Kevin Ray Underwood Set for Execution Nearly 20 Years After Murdering 10-Year-Old Neighbor
Nearly two decades after Kevin Ray Underwood murdered his 10-year-old neighbor, he’s scheduled to die by lethal injection later this morning.
Underwood was sentenced to death in 2008 for murdering 10-year-old Jamie Bolin in Purcell two years earlier.
He confessed to luring Bolin into his home, attacking her and hiding her body in a plastic tub.
Underwood later challenged the state’s death penalty, claiming it offered too many execution methods, but the Oklahoma Supreme Court rejected his case.
Earlier this month, he was denied clemency after his hearing was delayed when one member of the Pardon and Parole Board resigned amid allegations of sexual conduct.
Out-of-State Abortions Surge in Kansas
The demand for abortions performed in Kansas on out-of-state residents skyrocketed by 78% last year amid near-total abortion bans in surrounding states. Oklahoma made up the second-highest number of abortions performed on non-Kansas residents.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment's annual vital statistics report shows the state performed over 15,000 abortions on out-of-state residents last year. This compares to approximately 4,300 abortions it performed on Kansas residents.
Oklahoma residents made up over 3,000 of those abortions, only falling behind Texans, who received nearly double that amount.
To help meet the demand, Planned Parenthood opened a clinic in August in southeast Kansas. It’s closer to places like Tulsa, northwest Arkansas and southwest Missouri than the organization’s Wichita clinic.
Oklahoma City’s Rapid Transit Bus Service Exceeds Expectations in First Year
Oklahoma City officials are calling the new rapid transit bus service a success. The route provided nearly half a million rides in its first year of operation.
After years of planning and construction, Oklahoma City welcomed the first passengers on the Rapid Northwest bus route in December 2023. It travels between downtown OKC and just south of Lake Hefner along Northwest Expressway and Classen Boulevard.
EMBARK Director Jesse Rush reviewed the first year of the service at a City Council meeting earlier this month.
"We're averaging about 1,200 riders per day using our service. Our expectations were about 1,000 riders per day, so we are exceeding that expectation," said Rush.
Oklahoma City residents voted in July to approve a second bus rapid transit route connecting the Adventure District in the northeast part of the city to bus stops on the southwest side, near Will Rogers International Airport.
That route won’t be under construction until 2028, but once completed, it’s expected to serve around 2,700 riders daily.
Cherokee Nation to Bring High-Speed Internet, Cell Service to 6,000 Homes
Cherokee Nation leaders sign legislation to bring high-speed internet and cell service to more than 6,000 homes in northeast Oklahoma. The Cherokee Connect Broadband Initiative was signed into law Wednesday in Stilwell.
Sixteen communities across the Cherokee reservation can expect better cell coverage and reliable internet by summer 2026.
Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. says there was no push from private businesses to make a change. So, the Cherokee Nation went for it when they had the resources.
“As it’s developed, if you have that hard infrastructure like a cell tower, then you got an opportunity to make sure these communities that were in the 20th century left behind, aren’t left behind in the 21st century even as we adopt new technologies," said Hoskin.
The funding comes from a $34 million federal grant, allowing 15 communication towers to be installed.
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