Thousands of Acres Scorched by Oklahoma Wildfires Amid Dry, Windy Conditions
Dozens of fires were reported in Oklahoma, leaving about 30,000 acres scorched.
Although the state had record-breaking high temperatures recently, it typically has increased fire risk during the transition from winter to spring.
Keith Merckx is a spokesperson for the Oklahoma Forestry Services. He says firefighters call March Oklahoma’s “official wildfire month.”
Cooler temperatures are expected to dull the state’s fire risk, but he says that doesn’t mean it will go away. Later this week, wind and temperatures are expected to pick back up.
“And so this weekend we are looking at, once again, at having increased fire danger. There's going to be a risk for significant fire out there both Saturday and Sunday," said Merckx.
Because of the weather conditions, he says people need to use common sense and extreme caution when doing anything that might spark a wildfire.
Evacuation orders were issued in parts of Ellis, Beaver, Roger Mills and Texas Counties Tuesday. Three structures burned and one injury related to the fires was reported.
Evacuation shelters are open in Fort Supply, Cheyenne and Woodward.
Grocery Tax Relief Coming In August
Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill eliminating the state’s portion of the grocery tax into law Tuesday.
Stitt signed House Bill 1955 into law less than a week after it cleared the Senate with an overwhelming majority.
Flanked by House and Senate leadership from both parties and supporters of the grocery tax cut holding signs, the governor called the new legislation a promise long overdue.
“So I get to deliver on that promise today by signing, the largest single-year tax cut in Oklahoma history,” Stitt said.
Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat and House Speaker Charles McCall spoke in support of the tax cut on groceries, calling it a bipartisan and bicameral success.
They left questions about whether an income tax cut is next, however, largely unanswered.
McCall, Stitt and Democratic leaders say they support it. The outlier is Treat, who’s vocalized his reluctance to consider an income tax cut this session after seeing the authorized state budget earlier this month.
Oklahoma Senate Education Committee Stalls Controversial Bill to Shift School Accreditation Authority
The Oklahoma Senate Education Committee was scheduled Tuesday to hear a bill that would have removed authority over school accreditation decisions from the State Board of Education. But the bill’s author and chair of the committee sidelined it.
Edmond Republican Adam Pugh authored Senate Bill 520, which would have moved the authority to adopt and enforce accreditation standards to the Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability.
It’s become a controversial issue lately — State Superintendent Ryan Walters continues to leverage the threat of lowering accreditation at Tulsa Public Schools and wants to tie accreditation to state test scores. Pugh addressed criticisms about the bill from his party:
"I just wanted to remind the committee that we’ve done a lot of good conservative things, but unfortunately, I’ve been called a lot of non-conservative things just because I have a piece of legislation that thinks there’s maybe a better way for us to govern," said Pugh. "I’m very concerned with how we treat each other and the way we talk to each other and the rhetoric in this building. We’re broken. The state’s broken. We need some Jesus. I think if Jesus were here today, where would he go? I highly doubt he’d come to this building."
Pugh reiterated the case for his bill, but before actually reading it, he said he acknowledges the feedback he’s received and abruptly ended the meeting.
"Ronald Reagan once said in his first debate, sir, when presented with the facts, I reserve the right to change my mind. So, committee members, I will stay over Senate Bill 520 and we’re adjourned," Pugh said.
Unless lawmakers make extraordinary moves to resurrect it, the bill is most likely dead for this session.
Seminole County Sheriff's Office Under Scrutiny After Forensic Audit Reveals Financial Mismanagement
A forensic audit of the Seminole County Sheriff's Office found two financial mismanagement issues.
State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd says more than $187,000 went missing from a commissary kiosk during a six year period.
She says family and friends of county inmates could deposit cash for inmates to use in the commissary.
The audit also found problems with a nonprofit managed by the Sheriff’s Deputies known as the Seminole County Deputy Fund.
More than $88,000 dollars worth of expenditures had no supporting documentation and loans were issued to the Sheriff, Undersheriff, and a Deputy.
Byrd says the case was turned over to the Attorney General.
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