Oklahoma Co Commissioners Discuss New County Jail
Following the Oklahoma City Council’s vote against the proposal to build a new county jail near Del City, members of the community are asking county commissioners to pick a different location.
During the citizen participation portion of the Oklahoma County Commissioners meeting on Monday, six people asked the commissioners to honor the will of the people by not putting the new county jail on East Grand Boulevard, saying the jail would adversely affect the area.
Midwest City - Del City School Board member Gina Standridge says community members will continue to fight the proposed location.
"I think we're all in agreement. We need a new jail. But the majority of the people have spoken. Leave it where it's at or close to where it's at. I think if you don't do this, you are going to cause chaos," said Standridge.
At the meeting, the commissioners also appointed Steve Cooper to the Oklahoma County Citizen’s Bond Oversight Board and approved $5.5 million in ARPA funds to fix the HVAC system at the existing jail.
A Look Back At Abortion Legislation
Although abortion is virtually illegal in Oklahoma, some lawmakers aimed to further restrict it and strengthen fetal rights during the state’s legislative session. But their proposals lost momentum as this session carried on.
A bill targeting people who deliver or mail abortion-inducing drugs to mothers only made it through the House, despite building momentum during the first month of the session.
The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics Public Information Officer Mark Woodward told StateImpact the enforcement of House Bill 3013 would have been tricky, as law enforcement would likely have to rely on broken packages and tips to identify people violating it.
House Bill 3002 moved a bit further, but it ultimately died before reaching the Senate floor. It would have extended rights to a woman’s unborn child, saying it could also be a victim of battery. Some lawmakers expressed concerns about the potential impacts it could have on fertility treatments, saying an unlawful use of force could apply if damage occurs to an embryo.
Unhoused People In Oklahoma Co Jail Included In Point In Time Count
Unhoused people in the Oklahoma County jail were counted for the first time ever.
The Point in Time survey misses a lot of people, including those who are incarcerated. So this year, for the first time, the Homeless Alliance and Open Justice Oklahoma decided to change that.
They found almost a quarter of the 1,200 detainees in the Oklahoma County Detention Center were unhoused. People with stable housing are more likely to stay out of jail.
Dan Straughan recently retired as director of the Homeless Alliance and spearheaded the count.
“If we keep going at this rate, the new jail administrator is going to be able to say she runs the largest homeless shelter in the state. And that is not what the jail is for," Straughan said.
Straughan plans to conduct the jail count again next year.
Women's College World Series Update
The Oklahoma Sooners are chasing their fourth consecutive national title in softball. But they ran into trouble at the Women’s College World Series, and face an elimination game Tuesday.
The Florida Gators roared out to an early 4 to nothing lead in the first three innings of yesterday’s game. OU added a single run in the top of the fourth, but their defense could not cool down the Gators’ bats.
OU pitchers gave up four home runs and 10 total hits in the 9 to 3 loss.
An extended weather delay yesterday moved the elimination game to this afternoon. The teams will face off again at 1p.m. The winner earns a berth in the Championship Finals against the Texas Longhorns, while the loser sees their season come to an end.
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