Epic Charter School Co-Founders Face New Charges
Epic Charter Schools' co-founders are facing new felony charges.
According to the Tulsa World, David Chaney, Ben Harris and their accountant Josh Brock are now facing money laundering and conspiracy to defraud the state charges.
It brings their total felony accusations up to 15 from 11 when they were arrested in 2022.
The trio are accused of bilking Epic and the state of Oklahoma out of millions of taxpayer dollars by falsely inflating enrollment and using school funds to cover personal expenses.
State Auditor Cindy Byrd has called their case the "largest abuse of taxpayer funds in the history of this state."
The three former school officials are due to appear in court in January for a preliminary hearing.
OKC Picks Nonprofit To Operate Senior Wellness Center
The City of Oklahoma City selected a private health nonprofit to operate a new senior health and wellness center in northeast Oklahoma City.
Community Health Centers of Oklahoma will provide activities, recreation, health services and resources inside an about 45,000-square-foot facility catering to people ages 50 and up. It will include things like a heated lap and therapy pool, fitness center, game room and computer area.
The center is part of capital improvements in the MAPS 3 program, which aims to improve quality of life. This center is the third to be built through the project, with one more on the way in 2024.
The center is expected to open to members on Dec. 7.
DOD Boost Funding
Thousands of active-duty military parents may qualify for financial support to help with child care costs as a federal program expands into Oklahoma.
The Department of Defense is expanding its Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood PLUS initiative to include Oklahoma, making it the latest state to receive support for child care costs for military parents.
Oklahoma qualifies for this expansion because of its high concentration of military families and low access to child care services.
Oklahoma Voice reports that “nearly half of the state’s 77 counties are classified as a child care desert. That means there aren’t enough centers or employees to meet demand.
The expansion of the program will provide financial support to military families in the state who are facing challenges in accessing affordable child care.
USDA Grant Award To Butterfly Farm
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is giving almost $750,000 to a butterfly farm near Bixby. It's part of the latest round of USDA grants for training, outreach and technical assistance for underserved and veteran farmers.
The Euchee Butterfly Farm’s goal is to improve the lives of Native People, plants and pollinators.
There are almost 14,000 Indigenous-owned farms in Oklahoma, according to USDA’s Agriculture Census. But low quality land, lack of financial resources and access to information are problems for some Native farm owners or operators.
The department is funding a project providing conferences, workshops and classes to help remove barriers in accessing USDA resources through the farm’s learning center.
This announcement is part of USDA giving nearly $28 million in grants for underserved and veteran producers in 27 states.
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