the type of investment we're looking for and to land those investments ultimately," said Treat.
Most recently Volkswagen chose Ontario, Canada instead of Oklahoma for its new electric vehicle battery plant.
The state had offered the German automaker roughly $700 million dollars in tax incentives to build in Pryor.
Water Event at State Capitol
The Oklahoma State Capitol is hosting its annual Water Appreciation Day on Thursday.
Water appreciators can visit the Capitol’s second-floor rotunda from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to talk with water experts from across Oklahoma.
Last year’s event featured water-centric non-profits and research groups, alongside state, federal and tribal agencies that play a role in water quality and availability.
Oklahoma has been hosting an annual Water Appreciation Day for nearly two decades.
The Oklahoma Water Resources Board, which coordinates the event, says it’s meant to celebrate the importance of Oklahoma’s water resources and provide information on management and conservation to anyone who wants it.
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House Votes To Censure Rep. Dean Davis
Oklahoma’s House of Representatives is censuring Broken Arrow Republican Dean Davis.
Oklahoma City Police accuse Davis of public drunkenness. He was arrested outside a Bricktown bar in the early morning hours last week.
A majority of lawmakers say his conduct is unbecoming of a legislator. This comes in the wake of a censure of Democrat Mauree Turner after they were accused of sheltering a person wanted for questioning in a law enforcement investigation at the Capitol.
Turner and a number of Democrats defended Davis during the vote.
The move means Davis is stripped of his committee assignments. But he was told if he apologizes in writing to OKC police and to other members he will get them back.
Davis serves on several committees including the House Alcohol, tobacco and controlled substances committee.
Oklahoma County Deputy Murder Trial on Hold
The trial for the 2022 murder of an Oklahoma County deputy is on hold.
Benjamin Plank was charged with first-degree murder for the death of Oklahoma County Sgt. Bobby Swartz, but he’s been deemed incompetent to stand trial and must undergo treatment before the trial can continue.
Plank is accused of fatally shooting Swartz while he was trying to serve an eviction notice to the home where Plank lived with his mother.
He is also accused of firing at three other deputies, including one who was shot but survived.
Forensic psychologist Scott Orth found Plank has delusions caused by mental illness, including the belief members of his family are involved in a “pedophile ring” and the belief there is a conspiracy between his family and law enforcement to silence him.
Orth says Plank’s current mental state leaves him unable to assist his attorney with his defense.
OTA Transparency Bill Moves Forward
A bill making its way through the state legislature would modify who appoints board members of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.
HB 2263 by Techumseh Republican Danny Sterling would give equal appointment authority to the House Speaker, Senate Pro Tempore and Governor to appoint two members each to the panel.
Currently, the Governor appoints all six members.
Representative Sterling says the bill would bring more transparency to the board.
The OTA has been under fire following the announcement of a planned turnpike near Norman last year.
The bill would also reduce the term limit for the OTA members from eight to six years - and it prohibits members from voting on issues they would have a direct financial interest in. The bill moves onto the Senate after passing in the House.
2022 Storm Victims in 7 Counties Eligible for Federal Grants
Some Oklahomans affected by last year's severe storms are eligible to receive thousands of dollars in grants to help repair their homes.
Rural Oklahomans whose houses were damaged by severe weather last year can receive grants up to nearly $41,000 under the USDA’s Home Repair Grant Program.
Homes must be within the seven counties that were federally declared disaster areas, including Adair, Cherokee, Muskogee, Okmulgee, Pottawatomie, Seminole and Tulsa.
People who apply and receive grants can use funds toward home repair expenses from storm damage, preparing the site of a new home, or relocating a home.
Grants are available through Oklahoma’s USDA state office until all the funds are used up.
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Oklahoma Plans to Extend Medicaid Coverage for New Moms
Oklahoma has the federal sign off it needs to expand postpartum Medicaid coverage.
The policy change is expected to help bring down the state’s high maternal mortality rate.
Until now, SoonerCare members got to keep their insurance for 60 days after birth. But several pregnancy-related health problems - like heart conditions, postpartum depression and dental damage - last significantly longer than that.
The new policy allows members to stay enrolled for one year after delivery. It also increases the income cutoff, so more low-wage workers will qualify.
Secretary of Health Kevin Corbett notes one in five Oklahoma women of child-bearing age are uninsured, and the state consistently ranks among the worst for pregnancy-related deaths.
“Almost 12% occur past the six week postpartum visit. More than half of these deaths are preventable and are often related to chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, mental illness and substance abuse or misuse,” Corbett said.
The hope is extended coverage will curb deaths and keep new moms healthier.
Legislation Aims To Make Landlords Accountable For Unsafe Living Conditions
A new bill that would hold landlords accountable for unsafe living conditions was passed in the House last week.
House Bill 2109 would protect tenants from retaliation from landlords and allow courts to require landlords to make necessary repairs for health and safety.
It is authored by Lawton Republican Daniel Pae.
"This bill applies to landlords renting more than 10 units and prevents landlords from raising rent, threatening eviction, or decreasing services, as retaliation," said Pae.
It now moves to the Senate where it is sponsored by Lawton Republican John Michael Montgomery.
Patient Bill of Rights Act Moves Forward
A bill that would establish a patient’s right to visitation in the hospital is advancing through the State Legislature.
House Majority Floor Leader Jon Echols’ House Bill 1013 passed unanimously on the House floor last week.
The Lori Brand Patient Bill of Rights Act includes 30 rights a patient has in Oklahoma hospitals, including the right to visitation by loved ones.
The act is named for Lori Brand, a woman who died in an Oklahoma City hospital in 2020. Brand’s husband, Gerald Brand, said in a press release his family had to beg hospital staff to get access to Brand during her hospitalization.
Other rights listed include the right to receive the names of the health care providers seeing the patient and the right to be advised of the hospital’s complaint process.
Echols says he believes Oklahoma hospitals should always provide a list of rules and procedures to their patients.
Oklahoma City Thunder Makes a Late Season Push for Post-Season Play
The Oklahoma City Thunder is making an unprecedented push to be one of 10 teams in the Western Conference to make the post-season. There are less than 10 games left in the regular season. K-G-O-U’s David Asche has more on the Thunder’s chances.
The Oklahoma City Thunder went into the 2022-23 season ranked 29th out of 30 teams according to NBA.com’s power rankings.
Now, with just 7 games left, the Thunder sit in 10th place and more importantly, in a spot for the play-in tournament to reach the playoffs.
Even more impressive, is the fact that OKC is just 2.5 games back from holding the 4th seed in the playoffs and avoiding the play-in altogether.
The team, led by all-star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, has won 6 of their last 10 games bringing their current record to 37 wins and 38 losses.
Looking ahead, the Thunder are in a great position to continue their late season push as 4 of their last 7 games are against teams that have already been eliminated from postseason contention.
One of which, is Tuesday night’s scheduled opponent, the Charlotte Hornets.
Norman Leaders Celebrate $10 Million Park Upgrade
Norman city leaders celebrated the newly renovated Reaves Park with a ribbon cutting ceremony over the weekend.
The city spent more than $10 million on renovations and additions.
There are four new baseballs fields, a new concession stand and restrooms, along with several other upgrades.
The project is part of Norman's plan to rejuvenate parks across the city.
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Oklahoma’s Schools Superintendent Takes on Teachers’ Unions.
State Superintendent Ryan Walters is looking to crack down on teachers’ unions.
Walters says teachers should not have automatic union deductions from their paychecks year-to-year, and they should have to opt-in every year.
“I'm not going to mince words on this. Teachers' unions have done all that they can to destroy public education,” Walters said.
“They target our kids. They target schools by forcing them into shutdowns, by pushing woke ideology on our kids. And it is time that the public and all of our public school teachers, all of our great teachers across the state, know what their rights are and know about the motives of these teachers' unions.”
Walters says he’ll be emailing every teacher in the state to explain the law, and he’s calling upon Attorney General Gentner Drummond to provide legal guidance ensuring the law is enforced.
Broken Arrow Lawmaker Arrested
Police arrested one of Broken Arrow’s lawmakers early Thursday morning before session began later that day. Max Bryan with the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange reports.
The Oklahoman Newspaper reported state representative Dean Davis was arrested on suspicion of being drunk in public and booked into the Oklahoma County Jail at 3:46 a.m. Thursday. He was released less than two hours later without having to post bail, the newspaper reported.
On the House floor Thursday, Davis spoke to his colleagues.
“I dispute any wrongdoing. However, I do want to take this opportunity to apologize to this body for creating this unnecessary distraction from the important work of the House,” Davis said.
Davis previously pleaded no contest last September to misdemeanor driving while impaired from a 2019 traffic stop in Broken Arrow and was put on six months' probation from the offense. It was after he was elected to the House in 2018.
Davis is the second state representative to be arrested on suspicion of an alcohol-related offense in a year's time. In December, Representative Ryan Martinez was charged with felony actual physical control of vehicle while intoxicated in connection with an October arrest.
Oklahoma Sitting on COVID Relief Money
State lawmakers have expressed frustration over the slow pace of distributing almost 2 billion dollars in federal coronavirus relief funds. The money was allocated in a special legislative session six months ago, and currently, the state has until next year to distribute the funds.
Only about 2.5 percent of the funds have been disbursed to relief projects, according to a report from Oklahoma Watch. Lawmakers are worried the delays along with rising inflation and supply-chain issues will translate to higher-than-expected costs for many of the projects.
It’s a concern that Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat echoed in a recent press conference. Almost half of the funds are going to water and sewer projects and broadband expansion, while nearly 64 million is earmarked to expand nursing programs.
Oklahoma has until the end of 2024 to allocate the American Rescue Plan Act funds and until the end of 2026 to spend the money.
Langston University Cancels Debt
Oklahoma’s only Historically Black College is canceling all outstanding charges its students have incurred during the last three semesters.
Langston University will use almost $4.6 million of federal funds to cancel out outstanding balances its students incurred during the pandemic.
The move is similar to one by the university in August 2021 to reduce the cost burden for students at the school.
In a letter to students announcing the move, President Kent Smith says he’s proud of the work students have put in despite the coronavirus and other challenges. He writes using an influx of higher education relief dollars to ease financial burdens, seemed like the right thing to do.
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Oklahoma Senate Passes Tribal Regalia at Graduation Bill
A bill that would require schools to allow Native students to wear tribal regalia during graduation ceremonies passed unanimously in the Oklahoma Senate Wednesday.
Senate Bill 429 would prevent public and charter schools from banning students from wearing their tribal regalia during graduation or other school functions. That includes things like eagle feathers in their caps, beadwork or moccasins.
Cindy Nguyen is the policy director at ACLU Oklahoma-one of the organizations advocating for this bill to be passed.
“We have heard school boards say that, well, if we do this for Indigenous students, we would have to do it for all students. And we say we don't see a problem with that,” Nguyen said.
Similar measures were introduced in 2021 but ultimately failed.
The Senate voted unanimously to approve the bill. Now, it heads to the state House.
Oklahoma City Mayor Finalist for Law School Dean Job
Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt is one of four finalists for Oklahoma City University’s new dean for its law school.
Holt told The Oklahoman newspaper that his mayoral service would not be affected if he were to be appointed.
The university is expected to announce the selection for the position in the coming weeks.
Survivorship Act Passes House
A slimmed-down version of a bill to protect survivors of domestic violence from long prison sentences advanced to the Senate on Wednesday.
Republican Representative Toni Hasenbeck’s House Bill 1639, which would create the Domestic Abuse Survivorship Act, passed unanimously on the House floor on Wednesday.
The original version of the bill created mandatory sentencing ranges for criminalized survivors of domestic violence who can prove they were abused in the year leading up to their crime against their abuser. The version passed leaves those sentencing ranges up to the discretion of the courts.
Additionally, it does not allow for the law to be applied retroactively, meaning it would not immediately apply to criminalized survivors currently serving decades-long sentences.
Colleen McCarty with the Oklahoma Survivor Justice Coalition says retroactivity is an important part of survivor justice reform.
"Oklahomans broadly support retroactivity on criminal justice reform issues. When we realize we’ve made a mistake and we need to go back and correct it, I mean, that’s kind of what justice is," said McCarty.
The title was stricken from the bill, meaning it can still be changed before the end of the session.
Ukrainian Soldiers Wrap Up Training At Fort Sill
Ukrainian soldiers are nearing the end of their 10-week training at Fort Sill. Since January, 65 Ukrainian soldiers have been training on how to use the Patriot missile system at Fort Sill just outside of Lawton.
According to the Associated Press, the soldiers are expected to leave Oklahoma in the next several days for additional training in Europe before they deploy to Ukraine with a Patriot missile battery.
U.S. Army soldiers at Fort Sill who trained the Ukrainians said they were surprised how quickly the visiting soldiers grasped the concepts and learned how to operate the equipment.
The training of the Ukrainian soldiers is part of a larger international effort involving more than 50 countries who are providing security assistance to Ukraine.
Tulsa Area Kids Get Books Thanks to Dolly Parton
The Dolly Parton Imagination Library has come to Tulsa.
The Dollywood Foundation has teamed up with local organizations to help get free books to children under five in the city.
Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum praised Dolly Parton for her philanthropy at a press conference about the program Tuesday.
Kimberly Johnson, CEO of Tulsa City-County Library, said one purpose of the initiative is to build a love of reading at an early age, especially for kids who may not otherwise have access.
Under the program, free books come in the mail every month until a child's fifth birthday.
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State Supreme Court Rules Oklahomans Have Right To Life-Saving Abortions, Emergency or Not
The Oklahoma Supreme Court issued a ruling Tuesday to clarify medical exemptions in the state’s abortion ban. StateImpact’s Catherine Sweeney reports.
When lawmakers passed several bills banning abortion last year, they included an exception for medical emergencies. The wording was vague. It didn’t have a list of qualifying conditions. Medical and legal experts raised concerns that this would leave doctors wondering how much danger was enough to protect them from a decade in prison.
The court ruled on Tuesday that Oklahomans have a right to life-saving abortions at any time during pregnancy. The majority wrote, “Requiring one to wait until there is a medical emergency would further endanger the life of the pregnant woman and does not serve a compelling state interest."
Abortion access advocates filed several lawsuits last year challenging the bans in an effort to get them overturned. In the ruling Tuesday, the Court said it would not rule on elective abortions. The other lawsuits are still under consideration.
- Read more about this story here.
State Legislature Advances Two Teacher Pay Raise Bills
The state legislature has now advanced two teacher pay raise bills, one from the Senate and one from the House. The Senate voted Tuesday to give educators a $3,000-$6,000 raise.
Senate Bill 482 by Edmond Republican Adam Pugh would give raises to public school teachers and other certified personnel such as counselors and nurses. Personnel with 0-4 years of experience would get $3,000, those with 5-9 years of experience would get $4,000, 10-14 years of experience would get $5,000 and 15 years of experience and up would get $6,000.
Notably, there were no questions asked and no debate presented about the bill in the hearing. And, it passed almost unanimously, with the lone nay vote belonging to Broken Arrow Republican Nathan Dahm.
The House also has a pay raise bill, though it’s just a $2,500 across-the-board raise. House Bill 2775 by Republican Representatives Mark McBride and Charles McCall passed through the chamber in February. It’s tied to another bill that creates a tax credit system to allow public dollars to go toward private education.
It remains to be seen whether the House bill, the Senate bill, or neither will ultimately prevail.
House Approves Bill Banning Corporal Punishment
A bill to eliminate corporal punishment of students with disabilities was reconsidered by the Oklahoma House of Representatives Monday, after failing to meet a majority vote last week.
House Bill 1028 passed the House with a vote of 84-8, after it was reconsidered by state representatives.
The bill would prohibit corporal punishment - such as spanking or hitting - on special education students with disabilities.
Dozens of lawmakers changed their stances on the bill. It had failed on the house floor earlier this month with a vote of 45-43. A bill must receive a majority 51 votes to clear the chamber.
House Democratic Leader, Representative Cyndi Munson, says in a press release that although she is glad the bill was reconsidered - it doesn’t go far enough to protect special education students.
The bill can now be considered by the Senate.
Sports Betting Bill Moves Forward
Oklahoma may soon legalize in-person and mobile sports betting. The Oklahoma House approved House Bill 1027 on Tuesday.
Ponca City Republican Ken Luttrell says Oklahoma and tribal nations are missing out on more than $9 million dollars per year because the state has not legalized sports betting. He also thinks this is the best way to curtail illegal and unregulated gambling.
If HB 1027 becomes law, tribal nations would have the option to add sports betting to gaming operations they already have and would pay a tiered fee of 4% on the first $5 million made in one month, 5% on the next $5 million and 6% on additional revenue.
Luttrell filed similar legislation in 2022 but it never became law.
Food Distributor Halts Deliveries Following Possible Cyber Attack
One of the largest food distributors in the country has disabled its delivery operations after the company detected "unusual activity" in their network. That leaves some Oklahoma businesses scrambling.
Ben E. Keith likely disabled its services due to a possible cyber attack but the company hasn’t confirmed this.
The Oklahoman newspaper reports local restaurants such as the Olde Orchard Restaurant in Yukon have publicly posted about facing delivery issues and having to drive to the warehouse themselves to pick up their shipment.
Oklahomans may also notice a shortage of their favorite food items when visiting local restaurants.
