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Deadline weeks are always interesting. Shaping public policy is necessary but sometimes messy work. With 149 lawmakers vying for what they believe is the best policy, we sometimes have a little drama. We had a bit last week as we worked to pass Senate bills in the House and watch over our House bills in the Senate before deadline for bills to be heard in opposite Chamber. House and Senate leaders are still at odds over the best way to increase funding for public schools and give teachers a pay...
Oklahoma has many laws governing open meetings and open records. Weekly I go to meetings that fall under these laws that are meant to protect and inform the public while keeping office holders honest. Among the city, county and school public meetings I attend, I have rarely seen anyone try to circumvent those ordinances. But like all laws, sometimes they can make things complicated. I saw this in action Monday at the regular meeting of the Woods County Board of Commissioners. We all gathered at...
We have officially passed another legislative deadline this session. Last Thursday, we worked well into the evening to finalize approval of bills that originated in the House. We approved 111 House bills last week, and 225 in total this session. The approved legislation included a public school funding plan that provides the largest teacher pay raise in state history. The raises will be based on years of service, with the most experienced and dedicated educators seeing the largest increase....
According to the affidavits and petitions on file, the following individuals have been charged. An individual is innocent of any charges listed below until proven guilty in a court of law. All information is a matter of public record and may be obtained by anyone during regular hours at the Alfalfa County Courthouse. The Newsgram will not intentionally alter or delete any of this information. If it appears in the courthouse public records, it will appear in this newspaper. Felony Filings Thomas L. McClendon, Helena, 44, has been charged with...
Tuesday, April 25, 2023 During this day were three traffic stops. 2:01 a.m. – Caller advised they heard a loud bang behind their house with flashlights all over. They were not sure if they were trying to break into the garage or the building behind their house. Officer drove around the area. 8:03 a.m. – Report of a fire on County Road 720 between Jefferson and Jackson. 6:26 p.m. – Woods County advised of a reporting party that lives in Jet that was being harassed by someone who lives in Woods County. 7:43 p.m. – Caller advised the neighbo...
An Oklahoma sex offender who was released from prison early shot his wife, her three children and their two friends in the head and then killed himself, authorities confirmed Wednesday as concerns grew about why he was free as his trial on new sex charges loomed. Okmulgee Police Chief Joe Prentice said that the victims had each been shot in the head one to three times with a 9 mm pistol when they were found Monday near a creek and in a heavily wooded area in rural Oklahoma. The bodies apparently had been moved there from where they were...
HENRYETTA, Okla. (AP) — A woman who would go 100% for her children. A teen set to represent her town in a pageant. An aspiring artist who also wanted to be a doctor. Relatives are remembering five teenagers and a mom who were found dead this week on a rural property near Henryetta, Oklahoma. Law enforcement said Wednesday that Jesse McFadden, 39, fatally shot them all — his wife, her three teenage children and their two teenage friends — before killing himself. HOLLY GUESS Guess, 35, was a doting parent who worked from home, most recen...
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate approved a measure Wednesday that would reinstate tariffs on solar panel imports from several Southeast Asian countries after President Joe Biden paused them in a bid to boost solar installations in the U.S. Lawmakers also approved a separate plan to undo federal protections for the lesser prairie chicken, a rare grouse that's found in parts of the Midwest and Southwest, including one of the country's most prolific oil and gas fields. The two measures are part of efforts by newly empowered Republicans to rebuke the...
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Highway Patrol uses a tactic dubbed the "Kansas two step" to search vehicles — often from other states — when there is often no legitimate cause for the search, according to a lawsuit being heard this week in federal court. Shawna Maloney of Colorado recalled her fear after troopers used the tactic to search her family's RV as they were on a cross-country vacation in March 2018. The predawn search on Interstate 70 turned up nothing illegal. "I don't feel safe driving through Kansas anymore," Maloney testi...
MANASSAS, Va. (AP) — A large snake brought traffic to a stop at an intersection in Prince William County, Virginia. The snake was in an electrical panel at the intersection of Prince William Parkway and Sudley Manor Drive and caused a power outage on Monday, the Prince William County Police Department said in a statement. A police officer and an animal control officer worked together to remove the snake from the panel and release it unharmed in the area, authorities said. The snake was so large that it flipped a breaker switch that shut off t...
