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☆ Oklahoma Was a Legal Marijuana Utopia. Then Came the Mass Murder
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Matt Stroud | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +32 min

Fourteen months after the murders, the garage of the abandoned marijuana farm on prairie tableland northwest of Oklahoma City sits frozen and dark. Broadway Avenue in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, about 30 miles south of where Wu Chen, 47, executed four people at a marijuana farm. When Oklahoma legalized medical marijuana, the only real requirement was that Oklahoma residents had to be involved in marijuana growing and selling. But Oklahoma required 75% of any marijuana business to be owned by an Oklahoma resident. Deputies from the Kingfisher County Sheriff's Office were the first to arrive at the scene of a quadruple homicide at an abandoned marijuana farm.

Persons: Wu Chen, Mike Simons, Kevin Stitt, Sean Hannity's, Dan Newhouse, Liu, Chen, Yi Fei Lin, Mark Woodward, —, OBN, Adria Berry, BI Adria Berry, I'm, Barb Miuccio, Jeremy Grable, Jeremy, Barb, she's, Barbara Miuccio, Treez, Matt Stacy, Stacy, Stitt, Jeremy they'd, he'd, OMMA, didn't, Barb didn't, Barbara, Stacy —, she'd, Stacy hadn't, BI Jonathan Riedlinger, Riedlinger, Lin, Qirong Lin, Hechun Chen, Qiang Chen, Fang Lee —, Wenbo Lin, Wu Chen —, Wenbo Lin didn't, Reidlinger, Jed Green, Matthew Alan Stacy, Barb —, — he's, He'd, Woodward, Helen Carillo, He's, Kevin Pham, Pham, BI Pham, ProPublica, recriminations, Green, It's, they're, I'd, Ken Thompson, Thompson, Chen didn't, He'll, Jonathan Riedlinger, Kiki, I've Organizations: Oklahoma City, Broadway, BI, Marijuana, Oklahoma, Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, Republican, Sean Hannity's Fox, Fox News, Chen Inc, Narcotics, BI Adria, Oklahoma's Army National Guard, OBN, Business, Oklahoma State Bureau of, Sheriff's, Prosecutors, CSI Accounting Services, Whitney Economics, NBC, Cannabis, Virginia Slim, Florida . Police Locations: Oklahoma, Kingfisher County , Oklahoma, Ames , Oklahoma, Kingfisher , Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, California, Arkansas, Republican Washington, China, Kingfisher County, Dallas, Moore , Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine, He's, Moore, Kingfisher, Hennessey , Oklahoma, OMMA, Mexico, Edmond, Tulsa, Russia, Bulgaria, Armenia, Steakhouse, Virginia, Florida, Miami Beach, Miami

☆ Second largest wildfire in Texas history has scorched 850,000 acres
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Joe Sutton | Steve Almasy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A satellite image shows Fritch, Texas in August 2023. Maxar Technologies Satellite images show homes in Fritch, Texas, before the wildfire (in August 2023), and after (on Wednesday). Maxar Technologies Satellite images show homes in Fritch, Texas, before the fire (in August 2023), and after (on Wednesday). A sudden shift of wind direction in the Texas panhandle this week contributed to the explosion in size of the Smokehouse Creek wildfire. Latest developments* The Smokehouse Creek Fire grew from 500,000 acres to 850,000 on Wednesday, according to fire officials.

Persons: Joyce Blankenship, Fritch, ” Frank Probst, ”, “, Adam Turner, Snow, Andy Holloway, Greg Abbott, Kevin Stitt, ” Hutchinson, Tyler McCain, Fritch’s, McCain, Addison, Addison can’t, ” McCain, Windy Deuce, Probst, CNN’s Caroll Alvarado, Amanada Jackson, Monica Garrett, Sharif Paget, Sara Tonks, Lucy Kafanov, Andi Babineau Organizations: CNN, Maxar, M Forest Service, AgriLife, Texas, Oklahoma Gov, Amarillo National Bank, Panhandle Disaster Relief Locations: Texas, Rhode, state’s, Oklahoma, Stinnett ., , Texas, Fritch , Texas, Hemphill, Hemphill County, Canadian, Amarillo, Amarillo ., Hutchinson County, Stinnett, Borger, Fritch