Ben E. Keith services a 14-state area from New Mexico to Florida and Texas to Nebraska, and distributes food to schools, hospitals and nursing homes in addition to restaurants.
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Oklahoma House Passes HB 1028 Banning Some Corporal Punishment in Schools
House Bill 1028 passed the House with a vote of 84 to 8, after it was reconsidered by state representatives.
The bill would prohibit corporal punishment - such as spanking or hitting - on special education students with disabilities.
Dozens of lawmakers changed their stances on the bill. It had failed on the house floor earlier this month with a vote of 45-43. A bill must receive a majority 51 votes to clear the chamber.
House Democratic Leader, Representative Cyndi Munson, says in a press release that although she is glad the bill was reconsidered - it doesn’t go far enough to protect special education students.
The bill can now be considered by the Senate.
EPA Says Oklahoma and Other States Cannot Refuse Hazardous Waste from Ohio Derailment
After a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, generated thousands of tons of contaminated soil, the company responsible must find licensed facilities to take that waste. Governor Kevin Stitt blocked a shipment to Oklahoma, but the EPA says he can’t legally do that.
Earlier this month, the Environmental Protection Agency notified Stitt’s office it intended to send 3,640 tons of waste from the derailment site in Ohio to the Clear Harbors Lone Mountain hazardous waste facility near Waynoka. Stitt quickly announced he was working with Oklahoma’s federal delegation to stop the shipment.
In response to Stitt’s refusal and concerns from other states, the EPA sent a memo to state environmental agencies. It indicates refusing the waste is illegal, citing federal laws and court cases. It also assures state regulators the waste from East Palestine receives more testing and analysis than the industrial waste these facilities typically accept.
The Governor’s office says Stitt is standing firm and will continue his efforts to block the shipment.
School Employee Mental Health Program
A measure aiming to lighten the mental health load on education professionals advanced through the Oklahoma House of Representatives Monday.
The Education Employee Assistance Program outlined in House Bill 1424 by former teacher and current Owasso Republican Representative Mark Vancuren and would be housed in the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. It would provide financial assistance to public schools to help with employees whose personal problems may negatively impact their job performance.
If passed, it would provide for assessment, referral, consultation and problem resolution assistance to school employees and their families seeking help for medical or mental health problems, including things like drug and alcohol abuse, marital and familial stress, or financial issues.
The bill is in the same vein as a bipartisan measure currently working through Congress, the Supporting the Mental Health of Educators and Staff Act. A 2022 survey from the RAND Corporation shows more than a quarter of teachers and principals are experiencing depression symptoms, and more than twice as many teachers experience frequent job-related stress, compared to other working adults.
Bison Donated to Yuchi Tribe of Oklahoma
The city of Denver, Colorado has donated 35 bison to multiple tribes in Colorado, Oklahoma and Wyoming. This marks another example of Indigenous people reclaiming stewardship over land and animals that their ancestors managed for thousands of years.
The animals were loaded onto trucks and shipped to tribal lands, following a ceremony on Wednesday. About a half dozen went to the Yuchi Tribe of Oklahoma, which will be used to establish a new herd.
"We have a special song that keeps that connection with the buffalo." said Richard Grounds, Executive Director of the Yuchi Language Project.
Grounds accepted the bison on behalf of his tribe. He says when he was in grad school he read that the Yuchis were “extinct” in a textbook.
The Yuchi Tribe will use the bison to form a new herd for the tribal nation based near Tulsa.
St. Luke's to Withdraw From the United Methodist Church
Oklahoma's largest Methodist congregation has voted to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church.
The Oklahoman newspaper reports 92% of 1,300 members in St. Luke's congregation voted to withdraw from the Methodist church.
The move comes as the denomination banned same-sex marriage and gay clergy.
There are still several other housekeeping measures related to the disaffiliation, but it's likely the congregation will formally withdraw next month.
The newspaper reported it will retain the St. Luke's Methodist Church name.
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Oklahoma’s AG Seeks Additional Time To Resolve Poultry Litter Lawsuit
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is requesting more time to reach an agreement on an 18-year-old lawsuit with poultry companies over environmental damage to the Illinois River Watershed and Lake Tenkiller.
Attorney General Drummond will have 90 more days to negotiate a deal with 11 companies and their subsidiaries to mitigate poultry litter pollution in northeast Oklahoma. The deadline had been March 17, after a judge decided in favor of Oklahoma in the lawsuit earlier this year.
Drummond said in a press release productive and lengthy discussions are ongoing, and that the poultry industry has made significant improvements in litter abatement in the years since the lawsuit was filed. He said he’s hopeful a plan can be crafted that "protects Oklahoma natural resources without placing unreasonable burdens on the companies."
Hundreds Gather At State Capitol To Protest Against Release of Patient Health Information
Hundreds of Oklahomans marched to the Oklahoma State Capitol Saturday to advocate for mental health privacy. The group protested a proposed state rule that would require mental health providers to disclose patient names and diagnoses information to regulators and other health professionals through a health information exchange.
The providers argued that the rule would violate patients' rights under federal law and that sharing confidential information across a statewide health information exchange system would violate their own ethical codes.
The proposed rule is set to be considered for adoption by the Oklahoma Health Care Authority on Wednesday, March 22, and if adopted, all healthcare providers would be required to connect to the exchange system by July 1.
The healthcare authority argues that the exchange would benefit all Oklahomans and improve the healthcare delivery system's efficiencies.
OU Health Data Breach
OU Health is notifying 3,000 patients that their protected health information may have been compromised after an employee's laptop was stolen at the end of last year.
The stolen information may include patients' names, social security numbers, driver's license numbers, dates of birth, medical record numbers and account numbers, among other personal information.
OU Health is sending out letters in the mail to notify possible victims.
Oklahoma House To Reconsider Student Corporal Punishment Bill
We reported last week on the failure of legislation to ban corporal punishment for disabled public school students in Oklahoma — a bill one sponsor called a “no-brainer.” It’s not dead after all. Quorum Call’s Shawn Ashley tells KGOU general manager Dick Pryor the measure will be reconsidered.
"Now, there were more votes for the bill Tuesday than there were against it. But a bill must receive 51 votes to pass so it failed 45-43. Since it was spring break week a number of members were absent," Ashley said.
A motion to reconsider must be brought up today for the bill to stay alive. It will be a busy week at the legislature with a looming Thursday deadline for bills to be heard in their chamber of origin. You can hear Dick Pryor and Shawn Ashley’s full conversation on the Capitol Insider podcast.
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Suing the EPA
Regulators are working to cut down on smog-causing emissions that travel across state lines. But Oklahoma officials are at odds with the EPA on how to do that.
The EPA says reducing emissions, which generate low-lying ozone smog, will improve health and quality of life for millions of people living downwind of industrial smog sources. The EPA’s Good Neighbor Plan covers 23 states, including Oklahoma, that were found to be exporting significant amounts of pollution to downwind neighbors.
Last month, the EPA fully rejected Oklahoma’s proposed plans for cutting those emissions, saying it didn’t include any permanent and enforceable measures. Now the agency has announced a federal plan to curb emissions. Under it, Oklahoma’s power plants and other industrial emitters will need to produce nearly 10,000 tons less pollutants each year by 2026.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has filed a lawsuit against the EPA for its rejection of Oklahoma’s implementation plan, calling the federal plan “overreach of the first order.” In Oklahoma City,
OSU Receives Rural Medicine Grant
Oklahoma State University’s rural health program got a $3 million federal grant.
The OSU Center for Rural Health was one of several state organizations receiving some of this health equity funding from the CDC.
About $1.4 million will pay for scholarships to Oklahoma State’s medical school, allowing more future doctors and PAs to focus on tribal and rural medicine.
The rest will go to vans used as mobile clinics and programming under OSU extension offices that will focus on nutrition, water quality and broadband access.
Affordable Housing Bill Passes Through The House
A bill that would give Oklahomans an incentive to contribute to affordable housing funds passed through the House earlier this week.
Democratic Representative Forrest Bennett’s House Bill 2098 was voted through the House 76-6 earlier this week.
It would allow Oklahomans to make a tax-deductible donation of 1% of the proceeds from selling their home to the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency.
Donations are capped at $5 million. The fund created by these donations would be used by Oklahoma cities and towns to develop affordable housing solutions.
The bill now moves to the Senate, where it will be sponsored by Republican Senator John Michael Montgomery.
Trump Visits Tulsa
Former president Donald Trump will be in Tulsa on Saturday.
The Tulsa World confirmed Trump is Senator Markwayne Mullin’s special guest to the NCAA wrestling championship at the BOK Center.
Trump’s last publicized visit to Tulsa was in June 2020, when he held his first campaign rally for re-election at the same location.
"So we begin. Oklahoma, we begin. Thank you Oklahoma, and thank you to vice president Mike Pence. We begin, we begin our campaign..."
Trump is currently in hot water over the congressional probe into the January 6 insurrection, an FBI raid at his home in Florida, and an expected indictment in the U.S. southern district of New York.
Mullin has denied the 2020 presidential election results, which is rhetoric that led to the insurrection.
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Auditing the OTA
The Oklahoma Attorney General has called the state auditor to conduct an investigative audit of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.
In a news release Wednesday, attorney general Gentner Drummond said the audit will look at transactions between OTA and the Department of Transportation, contracting and purchase practices, and the agency’s finances. This announcement comes on the heels of OTA losing a lawsuit that accused the agency of violating the state Open Meetings Act leading up to the announcement of a plan to expand the state’s turnpike network.
The plan was announced in February 2022 without giving any notice to residents in the path of construction. A state representative was also paid far above appraised value for her home in the eminent domain process. Norman city councilor Rarchar Tortorello, who represents an area greatly affected by the plan, was pleased with the announcement.
"The time has come for the citizens of Oklahoma to finally get the view from the top, the middle and the bottom of what OTA has been doing, and this audit is that tool that provides us what we would like to see and hear," Tortorello said.
In his own news release, Tortorello said he and attorneys who have sued OTA look forward to working with Drummond.
Limiting Forever Chemicals
The Environmental Protection Agency proposed a new rule to set legally enforceable limits for PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals.”
PFAS are human-made chemicals used in non-stick cookware and waterproof clothes. They’re called forever chemicals because they don’t break down over time. Instead, they build up in the environment and in our bodies, where their health effects are still unclear.
This rule would require public water suppliers to monitor PFAS levels and let customers know what they find, which currently isn’t required. If the rule goes into effect, water suppliers with PFAS levels above the limit would need to take action to lower them. For some forever chemicals, the limit would be 4 parts per trillion.
The EPA’s current unenforced recommendation is 1000 times lower than the proposed enforceable limit. Earlier this month, the EPA also announced that it would allocate almost $21 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for grants to help Oklahoma water supplies address PFAS contamination.
Corporal Punishment for Disabled Students
On Tuesday, the Oklahoma House of Representatives failed to move a bipartisan bill that would ban corporal punishment for students with disabilities to the Senate.
The House voted 45 to 43 on House Bill 1028, failing to meet a majority of 51 members needed to move the bill along. Fifteen members were absent for the vote. Representatives Jim Olsen and Randy Randleman argued against the bill by pointing out that parents must sign off for schools to use corporal punishment on their disabled children.
Representative Anthony Moore, one of the bill’s sponsors, said he told lead sponsor John Talley he would happily sponsor the bill because it seemed like a no-brainer to him.
"I told the author that, number one, I would co-author this with him, but that this would be an easy bill to carry because there's nobody that's going to be for corporal punishment on students with disabilities. I apologize to the author, because apparently, I was wrong," Moore said.
Talley said many school districts urged him to pass the bill, and that corporal punishment was used on disabled students more than 400 times between 2021 and 2022 in Oklahoma. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises against the practice.
St.Luke's votes to disaffiliate
Oklahoma's largest Methodist church will gather on Sunday to vote on the fate of the church.
The Methodist church, located in Oklahoma City, has over 8,000 members and includes those who attend online.
Leaders at St.Luke's said the congregation wishes to be more inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community, and is voting to disaffiliate with the United Methodist Church, or UMC, due to the same-sex marriage and gay ordination prohibition ban enacted in 2019.
If the vote passes, St. Luke's will not be the first to leave the denomination. Since the ban, over 2,000 Methodist churches have announced their departure from the UMC including St. Andrews Church in Plano, Texas, last February.
St. Luke's is expecting thousands from their congregation to appear for the vote, including out of state members.
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OK Senate Sends Education Bills To House
A handful of education-related bills are on their way to the Oklahoma House.
The Tulsa World reports that bills passed Tuesday by the Senate are largely intended to bolster schools’ ability to attract new teachers and retain existing ones.
SB 529 would offer scholarships to Oklahoma university students who commit to teaching for a minimum of four years in a low-income school.
SB 525 would require school districts to pay costs associated with additional required education for certified teachers.
SB 531 creates the “Rewarding Student Outcomes Act.” It incentivizes school districts, charter schools and virtual charters that show at least a 1% increase in the number of graduates demonstrating college, career or military readiness above the prior school year. These monetary incentives include $1,500 awards for each economically disadvantaged graduate and $500 for each non-economically disadvantaged graduate.
Additional Senate-authored measures under consideration include legislation that provides 12 weeks of paid maternity leave for teachers and makes raises of between $3k and $6k available.
OK House Passes Measure Influencing Law Enforcement Oversight
A bill that passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on Monday would require public bodies that may influence the discipline of police officers be comprised mostly of police officers.
House Bill 2161 would guarantee that police advisory boards in Oklahoma be two-thirds members of law enforcement.
While these boards only make recommendations, they can influence decisions around officer discipline or termination.
Tulsa representative Regina Goodwin said the bill should have never made it to the House floor.
“If there's an officer charged with misconduct, let's let all the officers determine his fate,” said Goodwin. “Why does that make sense?”
Several democrats pointed out that internal affairs divisions in police departments are already staffed entirely with police and actually hold the power to fire or discipline officers.
Bill author Ross Ford of Broken Arrow, who has a law enforcement background, claimed his bill strives for community safety by ensuring law enforcement presence on the committees.
“We’re not getting the ones who are truly wanting to make the community safer and better,” said Ford. “They’re looking for social justice.”
The bill passed 54-36 and now moves to the Senate.
Sales tax exemption bill advances
Oklahoma's House of Representatives is advancing a measure to give all Nonprofits with 501-c-3 status a sales tax exemption on purchases.
House Bill 1568 is authored by Bethany Republican Marilyn Stark. It would allow any Oklahoma-based 501-c-3 that receives $3 million dollars or less to be exempt from paying sales tax.
Alcohol and tobacco purchases would not be eligible for the exemption.
The measure would impact thousands of non-profit organizations in Oklahoma. It is now eligible to be heard in the Senate after passing in the house.
National Labor Relations Board Targets OK Starbucks
In a press release, Starbucks Workers United said the National Labor Relations Board has investigated their complaints about the company’s federal labor violations at two stores in Oklahoma City, one in Nichols Hills, and one in Norman. The NLRB will be pursuing civil prosecution.
The labor violations reported include interrogating workers about union activity, threatening disciplinary action and loss of previously announced pay raises and benefits, and firing a barista for participating in union activities.
This follows Starbucks CEO Howard Shultz agreeing to testify to a U.S. Senate committee investigating Starbucks’ labor practices.
A hearing is set for April 11 in Austin, Texas.
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Oklahoma Rejects EPA Plan To Transfer Contaminated Soil From East Palestine, Ohio
Governor Kevin Stitt tweeted that he stopped a shipment of contaminated soil from East Palestine, Ohio, to a waste disposal facility in northwestern Oklahoma.
According to an email obtained by The Frontier, the Environmental Protection Agency notified the governor’s office on Saturday that it planned to send 3,640 tons of waste to the Clean Harbors Lone Mountain facility near Waynoka.
Debra Shore, the EPA regional administrator for Ohio, said East Palestine’s contaminated soil and water need to be transferred to a hazardous waste disposal facility.
"We know it’s far better to have it safely stored in a properly constructed and monitored disposal facility than to have it remain here any longer than necessary when there are licensed, regulated disposal facilities available that routinely dispose of similar wastes," Shore said.
But Stitt said there are too many questions about the safety of shipping and storing the toxic materials. According to EPA data, this shipment contained more than twice as much waste as the Lone Mountain facility normally deals with in a year.
Stitt says he worked with Oklahoma’s federal delegation to stop the shipment.
Volkswagen Chooses Canada For Battery Manufacturing Plant
After being on a shortlist for car maker Volkswagen’s new battery manufacturing plant, Oklahoma lost out on the project to Canada.
Modifications to incentives for Volkswagen to build a new electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant in Oklahoma, including nearly $700 million in state rebates if certain spending and employment benchmarks were met, were not enough to convince the company to open the plant at the MidAmerica Industrial Park in Pryor.
If Volkswagen had accepted Oklahoma’s offer, the company would have needed to start with 500 full-time employees and reach 3,500 by its fourth and fifth year.
Instead, the plant will be opened in St. Thomas, Ontario.
This follows a similar loss for the state last year, when Panasonic chose to open an EV battery manufacturing plant in neighboring Kansas, and in 2020, when Tesla chose Austin over Tulsa for an assembly plant.
