Latest news with #Oklahomans
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Drummond opposes appeal of death row inmate in 2014 beheading
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond's office on Monday announced his opposition to the latest appeal from death row inmate Alton Nolen also known as Jah'Keem Yisrael, who was convicted of beheading a coworker in 2014. Oklahoma man loses appeal, remains on death row for beheading coworker According to Drummond's office, a response has been filed in addition to Alton Nolen's supplemental brief in U.S. District Court urging the court to deny federal habeas corpus relief after a violent attack in 2014 against his coworkers at Vaughan Foods in Moore. Nolen has two recorded separate confessions to law enforcement confirming his motivation for the attack, stating in part: 'I just felt like…I did what I needed to do. What Allah…says in the Qur'an to do.', said the AG's office. Drummond says, his office is committed to seeing Nolen executed for his attack on innocent Oklahomans. 'This vicious attack and gruesome murder were committed at the hands of a radical Islamist who was clearly motivated by his religious views,' Drummond said. 'Colleen Hufford was tragically and violently taken from her loved ones. I will fight ardently for justice to be served until this monster is put to death.' Click here to read the filing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Could we see the Northern Lights in Oklahoma tonight? Here's what the aurora forecast says
The night sky had a few more colors than usual, and in case you missed it, you may have another chance tonight. The Northern Lights are caused by solar flares that make their way to Earth. When the flares get close enough to Earth's atmosphere, the planet's magnetic field protects us from the high-speed electrons and protons. The magnetic field redirects the recent activity to the north and south poles, making it almost pertinent to view the lights immediately following the activity. While Sunday, June 1, had a higher likelihood of visibility, another coronal mass ejection is set to strike late on June 2. Here's what to expect for Monday night's light show. It's possible! Sunday night's light show was more active than predicted for Monday night, but active levels are still forecast for tonight. According to the NOAA, geomagnetic activity is forecast to peak at 3 p.m. CT, which will make it difficult to view with the sun out at the same time. However, when the sun sets at 8:41 p.m., another peak is expected from 9 p.m. The best chance of seeing auroras late at night is to look north between 9 p.m. and 12 a.m. local time, and away from city lights. This far south, the lights are best seen with a camera, even the one your smartphone comes equipped with. Although some maps and forecasts have predicted low visibility in southern states, some Oklahomans have still documented nights throughout the summer when they saw the lights in the late-night hours. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Northern Lights in Oklahoma: What time, how to see aurora tonight
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Does Ryan Walters need a history refresher? Many Oklahomans say yes
For years, Oklahoma state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters has had many missions on reforming the education system. Here's the latest on recent Oklahoma initiatives. WRONG AGENDA: Oklahomans aren't willing to sit idly by while Ryan Walters rides off into the sunset chasing his political dreams at the expense of taxpayers, writes former legislator Mark McBride. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Our kids deserve better than Ryan Walters' disguised political agenda, David L. Myers, of Oklahoma City, writes in a letter to the editor. FORCED UPON: Christian nationalism is being pushed in public schools, guest columnist writes, and secular students made to feel "less American" in violation of church/state separation. MISPLACED PRIORITIES: There's no money in the new state budget for higher teacher pay, but the Legislature may authorize more inexperienced "adjunct" teachers in classrooms. WHAT'S THE PLAN?: A new classroom cell phone ban law will be futile unless Ryan Walters' Oklahoma agency steps up to provide direction. Sign up for the Public Square newsletter here. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Social studies rules show Walters needs history refresher | Cartoon
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Readers on Trump's 'big beautiful bill,' LGBTQ+, homeowners insurance
