The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals denied death row inmate Richard Glossip’s claim of innocence Thursday.
In a press release, Attorney General John O’Connor announced the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals denied Richard Glossip’s most recent claim of innocence, saying Glossip did not show he was innocent of hiring Justin Sneed to murder motel owner Barry Van Trese in 1997.
Additionally, O’Connor says the court found there was no evidence of Sneed ever seeking to recant his testimony in a meaningful way, despite the discovery of letters from Sneed suggesting otherwise earlier this year.
O’Connor did not address Glossip’s claim of prosecutorial misconduct during his retrial in his statement.
Glossip’s execution date was rescheduled to February 16 to allow time for this pending litigation.
The Cherokee Nation will receive nearly $70,000 to enhance air quality monitoring in their communities from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The EPA money comes from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and the American Rescue Plan. It will take measurements near an existing air monitoring site in Pryor, where there is concern about elevated air pollution levels emitted from the nearby MidAmerica Industrial Park.
The money is part of the $30 million Biden committed toward air pollution monitoring under the Inflation Reduction Act which will help underserved communities.
The National Weather Service has classified the tornado that hit Idabel a week ago as an EF4.
The twister tracked 58 miles beginning in Texas, and carried wind speeds up to an estimated 170 mph.
It's the first EF4 to affect Oklahoma since 2016.
Electric car company Canoo is acquiring a vehicle manufacturing plant in Oklahoma City. StateImpact’s Beth Wallis reports the new facility joins Canoo’s other Oklahoma investments in Pryor and Tulsa.
BW: Canoo is acquiring a 120-acre site that already houses a move-in ready commercial facility, which, once renovated, will run off clean energy. Canoo says the Oklahoma City factory will employ more than 500 people and produce electric vehicles, which will start coming out next year.
The facility joins several other Canoo plans in the works including: a “mega microfactory” and a battery module manufacturing facility — both in Pryor — as well as a technology hub and a research and development center in Tulsa.
But it hasn’t been all smooth sailing for Canoo. Despite a pending performance-based incentive package from the state valued at about $300 million, the company’s financial wellbeing and even future existence has been up in the air for months. Canoo says significant delays in facility construction have come from inflation and supply chain issues.
An Oklahoma state senator says he will continue to fight for Daylight Saving Time to be the official year-round time in Oklahoma.
Republican State Senator Blake Stephens says he wants to do away with the time changes citing negative health effects—and make Daylight Saving Time permanent in Oklahoma.
Stephens previously filed Senate Bill 843, but the measure did not advance. He says he plans to refile his legislation ahead of the 2023 session, which begins in February.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act. It’s awaiting consideration by the U.S. House of Representatives, followed by the president.
If approved, DST would be able to become permanent across the nation, with many states already having legislation in place to be enacted upon the passage of the act.
Scissortail Park is asking the community to donate spare hub caps for their 'Hub Cap Holiday Tree'.
To honor the park's connection with the section of OKC formerly known as "Hub Cap Alley", management is working with a local artist to create the holiday tree constructed from hub caps.
Officials say approximately 100 to 150 new or used hub caps are needed to create the custom piece of art for the holidays.
You can drop off hub caps at Scissortail Park now through Tuesday, Nov. 15. A collection bin is located on the west side of Union Station near the Scissortail Park Ranger Station.
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