OK Ethics Commission Claims Lack Of Funding To Do Job
Oklahoma’s Ethics Commission says it can’t investigate potential ethics breaches in municipal or other political subdivision races because of a lack of funds.
The issue came to light following a March meeting, when commissioners moved to dismiss a complaint of a potential election ethics breach because there was no money to pay for the investigation.
The alleged breach was in a local race. The ethics commission has a dedicated state fund created by lawmakers in 2014. However, the fund has never had a dollar in it.
The Commission is only required to enforce campaign finance laws when the local government campaign finance fund possesses over $100,000. Given this lack of finances, it’s unclear what action the ethics commission could take in any potential violations in local races.
Senate Clears Bill To Limit Stitt’s Power Over Tourism Dept.
A bill to limit the governor’s power over the Oklahoma Department of Tourism passed out of the Senate.
Monday’s vote comes in the wake of several investigations into the agency’s management, including a financial scandal regarding a $17 million contract with Swadley’s Bar-B-Q to open several restaurants in state parks.
Until about five years ago, most state agencies — including tourism — operated under governing boards and commissions, but the Legislature shifted much of that power to the governor’s office.
Senate Appropriations Chairman Roger Thompson authored Senate Bill 4, which claws some oversight power back. It reinstates the commission’s power over the agency, and requires the governor to show cause before removing any of its members.
The measure is now headed to the House.
Osage Nation Building ‘Brand Awareness’ Ahead Of Movie Release
The main message of the Osage Nation’s new branding campaign is “Wahzhazhe Always.” Wahzhazhe is the traditional name for the Osage - it was only until after colonization that the term Osage came to be.
The tribal nation anticipates after the release of Killers of the Flower Moon, later this year, there will be a flood of interest in the Osage people.
"Our culture here with the tribe is getting stronger,” says Vann Bighorse, director of language culture and education in a video detailing the campaign. “That's what our people prayed for and that's what we've done."
The campaign will include billboards, social media, public service announcement placements throughout the year. Additional efforts to highlight the tribal nation’s language preservation efforts, economy and culture are also planned.
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Voter Apathy Attributed To Failure Of Recreational Marijuana
Analysis of last week’s recreational marijuana vote shows voter apathy may have led to its failure. Nearly the same number of Oklahomans voted against State Question 820 on Tuesday at 349-thousand compared to medical marijuana in 2018 at 385-thousand.
However, yes votes for the measure came in at fewer than 217-thousand compared to more than 507-thousand in 2018.
Overall turnout was extremely low with only about 26-percent of registered voters, or 566-thousand, Oklahomans participating.
For his part, Governor Kevin Stitt suggested the rejection of recreational marijuana was at least due in part to a need to better regulate the medical marijuana industry.
In a press conference Friday Stitt said the results clearly mean people across the state are fed up with the proliferation of the cannabis industry. And it's time for lawmakers to look at further tightening.
Stitt has signed several measures regulating medical cannabis, including a moratorium on new licenses and an effort to track cannabis plants from seed to sale to ensure everything is above board.er apathy may have led to its failure.
OK Dept. Of Veteran Affairs Leader Fired
The executive director of the Oklahoma Department of Veteran Affairs was fired late last week following a long history of tensions between that office and Governor Kevin Stitt.
The Oklahoma Veterans Commission voted 5-1 to remove Joel Kintsel from his position as executive director of the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs on Friday. The chair of the commission, Robert Allen, cited insubordination as the reason for Kintsel’s termination.
This follows claims from Kintsel, Attorney General Gentner Drummond, and members of the state Legislature that Governor Stitt broke the law when he appointed some of the members of the commission by not consulting local veterans groups first. As a result, Kintsel declined to attend recent commission meetings.
U.S. Navy Under Secretary Greg Slavonic will serve as interim director.
Teacher Of The Year Ceremony Organizer Fired
The organizer of Oklahoma's Teacher of the Year ceremony who was fired shortly after this year's event says the department of education has changed.
Stormie Honeysuckle - who worked at OSDE for 20 years -told Fox 25 new Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters has altered the atmosphere of the department.
OKC Thunder Add Win On Road
The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the San Antonio Spurs in Texas.
Forward Jalen Williams scored 21 points and had ten assists as the Thunder used a balanced effort on offense without Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander to beat the Spurs 102 to 90 Sunday night.
It’s the second win in a row for OKC and the fifth in six games. OKC is now tied with Utah for tenth place in the West.
The Thunder return home to host the Brooklyn Nets Tuesday night at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
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OK Senator gets into argument with union leader during committee hearing
A new member of Oklahoma’s federal delegation got in a heated exchange with a union leader during a Senate committee meeting this week.
During a US Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee meeting, Senator Markwayne Mullin criticized Teamsters president Sean O’Brien for his nearly $200,000 salary.
According to reports, Mullin’s comments came after he complained about unions trying to get him and his employees at his plumbing company to unionize, during which made comments about physical confrontation.
Mullin and O’Brien exchanged jabs as Senator Bernie Sanders tried to moderate.
Mullin claimed he only made $50,000 when he ran his business, but financial disclosures show he made around $92,000.
Mullin was elected to the Senate in November after serving eastern Oklahoma in the House of Representatives for 10 years.
The contentious hearing was focused on the rights of workers to unionize.
Bill modifying electric utility rate changes moves out of committee
A bill that aims to modify how electric utilities ask for rate changes has moved out of committee. '
Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat’s Senate Bill 11-03 would introduce performance-based rate plans for electric utilities in Oklahoma.
The bill would allow annual cost reviews by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and prevent rate spikes. OG&E and P-S-O support the bill, while A-A-R-P Oklahoma opposes it.
The bill would also require utility companies to have more stored fuels on hand for future winter storms.
The bill now goes to the full Senate.
Psychedelic Bill Passes House
Oklahoma lawmakers are again considering a bill that would allow medical researchers to look into psychedelics to treat mental illness.
House Bill 2107, like its predecessor last year, would let colleges and research facilities study the effects of psilocybin on Oklahoma residents who struggle with conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder and treatment-resistant depression. Psilocybin is the psychoactive compound in mushrooms.
The measure doesn’t require veteran status, but supporters tout the potential benefits to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidality.
The bill got a lot of pushback in its hearing Thursday. Critics said the measure isn’t financially responsible, and Oklahoma should let other states take the lead on this research.
"I want us to make sure we’re at the decision-making table, having this nationwide conversation — because, again, this is about research, this is about saving lives, and this is about addressing the mental health crisis that’s facing our country and our state right now," said the bill's author, Lawton Rep. Daniel Pae.
The measure passed and is headed to the Senate, where it died last year.
Non-binary Oklahoma Lawmaker Talks About Harassment Received Since Censure
Oklahoma City Representative Mauree Turner is the target of attacks on their race, gender and religion following a move earlier this week by House Republicans to formally censure the democratic lawmaker. Turner’s office says it’s received many threatening calls and emails since the censure.
Turner is the legislature’s only open nonbinary member, and in one email, they’re called worthless, a terrorist, a homophobic slur, multiple racist slurs, and their religion, Islam, is ridiculed. It’s so obscene, there’s not much I can quote on the radio.
House Republicans stripped the lawmaker of their committee assignments, alleging after a bill hearing to ban gender-affirming care for trans youth, Turner hid a transgender person in their office who was wanted for questioning following a scuffle with a state trooper. Turner’s censure can be overturned if they issue an apology, but they say that’s not happening.
"I absolutely will not apologize for being able to create a safe space where the Oklahoma legislature continues to tell trans folks that they should not show up here. I will absolutely continue to create a space to show trans folks, gender nonconforming folks, two-spirit folks that this is a safe space, right, that even in the midst of everything going on in the Oklahoma legislature, that they can always come to my office," said Turner.
"Do you feel safe right now?," asked StateImpact reporter Beth Wallis.
"No. When the people who are supposed to protect you are those that are the folks that you fear, right? Or that might cause you to think twice about, like, should I be doing this work? It creates a hostile work environment and I think that wouldn’t make anybody feel safe," Turner said.
Turner says even if they aren’t allowed to speak in committee meetings, they’ll still be there.
OK Black Caucus Criticizes Bill For Private School Tax Credits
Members of Oklahoma's Black Caucus are criticizing Republican legislation that proposes tax credits for families with students enrolled in private schools. Rep. Jason Lowe said at a press conference earlier this week that there is not enough oversight included in House Bill 1935 allowing for a $5,000 tax break per private school student.
"There is very little protection for fraud and abuse. We don't want another EPIC. We don't want another Class Wallet," said Lowe.
Tulsa Rep. Regina Goodwin called the proposed tax credits a gift to the wealthy.
"It's unfair. We are taking public dollars to fund private entities, and that is not what our public education is about," said Goodwin.
The Black Caucus also criticized State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters, who this week published details about so-called school choice on the state department of education website. Rep. Lowe said Walters should focus on keeping quality teachers in Oklahoma and improving educational outcomes for students.
Trio of bills supporting education passes the House
The Oklahoma House has passed a trio of bills aimed at addressing the state's teacher shortage and assisting students.
Mark McBride’s legislation includes measures to expand scholarships for students entering teacher preparation programs, a scholarship program for critical industries, and an extension of the Oklahoma Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship tax credit to include contributions made to eligible college and university foundations.
The bills now await committee assignment in the state Senate.
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Legislator Censured
Oklahoma House Republicans are removing Oklahoma City Democrat Mauree Turner from all committee assignments. GOP lawmakers allege Turner “harbored a fugitive” in their office last week.
Republicans voted Tuesday morning to formally censure Turner - the body’s only openly nonbinary representative. GOP lawmakers allege after last week’s House vote to restrict gender affirming medical care for minors, a transgender person assaulted a Highway Patrol trooper. They say that individual then took refuge in Turner’s office, and Turner refused to hand that person over to authorities.
Here’s Turner: "Half of you won’t even look me in the eye. Some of you don’t even acknowledge my existence to this day. But I’m telling you, censuring me on this floor - right? - when we haven’t censured folks who have brought death threats to my office. Those of you who just write ‘kill’ on my bills and give them back, or those of you who ask me what my genitalia is. That’s not impeding on decorum for you, but the fact that I dared to protect Oklahomans, that I provided a space for grace and love in the face of hate, I’m asking you, please don’t censure the people of House District 88."
House Democrats issued a press release condemning the move, stating Turner did not impede law enforcement from their duties.
Train Derailment
A train derailed in Verdigris, just northeast of Tulsa Tuesday night. The minor derailment didn’t result in any injuries or harmful spills.
Verdigris resident Jake Powell took a video of the train derailment. The video shows a tanker car separating from the car in front of it. The car’s wheels appear to catch as the train reaches a street crossing. The tanker car runs off the tracks and comes to a stop. Powell says he started recording because he could tell something was off.
"The cars started bouncing and you could hear it and it was sparking," Powell said.
BNSF, which operates the railroad, said the derailed cars were empty and no hazardous materials were involved. The company reopened the crossing later Tuesday night and said it’s investigating what caused the incident.
Initiative Petition Process
The State Senate has passed a bill making it harder to get initiative petitions on the ballot. Senate Bill 518 increases the cost for publication and protest period as well as adding date of birth to what registered voters need to fill out on the petition. The bill’s author, Bartlesville Republican Senator Julie Daniels, said it makes sure the process is reliable and secure, but critics call it an attack on citizen-led legislation.
The measure passed the G-O-P-majority Senate, 38 to eight, and now heads to the House for consideration.
Problem Gambling
A new study suggests 1 in 16 Oklahomans may suffer from a gambling disorder and some are warning against the legalization of sports betting.
The study from the Oklahoma Association on Problem Gambling and Gaming surveyed nearly 4,000 adults last year. The analysis found 60% of Oklahomans have gambled in the past year, and 30% may be at risk of developing a gambling problem. Scratch tickets, lotteries and slot machines were identified as most often associated with problem gambling.
Despite the industry providing a large amount of income for the state, funding to help Oklahomans who suffer from gambling disorders has lagged behind the need. Of the $191.5 million the state raked in from gambling fees last year, the association said only $1 million went to problem gambling-specific services. The study's authors also warn that state lawmakers should be cautious when debating the legalization of sports betting, as they assert problem gambling among sports bettors is higher than for gamblers in general.
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Oklahoma Voters Reject State Question 820
Oklahoma voters soundly rejected a ballot initiative to become the 22nd state to legalize recreational marijuana last night.
Special election results show roughly 60% of voters cast their ballot against approving State Question 820. This comes even though marijuana is widespread in the Sooner state.
There are thousands of dispensaries here and almost 10% of Oklahomans carry a medical marijuana card.
But, that obviously didn’t mean it was popular with Oklahomans, says Vote No campaign consultant Pat McFerron.
"It should be considered a strong message to the legislature that Oklahomans reject recreational marijuana. And that's really what we have with our current medical program. So I hope this gives them the ability and political cover to really make our medical program truly medical," said McFerron.
The campaign behind the legalization amendment, spent more than $4 million on the effort.
Campaign advisor Ryan Kiesel was succinct in his assessment of the loss.
"Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. And well tonight, we came up short," Kiesel said.
Rural voters were critical in knocking down the effort. Marijuana farms are commonplace throughout rural Oklahoma and despite the loss, they’re likely here to stay.
Library Restriction Bill Advances
Senate Republicans are moving closer to significantly restricting what kinds of material can be in public and school libraries as a bill moved off the Senate floor yesterday.
GOP State Senators Warren Hamilton and George Burns are the authors of Senate Bill 397, which would divide library material into four age categories: ‘Elementary’, ‘Junior High’, ‘Under 16’, and ‘Juniors and Seniors.’
Materials listed under ‘Juniors and Seniors’ may include material not suitable for minors and would be relegated to a section of the library only accessible to staff. Materials would only be made available to individuals under eighteen if they present written permission from parents or guardians.
The bill also bans any material at libraries that a legal adult “applying contemporary community standards would find has a predominant tendency to appeal to a prurient interest in sex.”
"We know the underlying currents that are in effect right now that are trying their best to stop education from being a process that is open. This is a problem that we are creating, not a problem that is trying to be solved, said Oklahoma City Democrat George Young.
The bill can now be heard in the House.
Love's Travel Stops Founder Dies
The founder of one of Oklahoma’s most iconic businesses has died.
Tom Love, founder of Love’s Travel Stops and Country Stores, died Tuesday at age 85.
In 1964, Tom and his wife, Judy, opened their first store in Watonga. Over the next several decades, their family business grew into a multi-billion dollar company with 600 locations as of last October.
Born in Oklahoma City, Love was involved with the Oklahoma City Thunder, OU and OSU, and multiple charities.
A member of the Chickasaw Nation, Love was inducted into the Chickasaw Hall of Fame in 2019.
Several state elected officials released statements of their condolences on Tuesday.
OK House Republicans Censure OKC Representative
Oklahoma House Republicans are removing Oklahoma City Democrat Mauree Turner from all committee assignments. GOP lawmakers allege Turner “harbored a fugitive” in their office last week.
Republicans voted Tuesday morning to formally censure Turner - the body’s only openly nonbinary representative.
GOP lawmakers allege after last week’s House vote to restrict gender affirming medical care for minors, a transgender person assaulted a Highway Patrol trooper. They say that individual then took refuge in Turner’s office, and Turner refused to hand that person over to authorities.
In response, Turner pleaded with lawmakers to rethink their decision.
"Half of you won’t even look me in the eye. Some of you don’t even acknowledge my existence to this day. But I’m telling you, censuring me on this floor - right? - when we haven’t censured folks who have brought death threats to my office. Those of you who just write ‘kill’ on my bills and give them back, or those of you who ask me what my genitalia is. That’s not impeding on decorum for you, but the fact that I dared to protect Oklahomans, that I provided a space for grace and love in the face of hate, I’m asking you, please don’t censure the people of House District 88"
House Democrats issued a press release condemning the move, stating Turner did not impede law enforcement from their duties.
Daylight Savings Time bill gathers support
Daylight savings time is upon us - but it may not be for long.
There’s renewed support in Congress for the Sunshine Protection Act, which was reintroduced by Marco Rubio of Florida in the Senate.
Last session, the The Senate passed the measure unanimously, but it wasn’t voted on in the House. Here’s Oklahoma U.S. Senator James Lankford, who is a co-sponsor of the bill, in a video he posted on Twitter.
“It has been an issue that I’ve heard over and over again from moms of young kids at how much they hate all the time change stuff because it’s so hard on their kids…We need to actually lock the clock and be able to keep us at one time period on it.”
With bipartisan support and several states who have already adopted their own statewide version of this sort of measure - it remains to be seen if the bill passes during this session.
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Marijuana Vote
Nearly five years ago, voters approved State Question 788, which legalized medical marijuana. Now they’re heading back to the polls to vote on another referendum. This time on cannabis for recreational adult-use.
Voters will decide if Oklahoma will be the newest state to approve recreational marijuana use for adults 21 and older. The state question would impose a 15% excise tax for recreational customers. It would allow people to have up to one ounce of weed for adult use and grow up to six cannabis plants. It would also expunge some marijuana criminal offenses.
Oklahoma would be the 22nd state to legalize recreational pot. Opponents zero in on that, saying there shouldn’t be a patchwork of state regulations throughout the country. The state’s cannabis industry has seen rapid development since 2018 - with more than 7,000 growers, 2,800 dispensaries and 369,000 medical marijuana patients.
