A Month After Tornado, Sulphur Rebuilding Continues
Sulphur is starting to rebuild a month after a severe tornado. Representatives of FEMA, a member of President Biden’s cabinet and Sulphur City Manager Andy Freeman toured the town to get an update.
At the end of April a tornado tore through the city of Sulphur, leaving one dead and more than 200 buildings damaged.
Tom Davila co-owns Auto Trim Design and Signs in downtown Sulphur. His business is still standing, but it was seriously damaged. He estimates it will cost around $60,000 to repair.
Davila and his family are currently rebuilding with their own funds but are seeking assistance from the Small Business Administration, or SBA, as well.
“These things are just things. We want to get them back as best we can… With the help of friends, the SBA and other loan agencies I think we can do that," said Davila.
FEMA and the SBA have a message for Sulphur residents: Don’t wait, apply for help now.
Authorities Gear Up for New Oklahoma Immigration Law Enforcement
Local law enforcement officers are preparing for the implementation of Oklahoma’s new immigration law. Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson says his office will enforce House Bill 4156, which criminalizes anyone in the state without legal immigration status.
Sheriff Johnson says his deputies will not be seeking to arrest individuals solely for committing Oklahoma’s new immigration crime known as impermissible occupation.
"We're going to enforce the law, and while enforcing the law, and during an investigation process once a crime has been committed, if it has been deemed and observed that this person who committed the crime is an illegal immigrant then we will take action," Johnson said.
But that’s nothing new, Johnson says.
"We were always doing that. We were always complying with our federal partners," said Johnson.
What’s new is jailing people locally for breaking a state crime that’s based on a federal law. That’s not something that’s happening, but that we can expect starting next month as the new law takes effect.
OKC Council Greenlights Nation’s Tallest Building for Downtown Development
A vision for locating the tallest building in the United States in Downtown Oklahoma City is moving forward. The Oklahoma City Council removed all height restrictions for the Bricktown property development at their meeting Tuesday.
City Councilwoman Nikki Nice says she’s excited about the prospect of the nation’s largest building in Oklahoma City.
"I mean the sky’s the limit. No pun intended," said Nice.
Development plans call for the building to be 1907 feet tall. Almost double the height of OKC’s Devon Tower.
"I know some folks are a little nervous to see how this could be built. But other than that, I've heard most people say they're okay with this and want to see it," Nice said.
The project’s architects say the plan is to ultimately build the massive tower after an initial phase of three smaller ones. If all goes according to plan, construction of the tallest building would begin in a few years and be ready for occupancy in about five.
Sooners Secure Thrilling Victory, Advance to Softball Championship Finals
The Oklahoma Sooners are still in the hunt for the national title in softball, following a thrilling 6 to 5 win over the Florida Gators Tuesday. Senior Jayda Coleman sealed the win with a walkoff homerun in extra innings.
The Sooners fell behind the Gators early in the game, but battled back to even the score at five apiece in the bottom of the sixth. Two innings later, Coleman launched one over the fence.
Oklahoma will seek a four-peat against the top-seeded Texas Longhorns in the Championship Finals. Texas won the regular season series against OU, two games to one, but that series was a tight one, with both Longhorn wins coming by just one run apiece.
The best-of-3 series starts Wednesday at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
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