Board of Education Member Resigns
A state board of education member is stepping down, leaving the embattled board with now two vacancies. Suzanne Reynolds says she’s leaving “after careful consideration,” but did not cite a specific reason.
Suzanne Reynolds is the board’s at-large member, which means she doesn’t represent a specific district in the state like the other members. She took her seat when Governor Kevin Stitt overhauled the board in January after Ryan Walters became the state superintendent. Reynolds formerly worked as a pharmacy professor at OU.
As for stances on issues, Reynolds has been critical of Tulsa Public Schools since before taking her seat. She once urged the board to assess the “strongest possible penalty” against the district last year for a House Bill 1775 complaint, saying she also had experienced attempted indoctrination from OU for having to “endure [the] humiliating task” of diversity, equity and inclusion training.
As a board member, she’s criticized low reading proficiency rates at some of Tulsa’s school sites.
"We can teach a child to read in a matter of a few weeks," said Reynolds.
Stitt says he will appoint Reynolds to the Board of Regents for the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
OK Co. Offer To Buy Land For New Jail
Oklahoma County’s Board of Commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to buy land near Will Rogers World Airport for the new county jail.
The Oklahoman reports county commissioners offered to buy about 50 acres of land near SW 54th and Newcastle Rd. for $2.5 million. The offer also includes a request to rezone the property for jail use.
Oklahoma City Police Officers Arrested
The Oklahoma City Police Department has arrested two of their own officers this month.
This week, Lieutenant Bryant Holloway was arrested for multiple felony charges including embezzlement and perjury for allegedly changing times on traffic citations he issued to collect over $13,000 in overtime pay for shifts he did not work.
The week before, Sergeant Jurden Brown was arrested for allegedly offering to engage in prostitution during a sting operation which resulted in 50 total arrests. He has since been released on a $5,000 bond.
Both officers have been placed on paid administrative leave.
Norman To Begin Lead Line Inventories
Norman is working to map out which neighborhoods are most at risk for having lead water service lines.
Service lines are what connect the city’s water mains to the pipes in your home. They are the largest source of lead in U.S. drinking water. Today, they’re usually made with plastic or copper, but the older ones might be lead, cast iron or galvanized steel.
Nathan Madenwald is an engineer with the City of Norman. He says the Environmental Protection Agency is requiring all public water supplies to inventory service lines in the next 12 months
"So that way, as requirements get more stringent when we're required to do a certain level of replacement per year, we're able to target those projects in those areas where we have lead lines," said Madenwald.
Norman’s survey will look at 250 properties randomly selected from pre-1950s neighborhoods. The city will dig two small holes near the meter box to peek at the service lines and leave an informational door hanger.
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