Tribal Leaders Criticize Oklahoma Toll Bill as Threat to Sovereignty and Privacy
Tribal nation leaders in Oklahoma are raising concerns over a bill they say infringes on their sovereignty.
Senate Bill 675 would allow the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority to access a confidential law enforcement network to help ensure the OTA receives its toll money.
Several nations, including the Shawnee Tribe, already have agreements with the OTA. But Shawnee Chief Ben Barnes says he still isn’t a fan of the measure.
“Whenever we work together, that's when work best. We don't need to do a wholesale data grab of people's social security numbers, their birthdays, all this personal information," said Barnes.
Indigenous representatives who oppose the bill say decisions that affect tribes should include conversations with them. This bill would ultimately bypass tribal consent.
Senate Bill 675 has passed the Senate. An Oklahoma House public safety committee meeting will consider the bill.
Federal Government Revokes Visas for International Students at Oklahoma Universities
For weeks, stories of college student deportations have made national headlines. Oklahoma universities are now confirming some of their students have had their visas revoked.
In a statement to StateImpact, Oklahoma State University spokesperson Mack Burke confirmed eight OSU student visas have been recently revoked by the federal government.
He did not provide further information as to the reasons behind the revocations or if the students had been deported.
The University of Central Oklahoma says as many as four students have had visas revoked.
A spokesperson for the University of Oklahoma says due to student privacy laws, it is unable to confirm if any of its students have been affected.
A recent report by Inside Higher Ed found roughly 150 students at 50 institutions have had visas revoked, though the actual number is likely higher.
Federal Directive To Open More Logging in Oklahoma’s Public Lands
Hundreds of thousands of acres of forestland in Oklahoma could see increased logging in the coming years. A new federal memo targets national forests.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins issued an April 4 memo stating more than half of the country’s national forests are part of a new timber initiative.
National forests, which are different from national parks, already have some logging but are expected to see a major increase.
A map from the federal agency shows the policy applies to hundreds of thousands of acres in the Ouachita National Forest and what appears to be national grasslands.
In a statement, Rollins says trees in national forests face wildfire threats and logging will help reduce them. But advocacy groups say it sidesteps public input and could severely damage ecosystems.
USDA says it will work with states and tribal nations on the initiative.
As of Tuesday, Oklahoma’s Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry says it hasn’t received notice from the federal level.
Academic, Norman Native Arrested in Thailand for Allegedly Insulting the Monarchy
A Norman man who has lived and worked in Thailand for over three decades is accused of insulting the Thai monarchy. He faces up to 15 years in prison.
Paul Chambers was formally charged with violating Thailand’s lese-majeste law on Tuesday. He is accused of publishing material critical of the Thai military on Singapore’s Institute of Southeast Asian Studies website.
Chambers is a lecturer at Naresuan University in Thailand with a research interest in the Thai military. Last year, he published a book titled Praetorian Kingdom: A History of Military Ascendency in Thailand.
His mother, Peggy Chambers, said her son is innocent — and while she is worried about her son, the issue is bigger than just him.
"I love my son, and I want him back here first, safely. But this is an attack on democratic principles across the whole world," she said.
Peggy said she has been in contact with Oklahoma Senator James Lankford and Texas Senator Ted Cruz’s offices, who say they are looking into the situation.
Paul is currently being held in pre-trial detention.
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