Petition to Bring $1 Billion Norman Entertainment District to Vote Nears Completion
A petition drive to put a proposed entertainment district in Norman before voters wraps up this week.
Organizers told the Norman Transcript newspaper the petitions would be finalized Tuesday to prepare them to be submitted on Thursday.
Oklahomans for Responsible Economic Development launched their referendum petition after Norman City Council approved the Rock Creek Entertainment District project last month.
The city wants to establish two tax increment financing districts to help fund the $1 billion project.
Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom Offers Bilingual Training for Teachers of Spanish-Speaking Students
About 9% of Oklahoma public school students are English Language Learners. To reach Spanish-speaking students, Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom is offering teacher training for reading and agriculture literacy.
Two books, Zora Zucchini and Sylvia’s Spinach, feature Oklahoma specialty crops and are available in Spanish and English.
Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom created resources centered on the books and offers them, along with other training, at professional development sessions.
Melody Blosser is an Ag in the Classroom coordinator through the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture.
She says most English Language Learners in the state speak Spanish, and having more resources for teachers is important because it introduces students to specialty crops, agriculture and another language.
"We feel like our Ag in the Classroom resources in our program, in general, is just a nice way to introduce students to maybe something that they have never thought of," Blosser said.
Up to 40 teachers can attend each session. The first session is in Frederick on Nov. 14.
Legal Fees For State Superintendent Ryan Walters Top $100,000 In Five Months
State Superintendent Ryan Walters has been in and out of the courtroom, with attorney fees piling up.
Walters' legal fees are sitting at more than $100,000 in five months.
State Superintendent Ryan Walters has been named in at least eight lawsuits since last year.
This doesn’t include other lawsuits related to the state department or the state grand jury on misspent pandemic money.
Tulsa TV news station KTUL received records from Oklahoma Management and Enterprise Services showing Walters averaged $20,000 a month in attorney fees from March to July.
Walters’ attorneys during that 5-month span cost the state more than $104,000.
State Rep. Mark McBride said he’s concerned about how much this will cost taxpayers.
Indigenous Peoples' Day Celebrated At First Americans Museum
Indigenous People’s Day kicked off Monday with events across the state celebrating Oklahoma’s heritage.
Osage citizen and Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt had an important announcement for people gathered at the First Americans Museum.
"I, David Holt, Mayor of the City of Oklahoma City, do hereby proclaim October 14, 2024, as Indigenous Peoples' Day in Oklahoma City. Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day," Holt said.
Oklahoma City is not home to any tribal headquarters. But Holt says the proclamation is part of an effort to ensure the city’s place as a capital for preserving the heritage and culture of Oklahoma’s 39 tribal nations.
"We’re sort of like a neutral place where everybody can come together. And our capital city, our largest city, certainly should speak to the Native experience when that is such an important part of not just our history, but our contemporary life," the mayor said.
Tribal citizens from across the state traveled to the First Americans Museum to celebrate just that.
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