☆ Nex Benedict death: Police video shows non-binary teen describe fight in high school bathroom
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Sara Smart | Steve Almasy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Nex Benedict, whose family and friends say identified as nonbinary, died February 8, a day after they told their family they were involved in a fight with others at Owasso High School. Body camera video from February 7 shows an Owasso police officer interacting with Nex and their guardian, Sue Benedict, in a hospital after the fight in a school bathroom between two groups of students. Nex eventually got thrown onto the ground and the other students proceeded to beat them up, Nex says in the video. Another video shows Nex being escorted by the school’s security officer to the nurse’s office and then to the principal’s office. Benedict says Nex is “not doing good at all” and was breathing, but their eyes were rolling back.

Persons: Nex Benedict, Nex, Sue Benedict, ”, “, ” Nex, Nex ‘, Benedict, Kevin Stitt, Andy Rose, Whitney Wild, Taylor Romine, Caroll Alvarado Organizations: CNN, Owasso High, Toxicology, Owasso Police, ’ Police, Owasso Public Schools, Oklahoma, Gov, American Civil Liberties Union Locations: Oklahoma, Nex

☆ Republicans are panicking about IVF treatment being restricted in Alabama
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The former president's statement came as Republicans try to distance themselves from an Alabama ruling. The Alabama Supreme Court controversially found that frozen embryos are children. AdvertisementFormer President Donald Trump on Friday broke his silence on a controversial Alabama Supreme Court ruling that has threatened the future of access to in vitro fertilization. Trump's comments come after the White House and Democrats have torn into Republicans over the Alabama ruling. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall's office said that he "has no intention of using the recent Alabama Supreme Court decision as a basis for prosecuting IVF families or providers."

Persons: Trump, —, Donald Trump, Roe, Wade, Joe Biden's, Kellyanne Conway, NRSC, Jason Thielman, kZR5LqRt5p — Lauren Fox, Zev Williams, Kevin Stitt, Stitt, Politico, Jay Mitchell, Mitchell, Steve Marshall's, Kay Ivey Organizations: Alabama Supreme, Service, White House, Democrats, The New York Times, Senate Republican, Republican, Trump White House, National Republican, CNN, Pew Research Center, Columbia University Fertility Center, Oklahoma Gov, GOP, US, Alabama Republicans, Alabama Locations: Alabama, America, Oklahoma

☆ Nex Benedict: Death of Oklahoma teen after fight in school has LGBTQ+ advocates seeking answers
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Andy Rose | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —A 16-year-old student died following a fight at an Oklahoma high school – and as an investigation into the cause of death continues, advocates point to a heightened and hostile climate against the LGBTQ+ community. Nex Benedict, whose family says identified as nonbinary, died February 8, one day after they told their family they and a transgender student were involved in a fight with others at Owasso High School. It is not clear if or how the fight contributed to Nex’s death. An Owasso school resource officer went to Bailey Medical Center, where Nex was examined, and interviewed both Nex and their parent about the incident. Nex’s death comes after advocates have strongly criticized Oklahoma officials for actions perceived as targeting LGBTQ+ residents.

Persons: Nex Benedict, Nex, ”, Sue Benedict, Benedict, ” “, ‘ You’ve, don’t, ’ ” Benedict, “ Nex, ” Benedict, “, I’m, Kevin Stitt, Ryan Walters, ” Walters, CNN’s Whitney Wild, Taylor Romine, Caroll Alvarado Organizations: CNN, Owasso High School . Police, Police, Independent, High School West, Bailey Medical, Owasso Fire, KOKI, Oklahoma, Gov, Public Schools, Lambda Legal, ACLU Locations: Oklahoma, Owasso, ”, Nex

Some bills would bar financial institutions from discriminating against those who refuse to participate in DEI programs. Meanwhile, Democrats have filed about two dozen bills in 11 states that would require or promote DEI initiatives. The Supreme Court’s June decision ending affirmative action at universities has created a new legal landscape around diversity programs in the workplace and civil society. Rob Standridge, who has authored four bills aiming to hollow out DEI programs in the state, said it has become a salient campaign theme. In a 2023 report, White said Mississippi’s public universities are spending millions on DEI programs instead of student scholarships.

