Football Coaches Charged For Crimes
Two Oklahoma public schools football coaches have been charged for separate crimes this week.
Ringling football coach, Phil Koons, was charged with outraging public decency for using profane, degrading, and derogatory language toward student athletes from August 2021 until February of this year following allegations he called students racist and homophobic slurs and forced them to complete exercise drills in the locker room while naked.
Kingfisher football coach, Jeff Myers, was charged with child neglect following a hazing lawsuit from a former player and subsequent investigation. Myers is accused of condoning locker room fights between students referred to as “The Ring”.
An assistant coach was also charged with child abuse and a school board member was charged with failure to report child abuse.
Lawmakers Discuss Elderly Care Issues
A state representative from Norman hosted an interim study on elderly care in Oklahoma on Tuesday. StateImpact’s Jillian Taylor reports on what experts say about staffing shortages, care complaints and service connection issues.
Topics included staffing shortages, care complaints and service connection issues.
The AARP recently ranked Oklahoma 46th in the nation for its long-term services and support.
Democratic Rep. Annie Menz says she wanted to create a platform for experts to discuss ways to improve quality of life for Oklahoma’s aging population.
The main discussion points included how Oklahoma families need to know more about available services to better serve the state’s growing population of seniors.
Jeromy Buchanan, the executive director of Community Living, Aging and Protective Services, says Oklahoma agencies are working to spread awareness and meet needs.
“We're trying to prioritize what's important for Oklahoma and develop that future vision for where we want to be,” Buchanan said.
Experts also discussed how Oklahoma must prioritize staffing its long-term care facilities through better wages and support after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Report: Trump Dominates Fundraising In Oklahoma
Former President Donald Trump is dominating fundraising efforts among presidential candidates in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma Watch reports he's raised more than $600,000 dollars between January 2022 and September 2023.
That's more than three times as much as his next-closest opponent, Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has been endorsed by Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt.
Republicans continue to outraise Democrats by a large sum, raking in more than $1 million dollars, compared to President Joe Biden's $67,000 from the Sooner State.
Oklahoma's presidential primary will be in March 2024.
Panel On 'Killers Of The Flower Moon'
The highly anticipated film adaptation of Killers of the Flower Moon comes out Friday. In advance, Tribal Nation leaders, federal law enforcement and the book’s author David Grann got together to discuss it at a panel in Edmond.
Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear, Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby and OKC’s FBI Special Agent in Charge Edward Gray had a lot to talk with Grann about related to his book and the upcoming movie.
Standing Bear of the Osage Nation says both Grann’s book and the new movie have put a much-needed spotlight on the tragic murders of Osage people. And they’ve sparked conversations about improving mental health services in the tribal nation.
“I can tell you honestly, the Osage has been behind the timeline in facing up to the complicated issues of our stress, anxiety, all the issues that are so throughout our people,” said Standing Bear.
It’s a need, Anaotubby of Chickasaw Nation echoed. And it’s a message that tribal nation leaders say is becoming more important to share in Indian Country.
Is Oklahoma Part Of The Midwest?
Is Oklahoma part of the Midwest? Researchers asked 11,000 people in 22 states: “Do you live in the Midwest?”
Of 495 surveyed Oklahomans, about two-thirds responded yes.
Jon Lauck is the editor-in-chief of the Middle West Review, and led the study.
“Do people consider themselves midwesterners? Is that really a thing? And so we thought let's nail this down to the extent we can with a sophisticated survey and find out what people say," said Lauck.
People in states north of Oklahoma were far more likely to say they are Midwesterners, with more than 90 percent of Kansans, Missourians and Nebraskans answering that they live in the region.
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