Latest news with #MaryBoren
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Native American Veteran reunited with gifted artwork after more than 30 years
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — As storms pass and years roll by, some stories wait to unfold until all the right paths cross. After 30 years, a veteran is reunited with a painting gifted to him by an Oklahoma Native American Icon, after it was discovered in a damaged storage unit by an Oklahoma lawmaker. 'It says, 'To Eugene Big Soldier' said Senator Mary Boren (D-Norman). Senator Boren stumbled upon this work of art created by a legend. 'And then it says 'Senator Kelly Enoch Haney,'' said Boren. North downtown development project 'Alley North' in motion after groundbreaking You know the late Haney as a former Oklahoma Senator, Principal Chief of the Seminole Nation, and, of course, an artist. His statue, 'The Guardian,' stands on top of our state's capitol. 'I felt like it was a responsibility,' said Boren. Boren's late mother was also an artist. She collected pieces of meaning. After a move to Norman, her treasures were put into a storage unit, only to be hit by a tornado. A crack in the glass on the frame serves as evidence of the storm. While Boren's family sifted through the rubble, this painting emerged. 'My sisters asked me, 'Do you know who this artist is?' And I said, 'Absolutely!'' said Boren. This gift was to Eugene Big Soldier. But, who was that? 'I put a post on social media saying, 'Does anyone know who this person is?'' said Boren. That's where the third artist in this story enters, Marci Black, Big Soldier's sister. While working on a painting of her brother, she searched his name on Facebook and stumbled upon Boren's query. That led to Thursday's surprise reunion. 'Oh, my gosh!' said Big Soldier as he entered the room. 'My mother was an artist, and she found this,' said Boren. 'Wow!' said Big Soldier. Big Soldier said the painting was a gift from Haney after he returned home from the Gulf War in 1991. 'I can remember this day vividly,' said Big Soldier. He hasn't seen it since. 'I had a lot of a lot of problems transitioning,' said Big Soldier. 'I'm just really thankful that I made it home. I'm really grateful to you all and your mother in particular,' said Big Soldier to Boren. 'She's in Heaven now, with Kelley Haney. I bet they both concocted this, looking down and smiling,' said Boren. Two paths meant to cross and to celebrate a man who lives up to his family name of Big Soldier. 'If we moved and were going on a buffalo hunt, they would be in the back making sure no one was left behind,' said Black. Also celebrating a connection that a storm could not silence. 'He deserves all the goodness in the world,' said Black. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
OSBE meeting postponed last second after almost breaking the law
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – The monthly Oklahoma Board of Education meeting was suddenly postponed Thursday after The Oklahoman reported that they were about to violate the law. 'They've always tried to get right up close to that line and see how far they can get to the line without getting in trouble,' Senator Mary Boren said after hearing the news. The Oklahoman published an article Wednesday, not long after the Oklahoma State Department of Education posted its agenda for the next day's meeting. The article pointed to the fact that the online agenda was posted around 20 minutes less than 24 hours before the meeting was to be held. According to their reporting, OSDE responded by saying that 'the law's requirements had been met.' Most comments submitted opposed to OSBE Social Studies standards It hadn't. When asked on Thursday, the Attorney General's Office told News 4 that a recent law requires the agendas to be posted at least 24 hours before both online and on the door. On Thursday, another article published by The Oklahoman announced the sudden postponement of the meeting. They reported email exchanges where board members and the board attorney were concerned about the possible violation of the Open Meetings Act. That article also reported on emails where board members wanted to discuss the Social Studies Standards again, but Superintendent Ryan Walters rejected that request. Those standards are expected to be decided on next week by lawmakers. News 4 reached out to OSDE spokesperson Grace Kim to ask for a response to the postponement. Their department sent a statement that said in part, 'Due to a technical issue the OSBE agenda for March was posted on the internet 19 minutes late.' Then it read, 'The agenda was sent to OMES (Office of Management and Enterprise Services) for posting ahead of the deadline.' In a video on Facebook, around 1 p.m. on Thursday, Superintendent Ryan Walters is seen staring at what looks to be notes and repeating the same response. The video was just over one minute long. News 4 asked OMES if they were to blame for the agenda being posted online later than the law allows, and their reaction to OSDE seemingly blaming them. OMES stated that, 'The employee referenced in these remarks is a technology employee embedded within OSDE and is managed by OSDE daily.' The agency explained that six minutes before the deadline on Wednesday, OSDE staff emailed that employee. They stated that the employee posted the agenda by 1:20 p.m., less than 30 minutes after it was received. 