Medical Licensing Board
Oklahoma lawmakers are deciding who should regulate doctors and their medical licenses: Industry experts or the state’s top elected officials. A bill to shake up the state medical board is garnering some criticism.
Under current law, the state’s physician trade group - the Oklahoma State Medical Association - nominates doctors for the board, and the governor chooses from that list. If governors don’t like the first batch of names, they can request more. Bartlesville Sen. Julie Daniels argues this gives too much power to the association, and she authored Senate Bill 303 to nix the process. Instead, the governor would directly appoint doctors. The top lawmaker in the House and Senate would get a pick too.
But lawmakers have concerns about inserting politics into medical licensure. So does the president of the state medical association, Dr. David Holden.
"It doesn’t serve the people of Oklahoma. And it doesn’t serve the practice of medicine," he said.
The bill has made it out of committee and it’s waiting for a floor vote.
Criminal Justice Money
A bill that would specify who will manage and calculate funds accrued from a criminal justice reform initiative approved in 2016 passed the Senate unanimously on Monday.
Republican Senator Roger Thompson’s Senate Bill 844 would put the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services in charge of the County Community Safety Investment Fund. The fund was created following the passage of State Questions 780 and 781 in 2016, which reclassified some drug and property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors and designated the money saved from the reclassification would be used to cover the costs of mental health care services in all 77 counties.
Legislators have not put any money into the fund. Instead, they have appropriated money to individual agencies and programs. If passed, Senate Bill 844 would put the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency in charge of calculating the annual savings from the reclassification and providing a report of the amount awarded to each county.
Vehicle Registration
A bill to allow vehicle registration every two years is moving forward. House Bill 2011 would allow vehicle owners to register their vehicles every two years instead of annually. The bill aims to create greater convenience and save time for Oklahomans. The bill directs Service Oklahoma to establish an option for biennial registration for most vehicles. Those choosing biennial registration would pay double what they pay annually. The bill now moves to the state Senate.
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Reuniting Greenwood
A north Tulsa church beats out both the city of Tulsa and the state department of transportation for a federal grant. The North Peoria Church of Christ was awarded $1.6 million from the feds to run a study examining the feasibility of removing the leg of Interstate 244 dividing Greenwood. State Rep. Regina Goodwin said at a meeting Friday she and other community leaders have specific hopes for the approximately 30 acres of land that could be cleared.
Cody Brandt, who studied highway removal at Georgetown University, said the team involved has been discussing how to benefit community members whose houses were taken through eminent domain when the interstate was first built.
Assistant Preacher David Watkins said the church will next review guidelines for the feasibility grant to determine how to move ahead with partnerships.
Energy Lawsuit
The attorney general of Kansas is suing an energy company that's also active in Oklahoma for market manipulation during February 2021's winter storm.
Attorney General Kris Kobach accuses Macquarie Energy, a middleman that deals with natural gas companies, of collecting at least 50 million dollars illegally during Winter Storm Uri. Some of those costs were passed on to Kansas ratepayers. Macquarie also supplied Oklahoma utilities with more than $153 million in fuel in February 2021.
The news of the Kansas lawsuit comes as the Oklahoma Corporation Commission considers hiring an independent investigator to look into 2021 winter storm fuel costs. Commissioner Bob Anthony has criticized the OCC's plan, saying it doesn't go far enough in probing rate hikes and is just window dressing to cover-up corruption.
Transportation Funding
The Association of Central Oklahoma Governments announced almost $44 million in federal funding for transportation projects in and around the Oklahoma City metro.
Most of this federal money is available annually, but the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments had about 9 million extra dollars this year from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act.
Rachel Meinke with the Association says the funding application process for tribes, local governments, schools and transit agencies began last fall.
"We're just really excited to award all of this money to our central Oklahoma municipalities and get some projects that everyone has been wanting to complete, get those started," She said.
Those projects include trails in Yukon and Edmond, a bike-friendly streetcar plan in Oklahoma City, school zone safety upgrades in Choctaw and accessibility improvements in Norman.
Grocery and Income Taxes
A bill to reduce grocery and income taxes is one step closer to becoming a law. Grocery and income tax bills passed out of the appropriations committee late last week.
A bill to eliminate Oklahoma’s 4.5% sales tax on groceries is making its way through the state Legislature. Governor Kevin Stitt says he continues to support the bill authored by House Speaker Charles McCall.
"I just think it's very reasonable. It's a regressive tax to remove the state portion. And if if McCall's bill does that, you know, I think it's I think it's the right thing to do," Stitt said.
Republicans continue to look at ways to cut taxes this session. House Bills 1953 and 1954 have also passed in Committee and are eligible to be heard on the house floor. HB 1953 proposes a quarter percentage point reduction in personal income tax rates - and HB 1954 proposes a half percentage point cut to the income tax rate. Other proposals are still alive. So which tax cuts ultimately pass remains to be seen.
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Rewarding Student Outcomes Act
The state’s A-F school district report card system has taken heat in the past for judging districts by controversial metrics, like chronic absenteeism. The State Senate is looking to reform that program, as well as reward districts for improvement.
Senate Bill 531, the ‘Rewarding Student Outcomes Act,” was authored by Republican Senator Adam Pugh. It does two main things: it changes the A through F district report card system by removing chronic absenteeism from the grading formula and replacing it with climate surveys for students, staff and guardians.
It also would reward schools that achieve at least a one percent increase from the previous year in the number of graduates who are college, career or military ready. The bill defines readiness in a few ways: like attaining certain scores on the ACT, SAT or Advanced Placement tests, as well as earning industry credentials or concurrent college credit, or being accepted for enlistment in the Armed Services.
Districts would get a bonus of $1,500 per student for economically disadvantaged graduates and $500 per student for graduates not economically disadvantaged. The bill passed committee Wednesday and can now be heard on the Senate Floor.
Bill To Strengthen Protections For Consumers Passes Senate
A bill that aims to strengthen protections for consumers is moving forward. Oklahoma Democratic Senator Kay Floyd’s Senate Bill 871, also known as the Oklahoma Consumer Protection Act, would prevent scammers from posing as state agencies to deceive citizens.
"It’s one of the leading forms of scamming in the entire country. So, people will send something out that looks like an official document and we can file this or do that, but it would be a $50 charge or a $100 charge when, in fact, you could go down to, for example, the Secretary of State do the exact same thing, do the exact same filing for free or $25," said Floyd.
According to Floyd, the new legislation will provide more tools for fighting imposter scams, which have become increasingly common and caused consumers to lose over $2.3 billion in 2021. The bill passed unanimously and now goes to the House for consideration.
State Purges More Than 86,000 Voters
In the state’s latest voter purge more than 86,000 voters were removed from the rolls, due to inactivity or duplicate registrations.
The state election board conducts what they call “voter list maintenance” on odd-numbered years. This year, that maintenance was conducted on Jan. 13 and removed nearly 2,900 duplicate voter registrations and more than 83,000 inactive voters.
Oklahoma removed more than 88,000 names from its voter rolls in 2019 - and more than 115,000 in 2021.
Voters are removed after not voting in two consecutive general elections or failing to respond to an address confirmation from the State Election Board.
Voters who are prepping to cast their ballots next week for State Question 820 should check to see if they are still eligible to vote. You can contact your county election board to confirm your registration status.
Cherokee Meat Company To Accept SNAP Benefits
The Cherokee Nation will now accept SNAP at their meat processing facility.
In 2022, more than 400,000 Oklahoma families received SNAP benefits. The program expanded to help families during the pandemic. That expansion ended on March 1.
But, Cherokee Nation will now accept SNAP benefits at their recently opened meat processing facility with discounts available for veterans, and Cherokee Citizens-so they can purchase locally sourced meat sold by the tribal nation.
Cherokee officials say that becoming a SNAP retailer is an important way they can ease food insecurity among tribal citizens.
For more information about Cherokee Nation's meat facility go to their website.
Domestic Abuse relief bill advances
A bill that aims provide post-conviction relief for survivors of domestic violence passed through committee earlier this week.
Republican Representative Toni Hasenbeck’s House Bill 1639 was passed unanimously by the House Judiciary-Criminal Committee on Wednesday.
The bill would create the Oklahoma Domestic Abuse Survivorship Act, which would allow victims of domestic abuse who were incarcerated after committing crimes against their abuser to enter evidence of their abuse at a sentencing mitigation hearing.
The bill also proposes a sentencing range if the court finds them to be a victim of domestic abuse within one year of their crime, including a cap of 10 years regardless of sentence. The bill now moves to the House floor.
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Marijuana Vote Sides
As a special election nears, State Question 820 campaigns are gearing up to get Oklahomans out to vote on March 7th. Three of the state’s leading agriculture organizations recently spoke against the ballot initiative.
The Oklahoma Farm Bureau, the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association and American Farmers and Ranchers are the latest organizations to endorse Protect Our Kids - No 820. The campaign group opposes State Question 820, a ballot initiative that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 and older. Scott Blubaugh is the president of American Farmers and Ranchers. He says the medical marijuana industry has already strained rural infrastructure.
“Marijuana growing facilities require a large amount of water and electricity. Additional growth in the marijuana industry will only make these infrastructure issues worse,” he said.
Meanwhile, Yes on 820 has spent more than $4 million, mostly toward getting the initiative through the petition process and to a statewide ballot. It’s endorsed by groups like the ACLU of Oklahoma and Oklahomans for Criminal Justice reform.
Teacher Bills
The state Senate Appropriations Committee passed several pieces of legislation Wednesday related to the teaching profession.
A few of the bills are geared toward benefitting teachers. Senate Bill 16 is a $7 million ask that would create a two-year pilot program providing grants to public schools to set up childcare programs for district employees. Republican Senator David Bullard, the bill’s author:
"A lot of why we’re looking at this is teacher recruitment and retention. And as you’ll see in there, part of the reporting requirement is, did it do its job on retaining and recruiting new teachers?"
Senate Bill 473 would allow teachers on unpaid leave for holding a national, state or district level office to be able to retain their insurance benefits during that leave period. And as for retirement, Senate Bill 634 would allow educators at retirement to elect to receive a partial lump-sum payment after 20 years of service, which is a reduction from the previous 30-year requirement.
Student Aid for Incarcerated People
A bill that aims to create more education opportunities for incarcerated Oklahomans has lots of support at the state legislature.
Republican Senator David Rader’s Senate Bill 11 was heard in the House for the first time yesterday after passing the Senate 42 to 1 on Tuesday. The bill would amend the Oklahoma Higher Education Tuition Aid Act to allow those incarcerated in state, federal, or private prisons to benefit from the grant program. Currently, being incarcerated disqualifies a person from eligibility. If passed by the House, the bill would take effect on July 1.
Norman Storm Update
The lights are now back on for thousands in Norman following Sunday’s tornado. OG&E says power was restored to all Norman residents at around noon yesterday. Over 9,000 customers were without electricity when the tornado hit.
The National Weather Service has confirmed that at least ten tornadoes spun up during Sunday night's severe weather outbreak across Oklahoma. Two additional areas are still being investigated. The current count of ten tornadoes in February already breaks the previous record of six, which was set in 1975 and 2009.
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Gender-Affirming Care Bill Passes Off House Floor
Conservative Oklahoma lawmakers are working to crack down on gender-affirming health care. One of the several bills to do so passed off the House floor Tuesday.
House Bill 2177 is broad in scope, but supporters tout two major provisions: one that requires Oklahomans to wait until they’re at least 18 to receive care, and another that blocks all public funding from gender-affirming services.
Rep. Kevin West presented the bill Tuesday. He argues it is not discriminatory.
"This has nothing to do with anything to do against the transgender community. This has everything to do with protecting children and protecting state funds," West said.
Another major provision would ban private insurance companies from covering the care — for anyone. Here is the state’s only openly nonbinary member, Rep. Mauree Turner.
"We are saying that if you cannot afford — it doesn't matter if you're 18 or younger — if you cannot afford health care, then you do not have the opportunity to stay in Oklahoma and live your life," said Turner.
The bill passed 80-18 and is headed to the Senate. It’s one of several gender-affirming care bills.
Bill That Would Remove Sales Tax Exemptions For Cannabis Growers, Monitor Their Water Use Moves To Senate Floor
Oklahoma farmers and ranchers are exempt from paying sales tax on many materials and equipment they use in their agriculture. A bill disqualifying cannabis producers from this exemption is advancing to the Senate Floor.
Republican David Bullard of Durant authored Senate Bill 133. He says cannabis producers haven’t been using the exemption to save much money on sales tax. But it prevents the state from monitoring their water use.
"We have no way to know how much water they're tapping into." said Bullard.
The bill would declassify cannabis as an agricultural product and subject producers’ water use to state monitoring.
This exemption has been in place for agricultural goods produced in Oklahoma since 1942. Democratic Sen. Julia Kirt of OKC says she doesn’t think cannabis should be treated differently from other crops.
"If we're going to start assessing businesses around those kinds of metrics. We need to do it for all businesses, not just for medical marijuana businesses," Kirt said.
The Senate Finance Committee approved the bill, which will move on to the full Senate.
New Curfew For Oklahoma City's Bricktown District Passes
Oklahoma City's Bricktown Entertainment District has a new curfew for unaccompanied minors under the age of 18.
The City Council yesterday approved the earlier curfew, lowering it from 11 p.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week.
The new rules take effect immediately and cover Bricktown and Lower Bricktown to the Oklahoma River.
The move is intended to increase safety in the district.
Officials say exceptions will be made for minors who are working or attending an event in the area.
Publicly Funded Catholic Charter School
A question about a publicly funded Catholic charter school is likely headed to court. The school is getting support from Gov. Kevin Stitt.
St. Isidore of Seville is the patron saint of the internet. And the Archdiocese of OKC and diocese of Tulsa want to co-sponsor a virtual private charter school in his name.
The board overseeing virtual charters has shown some reluctance. And Oklahoma’s new Attorney General Gentner Drummond withdrew an opinion issued by his predecessor supporting religious schools funded by taxpayer dollars.
But the school does have support from Gov. Stitt. He wrote Drummond a four-page letter this week calling for support of the school, saying religious liberties guaranteed in the constitution should allow for public funds to go to religious-based education.
Regardless of what anyone does or decides, the fate of the Catholic charter school will likely be decided in the courts.
Early Voting Begins Thursday For March 7 Special Election
Early voting for the March 7 Special Election begins tomorrow. All registered voters will have the opportunity to vote on State Question 820, and some will have local propositions or county questions on the ballot.
In-person early voting will be held from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday at your early voting location. Mail absentee ballots must be received by the County Election Board no later than 7 p.m. on election night.
Voters can view a sample ballot and find their early voting location using the OK Voter Portal at elections.ok.gov.
Former Norman North and OSU alum signs with the OKC Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed former Oklahoma State University and Norman North guard Lindy Waters III to a multi-year contract.
Raised in Norman, Oklahoma, Waters spent four seasons playing for the Oklahoma State Cowboys after playing high school basketball at Norman North.
The 25-year-old will be filling the open roster spot for the Thunder after playing a limited role with the team and on their G-League affiliate the OKC Blue. He’s played in 25 games so far this season, averaging 4.4 points. His contract is reportedly for two years and worth up to $3.8 million.
The six-foot-six guard celebrates his Kiowa and Cherokee heritage and was named “Indian of the Year” in 2018 by the American Indian Exposition, one of the nation’s oldest and largest intertribal celebrations. He is the third Oklahoman to play for the Thunder.
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OK Educators Hall of Fame Reacts To Portrait Removals
The Oklahoma Educators Hall of Fame is firing back after State Superintendent Ryan Walters recently took down all portraits of inductees at the State Department of Education’s building.
Walters reportedly told the Oklahoman newspaper he felt the hall had been highlighting “union bosses” and “association heads” and that he felt the portraits should have been removed “a long time ago.”
In a statement, the Oklahoma Educators Hall of Fame said the portraits represented those who had “broken racial barriers, shattered glass ceilings, challenged the status quo, changed hearts, and filled many, many young minds with the confidence they needed to pursue their hopes and dreams. The very least we can do is honor them in a manner befitting their leadership, service and legacy.”
The portraits were also removed during the tenure of former Superintendent Janet Baresi.
House GOP Call For Oversight On Federal Education Funds
Republican House leaders are calling on State Superintendent Ryan Walters to hire a federal programs director for the State Department of Education. The recommendation comes as nearly $18 million of federal funding is still sitting untouched.
The state’s mishandling of pandemic-era federal education dollars has cast a long shadow on the newest round of funds. The Bridge the Gap Digital Wallet program, for which Superintendent Walters was a key administrator, saw at least $650,000 of federal funds go to non-education-related expenses like TVs and Christmas trees, according to federal auditors.
The state has until January next year to fully spend $17.7 million in new federal education funds that so far haven’t been allotted to any programs. Oklahoma Watch education reporter Jennifer Palmer.
"It’s kind of a ripple effect, because they didn’t handle the first batch well enough, and they’re trying to get better processes in place," Palmer said. "But it’s holding up the second batch of funds that we may or may not be able to spend in time."
Now House education committee chairs Mark McBride and Rhonda Baker want Walters to bring in an expert to handle the money. The lawmakers say without these dollars, students will lack vital classroom materials and many will go hungry.