Persons: JACKSON, Republican Oklahoma Sen, Rob Standridge, Standridge, “, Trump, ” Mike Gonzalez, Josiah Magnuson, ” Magnuson, Kevin Stitt, it’s, Sen, Marko Liias, Liias, Ron DeSantis, ”, Shad, White, Becky Currie, Currie, Spencer Cox, Cox, Robin Vos, Jonathan Butcher, ” Butcher, Fentrice, ” Driskell, Trisha Ahmed, David Lieb, Hannah Schoenbaum, Todd Richmond, ___ Michael Goldberg Organizations: Republican, Associated, Democratic, Republican Oklahoma, Heritage Foundation, Rep, Republican Gov, Oklahoma State Regents, Higher Education, ”, Washington, Utah Gov, The Heritage Foundation, Democratic House, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: Miss, Washington, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Florida, Texas, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Minneapolis, Jefferson City , Missouri, Salt Lake City, Madison , Wisconsin

And it certainly wouldn’t be the first time states have lent a hand to Abbott to help border security efforts. Kevin Stitt also sent National Guard troops to the border last year – about 50 of them each – to, at least symbolically, bolster Abbott’s efforts. “[Abbott] is exactly right to invoke Texas’ constitutional authority to defend itself,” she said in a statement. “It's unfortunate that there is a governor in Texas, Governor Abbott, who has politicized this issue of what's happening on the border. “Governor Greg Abbott is using the Texas National Guard to obstruct and create chaos at the border,” Rep. Joaquin Castro, Texas Democrat, said in a statement.

Persons: Gregg Abbott, Biden, Abbott, ” Abbott, ”, “, Bertrall Ross, James Madison, Trump, –, ” Trump, Ron DeSantis, ” DeSantis, Kristi Noem, Kevin Stitt, Mike Johnson, Alejandro Mayorkas, Karine Jean, Pierre, Governor Abbott, ” Jean, we’ve, he's, – Jean, Greg Abbott, Joaquin Castro, Abott Organizations: Texas Gov, White, University of Virginia, Karsh Center for Law and Democracy, U.S ., Appeals, Circuit, Border Patrol, Texas National Guard, National Guard, Florida Gov, U.S, South Dakota Gov, Oklahoma Gov, Biden Administration, Republican, Homeland, Mayorkas, White House, CNN, Republicans, Democrats, ”, Texas Democrat Locations: U.S, Mexico, Texas, United States, “ Texas, Florida, Alabama , Arkansas, Georgia , Idaho , Iowa, Louisiana , Montana , Nebraska, North Dakota , Oklahoma, South Carolina , Tennessee , Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming, ”

☆ Nikki Haley won the backing of New Hampshire's GOP governor. It's a key advantage she just won't have again for a long time.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Chris Sununu's endorsement of Nikki Haley seemingly boosted her in NH despite her loss to Trump in the state's primary. The S.C. primary will be a key test, but Haley will also need backing from Republicans in Super Tuesday states. AdvertisementWhen New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu threw his support behind former UN ambassador Nikki Haley's presidential bid last month, it was a huge coup for her campaign. Phil Scott is the only other GOP governor currently backing Haley's presidential bid.

Persons: Chris Sununu's, Nikki Haley, Haley, —, Chris Sununu, Nikki Haley's, Phil Scott of, Trump Haley, Henry McMaster —, Donald Trump, McMaster, Trump, Phil Scott, Glenn Russell, VTDigger, Joe Lombardo, Scott of Vermont, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Greg Abbott, Kevin Stitt, Mike Dunleavy, Glenn Youngkin, Kay Ivey, Spencer Cox, Bill Lee, she's, Sununu Organizations: Trump, Republicans, Service, New Hampshire Gov, Republican, Phil Scott of Vermont ., Gov, GOP, Arkansas, Texas Gov, Oklahoma Gov, Alaska Gov, Virginia Gov, Alabama Gov, Utah Gov, Tennessee Gov, Trump ., New Locations: Super, New Hampshire, Phil Scott of Vermont, Phil Scott of Vermont . Vermont, South Carolina, Vermont, Nevada, Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Utah

