Oklahoma Declines To Participate In Federal Summer Food Program For Children
Oklahoma will not participate in a federal summer food program for children covering $40 a month in grocery expenses for eligible families.
Gov. Kevin Stitt’s office told The Oklahoman newspaper it didn’t accept the funds because federal rules for the program weren’t clear. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates half a million children would have been eligible in Oklahoma.
According to a national report on the well-being of children, about one in five Oklahoma children face food insecurity. Hunger Free Oklahoma CEO Chris Benard told the Oklahoman Tuesday the governor’s decision was extremely disappointing, as families and kids are struggling.
The Cherokee and Chickasaw Nation signed up for the program, meaning Oklahoma families with kids attending a public school on their reservation territories won’t miss out on benefits.
State Auditor Releases Details On Embezzlement Case In Jones
The state auditor released details Wednesday on the embezzlement investigation into a small Oklahoma town.
Auditor Cindy Byrd says nearly $60,000 was missing from the city of Jones from 2016 to 2019.
The audit found the Court Clerk’s office received municipal fines and fees, but did not deposit the funds and record the collections as required by law.
State investigators arrested former assistant city clerk Pamela Lucas on charges of embezzlement. She has admitted to stealing money by creating false receipts, altering or destroying documents and changing citation amounts.
Investigators are looking into who else might be involved... because about $21,000 of the unposted payments went missing after Lucas was terminated in February 2019.
Oklahoma Task Force Recommends Implementing Per-Mile Road Tax
An Oklahoma task force is recommending the state use a per-mile road tax.
The task force reports suggests Oklahoma lawmakers consider passing legislation in 2025 to create a voluntary statewide pay-per-mile program for drivers.
After conducting a pilot program, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) Road User Charge Task Force recommended this new pay-per-mile system as a potential solution. The program would be voluntary initially, starting no earlier than 2027.
The nonprofit newsroom Oklahoma Voice reports the pilot involved 445 volunteers from 63 counties reporting their mileage through various methods, such as GPS-enabled devices or submitting photos of their odometers.
Lawmakers will now need to review the report before deciding on the next steps and whether to adopt the recommended pay-per-mile program.
Oklahoma Death Row Inmate Execution Delayed
What would have been Oklahoma’s first execution of 2024 has been delayed to evaluate the death row inmate’s mental state.
The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals ordered a 100-day stay of execution for 61-year-old James Ryder, who was scheduled to be executed on February 1st for the 1999 murder of 70-year-old Daisy Hallum.
The stay will provide time for a hearing to determine whether Ryder is competent enough to be executed under Oklahoma law, which states a death row inmate must be able to have a rational understanding of the reason they are being executed. Ryder has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
The next death row inmate scheduled to be executed in Oklahoma is Michael DeWayne Smith, who is scheduled to be executed on April 4.
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