Cheyenne Tornado Fatality/Damage
One weather-related death in Cheyenne has been confirmed following severe weather that befell the state on Sunday night.
Family members identified the deceased as Billy Trammell.
Additionally, five homes in Cheyenne have been deemed a total loss and several others have roof damage. The National Weather Service continues their damage survey around the state today.
Oklahoma County Jail Inmate Dies
An Oklahoma County Jail inmate died Monday morning at a hospital.
According to jail officials, 69-year-old Kenneth Parrott was hospitalized Feb. 18 for preexisting medical issues and later died.
The State Medical Examiner’s Office will make a final determination as to the cause of death.
This is the jail’s second detainee death this year. Sixteen inmates died last year.
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Severe Storms Impact Thousands of Oklahomans
Severe thunderstorms brought strong straight-line winds and multiple tornados to the central plains late Sunday night. The storms damaged homes and left thousands without power.
As the line of storms moved across the plains, it generated roughly 50 tornado warnings in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas, including a damaging tornado that reportedly stayed on the ground for 15 miles east of Norman. The National Weather Service confirmed 114 mile-per-hour winds in the Texas panhandle.
The storm blew over powerlines, trees and tractor trailers, but injury numbers are unclear. Utilities companies say nearly 70,000 households in Oklahoma lost power, mostly in the western and central parts of the state.
For updates on power outages in your area, visit poweroutage.us.
City of Norman addresses storm damage
Norman city officials held a press briefing this morning following last night's severe weather that left a number of homes and businesses damaged.
Chief Kevin Foster with the city Police Department said, as of this morning, 12 weather-related injuries were reported, however, none of them were life-threatening. Foster says help is available for those impacted.
The city has set up a resource center at the 12th Ave. Rec Center located at 1701 12th Ave. NE.
The Red Cross and the Health Department will both be there to staff that. City officials remind residents to stay away from downed power lines. Updates on road closures and other storm related news will be posted on the city's website at NormanOK.gov.
Tulsa Race Massacre Survivors Renew Push for Reparations
In a video message at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s discussion in Tulsa on Saturday, Congressman Hank Johnson of Georgia announced in a video message that he plans to reintroduce the Tulsa-Greenwood Massacre Claims Accountability Act.
The bill would provide the remaining survivors of the massacre and the descendants of survivors and those killed access to the courts despite statute of limitations
Today’s community conversation about building Black power, building power in Black Tulsa, is a topic that just won’t go away until it’s finally dealt with.
As many as 300 people may have been killed in the race massacre, in which a white mob razed Tulsa’s Greenwood District, considered at the time to be a prosperous Black neighborhood, in 1921. The three living survivors of the massacre are currently suing for reparations.
Inmate Dies at the Cleveland County Jail
The first detainee death in the Cleveland County jail of 2023 occurred late last week.
44-year-old Joe Allen Sims Jr. was found unresponsive from an apparent hanging in his cell at the Cleveland County jail on Friday afternoon.
The Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations are investigating his death and the Medical Examiner’s Office will determine an official cause of death.
This follows the resignation of two high-ranking jail officials last month - Deputy Chief Scott Sebrook, who was in charge of overseeing all jail operations, and Major Dennis Hansen, who was an administrator in charge of support services. The month prior, one woman was found dead in her jail cell and another died after being transported to a hospital for a medical emergency. Their deaths are also under investigation.
Capitol Insider: Attorney General Withdraws Opinion for Misusing Religious Liberty
During the latest edition of Capitol Insider, KGOU general manager Dick Pryor talks with Quorum Call Publisher Shawn Ashley about public funding for religious charter schools, bills to crack down on drag performances, and efforts to ‘box-in’ new state schools superintendent Ryan Walters. Ashley also looks ahead to the coming week.
"Thursday is the deadline for bills to be heard in a committee of their chamber of origin. House bills and joint resolutions in a House committee. And Senate bills and joint resolutions in a Senate committee. It will be a fast-paced week as members work to move their proposals on to the next step in the legislative process," said Ashley.
Stay up to date with the latest in Oklahoma politics, policy and government with our weekly Capitol Insider podcast available now on KGOU.org and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Stitt announces opposition during press conference
Oklahoma lawmakers have introduced a handful of bills to decentralize some of Governor Kevin Stitt's authority over state agencies.
They're working to change his oversight and appointment authority on the State Board of Education, the Veterans Commission and Tourism Department.
The measures all have a long road to becoming law, and Stitt expressed his opposition to them at a press conference today. He says he needs as much authority as possible to govern.
"I take that very seriously, to put my vision and my values on boards and commissions to help run state government."
Stitt lobbied lawmakers to give him more control of state agencies when first elected in 2019. He considers that growth of his power to be one of his signature accomplishments.
House leaders respond to Walters' comments
Republican leaders are firing back after they say State Superintendent Ryan Walters disparaged Oklahoma’s higher education system at a Thursday State Board of Education meeting.
Walters’ remarks came at the end of the meeting.
"I have great concerns about our state universities, of, are they doing the role that’s properly necessary for our young people? Are they setting up our young people to be successful in the workforce, or are they worried about ideology? Makes me question whether we should continue to be recommending young people go into these universities," said Walters.
And soon after, Republican Reps. Rhonda Baker, Mark McBride and Anthony Moore issued a statement condemning the superintendent’s comments, clarifying he has no authority over universities and colleges - which are overseen by the State Regents. The representatives all chair education-related committees. “We implore the state superintendent to focus on the job he was elected to do, which includes supporting increased outcomes for the children and the educators in our pre-K through 12 classrooms.”
Oklahoma receives a failing grade for lead monitoring
An environmental advocacy group examined lead in schools across America, and it assigned Oklahoma a failing grade on its efforts to block the contaminant.
Environment America Research and Policy Center is a federation of advocacy organizations across the country. It released a report that takes a look at lead policies in schools - such as filter requirements, the quality of plumbing infrastructure and testing frequency.
The report assigned Oklahoma an F grade. It says Oklahoma has no state laws or regulatory requirements to address lead in schools’ drinking water. The state did get partial credit for having a voluntary EPA-funded testing program. States that received high grades have policies in place such as mandatory lead filters on water fountains, testing required in all schools and readily accessible lead-level data.
New poll says Oklahoma voters support pausing executions
A new poll indicates a majority of Oklahoma voters support pausing executions in the state.
State lawmakers and pro-life faith leaders met with the Oklahoma chapter of Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty at the State Capitol on Wednesday to call for a moratorium on the practice.
Demetrius Minor, the national manager for the organization, shared new poll data collected by local polling firm Cole Hargrave Snodgrass and Associates which shows 78% of Oklahoma voters support pausing executions in the state.
"I believe that these results say clearly, confidently, and concisely that it is time for the state of Oklahoma to put into place a moratorium for the use of the death penalty," said Minor.
Republican Rep. Kevin McDugle said he does not expect the Legislature to pass a bill instating a moratorium this session and the only other option is for Gov. Kevin Stitt to issue one himself.
Oklahoma Gas And Electric reports profit for 2022
Oklahoma Gas and Electric has announced a profit for 2022. According to The Oklahoman, the utility company had a profit of nearly $440 million dollars last year, an 18% increase over the previous year, despite total operating revenue dropping.
OG&E raised its customers’ bills by nearly $23 per month through four separate increases, though executives made no direct connection between these increases and the company's profits. A spokesperson said most of the increases were due to higher fuel costs and that the company could not profit on fuel purchases.
OG&E attributed its higher profits to increased power sales due to economic growth and more hot days, as well as recouping money on its capital investments.
Red River Rivalry kickoff time
In a recent town hall forum, University of Texas Athletic Director Chris Del Conte said he has asked SEC officials about moving the annual Oklahoma vs. Texas football game to a later start time. For 14 of the last 16 years, the game has been played at 11a.m. in the midst of the State Fair of Texas in Dallas.
“I love the state fair… the game… one of the things I did ask the southeastern conference about, I’d love to move that game to 2:30 p.m. ABC, 2:30 p.m., that would be awesome," said Conte.
While nothing is set in stone regarding any time change, Del Conte confirmed that the Red River Showdown will remain in the Cotton Bowl for at least the next 3 years.
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Drag Bill Protest
Hundreds of people met at the State Capitol on Wednesday to protest proposed legislation that would ban certain drag performances from being held in public.
The hundreds of protesters who gathered outside the House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday booed as they saw Republican Representative Kevin West’s House Bill 2186 pass with a vote of 5-2.
The original language of the bill would have outright banned drag performances, including drag queen story hours, from being held in public where minors could see them. However, the amended bill specifies such performances cannot be “harmful to minors”, which under Oklahoma statute includes nudity, sexual conduct or sexual excitement, or sadomasochistic abuse.
Freedom Oklahoma Executive Director Nicole McAfee says the message the bill sends is harmful to LGBTQ+ Oklahomans.
"We know this rhetoric extends harm to all of our two-spirit, transgender, and gender-nonconforming community," McAfee said.
Busty Springfield, a drag performer and founder of a drag queen story hour in Norman, said story hours provide safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth.
"I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for us to provide safe spaces for young queer people and their parents and their families to better understand themselves and who they are," Springfield said.
The bill now moves to the House floor, which McAfee said opponents will continue to try to disrupt.
Tribal Taxes
One tribal citizen's case against state taxation is headed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court, and three tribal nations have thrown their support behind her.
The Cherokee Nation, Choctaw Nation and the Chickasaw Nation have asked the Oklahoma Supreme Court to exempt tribal citizens living and working within their own reservations from personal state income taxes.
They’re doing it in court via a case that centers on Alicia Stroble, a Muscogee Nation citizen who lives within her tribe’s reservation and works for a tribally owned business. Stroble filed for a refund of her state taxes from 2017-2019. Last fall, the Oklahoma State Tax commission rejected her request.
The three tribal nations filing an amicus brief cited two Supreme Court Cases explaining why Stroble shouldn’t have to pay state taxes-including the landmark McGirt vs. Oklahoma that said the Muscogee Nation's reservation was never disestablished.
Education Legislation
Oklahoma’s House of Representatives approved a pair of education measures Wednesday. House Bills 2775 and 1935 are the centerpieces of House Speaker Charles McCall’s $500 million education reform plan that features teacher raises and tax credits for private school families. Lawton Representative Trey Caldwell said the measure will help public schools across the state.
"These sister bills give us an opportunity to let every child in the state of Oklahoma win. Not a single school in the state of Oklahoma, if these sister bills pass, will receive less money than they did today," Caldwell said.
The House spent hours on questions and debate about the bills’ specifics related to tax credits. Republicans say many of those would be determined by the Oklahoma Tax Commission. Democrats like Representative Forrest Bennett bristled at the uncertainty.
"When we're going to send half a billion dollars into this program, I think we probably could have figured it out a little bit more specifically," Bennett said.
The bills passed overwhelmingly with Republican support, now they move on to the senate.
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Oklahoma ACCESS Turnpike Anniversary
Today marks one year since the Stitt administration announced it would embark on its 15-year, $5 billion ACCESS Oklahoma Turnpike program. Here's where the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority’s highly-contested project stands today and how much further it has to go.
"...Such an exciting announcement for Oklahoma infrastructure," said Gov. Kevin Stitt.
Feb. 22, 2022, hundreds of residents learned their homes may be bulldozed to make way for new toll roads. And even though Stitt said the routes wouldn’t affect many — "It’s really just farmland, pastureland, so you’re not disrupting," he said.
Residents disagreed.
Soon, the opposition group Pike Off OTA was formed. And since, it hasn’t been smooth sailing for ACCESS. One lawsuit from Pike Off challenges how the OTA interprets its legislative authorization for certain ACCESS routes, and that one’s tied up in the State Supreme Court.
Another lawsuit alleges the agency violated the state’s Open Meeting Act by using vague wording in agendas for meetings that approved the project. Though a district judge sided with Pike Off, the OTA appealed and another hearing is set for March 3.
And, lawmakers are pushing a flurry of bills this session to put guardrails on the OTA, like requiring a vote of approval from affected homeowners before a project can be authorized and ending the agency’s practice of using revenue from one turnpike to fund another.
School Safety Bill
A bill aimed at reducing school vulnerabilities is heading to the Oklahoma Senate floor.
Sen. Dewayne Pemberton of Muskogee filed Senate Bill 100 after chairing a bipartisan School Safety Working Group.
Pemberton says Oklahoma’s school sites and Career Techs need to be assessed to make sure facilities are as safe as possible - and that there needs to be proper administrative protocols in place to address any emergency.
The bill would require each school district to have a risk and vulnerability assessment by the Oklahoma School Security Institute - which would need to be completed by July 2026.
Pemberton says the OSSI would also need to hire more people to complete the assessment over the next three years, which is estimated to cost $1.4 million per year.
The bill heads to the full Senate for consideration.
House Gun Bills
Two bills expanding the circumstances under which handguns are allowed to be carried in certain places are advancing through the state House.
Two of Republican Representative Kevin McDugal’s bills allowing for certain people to be authorized to carry handguns in some city and town buildings and in schools passed through the House Public Safety Committee on Monday.
House Bill 2136 would allow municipalities to authorize certain employees or public officials with valid handgun licenses to carry concealed or unconcealed firearms when acting in the scope and course of their employment.
House Bill 2139 would allow those with a valid handgun license to be authorized by the board of education to carry a handgun on school property.
The bills will now move to the House floor for further consideration.
Maternal Mortality Reporting Legislation
Oklahoma ranks among the worst states in the country for maternal mortality, but data on those deaths is difficult to compile. StateImpact’s Catherine Sweeney reports a bill making its way through the Legislature now could make it easier.
There are a host of reasons getting those statistics has been hard. Both the federal and state government rely on death certificate information. Those certificates can take several months to be released.
The state department of health oversees a committee that reviews maternal mortality. They look at all death records for women between the ages of 10 and 59 to see if the medical provider indicated a pregnancy-related condition in the certificate.
Rep. Cynthia Roe authored House Bill 2152, which passed out of its first committee hearing on Tuesday.
"This would require a hospital or birthing center to, ya know, report these deaths in a timely fashion so they can be investigated," said Roe.
It would also order the medical examiner to investigate all deaths of women who were either pregnant or had delivered a baby within the past year.
Potential Hunting, Fishing License Increases
Oklahoma hunting and fishing licenses have been the same price for at least 20 years. But that could soon change.
The Oklahoma legislature is considering a bill to raise and change some fees for hunting and fishing licensure.
Senate Bill 941 updates the state’s fee structure and directs the Wildlife and Conservation Commission to prepare a report every five years to potentially allow the legislature to raise fees again.
Sen. David Bullard is the bill’s sponsor. He says the bill also reduces the number of hunting and fishing licenses, consolidating what you get for purchasing a hunting or fishing license.
"It combines 46 licenses down into 14. That’s a smart move," said Bullard.
The measure passed out of committee this week, but still has a long way to go before it reaches the governor’s desk.
Cherokee Nation election candidates face challenges
The Cherokee Nation's election season is heating up, but candidates running for district seats are receiving some challenges.
The Cherokee Phoenix first reported that Cherokee Nation election officials have set a hearing date for Joseph Byrd's challenger.
Byrd is running for district three seat. That hearing is set for February 27th.
Byrd, who is Cherokee and Quapaw, is currently the Business Committee Chairman for the Quapaw Nation-a position he was recently re-elected to last summer. He lives in Tahlequah.
One of his opponents, Brandon Girty, filed the challenge. Four others are also running for a seat in the district.
Byrd's father Joe Byrd senior served as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation in 1995 and succeeded Wilma Mankiller.
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Child Abuse VPO Bill
The state Senate has passed a bill that aims to protect child abuse victims from their abusers.
Republican Sen. Casey Murdock’s Senate Bill 291 was passed unanimously on Monday. The bill would add victims of child abuse to the list of people who are eligible for victim protective orders, which currently includes victims of domestic abuse, stalking, harassment, and rape.
Under the provisions of the bill, an adult could file on the behalf of a minor who is the victim of child abuse, which is in line with current rules for obtaining VPOs for minors.
The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for further consideration. If approved, the bill would take effect on Nov. 1.
Clinton Hospital Closure Update
Since the start of the year, Clinton residents have been without a hospital following Alliance Health's decision not to renew its lease for the city-owned facility. Now, the hospital is now taking first steps toward reopening.
The hospital recently went through a preliminary state inspection with additional ones to follow to determine what modifications will be needed to bring the facility up to code. And there is some encouraging news. A spokesperson for Carrus Health says the state’s inspection went well, and that the hospital's condition was better than anticipated. This could potentially reduce the time required to get the hospital up to code and open again.
According to the Clinton Daily News, Carrus plans to reopen the hospital in phases. The first phase will include the emergency room, surgical unit and all outpatient services. Although a specific opening date for the first phase is still to be determined, an urgent care facility providing minor medical care is expected to open soon.
Chickasaw Nation Medical Center Expansion
The Chickasaw Nation is set to expand its medical center. Construction began last week to add new services to the tribal nation's campus in Ada.
The construction project includes an expansion of Chickasaw Nation's surgery department, a new administration building, an employee gym and a parking garage.
