Lankford Prioritizes Border Security, Pushes New Bill to Expand Wall and Resources
U.S. Sen. James Lankford says boosting security at the southern border is a high priority under a second Trump administration. Lankford says he thinks his plan will get bipartisan and presidential approval.
Lankford says he’ll push for more resources at the border in a new bill.
"It will be focused on what we are doing to increase the border wall itself and the infrastructure around the border wall, increasing the number of border agents, increasing deportation flights, increasing detention space," Lankford said, speaking to reporters at an Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce Event Friday morning.
He says appropriating the money federal immigration authorities need to tackle their lack of intake and processing capacity, will ideally relieve everyone downstream of the “chaos” at the southern border.
Clemency Hearing Still On For Death Row Inmate
A clemency hearing for convicted child killer Kevin Ray Underwood is still set for Monday.
The Oklahoman newspaper reports a federal judge refused Sunday to block the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board from conducting the hearing until it is back up to five members.
The hearing faced delays after resignations left the Pardon and Parole Board with only three members.
Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed a new member last week.
Underwood is set to be executed Dec. 19 for the 2006 murder of a 10-year-old girl in Purcell.
The board can only recommend clemency. The final decision rests with the governor.
City of Perkins Identifies Elevated Lead Levels in Several Buildings
The City of Perkins in north-central Oklahoma has detected elevated lead levels in several houses on its public water supply.
The lead was detected in several Perkins homes through routine testing earlier this year.
City Manager Bob Ernst says the lead does not come from the city’s wells or its water treatment plant, where it’s frequently tested for. Instead, it comes from pipes inside individual houses or from the service line that connects home plumbing to the city’s distribution pipes.
Lead plumbing was banned in 1986 and is most common in buildings built before 1945. Across the country, public water supplies are working to identify and replace old lead service lines as part of the EPA’s Get the Lead Out Initiative. Ernst is now working directly with the EPA to develop a plan.
In the meantime, the city encourages concerned residents to run their water for 15-30 seconds before using it and opt for cold water because lead dissolves more easily in hot water and water that’s been sitting.
Bixby Sod Farm Ordered to Pay $72,000 in Back Wages for Overtime Violations
A Northeast Oklahoma sod farm must pay 20 workers about $72,000 in back wages and damages after they weren’t paid for working overtime.
Federal investigators found that the Bixby-based Rob’s Sod and Cook’s Farmland Enterprise did not pay its workers overtime when they worked more than 40 hours a week. There is an agricultural exemption for some workers, but the companies misapplied it toward retail employees.
Michael Speer is the director of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division for the Oklahoma City District office. Speer says mistakes like what occurred here can happen when employers are not well informed about their employees’ labor rights.
“We would like to educate the employers who are involved in agriculture as much as possible so they can correct it themselves and recognize that their operation may be similar to this one," said Speer.
Workers can contact the Wage and Hour Division by phone or visit their website if they suspect any issues with their work environment.
OU Extends Bowl Streak to 26 Seasons
The OU football team was able to extend its run of consecutive seasons qualifying for bowl eligibility to 26 following a late season win over Alabama and finishing with a 6-6 record.
On Sunday, it was announced OU will play in the Armed Forces Bowl. The game is against Navy on Dec. 27 at 11 a.m. in Fort Worth.
OU has only faced Navy once before, in 1965. Oklahoma State and Tulsa did not qualify for a bowl this season.
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