Edmond Removes Discriminatory Language from Land Records
Because of a new state law, Edmond is the first city in Oklahoma to remove discriminatory language from existing legal mapping documents.
Plat documents are the official land records that determine the boundaries and uses of a specific plot of ground.
Despite national law and court precedent, some plats in Edmond continued to have discriminatory language precluding Black people and other minorities from owning or operating on specific properties.
That changed when the city’s first Black Mayor, Darrell Davis, signed the removal of the language in a ceremony at the Edmond Chamber of Commerce.
Davis removed language from the Highland Park Addition Plat, the first to include discriminatory wording dating back to 1909.
The move was paved by state legislature efforts over the last two years, allowing municipalities to change outdated, discriminatory language on land plat documents.
Financial Investigation Finds Systemic Problems At City of Yukon
A forensic audit revealed decades of financial mismanagement and misconduct in the city of Yukon.
North American Forensic Accounting presented its findings Tuesday night. The review uncovered issues like uncashed checks, missing funds and improper financial controls.
The report highlighted disturbing practices by prior city leaders, including favoritism, mismanagement and sharing explicit material.
Auditor Michael Breon criticized the lack of leadership and accountability, calling the findings “red flags” of systemic problems.
“The governance aspect was one of the worst I’ve ever seen, if not the worst. Some of these behaviors went continued for 30 years or thereabout,” Breon said.
Investigators also found $185,000 diverted to a nonprofit without authorization and overpayments of nearly $35,000 to a former city manager.
Oklahoma National Guard to Support Presidential Inauguration
Members of the Oklahoma National Guard will be on duty for the Presidential Inauguration Monday.
The guard says about 100 members will support the District of Columbia National Guard.
They'll focus on security and other duties.
The group is expected to stay in the nation's capitol for seven to ten days.
National Guard involvement in presidential inaugurations dates back to 1789.
Oklahoma Medicaid Director To Leave OHCA This Month
Oklahoma's Medicaid Director Traylor Rains is leaving the agency at the end of the month. StateImpact’s Jillian Taylor has more on the end of the director’s nearly three-year tenure.
An Oklahoma Health Care Authority spokesperson told StateImpact Rains is taking a job with Deloitte. The Authority's CEO, Ellen Buettner, shared with board members during their Wednesday meeting that Rains’ predecessor, Melody Anthony, will serve as the interim state Medicaid director.
“We're really grateful that she's volunteered to come back and serve while we make sure we get the right person to fill the big shoes that Traylor leaves," Buettner said.
Rains’ tenure included the Medicaid unwinding, which is an eligibility process states resumed after a pandemic pause. It also spanned Oklahoma’s transition to managed care, where OHCA went from paying providers directly to paying private companies to coordinate some enrollees’ care.
QuikTrip Co-Founder Dies
QuikTrip co-founder Burt Holmes has died.
A statement from QuikTrip says Holmes started as an insurance salesman and entrepreneur and had an idea of bringing a 7-Eleven type grocery store concept to the Tulsa area.
Holmes was a co-owner of an ice cream shop when he reconnected with his old friend Chester Cadieux from Junior High.
Holmes and Cadieux agreed to a partnership and would later open the first QuikTrip.
Quiktrip has expanded across 19 states with more than 11 hundred store locations.
QuikTrip CEO and Chairman Chet Cadieux expressed his gratitude to Holmes and praised the opportunities he created for so many.
Holmes died Wednesday at the age of 93.
*Note: The next episode of the KGOU AM NewsBrief will be on Tuesday, Jan 21.
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