Members of the Norman community met last night to celebrate the life of a local bakery owner who died while in custody at the Cleveland County Jail.
More than 100 people gathered on Monday night on Norman’s Main Street near the Cookie Cottage to hold a candlelight vigil for Shannon Hanchett, the owner of Okie Baking Co. who died in the Cleveland County jail last week, under circumstances that are still being investigated.
Kate Bierman, a friend of Hanchett’s, says visiting the Cookie Cottage was an important part of her and her daughter’s lives.
"I told her that I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that Shannon’s recipes and Shannon’s Cookie Cottage live on if possible," said Bierman.
Hanchett was a known ally to the LGBTQ+ community in Norman. Accordingly, an all-ages drag show will be held in her memory on Sunday, Dec. 18th at The Mercury Center in Norman. Donations will be collected and given to Hanchett’s children.
The Western Heights Board of Education is back in business following Gov. Kevin Stitt’s appointment of a new board member. The move comes in response to the resignation of three board members who oversaw multiple operational failures.
Robert Everman was the former Western Heights school board president, and he’ll be replaced by Jerome Johnson — a father of two children who attend an elementary school in the district. Everman and two other members who regularly vote with him resigned last month, leading to the district not having enough personnel on its board to hold meetings.
Last year, the state board of education suspended Western Heights’ superintendent, installed its own and took over district operations. This came after massive losses of students and employees, financial mismanagement, retaliatory behavior toward staff and parents, and some of the lowest academics in the state.
Western Heights’ school board may appoint two members to replace the other resignations in the meantime, but one of those positions is up for election in February.
The Oklahoma Department of Human Services is urging all SNAP recipients to change their PIN immediately.
The program, formally known as food stamps, is being affected by an increase of card skimming. Oklahoma Human Services says they’re aware of more than 100 Oklahoma SNAP users who have been affected.
The agency also says to check your SNAP EBT account regularly and watch for unauthorized charges.
Customers who have been affected by card skimming or SNAP EBT benefit theft are encouraged to visit ConnectEBT.com or call 1-888-328-6551.
After each election, Oklahoma’s State Election Board conducts an audit searching for irregularities. Following the November election, the state board performed it again. And per a more than 100-page report, it confirmed practically no issues.
Auditors did find two minor errors after checking the work of tabulators on 108 randomly selected races around the state. But neither error affected a race outcome.
The work was routine, but it remains relevant as voting security conversations swirl around the nation.
Cherokee Nation and Tulsa County officials are celebrating the replacement of a bridge in Collinsville that was closed for nearly two years for safety issues.
The Horsepen Creek Bridge is an important connection point for Collinsville Public Schools’ students and for people traveling to work from northern Tulsa County.
And after almost two years, it’s finally open again thanks to funds from The Cherokee Nation and local governments.
The Cherokee Nation secured $1 million from the Tribal Transportation Bridge Program for the bridge replacement. And another 1.1 million came from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and Tulsa County.
Since 2019, the Cherokee Nation has helped fund rehabilitation projects for more than 140 miles of roads and bridges throughout their 14-county reservation with a total investment of more than $28.5 million.
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