We are very disappointed in all five Republican members of Oklahoma's congressional delegation who voted "yes" for a federal spendthrift budget bill that adds $3.8 trillion to the national debt while threatening the health and welfare of the poorest Oklahomans. They are not representing the people who elected them by voting to slash funding for Medicaid and the SNAP food stamp programs in favor of tax shelters for the wealthiest Americans. Oklahoma is a poor state. If our tax dollars go to billionaires rather than helping the poorest citizens, the federal government has already indicated states, including Oklahoma, will be asked to contribute more in state taxes to fund safety net programs that we already paid for. These demands will come at a bad time. Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed the Republican-led Oklahoma Legislature's new bill that will trigger a .25% tax cut beginning in budget year 2026 if revenue exceeds the fiscal year 2023 baseline by $300 million. This cut in available state funds is expected to lower available revenue by $108.2 million, according to Senate staff and the Oklahoma Tax Commission. Oklahomans voted to expand Medicaid to 200,000 Oklahomans through the petition process after state legislators ignored the Affordable Care Act provisions to expand health care for 10 years. This vote tells us that health care is a priority for the people in our state. The spendthrift bill our congressional delegation supported is an obvious transfer of wealth from Oklahoma and America's poor and middle class into the already well-stuffed pockets of the nation's richest 1%. We see it for what it is. ― Jody Harlan & Tim Wagner, Yukon When I was young but old enough to understand the significance of the ceremony, I was baptized into my church and given a leather covered King James Bible with my name embossed in gold. I tried to read it through but after great effort, gave up. It was hard to read through, and I found killings, family abandonment, rapes and even a beheading. I decided to let my parents and my minister pick the passages I should read and live by. Since then, I have been given many Bibles, from the Gideons, the Red Cross in Korea and other churches as I've moved around. It's even free on the internet.I read "The Glass Castle" some time ago, found it excellent and recommended it to my wife and she to our daughter and to her ladies' book club in our church. It was one of the great books the Oklahoma State Department of Education tried to ban. For the life of me I cannot remember an unseemly passage in it. The Bible would be banned if the same people were reading it for the first time.I don't understand the need to put Bibles in our public schools. A child should be guided by his minister and parents as he reads the Bible, not by a busy schoolteacher. Other religions such as (Satanists) would then be able to put their material in our schools. We will get more Sean Sellers who led a (Satanism) club at Putnam City North High School until he was caught murdering three people and executed at age 17. Also, it is against the law. The founders wrote that the government shall separate itself from any religion. Public schools are run and owned by our government. To violate the Constitution and spend $3 million of our tax dollars for expensive Bibles that most every family already has several copies of is foolish and wrong. Ryan Walters must have an ulterior motive.― Dr. David Brinker, Oklahoma City More: Christian nationalism is being forced into OK schools. It's a war on reality. | Opinion How sad to read the vicious comments of Dillon Awes about gay people, Jews and others, cloaked of course, in religion. As I have grown old, I have watched the 'Family Values' shouters: Billy James Hargis, Jimmy Swaggart, Ralph Shorty, Paul Pressler, Jared Woodfill (I could fill the page). Look up these 'family values' stalwarts. When I attended OBU and Moody Bible Institute before volunteering for Vietnam, the Jesus I studied wouldn't have run with Dillon Awes. Jesus came to rail against the chest beaters, the pious hypocrites that prayed loudly so that others might see them, those who used religion to be cruel, to control, to hurt others. Jesus came to remind us that the sins of the flesh are not nearly as egregious as the way we treat our fellow human beings. Jesus lived and died saying that, 'I accept responsibility for humankind's failings and my love, God's love, extends to everyone.' His entire message was to ask us to treat others with love, compassion and understanding. I cannot tell you that my two tours in Vietnam with the 4th Infantry Division, K Company 75th Airborne Rangers accomplished anything good, but I can tell you that the men I served with, 100% volunteers, believed they were fighting and dying so that ALL Americans might have equal rights, equal opportunities. ALL AMERICANS, not just those that Dillon Awes thinks have a right to live. I teared up as I wrote this. What have we become? ― Jack Werner, Oklahoma City Oklahoma City church leader Dillon Awes' position that LGBTQ+ people should be executed is profoundly ignorant of longstanding recognition by relevant national associations. Sexual orientation and gender identity have for some 40 years been deemed normal human characteristics ― neither sickness nor sin ― by the American Psychiatric Association, Psychological Association, Medical Association, and National Association of Social