☆ ‘America Is Under Attack’: Inside the Anti-D.E.I. Crusade
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Nicholas Confessore | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +44 min

‘America Is Under Attack’: Inside the Anti-D.E.I. “In support of ridding schools of C.R.T., the Right argues that we want nonpolitical education,” Mr. Klingenstein wrote in August 2021. In a 2023 exchange, Dr. Yenor and two associates discussed how to defend Amy Wax, a conservative law professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Yenor and his allies bristled at the conventions of academic life as overly solicitous toward female and nonwhite students. Samuel Ginn, Claremont donor“The president then told him, ‘Things will change,’” a Claremont fund-raiser wrote to Dr. Yenor and other officials there.

Persons: “ wokeism ”, Chancellor Sharp, Sam Ginn, DeSantis, !, Searle, Scott Yenor's, Alabama Jeff Sessions, peter thiel, thiel, Dan Patrick, Patrick, Texas Long, Claudine Gay, Harvard’s, Trump, Ron DeSantis, Peter Thiel, Heather Mac Donald, ”, Scott Yenor, “, ” Scott Yenor, Claremont, Critics, George Floyd, Donald J, Trump’s, Thomas D, Thomas Klingentstein, ” Mr, Klingenstein, Yenor, Christopher Rufo, fromScott Yenor, Floyd, Mao Zedong’s, Ryan P, Williams, Jack Miller, Ryan Williams, Miller, zealots, Mao Zedong's, ” Claremont, Taube, tothe, Arthur N, Chris Ross, Dockweiler, Elizabeth Ailes, Roger Ailes, Daniel C, Searles, fromChris Ross Ryan, I'd, Dorian Abbot, Mr, Ross, Dr, Amy Wax, Wax, Wax’s, David Azerrad, . Azerrad, fromScott, Azerrad, —, ’, Mac Donald, Mac Donald1 —, fromDavid Azerrad Heather, that's, Thiel —, Thiel’s, bristled, Riffing, Bill Burr, hadn’t, Burr, George W, Bush, ” Tennessee’s, Susan Kaestner, Jeff Sessions, Samuel Ginn, Christopher B, Roberts, Roberts “, Ginn, ” Bowdoin, Thomas Klingenstein, Janet Mills, Mills, ‘, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Kevin Stitt, he’d, fromThomas, Glenn, sputtered, retool, didn’t, Jim Banks, Banks’s, Banks, Gay, Elise Stefanik Organizations: MIT, Trust, Texas, Claremont, Republicans, Senate, The New York Times, Republican, Claremont Institute, Gov, D.E.I, New, Manhattan Institute, Maine Policy Institute, ”, Texas Public Policy Foundation, Equity, Jack Miller Family, Jack Miller Family Foundation America, Capitol, Freedom Trust, Rupe Foundation, Scaife, Fox News, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania, Hillsdale College, Boise State University, Boise, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, Trump, Boise State, University of Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, Auburn University, University of Alabama, Auburn, Bowdoin College in, NAS, Bowdoin, Democratic, Mr, Maine Public Radio, American, Association, Maine Department of Education, Indiana Republican, Education, Harvard, New York Republican Locations: Texas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Maine, Montana , Utah , Oklahoma , Texas, South Carolina , Florida, Louisiana, America, defund, Alabama, Tallahassee, Union, California, Florida, Maine , Tennessee, Idaho, New York, Florida , Louisiana, North Carolina , Oklahoma , Tennessee, Wisconsin, Darling, Dallas, Utah, C.R.T, United States, Hillsdale, Eau, India, Boise State, Boise, Manhattan, Canadian, Dixie, Maine —, Bowdoin College in Maine, Colonial America, ”, Maine’s, la, Portland, Northern Maine, Arkansas, Yenor, Indiana, Israel

Two of the laws were already put on hold by a district court judge. About a month later, the U.S. Supreme Court stripped away women’s constitutional protections for abortion, which led to abortion bans in more than 20 states. The number of abortions performed in Oklahoma immediately dropped dramatically, falling from about 4,145 in 2021 to 898 in 2022, according to statistics from the Oklahoma State Department of Health. In at least 66 cases in 2022, the abortion was necessary to avert the death of the mother, the statistics show. Abortion statistics for 2023 are not yet available, a health department spokeswoman said.