The 12,000 square-foot surgery addition will include new operating rooms to reduce wait times for patients seeking care.
Chickasaw Nation Medical Center opened in 2010 and served more than 1.2 million patients last year.
State Tourism Department searching for new food vendors
Oklahoma State Parks are looking for new restaurants. Oklahoma severed ties with Swadley’s Bar-B-Q last year, following investigations by OSBI and state lawmakers, and lawsuits filed by each party.
State investigators scrutinized massive management payments, bigtime construction costs and oversized reimbursement fees paid to Swadley’s for operating state park restaurants.
Now, other restaurants are seeking to take over dining rooms from Beaver’s Bend to Roman Nose in a half dozen state parks across the state.
This is part of a Request for Proposal process that will be led by the state. Interested vendors have until March 3rd to submit their proposals.
Stanley Rother Shrine
A massive new shrine honoring Stanley Rother – the first American Catholic martyr is now open.
The Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine in Oklahoma City opened last week with a Mass.
The shrine has a 2,000-seat sanctuary, a visitor center, gift shop and a small chapel serving as Rother's final resting place.
The archdiocese’s goal is to serve a growing hispanic community on OKC’s Southside with the centrally located church.
“We gather here to honor the God who created all of this and the God who is glorified in his saints. We honor blessed Stanley because we are giving glory to God," said Archbishop Paul Coakley memorializing Rother during his homily.
Rother was born in Okarche. The 46-year-old priest was killed in Guatemala in 1981, becoming the first person born in the United States to be declared a martyr by the Catholic Church.
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Budget surplus money
Lawmakers are getting an extra two billion dollars to spend in the coming budget.
According to the Associated Press, the Board of Equalization certified $12.6 billion for the Legislature in the fiscal year beginning July 1.
The state also has more than a billion dollars stashed away in its Rainy Day Fund and $700 million appropriated last year to help lure a manufacturing facility to Oklahoma.
Lawmakers must craft a budget for the 2024 fiscal year by the end of the legislative session on May 26.
Oklahoma sees drought improvement
Recent moisture has made a considerable impact in mitigating Oklahoma's drought situation.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, only 36% of the state is experiencing extreme drought or worse, which is a significant decrease from the previous week's 56%.
You could divide the state along the I-44 corridor—extreme drought to the north and west with conditions generally improving as you move southeast. State Climatologist Gary McManus says while 80% of the state is still in at least moderate drought, that's the lowest percentage it's been since July 19th. He emphasized the significance of receiving this moisture since the next few weeks are expected to be drier.
Five Moons Ballerinas
The U.S. Mint released a new $1 coin this month, featuring five Native American women known as the ‘Five Moons Ballerinas.’
The U.S. Mint is featuring Osage ballerina Maria Tallchief and the rest of the ‘Five Moons Ballerinas,’ on this year's $1 coin.
Born in Fairfax, Oklahoma, Tallchief was a world class ballerina who performed alongside her sister Marjorie and three other Native American dancers in the early 20th century.
The other side of the gold coin will feature Sacagawea carrying her infant son Jean Baptiste, as it has in the past.
Maria Tallchief is also slated to be on a newly minted quarter later this year as part of the American Women's Quarters Program. Former Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Wilma Mankiller debuted on a quarter as part of the program last year.
#1 ranked Oklahoma softball team suffers first defeat of 2023
As Voice of Oklahoma Softball announcer, Chris Plank, relayed, a 4 run third inning is all it took for unranked Baylor to defeat National Championship favorite Oklahoma on Saturday.
Despite out-hitting the bears, timely pitching kept the powerful OU offense at bay. The loss is just the 8th in the last 3 years for the Sooners, who’ve amassed 123 wins in the same span.
In a team twitter post, Head Coach Patty Gasso remarked, “What just happened is extremely valuable. What's valuable is the response, the rebound and the extra work that is going to be put in to make us better.”
This weekend, the Sooners head to California for the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, where they will face #2 UCLA among several others for tournament number 3 of 6 this season. OU softball will also see Baylor again in Waco.
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Public School Funding Increase
The Oklahoma House of Representatives is looking to give public schools a $500 million funding increase.
The $500 million increase is divided up like this: $150 million would go to across-the-board $2,500 teacher raises. These raises would be added to what teachers are currently being paid, rather than other proposals that adjust the minimum salary schedule.
$50 million would go to districts with below-average funding from local tax revenue; and $300 million would be distributed to schools based on their attendance size, with a cap at $2 million per district.
And that money could be used for a host of district expenses, like upping support staff salaries or adding more to that teacher raise, new curriculum, facility expansions, and student support services, to name a few.
Like all proposals, bills have to pass through the legislative process before they can become law.
Private School Tax Credit
Last year, vouchers for families to pay private school tuition were the talk of the legislative session. But House Speaker Charles McCall opposed the measure and it never passed.
Now, McCall is proposing a tax credit system instead that would allow families to receive up to $5,000 in tax deductions for paying for educational services like private school tuition.
The idea met some resistance from Democrats like Tulsa’s Melissa Provenzano as it was heard in the House Appropriations and Budget Committee Thursday.
"With this bill, we’re creating two systems and tracks for kids: the public schools who take everyone and the private schools who pick and choose. If we do this to our state, we will deepen the divide between our kids in poverty and the kids who can use this bill as a coupon for a discount on tuition," said Provenzano
The GOP supermajority in the committee passed the measure despite the Democratic resistance. It can now be heard on the House Floor.
- Read more about this story here.
More Jail Medical Releases
The Oklahoma County jail is seeking more medical releases for seriously ill inmates in an effort to reduce inmate deaths.
After 16 inmates died in the Oklahoma County jail last year, the jail has increased the number of medical own-recognizance bonds it requests for inmates who need medical attention beyond what the jail can provide.
Interim CEO Maj. Brandi Garner says medical OR bonds are an important part of jail population management.
"You can’t just take what you get from the arrest on the street. You really need to look at the individual and see if jail is really the appropriate place for them," said Garner.
In January, the jail requested 30 medical OR bonds and was granted 19 compared to the five requested and two granted in October and November of last year combined.
AG takes over drug trafficking prosecution of former Stitt adviser
Oklahoma’s Attorney General is taking over the drug trafficking prosecution of a former Governor Kevin Stitt adviser.
Attorney Matt Stacy is charged with 13 felonies for helping out-of-state investors set up cannabis grow operations in Garvin County.
Before that, he worked as an adviser for the Stitt administration’s COVID-19 hospital surge plan and was appointed to a science and innovation council by the governor.
State narcotics officials allege Stacy set up fraudulent schemes with international drug trafficking organizations and engaged in “industrial-scale black-market marijuana manufacturing and trafficking.”
This is another high profile case Attorney General Gentner Drummond has taken on since assuming office. And not the first of someone who has connections to Stitt.
NBA All-Star Game
NBA All-Star Weekend kicks off tonight in Salt Lake City.
It’s the first All-Star Game appearance for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who becomes the first Thunder player to earn that honor since Chris Paul three seasons ag
The young Thunder star has had a career season thus far, averaging more than 30 points per game and leading the league in total free throws made.
Joining him this weekend are Thunder teammates Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams, who will both compete in tonight’s Jordan Rising Stars showcase.
OKC heads into the weekend holding onto the last playoff play-in spot in the Western Conference.
Raises for Elected Officials
Oklahoma lawmakers have advanced a bill to give statewide elected officials a raise.
The pay increase wouldn't go into effect during the current term of any of Oklahoma's 11 statewide elected offices, but would begin after the next election. For many that's in 2026.
The measure passed through the House Appropriations and Budget Committee and now moves to the House floor.
If it passes in the senate and Gov. Kevin Stitt signs it, he wouldn't benefit. He's term-limited. But his successor would be paid $190,000 annually, up from the current governor's salary of $147,000.
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Dust Health Advisory
Recent high-speed winds have kicked up so much dust it triggered state environmental regulators to issue a health advisory for Oklahomans Wednesday.
The state’s department of environmental quality issued an air quality health advisory for people across southwest and central Oklahoma after an extremely windy day. Many counties saw gusts over fifty-miles-per-hour and wind from dry western states blew dirt and dust particles into the Sooner state.
Erin Hatfield is the communications director for the DEQ and she says air quality health advisories are issued in real-time and the state’s drought doesn’t help the air quality.
“Certainly, if we know we're having a drought and we're going to have high wind, that's always a possibility. And then as we get into those summer months, then there's an increased possibility of having these air quality health advisories,” she said.
The DEQ’s most recent health advisory encourages people with respiratory or heart issues to limit their time outside until the windy weather blows out of town.
Transgender Healthcare Ban
The Oklahoma Legislature took another step toward banning gender affirming healthcare for transgender youth Wednesday. The state senate voted overwhelmingly to pass a bill that would ban transgender youth healthcare interventions like hormone therapy and surgery.
Senate Bill 613 by Bartlesville Republican Julie Daniels would punish doctors found in violation of the law by having their licenses revoked and charging them with a felony that could result in up to $100,000 in fines or ten years in prison.
On the Senate Floor, lawmakers battled over their ideals. Some, like Shawnee Republican Shane Jett, compared gender affirming care for kids to parental abuse.
"We have some parents who chain up their little baby boy and put him in a cage. This happened, I’m not making this up. We have parents who kill their children," he said.
Oklahoma City Democrat Carri Hicks spoke directly to her constituents: "To the families who have reached out time and time again as their children are being attacked by this body in our words and in our deeds: I do not condone the actions of my colleagues who would seek to deny your mere existence by denying you access to best medical treatments - safe medical treatments."
The bill now heads to the House.
Electricity Choice
A state lawmaker has filed a bill that aims to bring competition to Oklahoma's electricity market. The measure hopes to reduce prices for consumers.
Rep. Ryan Martinez’s House Bill 1602 would give business owners and homeowners the option to choose their electricity provider, rather than having one assigned based on geography. If the measure passes, commercial and industrial customers currently within the territories of OG&E or PSO would be given the option to purchase electricity from other vendors beginning in January 2025, with residential consumers following in 2027.
The proposal has drawn criticism from the utilities, but has been endorsed by the Alliance for Electrical Restructuring in Oklahoma, with supporters arguing it will increase competition and reduce prices for consumers.
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Bills aimed at retaining and recruiting Oklahoma teachers
With enrollment in Oklahoma teaching programs dwindling, the state is struggling to helm its classrooms with traditionally certified educators. Two bills recently proposed are aimed at retaining and recruiting Oklahoma teachers.
Representatives Mark McBride of Moore and Rhonda Baker of Yukon are the authors of House Bill 2559. It would expand eligibility for an existing scholarship that gives education students up to $5500 to teach in Oklahoma after they graduate.
We have over 2,000 people currently that have applied for the scholarship since July. So it's pretty large. It's working.”
McBride and Baker also authored House Bill 2558, which would give teachers who receive their National Board Certification a $5000 annual bonus rather than the existing $1100 salary bump. Both bills have passed the House Appropriations & Budget Subcommittee for Education.
Oklahoma City Council election results
Valentine’s Day was also election day for many Oklahomans, KGOU has those results.
In Oklahoma City, Mark Stonecipher was reelected in Ward 8. JoBeth Hamon was able to keep her seat in Ward 6 over challenger Marek Cornett in a race that got pretty contentious.
Ward 5 will be decided in an April runoff. There were a couple of interesting races for the Norman City Council. In Ward 5 there will be a runoff between incumbent Rarchar Tortorello and Michael Nash, who are both against turnpike expansion in the Norman area.
There was a legal question over whether Ward 3 Councilman Kelly Lynn could continue to serve in that role after an appointment as a judge. But he lost his reelection bid, bringing an end to that controversy.
Bond proposals pass in Norman, Stillwater and Mustang
Voters across Oklahoma also considered a number of school bond proposals yesterday. In Mustang, Norman and Stillwater, they approved them overwhelmingly. In Norman, the package will pay for a new football stadium for Norman North and renovations at Norman High’s stadium. In Mustang and Stillwater, students will get new classrooms and other facilities. Passage means bond issues are very popular in the communities that approve them. In Oklahoma 60 percent of voters must approve a local school bond issue for it to pass.
Thousands of Oklahomans to lose Medicaid coverage
The federal government is rolling back some Medicaid policies that kept hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans covered throughout the pandemic, and in response, SoonerCare officials are now working to avoid coverage gaps.
In early 2020, the federal government created a policy that allowed anyone who enrolled in Medicaid during the pandemic to stay on it, even if they’ve lost eligibility - usually by getting a raise or new job that makes their income too high. That policy stops at the end of March. Secretary of Health Kevin Corbett says that’s going to mean a big drop in enrollment.
At this point in time, about 300,000 individuals by our estimation are no longer eligible.
That’s of the 1.3 million currently enrolled. The state is going to phase these people out of the program instead of suddenly dropping them. Corbett says many of the adults who lost eligibility already have traditional health insurance, so they’ll be the first to lose that coverage. Next will be adults who haven’t been using their benefits. Some have lost eligibility because of paperwork issues, so the Oklahoma Health Care Authority is urging members to get in touch and ensure their documents are up to date.
Curfew for minors proposed for Bricktown
Young visitors to Oklahoma City’s Bricktown might have to call it a night a little bit earlier due to a new curfew proposal for the entertainment district.
Under a proposal to the Oklahoma City Council, minors would need to clear out of Bricktown by 9 p.m. The current curfew in the area is 11 p.m., and OKC’s city-wide curfew for anyone under 18 is a minute after midnight during the week and 1 am on weekends.
Bricktown’s business association supports the move, saying it will increase safety in the district. City officials say they still hope young people will go to Bricktown, but will leave earlier to return to their families or engage in “other youth-oriented activities.”
The ordinance is due to have a public hearing before council on February 23rd and would be up for a full vote on March 14th. It would go into effect immediately upon approval.
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Black History Day at Oklahoma Capitol
Throngs of people flooded the State Capitol Monday to take part in the first Black History Day held there. Education reform was a common topic, in response to the legislature’s focus on diversity discussions in the classroom.
Civil rights activists, artists, students and community leaders spoke and performed to a packed rotunda at the Capitol. After 2021’s House Bill 1775, Oklahoma’s so-called Critical Race Theory ban, Black community leaders called attention to concerns of stifling historical discussion in the classroom.
"It might not be taught to you in the classroom, but it doesn’t make any difference. ‘Cause we can teach ourselves our history," said Marilyn Luper Hildreth, daughter of civil rights icon Clara Luper.
Oklahoma City rapper and activist Jabee spoke pointedly.
"White Republicans in this state have decided to make our classrooms, our teachers and our children their battleground — their battleground for racism," said Jabee.
Lawmakers are considering more classroom content restrictions this session.
Contention at Tulsa Public Schools Board meeting over civics course
Concerns about violating Oklahoma's law governing teachings surrounding race and sex a second time loomed over the Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education as its members considered adopting a civics curriculum this week.
The board was deadlocked in a 3-3 vote over a civics curriculum from Generation Citizen at its Monday night meeting, thus defeating the adoption of the curriculum. Board member Jerry Griffin raised concerns that it would lead the district to another House Bill 1775 violation. House Bill 1775 prohibits school districts from teaching anything intended to make people uncomfortable on the basis of race or sex.
In 2022, TPS' accreditation was lowered to “accredited with warning” after a state Department of Education attorney determined they violated the law. District Superintendent Deborah Gist disagreed with Griffin. DG: I have no concerns with it being anything other than completely consistent with state law and with all of the efforts that each of us share. Griffin still expressed concern that teachers could use the curriculum to violate the law.
According to Generation Citizen's website, the non-profit organization (quote) "engages in advocacy and policy work" in an attempt to build demand for what it calls "action civics."
Congenital syphilis legislation
Oklahoma has seen its rate of congenital syphilis soar. Lawmakers are considering a bill that could get those babies help before they’re born.
For decades, syphilis seemed all but eradicated. But ten years ago, new cases started to skyrocket. That included cases in newborns, who contract the bacterial infection while passing through the birth canal.
The CDC estimates that from 2016 to 2020, the rate of babies born with syphilis in Oklahoma went up by nearly 2,000%. Back in 2016, congenital syphilis was rare. And by 2020, Oklahoma ranked 5th in the nation for babies born with the disease.
State law requires medical providers to test pregnant patients for syphilis once — at the beginning of the pregnancy. Public health and medical experts have been pushing for more screening throughout pregnancy.
Senate Bill 292, filed by Midwest City Senator Brenda Stanley, would up that requirement to three times in pregnancy, including right before delivery. The bill advanced out of the Senate health committee last week.
Oklahoma Attorney General rejects legality of Governor’s appointments to the Veteran’s Commission
Oklahoma’s Attorney General says Governor Kevin Stitt failed to follow the law when making new appointments to the Oklahoma Veteran’s Commission.
In August of 2022, Larry Van Schuyver, who after serving nine years on the commission, was removed by Governor Stitt. That removal opened up a lawsuit as well as an empty seat.
Now, Attorney General Gentner Drummond says the new appointments Governor Stitt has made since then are unlawful, since Stitt did not follow the proper procedure of selecting from lists provided by veteran’s groups.
Governor Stitt claims the groups were ineligible to submit nominees because they failed to comply with an audit requirement. Attorney General Drummond says the audit is only required every three years upon the expiration of a commissioner’s term.