Workers. Awes' judgments, his obsolete, incorrect and detestable stereotypical beliefs about LGBTQ+ people are unworthy of any otherwise normally functioning person who can read and write. ― Nathaniel Batchelder, Oklahoma City More: Is hail really to blame for Oklahoma's high insurance rates? Why weather experts say no Lately, there's been growing concern — and even criticism — about rising homeowners' insurance rates in Oklahoma. I understand the frustration. Some have asked whether the Oklahoma Insurance Department, and I personally, are doing enough. So let me set the record straight. First, let me tell you what the Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) does regarding rates. Contrary to what some believe, we don't set them. We don't approve them. Oklahoma, like 37 other states, uses a 'file-and-use' or 'use-and-file' system. Our job is to ensure that those filings are lawful, non-discriminatory and transparent. We monitor the market closely, enforce consumer protections and act when companies break the law. Now I want to talk about why rates are high, because they affect all of us. It's not only because of hail! Oklahoma is one of the most disaster-prone states in the country. We face tornadoes, hail, wind, wildfires and floods — many times, all in the same year. These natural disasters have caused significant damage and massive payouts by insurance companies. In 2023, insurers in Oklahoma paid out $129 in claims for every $100 they collected in premiums. That kind of imbalance simply isn't sustainable. Even after some improvement in 2024, payouts are still at $97 per $100 in premiums. When companies consistently lose money, they raise rates — some even stop writing new policies and leave the state. Luckily, we are not seeing an exodus of companies. Oklahoma consumers have choices because of the way our state works. Over 100 licensed companies write homeowners insurance in Oklahoma, and more than 50 are actively doing so. Competition in the market helps keep prices in check. OID is also pushing forward and working on long-term solutions. One example is the Strengthen Oklahoma Homes grant program, which helps homeowners fortify their homes against severe weather. Stronger homes mean fewer claims and lower premiums. I do hear your concerns, and I share them. Nobody wants to see costs go up. But I want you to know this: Our team is fighting every day to ensure Oklahoma's insurance market remains fair, competitive and focused on protecting you. That's our mission. That's our commitment. — Glen Mulready, Oklahoma insurance commissioner This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OK insurance commissioner speaks up about homeowners' rates | Letters
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Millions in federal funding for history preservation in jeopardy due to budget cuts
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Preserving history in Oklahoma and across the United States could be at risk due to federal budget cuts. Without the millions in funding, projects restoring and maintaining pieces of state history may be on the chopping block. In President Trump's proposed budget, the Historic Preservation Fund is eliminated. Lynda Ozan, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, says their agency could run out of money by late summer, putting a stop to their efforts. 'We are currently operating on our fiscal year 24 money, which will run out soon. Our fiscal year 25 money should have been released in October of last year,' said Ozan. Oklahoma City: The pinnacle of the sports world Oklahomans working in the agency are also at risk of losing their jobs due to layoffs. Ozan says preserving history is a big part of economic development, as older buildings and historical artifacts are restored over generations. 'Things from road construction to cell tower installations, and then our big tax credit programs like First National or even Price Tower up in Bartlesville that was just purchased, those are going to need our staff to help them through that process,' said Ozan. 'And then, just regular things that we do with our community, whether it's education with children or community outreach through our Main Street program here in Oklahoma to help revitalize downtowns.' Oklahomans are now encouraged to act. 'They need to reach out to their elected officials, whether that is at the local level or all the way up to Washington, D.C.,' Ozan said. Ozan provided an example on one of the ways we see history preserved in Oklahoma, using the mother road, known as Route 66. 'We're coming up on a major anniversary for Route 66. All those small communities are going to see influx of people. We've done a lot of history in these communities that people will now be experiencing because we've helped them do that,' Ozan said. Ozan also recommends asking local lawmakers to walk through the historic buildings in a specific community to show them why they're important. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