Persons: The, Rabia Muqaddam, Gentner Drummond, ” Drummond, Phil Bacharach, Kevin Stitt Organizations: OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma Supreme Court, Senior, Center for Reproductive Rights, Oklahoma, Republican Gov, U.S, Supreme, Oklahoma State Department of Health Locations: The Oklahoma, Oklahoma, New York

Oklahoma's Republican Attorney General Gentner Drummond on Friday sued to stop a state board from establishing and funding what would be the nation's first religious public charter school after the board ignored Drummond's warning that it would violate both the state and U.S. constitutions. Drummond filed the lawsuit with the Oklahoma Supreme Court against the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board after three of the board's members this week signed a contract for the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual Charter School, which is sponsored by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. The school board voted 3-2 in June to approve the Catholic Archdiocese's application to establish the online public charter school, which would be open to students across the state in kindergarten through grade 12. A message left Friday with Rebecca Wilkinson, the executive director of the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board, was not immediately returned, although Wilkinson has said previously she wouldn't comment on pending litigation. The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, a nonprofit organization that supports the public charter school movement, released a statement Friday in support of Drummond's challenge.

Persons: General Gentner Drummond, Drummond, Isidore of, Rebecca Wilkinson, Wilkinson, Isidore, Kevin Stitt, “, Stitt, Stitt's, ” Drummond Organizations: Republican, Oklahoma Supreme, Oklahoma Statewide, Charter School Board, Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual Charter School, Archdiocese, Oklahoma City, Catholic, Oklahoma's Republican Gov, GOP, Oklahoma, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools Locations: U.S, Isidore of Seville, Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A federal judge in Tulsa declined to stop a new law from taking effect that makes it a felony crime for health care workers in Oklahoma to provide gender-affirming medical care to young transgender people. Heil wrote that the plaintiffs had not demonstrated that parents have a fundamental right to choose such medical care for their children. At least 22 states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, and most of those states face lawsuits similar to the one in Oklahoma. A federal judge in June declared that Arkansas’ ban was unconstitutional, the first ruling to overturn such a prohibition. Arkansas was the first state to enact a ban on gender-affirming medical care for minors.

Persons: John Heil III, Heil, ” Heil, Kevin Stitt, Gentner Drummond, Bill, Drummond, Phil Bacharach, Jenner, Block, ” “, ” Organizations: OKLAHOMA CITY, —, Oklahoma's Republican, Gov, Enforcement, American Civil Liberties Union, Oklahoma, Lambda Legal, U.S, Circuit, Arkansas Locations: Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S, Arkansas

☆ Here are all of Republican elected officials backing Ron DeSantis' 2024 presidential campaign
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ron DeSantis is officially announced his 2024 presidential campaign in May, launching the most formidable challenge yet to former President Donald Trump. In the two months before DeSantis' announcement, Trump locked up the support of most of the Republican House members from Florida — and he's garnered far more endorsements overall than DeSantis. As of June 20, five House members and one governor have announced they're backing DeSantis for the 2024 GOP nomination. Thomas Massie — the Kentucky congressman and outspoken libertarian endorsed DeSantis in April, saying he's been "honored to call Ron DeSantis a friend for over a decade." Rich McCormick — the Georgia congressman endorsed DeSantis in May, saying in a Twitter video that the 2024 "election is about winning" and "who can earn victory in Georgia."

