Oklahoma Taxpayers Owe Swadley’s Foggy Bottom Kitchen Nearly $2.6 Million, Legal Filing Says
A former barbecue restaurant contractor at Oklahoma state parks says the state of Oklahoma owes more than $2 million dollars for unpaid contracts.
In March 2020, Swadley’s landed a cushy contract with Oklahoma’s Tourism and Recreation Department to remodel and manage six restaurants in state parks.
About a year and a half into that contract, a whistleblower told state authorities Swadley’s had been inflating its expenses so it could overcharge the state. The Tourism Department ended its contract and sued; the restaurant countersued for $1.1 million in unpaid invoices.
Earlier this week, Swadley’s filed a new motion in that suit. The non-profit news outlet Oklahoma Voice reports the restaurant claims the state actually owes Swadley’s $2.6 million and says the company is merely a scapegoat for Tourism’s mismanagement of taxpayer money.
Swadley’s says Gov. Kevin Stitt and Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell supported the 2022 lawsuit to pass the buck on a state agency budget scandal during an election year.
A spokesperson from the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office says they’re reviewing the filing.
Bill Would Ban Flying Gay Pride Flag On State Property
A ban of LGBTQ pride flags on state property is advancing in the Oklahoma legislature.
The "Patriotism not Pride” Act would bar state agencies from flying a gay pride flag on their grounds. It would also prohibit state resources from being used to endorse a pride activity through a flyer or even posting on social media.
Moore Republican Kevin West is the sponsor of House Bill 3217. He says it’s necessary to prevent state funds from going to the promotion of pride events.
Democrats who oppose it say it runs afoul of the First Amendment, could limit free speech rights of state employees and is discriminatory toward LGBTQ individuals.
The measure advanced out of the State Powers Committee along party lines and can now be heard on the house floor.
Oklahoma Corporation Commission Issues New Directives Following Earthquake
State regulators are issuing new directives after last Friday’s earthquake near Prague.
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is ordering the gradual shutdown of disposal wells within three miles of the epicenter with depths above the Arbuckle formation.
The Commission has already called for the shutdown of operations within 10 miles for wells disposing into the Arbuckle formation, which is the state’s deepest.
The agency also says no new permits will be issued for certain disposals in a six mile zone around the epicenter.
Tulsa Explores Reparations From 1921 Race Massacre
Tulsa is considering if and how to give reparations to Tulsans affected by the 1921 Race Massacre. Possible solutions were given through feedback sessions with Tulsans last year.
Of the 83 Tulsans who offered feedback, financial compensation, community and economic development, and housing and home ownership were the most widely-mentioned solutions for descendants of massacre survivors, or people affected by the event.
The study was conducted through Standpipe Hill Strategies, whose director Greg Robinson told city council on Wednesday the economic benefit of reparations outweighs the cost of inequality.
"If you began to intentionally close those — that is a conversation that, I would posit, is a much more fair way to look at this," said Robinson.
The study was spurred by Tulsa’s 2021 resolution to explore avenues for possible reparations.
Robinson was joined by Greater Tulsa African American Affairs Commission chairwoman Kristi Williams and members of OSU-Tulsa.
The group presented the findings to Mayor G.T. Bynum that afternoon.
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