Oklahoma County Approves Behavioral Care Center For Jail
This week, the Oklahoma County Board of County Commissioners unanimously voted to break ground on a Behavioral Care Center for the county jail. The board is moving forward without knowing exactly where the jail will be.
After the Oklahoma County Jail failed multiple consecutive health inspections, the State Department of Health opened an investigation into its conditions.
The county was tasked with finding a new location to build the jail, but not without difficulty. The OKC City Council denied its proposed location near Del City.
But a Behavioral Care Center has been officially approved for construction in the same spot.
Commissioner Carrie Blumert is championing the new center.
“We can't keep incarcerating people for low level crimes that they commit related to untreated mental illness. It's not fixing the problem," said Blumert.
The new center is scheduled to be done by December 2026.
The construction of the Behavioral Care Clinic will be funded using federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.
Tulsa Commission to Explore Reparations for 1921 Race Massacre Victims
Tulsa officials announced a commission exploring reparations for victims of the city’s 1921 race massacre. Tulsa’s mayor supports the commission, even though he still opposes a reparations lawsuit against the city.
Tulsa’s Beyond Apology commission stems from a report of the same name that surveyed Tulsans on their wishes for payments to massacre survivors and their descendants. The report listed funding for education, direct financial compensation and community development as reparations.
At a news conference Thursday, Mayor G.T. Bynum emphasized how reparations can come in many forms.
"Any time in the past when you would bring up reparations, people would immediately jump to one form of reparations and debate that all day instead of taking the time to work through our areas of agreement.
The Beyond Apology report specifically recommended the city form the commission," said Bynum.
Bynum announced the commission with city councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper, whose district includes the original Black Wall Street. Bynum noted he and Hall-Harper disagree over the two living massacre survivors’ lawsuit against Tulsa for reparations.
State AG Seeks Contempt Charges for Charter School Board Over Religious School Contract
The State Attorney General is asking the State Supreme Court to consider contempt charges for Statewide Charter School Board members. The request is over the board’s refusal to pull the contract of the nation’s first publicly funded religious school.
The State Supreme Court ruled the contract of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual Charter School was unconstitutional and ordered the board to rescind its contract. But the board failed to do so. It voted Tuesday against rescinding the contract and to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who brought the lawsuit against the school, filed a request Tuesday for the State Supreme Court to force the board to pull the contract. And if it doesn’t comply, board members could face contempt charges.
Earlier this month, Drummond announced his office would take over as legal counsel for the board. An earlier iteration of the board, the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board, had switched to an attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom. Drummond says when the old board dissolved, so did its contract with ADF. But board members have resisted the takeover, saying Drummond’s stance in the lawsuit represents a conflict of interest.
Oklahoma Unveils New 'Iconic Oklahoma' License Plate Design
Oklahoma is getting a new standard license plate design called the Iconic Oklahoma Plate.
The new design is similar to an existing specialty plate that showcases Oklahoma’s original state flag: the number 46 within a white star on a red field.
Below that is the state brand tagline, “Imagine that.” The design also features some iconography of Oklahoma’s notable fauna and industries in blue along the bottom border. One notable snub: the scissortail flycatcher, Oklahoma’s state bird and the star of its current license plate.
Oklahoma drivers will have the option to update their plate or keep the one they have.
This is the state’s third standard license plate redesign over the past 15 years. Before that, Oklahoma kept the same plate featuring an Osage shield with only minor tweaks for three decades.
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