Oklahoma's Attorney General filed a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of death row inmate Richard Glossip.
Two months after the U.S. Supreme Court halted the execution of Oklahoma death row inmate Richard Glossip, State Attorney General Gentner Drummond has filed a brief with the court in support of Glossip.
In the brief, Drummond said Glossip’s conviction for the 1997 murder of Barry Van Trese should be vacated and remanded back to the district court for a retrial.
This follows the findings of an independent review of Glossip’s case, including evidence of false testimony from the prosecution’s lead witness, causing doubts about his guilt.
Drummond also represented the State in support of Glossip at his clemency hearing in April.
Four nationwide organizations that support Native enrollment in higher education say they're disheartened by last week's (Thursday, 6/29) US Supreme Court decision that gutted affirmative action. They say they're committed to helping students.
The Cobell Scholarship Program for Indigenous Education was created in 2016 after the landmark 2009 settlement involving the federal government's mismanagement of Native trust funds. Today, it helps fund tuition for hundreds of Native students who want to pursue higher education.
They're one of four organizations along with the American Indian College Fund concerned with how last week's ruling that gutted affirmative action will affect college enrollment for hundreds of Native students who want to attend college.
They say they're not letting this decision get in the way of helping Native students. Oklahoma Higher Education Institutions don't have racial preference programs -- so the decision is unlikely to have an impact here.
The rate of Oklahomans seeking abortion services across state lines skyrocketed last year after the state legislature began enforcing bans on the procedure.
Almost 2,100 Oklahomans traveled to Kansas for an abortion last year. That number rose substantially from 2021, when just 137 received care from Kansas providers.
After May 2022, zero abortions were performed in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma’s strict abortion ban followed the U.S. Supreme Court overturn of Roe v. Wade. A 1910 law bans most abortions unless necessary to preserve the mother’s life. Two laws requiring a medical emergency were overturned by the state Supreme Court this year.
Kansas is one of three states bordering Oklahoma that allows for abortions. Colorado saw just under 200 Oklahomans for the procedure, while New Mexico has yet to release post-Roe overturn statistics.
The City of Oklahoma City is looking for volunteers to collect data as part of a national project studying heat in urban areas.
Upward of 300 street scientists are needed for the Urban Heat Mapping Campaign.
Not all parts of Oklahoma City are equally hot. Urban heat islands, with fewer trees and more blacktop roads, can be 20 degrees HOTTER than neighborhoods with more foliage and less asphalt.
Sarah Terry-Cobo is a planner in the City of OKC’s Office of Sustainability.
“In general, research tells us that low-income, minority communities, disadvantaged communities feel the heat effects more so than affluent communities." said Terry-Cobo.
The project seeks to map these urban heat islands.
On one of the hottest days of the year, teams of volunteers will drive assigned routes through 350 square miles of Oklahoma City collecting information about temperature, air quality and location.
Anyone is able to sign up to volunteer.
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