Persons: Ron DeSantis, —, Donald Trump, DeSantis, Trump, he's, Republican Sen, Cynthia Lummis of, dislodging Trump, Kevin Stitt —, Joe Biden, Bob Good —, Kevin McCarthy's speakership, Laurel Lee, Thomas Massie —, Rich McCormick —, Chip Roy — Organizations: Florida Gov, Trump, Service, Gov, Capitol, Republican House, Capitol Hill, Republican, GOP, Republicans, Five, State, Caucus Locations: Florida, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming, Oklahoma, Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia, Texas

☆ Trump arrives in Miami for arraignment on first-ever federal charges against an ex-president
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Christina Wilkie | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

In that case, Trump would go to the courthouse to surrender, but his arraignment and plea may be delayed, according to NBC. The two lead attorneys who had been representing Trump in the case resigned Friday, just one day after Trump announced he had been indicted. A source with direct knowledge later told NBC that Blanche traveled with Trump to Florida. The charges mark the first time a former U.S. president has been charged with a federal crime. Trump traveled to Florida from his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey.

Persons: WASHINGTON —, Donald Trump, Trump, Walt Nauta, Hunt, Todd Blanche, Blanche, Jack Smith, Melania Trump, Joe Biden, Kevin Stitt, Ron DeSantis Organizations: WASHINGTON, NBC News, NBC, Southern District of, Trump, Southern, Oklahoma Gov, GOP, Gov Locations: Miami, Southern District, Southern District of Florida, Florida, Esq, New York, Trump, U.S, Bedminster , New Jersey

☆ Oklahoma Approves First Religious Charter School in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Sarah Mervosh | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Oklahoma approved what would be the nation’s first religious charter school on Monday, handing a victory to Christian conservatives but opening the door to a constitutional battle over whether taxpayer dollars can directly fund religious schools. The online school, St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, is to be run by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa, with religious teachings embedded in the curriculum. But as a charter school — a type of public school that is independently managed — it would be funded by taxpayer dollars. After a nearly three-hour meeting, and despite concerns raised by its legal counsel, the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board approved the school in a 3-to-2 vote, including a yes vote from a member who was appointed on Friday. Kevin Stitt, a Republican who supports religious charter schools, and leaders of the Republican-controlled State Legislature.

Persons: Isidore of, Kevin Stitt Organizations: Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Statewide, Charter School Board, Gov, Republican, Legislature Locations: Isidore of Seville, Tulsa

☆ Italy's Enel to invest more than $1 bln in Oklahoma solar panel factory
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Nichola Groom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] A logo of Italian multinational energy company Enel is seen at the Milan's headquarters, Italy, February 5, 2020. The facility will be among the largest to produce solar equipment in the United States, where most projects are built with imported panels. It is also one of the first U.S. factories to produce silicon-based solar cells on a large scale. The investment is one of the biggest in solar manufacturing since the passage of U.S. President Joe Biden's landmark climate change law, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), last year. Enel, which had first said last year it planned to build a U.S. solar factory, selected a site in Inola, Oklahoma, near Tulsa.

☆ Oklahoma governor wages war on PBS station after claiming it is indoctrinating children with LGBTQ content
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —America’s most-watched PBS station is on the verge of going dark. The Republican governor of Oklahoma, Kevin Stitt, recently vetoed a bill that would have renewed the license and provided millions in funding for the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority, the statewide PBS network that reaches more than 650,000 viewers a week. The fundamental goal of PBS KIDS remains supporting children as they learn and grow through programming they have come to know and love. While the Oklahoma station receives $6.3 million in funding from donors and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, $2.9 million comes from the state government. It produces and airs the “Oklahoma News Report,” the only state news program that reaches every county in Oklahoma.

☆ What to Know About the Case of Richard Glossip, Death Row Prisoner
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Remy Tumin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But after a parole board was split on whether to recommend clemency last month, Mr. Stitt signaled that he would not issue another stay. Mr. Glossip, 60, was convicted of arranging the 1997 murder of Barry Van Treese, who owned a motel in Oklahoma City where Mr. Glossip worked as a manager. Prosecutors argued that Mr. Glossip promised the motel handyman, Justin Sneed, $10,000 to kill him. According to interviews from inmates incarcerated with Mr. Sneed on unrelated charges, Mr. Sneed said he had acted alone to rob Mr. Van Treese of money that Mr. Sneed and his girlfriend planned to use to buy drugs. Mr. Sneed also has a history of mental illness, which was not disclosed at the time.