'It's important to note, that OSDE is responsible for the development of its meetings and agendas and allowing enough reasonable time to post those agendas so that the public may receive notice and attend the open meeting. To characterize this as an OMES error is dishonest and misleading. We also did not receive any media inquiries related to this error before publication,' stated OMES. Dozens of people showed up at the Oliver Hodge building ready to participate in the meeting. They told News 4 that they were the ones to let staff at the building know that the meeting had been postponed. 'I walked in, I asked staff if they knew and they were very shocked and told me that absolutely the meeting had not been postponed. But it had. I spoke to the troopers that were out here. They also had no idea,' said Preston Bobo of Defense of Democracy. 'There are parents here who drove from northeast of Tulsa to attend this meeting and that just feels offensive to me.' The meeting was said to have been carried over to next month's April 24 meeting. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Wanting to forage for berries and mushrooms? Bill would allow it on some state lands
Got a craving for morel mushrooms, pecans or wild blackberries? Oklahomans could forage for these and other edible plants on state land under a new bill. State Sen. Mary Boren, D-Norman, presented Senate Bill 447 to the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Wildlife. It passed unanimously and is eligible to be heard on the Senate floor. Currently, foraging is not allowed on state land, and not even deer hunters can pick berries or mushrooms when they're hunting, she said. Boren filed the bill after her mother and mother-in-law were scolded by a park ranger at Lake Thunderbird for picking pecans. 'I get that it was no harm, no foul, just go on with your life, but it hit me that it's not appropriate to have a state law that discourages something that is very, very good,' Boren said. More: More foraging fun: Why this Oklahoma group is going wild for morel mushrooms The bill would allow people to forage for nuts and edible plants or fungi for personal use, but not resale, on some state-owned or state-managed properties. It would allow the Oklahoma Wildlife Commission to implement rules such as safety clothing during hunting seasons and preserve certain wildlife habitats, especially for turkeys. It's likely foraging won't be allowed on all state land. Exempt areas would include crops certified by the Oklahoma Agriculture Experiment Station system, the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service under the Oklahoma State University Division of Agriculture Science and Natural Resources. Other areas would include state- or university-owned test or research farms and property otherwise restricted for access by state or federal law. Another exemption is plants that are threatened or endangered. Be the first to know: Sign up for breaking news email alerts Senators were concerned about disrupting hunters and the safety of foragers if they went out during large game hunting seasons when rifles are permitted. Other senators asked if leased state land, for purposes such as cattle, could be added to the exemptions list. Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, said he was concerned about hunters having their abilities and rights encroached. 'People hunting morel mushrooms, they don't mind going anywhere and once they get on the hunt, they lose their mind sometimes. I know that because my grandfather was one of them,' he said. Nels Rodefeld, assistant director of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, said that's something the agency has struggled with, and the discussion has been going on for about 20 years. He said they are committed to taking a thorough digest on the bill and being transparent to hunters and the public through the agency's rulemaking process. Sen. Jonathan Wingard, R-Ada, asked if foragers could be required to wear hunter orange during hunting season, as archery hunters are required to. She agreed to work on any changes that make foraging safer, but said other pieces of state land would fall under other jurisdictions. Wingard also asked if the state would assume any liability for people who become ill or died if they ate something they shouldn't have. Boren said she didn't think so because the state isn't telling people to go forage. She's hoping nature centers will be able to host foraging classes. 'Well, the neat thing about living in Oklahoma is that we like to try things and see what happens,' she said. 'What I noticed in Oklahoma is how connected we are to surviving off the land and that is something unique to Oklahoma.' This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Foraging for wild plants on Oklahoma land could be made legal
