Several House Republicans Call For Impeachment Investigation Into Ryan Walters
At least 22 Republican state lawmakers are calling for an investigation into the State Department of Education and State Superintendent Ryan Walters. The petition was brought Tuesday by Moore Representative Mark McBride.
In a letter to House Speaker Charles McCall, McBride lists several recent actions from the Walters administration to make the case for establishing a special investigative committee.
He includes instances where lawmakers were denied entry to executive sessions at Board of Education meetings, OSDE pulling appropriated funds from schools to implement safety upgrades and the department refusing to disperse funding for asthma inhalers in schools.
McBride, who chairs the House Appropriations and Budget Education Subcommittee, says the committee’s responsibilities would be to investigate Walters and the State Board’s failures to follow the law, address budgetary concerns and make recommendations to the 2025 Legislature regarding safeguards and reforms, as well as investigate any willful neglect of duty or incompetency from Walters.
More Republican lawmakers are expected to sign on. House Democrats have made five public attempts to investigate Walters.
House Speaker Charles McCall has said he would not consider the request unless 51 or more Republicans sign it.
In a statement, Walters criticized the lawmakers who signed the letter opposing him, calling them "liberal Republicans." He dismissed their concerns as baseless. Walters accused them of trying to block education reforms that he says Oklahoma parents and voters have supported.
Norman City Council Delays Vote on Turnpike Resolution
The Norman City Council is taking more time to decide on a resolution with the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority as the agency continues to develop its construction plans within Norman city limits.
The Council was scheduled to vote on a resolution with the OTA at its regular meeting on Tuesday, but they voted unanimously to postpone the decision until Aug. 27.
Councilmember Helen Grant, who made the motion to postpone, said council needed more time to discuss the details of the resolution.
Despite the vote being delayed, the dozens of anti-turnpike advocates who showed up for the meeting voiced their concerns about the turnpike’s potential impact on the community — including displacement due to turnpike construction.
"I ask you, our leaders who were elected to represent us, the people of this community: How many homes would need to be on the chopping block before we put a stop to the OTA?," said one in attendance.
The city council plans to discuss the resolution again at its next study session on Aug. 20.
Drivers Urged to Stay Vigilant as Students Return to School
School is back in session, and that means young inexperienced drivers, school buses, student pedestrians and bicyclists are all sharing the road.
Nearly one-fifth of traffic fatalities of children below the age of 15 are pedestrians, according to AAA. More school-age pedestrians are killed between the hours of 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.— the typical end of the school day— than any other time.
School children aren’t the only students at risk. Earlier this year, a driver killed an OSU student in a hit-and-run on campus.
Drivers should slow down in school zones and make sure their eyes are always on the road.
It’s also important to teach children to never play under or around vehicles, parked or not.
Cyclists can protect themselves by making sure they are informed of proper bicycle-traffic safety rules and wearing a helmet on every ride.
OSU Expands Wheat Breeding Program
Oklahoma State University’s Agronomy Research Station has one of the top wheat breeding programs in the world…and it’s about to get bigger. The university is opening a new center for studying soil management and crop production.
About 70% of wheat acres in Oklahoma are planted with seeds developed at OSU.
That research is done at the existing Agronomy Research Station but university officials say the facilities are outdated.
A million dollars from the Oklahoma Wheat Commission and $5 million dollars from Oklahoma Genetics Inc. are leading the fundraising initiative for an Agronomy Discovery Research Center.
Initial priorities for the center include building a new headhouse and 12 research greenhouses.
The plans to update the station also include a multi-use Research and Education Center, and laboratories.
________________
For additional news throughout the day visit our website, KGOU.org and follow us on social media.
We also invite you to subscribe to the KGOU PM NewsBrief.