If a member is removed prior to the expiration of their term, as is the current situation, then the nominee must be selected from the lists provided by the veteran’s organizations.
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Oklahoma lawmaker sells her house to Oklahoma Turnpike Authority
A state lawmaker was paid one-hundred-thousand-dollars above the appraised value of her home to sell it to the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.
The Oklahoman newspaper reports state representative Sherrie Conley of Newcastle was the first to sell her house to the turnpike authority after she noticed it was within an expansion route.
Appraisers visited Conley’s house a week after the turnpike authority revealed its $5 billion expansion plan last year called Access Oklahoma. Conley is one of only nine landowners that sold their property to the turnpike authority last year.
She was paid more than one-hundred thousand-dollars over the appraised home value, given nearly $26,000 in moving expenses and gets to live in her home rent free for a year.
While OTA records show they have a history of paying more than the appraised home value, critics are skeptical of the agency’s early acquisition of the home of a lawmaker who also sits on the House’s transportation committee.
Osage Designer at NY Fashion Week
Sky Eagle design is making their debut at New York Fashion Week. OPMX's Allison Herrera spoke with the Osage citizen behind the company and has more.
Dante Biss Grayson started Sky Eagle in 2019. He studied fine art in Spain and Holland and was originally a painter.. But he put his art career on hold after joining the military and returned to it as a way to cope with PTSD. Eventually, his artistic practice became a way for him to raise awareness about issues affecting Native people. He labels his brand as New Native Fashion
"The patterns are like plainswork ribbon work and its really like modernized and contemporary and for everybody to enjoy-not just Natives," said Biss Grayson.
Biss Grayson has shown in Santa Fe during the annual Indian Market and, he's set to make his debut at New York Fashion week. Models will be wearing his line of dresses, shoes, ribbon skirts, scarves and jewelry.
NYFW is one of the four major fashion weeks globally, followed by Milan, London and Paris.
Oklahoma lawmakers consider value of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in public schools and state universities
Education remains a popular topic going into the upcoming legislative session. With five bills focused on limiting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) educational programs.
Oklahoma lawmakers will consider five bills meant to limit diversity initiatives in education. The measures aim to limit political testing, amending parental rights and report spending in higher education programs.
Those bills come amid criticism of DEI work by Oklahoma’s top education official. Late last month, State Superintendent and Secretary of Education Ryan Walters called for a 10-year review of all expenditures related to DEI over the last decade at Oklahoma universities and colleges.
Colleges' review of diversity programs completed earlier this month show they spend less than half-a-percent of their allocated dollars from the state legislature on DEI. Oklahoma lawmakers are considering exceptions to the state’s abortion laws. The exceptions are widely supported nationwide, but not necessarily commonplace.
Oklahoma Senate considers changes to abortion restrictions
A Senate Committee on health advanced two bills late last week that clarify some exemptions in the state’s abortion ban. The policies would create rape and incest exceptions, but would require a police report to be filed.
Critics note that vulnerable people, such as children who are incest victims, don’t have the support they need to file police reports. It would also add some clarity to medical emergencies. The original laws provide few specific examples, and the ambiguity created concerns that health providers could delay life-saving abortions for fear of going to prison.
In the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year, 22 states implemented abortion bans. Of those, there were 15 that included no exceptions for rape and incest, including Oklahoma.
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Sexual Assault Task Force
A state task force addressing the backlog of untested rape kits was renewed by Gov. Kevin Stitt Wednesday after it briefly dissolved due to inaction.
The Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Task Force was formed by former Gov. Mary Fallin in 2017 to help handle a backlog of untested rape kits. It had been renewed by Stitt in 2019, but lapsed in January of this year after he didn’t sign a followup executive order to renew it.
The new order gives the task force a number of objectives related to improving rape kit testing efficiency. The state task force has made a number of policy recommendations following a 2018 audit that found more that 7,200 untested rape kits in Oklahoma.
Some of the advancements made in the wake of the task force’s creation include a statewide electronic system that allows survivors to track their kits, and directions to law enforcement that completed kits be delivered to a testing lab within 20 days.
Mental Health Falling Through Health Insurance Gaps
Research released this week shows Oklahomans who have traditional health insurance don’t have reliable access to mental health services.
A Healthy Minds Policy Initiative study found that barriers to mental health care mean many Oklahomans are either going without or paying high prices for out-of-network services.
The study found the vast majority of mental health providers in the state are out of network with most insurance plans. Companies with the broadest networks only included about 30 percent of the state’s providers.
The study’s authors write when insurance companies provide members with directories of potential providers, they tend to be faulty. Most listings are unreachable, often because the phone number listed has been disconnected.
About 2 million - or one of every two - Oklahomans are enrolled in traditional, private health insurance coverage.
Norman Fire Department Faces Allegations of Fraud
The Norman Fire Department is facing allegations of fraud for falsifying records, which may have affected their annual Insurance Services Office, or ISO rating. The rating determines how well a fire department serves the community, and it has an impact on insurance rates. The city of Norman confirmed to KOCO that the fraud allegations have been sent to the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office, but the office declined to comment on whether an investigation is active.
Tribute to Late Alex Tallchief Skibine
One of Indian Country's leading legal minds and beloved Osage citizens walked on last week.
Alex Tallchief Skibine was born in France in 1952 while his parents, Marjorie Tallchief and George Skibine, Sr., were performing with the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas. Marjorie Tallchief is of course one of the world's most famous ballerinas
When the family moved back to the United States, Skibine attended Tufts University and earned his law degree at Northwestern. In the late 1980's, he was part of the team that drafted the landmark piece of legislation known as the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
Jim Gray, Former Principal Chief of the Osage Nation remembered him as a friend who helped elevate Osage people.
“He was a smart man, lost in all of that. You know, that that legal world that existed he was a real generous. You know, a man who loved Osage people and you could just feel it."
Skibine went on to teach at the University Of Utah Law School and was among an early group of Indian Scholars producing work about the field.
OU To Join The SEC Early
The question of when OU will actually join the SEC has vexed us all for more than a year. Now we have clarity. A new agreement will send the Sooners to their new conference next year.
The 2023 athletic season will be OU’s last in the Big XII Conference. The same is true for Texas. Both schools are moving to the SEC, and the agreement announced Thursday means that will happen one year early. And it’s going to cost them.
ESPN reports the two schools will pay the Big XII $100 million to join the SEC early. That’s subject to approval by the Board of Regents, and there are offsets to ease the financial burden.
OU President Joe Harroz says the deal gives OU “command of its own future” and that he’s “eager to contribute OU’s iconic traditions and competitiveness to the SEC.”
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Medicaid for Moms
Oklahoma has extended Medicaid coverage for new moms. Maternal health advocates are hopeful this policy will reduce maternal mortality and serious post-delivery complications.
Under SoonerCare, Oklahomans who wouldn’t otherwise qualify for Medicaid can get coverage while they are pregnant, and the coverage runs until 60 days after birth. That changed in January, when the program’s governing board voted to expand benefits to 12 months.
For years, maternal health advocates and the medical community have called to extend that coverage to one year postpartum. According to the Commonwealth Fund, 52 percent of pregnancy-related deaths take place after birth. New moms can have non-lethal but still very serious issues with infections, clotting, blood pressure and mental health. Oklahomans who make up to 205 percent of the federal poverty level qualify. That’s $38,460 annually for a single person.
Early Voting
Valentine's Day will feature an election next week. But before that, early voting in 62 Oklahoma counties begins Thursday. Voters can cast their early ballots for the Tuesday, Feb. 14 election today and Friday from 8 am through 6 pm. Across the state, ballots will include races for city councils, local bond propositions and more. To check your early voting location, and view a sample ballot, visit the Oklahoma voter portal online.
Cherokee Elections
Incumbents Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. and Deputy Chief Bryan Warner are two of the candidates running for office in this summer's Cherokee Nation general election. But more people are set to throw their name into the hat.
The deadline to file to run in the Cherokee Nation's general election is February 9th. According to Cherokee Nation election officials, after the filing deadline, people have five days to challenge someone’s candidacy and the election commission has 12 days to certify the candidates running for Principal Chief, Deputy Chief, seven district seats and one at large seat.
The deadline for Cherokee citizens to register to vote is March 31st and the last day to request an absentee ballot is April 10th. The general election takes place on June 3rd. A runoff election should some candidates not receive more than half of the vote is July 8th.
Trans Bills
An Oklahoma Senate committee moved forward two bills Wednesday aimed at restricting transgender transition. Senate Bill 613 by Republican Sen. Julie Daniels would allow the state to revoke the license of a doctor, nurse practitioner or advanced practice registered nurse who offered gender transition services to minors under the age of 18. The Senate Rules Committee also moved forward Senate Bill 129 by Republican Sen. David Bullard.
The bill blocks public funding to any hospital, entity or individual who provides transgender medical care. If the bill becomes law, only privately funded medical professionals and hospitals would be allowed to offer gender reassignment services. Bullard’s bill will receive a second committee hearing because of its budget implications.
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Oklahoma's congressional delegation reacts to Biden's State of the Union
Oklahoma’s congressional delegation is reacting to President’s Biden's State of the Union Address. Representatives Stephanie Bice and Kevin Hern told KOCO that the southern border, along with the economy and energy, are issues that they would have liked to have seen the president address in his speech last night. Bice says not enough is being done to secure the border.
“We’ve had 4.5 million people illegally cross into the U.S. the last two years. That is more than the entire population of the state of Oklahoma," Bice said.
Bice also said that she thinks more needs to be done to help families in this time of inflation. Hern and Bice also say the Biden administration needs to do more to support energy policies in the state. In a statement, Congressman Tom Cole echoed similar reaction.
Business Friendly State and Tribal Nations
During his state of the state Monday, Gov. Kevin Stitt said he wanted to make Oklahoma one of the best states to attract businesses. He touted Amazon, Google and American Airlines presence. However, last year a report touted another job creator: tribes.
Tribal nations are a big employer in Oklahoma. A 2022 report by the Oklahoma Tribal Finance Consortium found tribal nations employ more than 54,000 people and have a $2.6 billion dollar impact.
Stitt talked about training workers for the future. But he left out examples of work done by tribes like the Cherokee Nation, which is set to open a new career readiness center this year.
Kyle Dean is the director for the Center for Native American and Urban Studies at Oklahoma City University. He co-authored the tribal impact report.
"Think about any company in the United States that would say, yes, we will do all of that and locate and Durant Oklahoma. There's not one. And that's essentially what I just described, is what the tribes do in communities throughout the state and have been doing for years," said Dean.
Dean says tribal nations provide the infrastructure, job training, health care and dollars to local schools-without tax incentives. He said it would be a different story if you asked any business to do that without offering something in return.
Stitt on Foster Care
Gov. Kevin Stitt announced a new focus for his administration: protecting children in foster care.
Monday marked Stitt’s fifth State of the State address, but it was the first where he said foster care needed to be a major priority for the state.
"Protecting Oklahomans means making sure our foster care system prioritizes kids and making families whole," Stitt said.
Stitt says the number of children in “out of home” care, which includes those in foster care, has decreased from 11,300 to 6,500 over the past 8 years.
That time frame includes efforts taken under Gov. Mary Fallin. Foster care was a major issue then — starting in 2012. That year, the state settled a class action lawsuit against the state, arguing its foster care system was failing to protect children from abuse and neglect. The settlement led to The Pinnacle Plan, a years-long improvement project that brought in neutral third-party monitors. That plan is ongoing.
Oklahoma Tax Collections Grow Despite Rising Interest Rates
Rising interest rates are concerning for Oklahoma’s economy. Oklahoma’s State Treasurer Todd Russ says the state’s tax collections are still booming.
Oklahoma’s tax collections were up almost $2 billion year-over-year, more than a 12 percent increase from the previous 12-month period.
Russ touted what he called “noteworthy improvement” in tax collections, but he says there are signs for concern.
Interest rates doubled over the course of 2022 and that means a previously hot housing market has slowed down as fewer people are buying homes. On top of that rising inflation has also slowed some purchases, though sales tax collection remains high.
Some other areas have shown significant growth during the past year, including energy and use taxes and Oklahoma’s unemployment rates.
Oklahoma sees slight improvements after months of harsh drought
After months of worsening drought, Oklahomans saw some improvement last week. But most of the state is still exceptionally dry.
The U.S. Drought Monitor releases a report every week. It classifies areas by five different stages of drought based on precipitation, soil moisture and other statistics.
Last week, Oklahoma’s report showed improvements in all five categories. From July to the beginning of December, 100% of the state was in some stage of drought.
But even after snow and rain over the last few weeks, 95% of the state is still experiencing drought. Northern Oklahoma remains in extreme or exceptional drought, which can lead to water shortages and agricultural losses. But parts of southeast Oklahoma have escaped drought classification for now.
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Gov. Kevin Stitt delivers State of the State address
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt delivered the first State of the State address of his second term Monday.
Stitt has taken his re-election as a mandate from conservative voters: grow school choice, cut taxes and ban gender affirming care for transgender minors. He laid out those priorities in a 32-minute speech and reflected on what he says were wins during his first term.
"We said that we would put a fresh set of eyes on state government, cut red tape, and create a more transparent government - and we delivered," said Stitt.
What Stitt can deliver next remains to be seen. Some of his policy priorities - like growing private school voucher programs - aren’t too popular with all Republicans. But regardless, he says, he’ll continue to tout them.
Oklahoma Democratic leaders react to Stitt's speech
Oklahoma Democratic leaders held a press briefing in response to the priorities laid out by Gov. Kevin Stitt.
Democrats account for nearly 19% of the entire state legislature. The minority party leaders say they weren’t surprised by Stitt’s State of the State speech. They still say they’re uneasy with many of his proposals like private school vouchers, restrictions to abortion access and other issues.
Stillwater Democrat Trish Ranson says she’s concerned the GOP is keeping too much money - almost $4 billion - in its reserves, instead of spending on government services.
"We call on the Republican Party to invest in Oklahoma. All of Oklahoma," said Ranson.
Democrats say investing in healthcare, education and other critical programs would be a good start. They are preparing to work across the aisle to eliminate grocery tax and advance criminal justice reform.
Stitt on gender-affirming care
During his State of the State address, Gov. Kevin Stitt ensured that trans rights will remain a major social issue during this year’s legislative session.
Hundreds of trans rights demonstrators gathered at the Capitol ahead of Stitt’s speech. They were protesting a spate of bills that aim to criminalize gender-affirming treatments, including reversible hormone therapies. The messaging around these bills focuses on care for minors. But one bill affects Oklahomans as old as 21, and another, those as old as 26.
Among the demonstrators was Nicole McAfee, the executive director of 2SLGBTQ+ rights organization Freedom Oklahoma.
“Trans folks are here. We belong here… We’re here now to make sure the governor knows we’re not going anywhere," said McAfee.
During the speech, Stitt joined a host of high-profile conservatives across the country criticizing gender-affirming care for young people.
"Minors can’t vote, can’t purchase alcohol, can’t purchase cigarettes… We shouldn’t allow a minor to get a permanent gender altering surgery in Oklahoma," Stitt said.
Gender-affirming care is the latest trans issue to catch fire in Oklahoma politics. Conservative lawmakers have already cracked down on trans athletes in girls’ and women’s sports and have banned gender-inclusive bathroom policies in schools.
Tribal-State relations not mentioned in Stitt's State of the State
While Gov. Kevin Stitt outlined his priorities for education, tax cuts and making Oklahoma one of the top ten states for business, OPMX's Allison Herrera noticed one topic wasn't there: tribal-state relations.
In the last couple state of the state addresses, Stitt has highlighted the landmark McGirt v. Oklahoma decision, saying that it was causing chaos for law enforcement and crime victims in Northeast Oklahoma. That decision says Muscogee Nation’s reservation was never disestablished and that the tribe has criminal jurisdiction in its boundaries. The ruling has since grown to also apply to the Cherokee Nation.
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. says he appreciates the governor’s new tone, even if he didn’t talk about tribal nations.
"Education, infrastructure and health care-I think those are opportunities to touch upon that any governor of the state of Oklahoma could touch upon the relationship between the tribes in the state and how it's positive. And I think, you know, those are the kind of opportunities I'd like to see Governor Stitt take in the future," said Hoskin Jr.
Before his inauguration for a second term, Stitt reached out to a number of tribal leaders inviting them to the ceremony asking for a fresh start after nearly three years of tense relations over McGirt and tribal gaming.
The Sooners and Longhorns to remain in the Big 12 through 2025
Contract negotiations “stalled” over the weekend between the universities and television networks, ESPN and FOX.
ESPN college football senior writer Pete Thamel said, “the sides couldn't agree on how to create equitable value for what Fox would lose in 2024."
OU and Texas were attempting to join the South-Eastern Conference, better known as the SEC, a year earlier than the 2025 date initially agreed upon.
While there is no deadline for a deal to get done, Thamel reports that any transition prior to 2025 is now “unlikely”.
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Voting Registration Deadline
The deadline to register to vote for the upcoming state special election is quickly approaching. This election will decide State Question 820.
This Friday, Feb. 10th is the last day you can register to vote ahead of the March 7th State Special Election. Voters will decide State Question 820 concerning the legalization of recreational marijuana. Voter Registration Applications must be received by your county election board or postmarked no later than midnight Friday. Applications postmarked after that time will be accepted, but will not be processed until after the March 7 election.