Programming note: The full interview with Richard Glossip will air Friday, May 5, on “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” which starts at 4 p.m. Lea Glossip, left, wife of death row inmate Richard Glossip, listens with death penalty opponent Sister Helen Prejean, right, during a news conference on Thursday, May 4, in Oklahoma City. Sneed admitted to killing Van Treese, but at trial, prosecutors portrayed the killing as a murder-for-hire plot orchestrated by Glossip. Ultimately, Reed Smith concluded “that no reasonable juror hearing the complete record would have convicted Richard Glossip of first-degree murder,” said Stan Perry, a partner at the firm. The Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, where Richard Glossip is set to be executed, is seen in 2015.

☆ Oklahoma County Commissioner Accused of Making Threatening Comments Resigns
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Adolfo Flores | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Protesters in Idabel, Okla., demanding the resignations of several McCurtain County officials earlier this week. Photo: Christopher Bryan/Southwest Ledger/Associated PressA county commissioner in southeast Oklahoma has resigned after being named by the local newspaper as one of several officials on a recording allegedly discussing killing two reporters and lynching Black people, Gov. Kevin Stitt ’s office said Wednesday. Carly Atchison, a spokeswoman for Mr. Stitt, said the governor’s office had received a handwritten resignation letter from McCurtain County Commissioner Mark Jennings .

☆ Oklahoma official caught on tape talking about lynching Black people and killing reporters resigns
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Jennings was caught on tape talking about lynching Black people and killing reporters. In the recording, Jennings also appears to complain about not being able to hang Black people, saying: "They got more rights than we got." The newspaper has filed a lawsuit against the sheriff's office seeking body camera footage and other records connected to Barrick's death. On Tuesday, the Oklahoma Sheriff's Association, a voluntary membership organization and not a regulatory agency, held an emergency meeting of its board. It voted unanimously to suspend Clardy, Manning and Hendrix from the association.

☆ Oklahoma eyes first US religious charter school after Supreme Court rulings
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( John Kruzel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstApril 6 (Reuters) - An Oklahoma school board is set to consider next week whether to approve the first taxpayer-funded religious charter school in the United States in a move that follows recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings expanding religious rights. The board is a state entity that considers applications for charter schools - publicly funded but independently run - that operate virtually in Oklahoma. They estimated that it would cost Oklahoma taxpayers up to $25.7 million over its first five years in operation as a charter school. In 2020, the Supreme Court endorsed Montana tax credits that helped pay for students to attend religious schools. Secular opponents have said religious charter schools would violate legal limits on government involvement in religion.

☆ EPA tells states not to block hazardous waste shipments from Ohio derailment
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 17 (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Friday he was notifying states they cannot block shipments of hazardous waste from a Feb. 3 Ohio train derailment to licensed disposal sites. A Norfolk Southern (NSC.N) operated train in East Palestine, Ohio derailed carrying hazardous materials. EPA Administrator Michael Regan said "any attempts to impede interstate shipments of hazardous waste threatens the integrity of the system." "EPA will take all actions to ensure the safe hazardous waste handing continues across this country," he told reporters. On Tuesday, the state of Ohio sued Norfolk Southern over the derailment that released over a million gallons of hazardous materials and pollutants.

☆ Oklahoma State Question 820 Election Results: Marijuana Legalization
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Oklahomans are voting on whether to allow for recreational use of marijuana during a special election in the state, where medical marijuana has been legal and widely available to residents for years. The measure is supported by criminal justice reform advocates and the A.C.L.U. and opposed by Gov. Kevin Stitt and several law enforcement associations. Backers have raised far more campaign money than opponents.

☆ An Oklahoma teacher faced death threats after she helped students access banned books. She says she's more scared for students than for herself.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Yelena Dzhanova | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

An Oklahoma teacher who helped students access banned books faced death threats. Summer Boismier left her teaching job and now works at the Brooklyn Public Library. The threats still rattle her, but she's more worried that teens and kids are losing access to books. Boismier resigned from her teaching job and moved 1,500 miles away from her home to Brooklyn, New York, where she began working for the Brooklyn Public Library. That alone shows how much of a demand there is for legislators to stop censoring books, Boismier said.

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