Ryan Walters asks Oklahoma Lawmakers For $3 million To Fund Classroom Bibles
State Superintendent Ryan Walters wants the legislature to allocate his agency $3 million to purchase Bibles for Oklahoma classrooms. Walters presented his budget request to lawmakers Thursday.
As previewed at a previous Board of Education meeting, Walters is asking the legislature for $3 million to supply Oklahoma schools with Bibles. He previously said that will be coupled with an additional $3 million from his agency for a total of $6 million.
Norman Democratic Senator Mary Boren grilled Walters about where the money will come from to defend the Bible directive in lawsuits.
"At the end of the day, if we’re trying to have a court review something within our Oklahoma Constitution to determine if it’s constitutional or not, then we need to budget for that expense," Boren said.
Walters says legal costs will come out of the administrative budget, to which he’s requested a $5 million increase.
Oklahoma County Jail Fails Latest Health Inspection
A recently released Department of Health report shows Oklahoma County jail failed its latest health inspection for violating state regulations.
The Oklahoma County jail repeatedly fails its health inspections.
Usually on a technicality because jail administration won’t let inspectors inside.
But in December, the State Department of Health was finally able to enter.
The Oklahoma County jail still came up short.
Inspectors found incomplete records, inadequate heating, rodents and bugs, overcrowded cells, a lack of staff and detainees not receiving prescribed medications.
The report was released Wednesday, the day of the first detainee death of 2025. Vincent George Burke died in a hospital after he was found in need of medical attention during a check.
Former Pittsburg County Sheriff Avoids Felony Conviction in Embezzlement and Bribery Case Through Plea Deal
A former Southeast Oklahoma sheriff had felony charges of embezzlement and bribery dismissed this weekas part of a plea deal. He is accused of using his position to upgrade a personal vehicle.
Former Pittsburg County Sheriff Chris Morris was charged with three felonies last May for allegedly abusing his office.
An independent prosecutor’s affidavit says Morris illegally sold his personal Polaris utility vehicle to the sheriff’s office for roughly $30,000. He has also been accused of negotiating free repairs for the UTV in exchange for letting an auto shop upcharge repairs for two Pittsburg County vehicles.
The prosecutor dropped the felony charges in exchange for Morris pleading essentially no contest to a misdemeanor count of embezzlement.
Morris will receive a deferred sentence of two years in prison and about $1,000 in fines and fees. He also officially resigned from his office and will not serve a third term as sheriff after securing re-election last year.
Oklahoma Court Ruling on Tribal Jurisdiction Sparks Legal and Political Clash
A recent court decision has sparked yet another clash over jurisdiction between the state of Oklahoma and tribal governments.
Recently, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that the state has concurrent jurisdiction over tribal members if they commit a crime on a reservation they are not a member of.
The decision was made after a court battle involving the city of Tulsa ticketing and charging an Osage citizen on Muscogee Nation land. In that case, the court ruled in favor of the state.
Now, a Cherokee man caught driving under the influence on Muscogee land is being charged by the Tulsa County District’s Office based on that same decision.
Pawnee citizen and tribal attorney Brett Chapman says the ruling is the latest attempt to overturn McGirt
“It's all about money and power, right? It’s not about traffic tickets, per se. It's about the revenue that these tickets create," Chapman said.
Legal experts say they expect this battle to eventually move to the Supreme Court.
________________
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.