Applications can be downloaded from the State Election Board website at elections.ok.gov. They are also available at your County Election Board, most post offices, tag agencies and public libraries.
Bill Themes This Session
During the latest edition of Capitol Insider, KGOU general manager Dick Pryor asks Quorum Call’s Shawn Ashley about themes of the bills filed for the new session. There’s something for everyone among the thousands of bills. But issues related to abortion, firearm regulations, and transgender children will be featured. And, of course, education.
"As usually is the case, there are a lot of bills related to education," Ashley said. "Nearly 300. Some deal with what should and what should not be taught in classrooms. Some would modify graduation requirements. And others support raises for teachers and support personnel."
You can hear the full conversation on our website, KGOU.org.
Rural Schools Initiative
Researchers at the University of Oklahoma are implementing a new initiative to get more counselors, social workers and behavior analysts in rural schools, which is being funded by a $5.6 million federal grant.
It’s called “Project Rural Innovation for Mental health Enhancement,” or PRIME. Its aim is to fill the gaps in rural school districts by recruiting and training 64 future counselors, social workers and behavior analysts from rural communities and paying for their graduate tuition, fees and costs while in the program. In exchange, graduates agree to serve two years in a rural, high-need school for every year they received program funding.
The project’s lead researcher, Brittany Hott, says rural communities have been clamoring to be part of the program.
"There’s so much need that this is just the start, and we’re hoping to create a ripple effect once we have this set of scholars trained," Hott said. "I want every district and every child in the state to have access to the services that they need and for the teachers and administrators to have the support that they need."
Hott says the team plans to reapply for the grant when it runs out in five years and expand the PRIME program even more.
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TSET investment in rural medicine
One of Oklahoma’s public health agencies will invest $4.5 million in the state’s rural health care.
The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, otherwise known as TSET, announced a major investment in continuing education and mentorship for Oklahoma’s rural health providers on Thursday. TSET is a state agency that oversees several public health initiatives, including smoking cessation.
It will be investing in an Extension for Community Health Care Outcomes — or ECHO — program. That model is designed to connect medical providers in underserved areas virtually with specialists who can mentor them and help improve care. They exist across the globe, and Oklahoma State University’s Center for Health Sciences manages the one here. The hub connects rural providers with specialists in obesity medicine, infectious diseases, obstetrics, and palliative care.
The new TSET funding will help the project incorporate more specialities into the program, including diabetes, pediatric obesity and hypertension management.
Update on OKCPD lawsuit
The Oklahoma City Police Department will amend protocol for stopping people on FBI terror watchlists following a lawsuit filed last week.
Saadiq Long, the plaintiff in a lawsuit filed against OKCPD by the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Affairs, will withdraw his motion in exchange for the police department instructing officers not to stop anyone based solely on their appearance on FBI terror watchlists.
Long is a Muslim-American Air Force veteran who has been stopped by OKCPD five times since November of last year, including a stop last month which resulted in him being handcuffed and arrested at gunpoint while his car was searched.
Long sued the federal government in 2015 for placing him on a terror watchlist without explanation. He has never been charged with any terrorism-related crimes.
Legislative session preview - Broadband
Oklahoma lawmakers are looking to get the ball rolling on broadband internet expansion.
The state’s broadband office aims to bring high-speed internet to 95% of homes by June 2028.
So this year, legislators are looking to open up permission for electric companies to expand broadband services and encourage internet providers to work with the state’s broadband office.
Republican senator Brent Howard of Altus filed a bill easing regulations for electric companies to provide broadband services to customers.
And Republican Senator Lonnie Paxton of Tuttle filed a bill that would encourage internet providers to share information with the Oklahoma Broadband Office.
The state’s broadband office was established last year to oversee millions of dollars in broadband spending, but continues to struggle to find a permanent director.
Tulsa County sheriff refuses to enforce new gun mandate
The Tulsa County sheriff is openly refusing to enforce a new federal mandate concerning a gun accessory, arguing it’s punishes law-abiding citizens.
Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado refuses to enforce the federal government’s new pistol brace rule, which requires owners of the gun accessory to register with the bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives within the next four months.
The DOJ argues the braces turn pistols into short-barreled rifles. The accessory was used in at least two high-profile mass shootings in recent years.
"We can spend all day talking about the dynamics of a mass shooter and why we're having those and why we're seeing them, what appears to be more in recent history, but braces are not the cause of that problem," said Regalado.
Regalado also said he doesn’t expect his noncompliance to trigger federal enforcement or legal action against the county. He said he’s worked with ATF agents, and that they’re "solid individuals who care about their communities and the safety of their citizens."
In response to Regalado’s statement, an ATF spokesperson simply said it’s his agency’s job to enforce such federal mandates.
Oklahoma City Receives Transportation Grant
Oklahoma City will receive an $800,000 grant to improve safety on its roads. The federal grant will pay for a detailed plan to reduce roadway deaths and injuries to drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.
It’s part of a broader Department of Transportation initiative to improve safety on roads and sidewalks across the country.
OKC had 402 vehicle-involved deaths between 2016 and 2020, the fourth highest rate of deaths for any city in the nation.The city has more than 3,500 miles worth of streets.
The plan will take over a year to complete and officials will invite public comment as it shapes how OKC improves infrastructure in the future.
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Marijuana Bills
Voters will head to the polls next month to give a thumbs up or down to recreational marijuana in Oklahoma. But before that lawmakers will discuss an array of bills related to the cannabis industry.
Last year, lawmakers reigned in the number of Oklahoma’s marijuana business licenses, and pushed through funding to bolster law enforcement around illicit grow operations. The legislature is again looking at further regulations, like bills that protect people who have medical marijuana licenses from discrimination and direct Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority employees to collect and submit samples for testing.
A special election on March 7 could upend the cannabis industry - and how lawmakers regulate it. That’s when voters will consider State Question 820, which would make recreational cannabis legal and provide for some cannabis convictions to be reversed and criminal records expunged.
Education Budget
Newly elected State Superintendent Ryan Walters is hoping the legislature will allocate about $330 million more than last year to fund his new education initiatives and address the teacher shortage. Walters presented his proposal to lawmakers Wednesday - and got some push back.
Agencies present wishlists, but only the legislature can set the final budget. And Walters got a peek into how some lawmakers feel about his plans after he began the hearing with familiar talking points, denouncing what he calls CRT and indoctrination in the classroom. Tulsa Representative John Waldron: "One of the things we could do to improve teacher retention in the state is to stop talking about the profession in terms like that. Can I get your assurance that you’re going to drop the campaign rhetoric and work constructively to encourage people to build long term careers in education?" Waldron asked Walters.
"I absolutely will not apologize, nor will I ever apologize for speaking on behalf of Oklahoma parents. I will never stop fighting radical indoctrination in the classroom," Walters replied.
The final budget will come from lawmakers later this spring. For StateImpact, I’m Beth Wallis.
Teacher Arrested
A Mustang Public Schools teacher has been arrested for sex crimes against a student.
Mustang High School teacher Raymond Thomas Garner was arrested earlier this week following an investigation by the Mustang Police Department and Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations which resulted in multiple charges including first degree rape.
The investigation began after a Mustang Resource Officer notified the police department of rumors of Garner having sexual contact with a female student hundreds of times from 2014 to 2017 while he was her science teacher and National Honor Society advisor. Garner has since been suspended from Mustang Public Schools and is being held in the Mustang County Jail.
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Governor Stitt Opposes Rule Under Clean Water Act
Oklahoma’s Kevin Stitt is among 25 Republican state governors who signed a letter to President Joe Biden opposing a new rule defining the scope of the Clean Water Act.
The Clean Water Act gives the Environmental Protection Agency authority to regulate pollution in what it calls “the waters of the United States.” But how the EPA defines those waters has changed under the last three presidential administrations.
The most recent update is based on a definition the EPA used before 2015. Upstream waters that “significantly affect” the integrity of Federal waters will fall under the Clean Water Act; otherwise, their regulation is up to the tribes and the states.
Half of the country’s governors signed the letter opposing the rule change, saying it would make the Clean Water Act’s protections too broad and burden private landowners. The letter requests a delay in the implementation of the new rule until the Supreme Court makes a decision on a pending case about how to define federally regulated waters. As of right now, the rule will go into effect in March.
Drummond drops GEER lawsuit
Last year, an investigation revealed millions in federal funds intended for Oklahoma students and their families were distributed by a Florida tech company with little oversight. The previous state attorney general sued the company, but Oklahoma’s new AG says state actors are ultimately responsible.
The Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund, or GEER, was a federal program giving states millions of dollars to help students’ families recover from the pandemic by aiding with educational expenses. Oklahoma gave Florida-based company ClassWallet a no-bid contract to administer the program.
But an investigation released in May by Oklahoma Watch and The Frontier found the funds went to all kinds of things: Christmas trees, smart watches, nearly 550 TVs… And even though Education Secretary and now State Superintendent Ryan Walters gave blanket approval for the purchases, former state Attorney General John O’Connor filed suit against ClassWallet in August.
Now-Attorney General Gentner Drummond says he’s dropping that suit and instead turning his office’s focus to holding state officials accountable, saying, “It is clear that a number of state actors and other individuals are ultimately responsible.”
- Read more about this story here.
Legislation session preview - Tax Cuts
Tax cuts are a major goal for Oklahoma Republicans. And with a supermajority in both chambers of the legislature, they’re likely to be a focus in the upcoming session.
Oklahoma has a record savings account right now of almost $3 billion dollars.
That means, Republicans are likely to explore many different ways to use that money. Last year, there was disagreement within the GOP on how best to do it.
Gov. Kevin Stitt has touted a cut to the state’s grocery tax, while House Republicans pushed for one-time rebate checks toward the end of 2022.
Regardless of what comes to be, the nuts and bolts of tax cuts and general spending will mostly play out during budget negotiations – a process that’s largely secretive as leaders in the House, Senate and Governor’s Office craft a budget behind closed doors.
IHS Diabetes Funding
Indian Health Services will receive nearly $140 million dollars from the federal government to support diabetes prevention programs throughout the country. Tribal nations in Oklahoma will be big beneficiaries.
The Indian Health Service began its special diabetes program in 1997 after research determined American Indians and Alaska Natives were more likely to develop the disease than non-Natives. IHS says since implementing the program, diabetes-related kidney disease rates have been cut in half.
Twenty-six tribal nations and health care centers dedicated to caring for American Indians will receive funding – including the Northeast Tribal Health System and the Indian Health Care Resource Center of Tulsa.
Three of the largest tribal nations in the state, the Cherokee Nation, Choctaw Nation and the Muscogee Nation, will receive nearly $12 million dollars
IHS awards were given to 302 tribal nations in 35 states.
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Oklahoma public utilities respond to winter weather
Oklahoma City street crews are working around the clock to keep roads in good condition during this wintry weather. The city has about 100 people working to treat the roads. Drivers are advised to keep a safe distance from plows and salt trucks and be prepared with a plan in case they get in their car.
Additionally, Oklahoma Gas and Electric is prepared to keep power up and running for their customers during this winter storm. The utility company says they have deployed personnel and resources to the impacted areas of the state. Customers are advised to have a plan in case of power loss. Outages can be reported through OG&E’s app, website, or by texting "OUT" to 32001.
Sooner Alums in Super Bowl
The Super Bowl 57 matchup is all set with the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs taking care of business in their respective NFL Championship Rounds. And there will be no shortage of O-U football alumni playing in the big game.
Former Sooner Quarterback Jalen Hurts now commands the Eagles offense and according to Sports Illustrated’s Josh Calloway, he is the youngest QB in Philadelphia franchise history to lead his team to the Super Bowl at just 24 years old.
Protecting Hurts will be 2013 first round pick Lane Johnson on the offensive line. For the AFC champion Chiefs, 4 former Sooners will participate including Lineman Orlando Brown and Creed Humphrey, TE Blake Bell, and Long Snapper James Winchester.
In total, OU’s 6 players are the most out of any college football program in the country. Super Bowl 57 will be played in Phoenix on February 12th with game time at 5:30 p.m.
OKC County Jail inmate death
The Oklahoma City County Jail has recorded its first inmate death of this year. The Oklahoman newspaper reports 26-year old Isiah Mitchell was found dead in the county jail on Monday. He was arrested Friday for riding a bicycle the wrong way on a street. Mitchell was found hanging in his cell at around midnight during a routine check and was pronounced dead at a hospital later that morning.
This marks the second inmate death since the interim administrator, Maj. Brandi Garner, took over last month. Former jail administrator, Greg Williams, resigned amid criticism over the high death toll at the jail. Garner has pledged to make reducing jail deaths her main focus.
Oklahoma's attorney general announces lawsuit against federal health officials
Oklahoma’s new attorney general is suing the Biden Administration. StateImpact’s Catherine Sweeney reports the lawsuit echoes Former President Donald Trump’s ire toward a global public health agency.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced a lawsuit against federal health officials on Monday. It alleges the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is giving too much power to the World Health Organization.
It focuses on a section of federal law that explains what the department is supposed to do when there’s a threat of communicable disease. It lays out what “public health emergency” means. A few of the criteria rely on the WHO declaring a threat bad enough to cause international concern.
Drummond argues that means the WHO is deciding for the country, and that threatens America’s sovereignty. The federal government argues that the section just gives insight into the department’s decision-making process.
Trump was a vocal WHO critic, and threatened to pull the country’s share of the agency’s funding — $400 million annually — arguing that it bungled its COVID response and it has too close of a relationship with China. Drummond makes similar statements in his press release.
Cherokee Nation pushes for Congressional delegate
Yesterday, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. sent a letter to House leadership on both sides requesting they seat the Cherokee Nation’s Delegate to Congress following last November’s House Rules Committee hearing on the matter.
In the letter, Hoskin Jr. said seating the delegate is not a "Democrat or Republican" issue but something the United States promised when it ratified the treaty forcing the removal of the Cherokees from their homelands. Last year's push by the Cherokee Nation to seat their delegate gained traction, but the Congressional session ended without action on the issue.
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Multiple rounds of winter weather expected this week
This week Oklahomans are preparing for more winter weather. Meteorologist Ryan Bunker with the National Weather Service in Norman says a mix of precipitation will be possible through early Thursday
"This is going to be mainly freezing rain and sleet with this event. Northern Oklahoma may experience some snow. There may be some snow that briefly mixes in as far south as central Oklahoma. But the main types are going to be mainly freezing rain and sleet," said Bunker.
The Weather Service predicts between a trace and a tenth of inch of ice accumulation will be possible around the metro—higher amounts expected for southeastern Oklahoma.
OKC trash pickup schedule adjusted for weather
Oklahoma City is postponing trash and recycling service for Tuesday (1/31/23) due to road conditions from this week’s sleet and ice.
The city says customers who have regular Tuesday trash and recycling service will have pickup on Saturday, Feb. 4th. Residents will need to set their carts out for collection no later than 6 a.m.
Service should run as normal on Thursday and Friday.
New Asian OKC Chamber of Commerce
Last week, a group of Oklahoma City business leaders launched the new Greater Oklahoma City Asian Chamber of Commerce.
The new organization had its official kick off with an event attended by city and state officials - like OKC Mayor David Holt and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt.
Data from the OKC Chamber of Commerce shows 55% of all people with Asian ancestry in Oklahoma live in the greater Oklahoma City area. That’s nearly 50,000 people.
Not only has OKC’s population been growing - but there has also been an increase in the number of Asian-owned businesses.
The new Greater Oklahoma City Asian Chamber of Commerce has several goals - including strengthening and advocating for Asian businesses and professionals, recruiting Asian-owned businesses and pursuing educational and cultural initiatives.
ARPA funding for water projects
Hundreds of Oklahoma cities, towns and rural water districts applied for competitive grants to fund water and wastewater projects. The Oklahoma Water Resources Board has announced 76 communities across the state that are likely to receive that money.
The money comes from the American Rescue Plan Act, which spread almost $2 trillion across the United States in hopes of boosting the economy out of the COVID-19 slump. The Oklahoma Water Resources Board ended up with 100 million of those dollars to mete out for water infrastructure projects.
There are a couple of patterns in the original applications of communities that came out on top of the grant process. Many of the smaller water systems said they needed grants to comply with consent orders from the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. Those are agreements between the system and the DEQ about required actions to fix environmental violations.
In larger communities, prioritized applications tended to address aging infrastructure and concerns about staving off future violations.
Oklahoma legislators propose bills to address Oklahoma’s disproportionally high incarceration rate
While efforts to address mass incarceration in previous years have included reclassifying simple drug possession from a felony to a misdemeanor and commuting the sentences of over 400 inmates, both Democrat and Republican lawmakers are shifting their focus to what happens after people leave jails and prisons.
Bills seeking to aid criminal rehabilitation and reentry would increase educational opportunities to inmates and lower the barrier to entry for drug court. Additionally, bills like Senate Bill 153 filed by Sen. George Young would give a second chance to youthful offenders by preventing minors from being sentenced to life without parole.
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For additional news throughout the day visit our website, KGOU.org and follow us on social media at KGOUnews on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
We also invite you to subscribe to the KGOU AM NewsBrief with host Nyk Daniels.