U.S. Department of the Interior Uncovers More Details on Federal Indian Boarding Schools
The U.S. Department of the Interior has more details about history of Federal Indian Boarding Schools.
Back in 2021, Secretary Deb Haaland of the Pueblo of Laguna tribe, helped launch an investigation into federal Indian boarding schools.
“It is history that has shaped our nation and for too long, has been swept under the rug, all while Indigenous communities grapple with the undeniable fallout of intergenerational trauma," said Haaland.
She and Assistant Secretary Bryan Newland of the Bay Mills Indian Community revealed almost one thousand Indigenous children passed away while attending federal Indian boarding schools.
More than 100 of those children died at schools in what is now Oklahoma.
“There was, historically, a lot of disease outbreak … And it's very likely that many of those kids you know died as a result of abuse," said Newland.
In total, 16 burial sites in Oklahoma have been identified.
Oklahoma City Council Tables Gaza Ceasefire Resolution
The OKC City Council won’t be calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, at least not in the immediate future.
The council took up a contentious resolution at its meeting Tuesday.
The resolution condemned anti-Semitic, anti-Palestinian, Islamaphobic, xenophobic rhetoric and attacks.
Councilmembers Nikki Nice and JoBeth Hamon requested it after receiving calls from their constituents.
Councilmember Mark Stonecipher motioned to postpone the resolution indefinitely, essentially killing it.
But before voting, Mayor David Holt allowed public comment.
Audrey Hendrix is a Ward 8 resident who spoke in favor of the resolution
“This proposal is not radical. It is simply a statement that Oklahoma City stands against violence. Oklahomans stand against violence towards children, mothers, fathers and grandparents regardless of where they are from,” Hendrix said.
The motion to table the measure passed six to three.
Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Calls for Colleague's Resignation Amid Misconduct Allegations
Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Bob Anthony is calling on fellow Commissioner Todd Hiett to resign, following accusations of drunken sexual misconduct at a June conference in Minnesota.
Reporting from The Oklahoman newspaper relates witness statements that Hiett touched a man inappropriately and put his hands on his groin area while intoxicated at a hotel bar.
Hiett has since said he doesn’t remember the incident, but that he was not in his right mind and has started treatment for his problems with alcohol.
That’s not enough for Commissioner Anthony, who released a statement Tuesday saying Hiett compromised the Corporation Commission’s integrity and must resign.
Anthony says he’s heard about a history of this kind of behavior from Hiett at meetings and conferences in multiple other states. The victim in this case is a representative from a company going before the corporation commission often. Anthony says that aggravates the offense even further.
Hiett released a media statement Tuesday saying he would not resign from his position.
The Corporation Commission has a regular meeting scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
Legal Fight Over St. Isidore Charter School Moving To U.S. Supreme Court
The Statewide Charter School Board is hoping to take the lawsuit against the nation’s first publicly funded religious school to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In response, the state attorney general called the board’s move “blatant hostility toward religious liberty.”
In June, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled the contract of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual Charter School was unconstitutional, siding with Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who brought the case.
It ordered the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board to rescind St. Isidore’s contract, but the board failed to do that.
The Statewide Charter School Board took over the duties of the preceding board when it dissolved.
At its Tuesday meeting, that board voted to appeal the decision of the State Supreme Court to the U.S. Supreme Court and tabled the agenda item to act on rescinding St. Isidore’s contract until after the case concludes.
Chair Brian Shellem argued the board may not be able to retain its legal standing in the potential Supreme Court case if it were to rescind the contract.
The move conflicts with a directive from Drummond, who told the board earlier this month his office would serve as the board’s legal counsel and follow the order to rescind the contract.
The board voted to refuse that counsel and retain its own.
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