Western Heights resists state control of district
The school board for Southwest Oklahoma City school district Western Heights has long fought state intervention in its district. They will continue to have to deal with it following a Supreme Court decision earlier this week.
Western Heights’ school board has resisted state control of their district for months.
The board sued the state after it suspended the district’s former superintendent and put in a new one.
Oklahoma’s Supreme Court unanimously agreed that was lawful in a more than 50-page ruling.
Justices cited gross fiscal and operational mismanagement in the district in the past.
The Oklahoman has reported the district has spent more than half-a-million dollars on attorney fees in resisting the state and state control. Almost 90 percent of the district’s students are classified as economically disadvantaged.
OWRB Water for 2060 Award
Nominations are open for the Water for 2060 Excellence Award, which recognizes exceptional contributions to water use efficiency and conservation of Oklahoma’s freshwater resources.
The award is presented by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board. It recognizes projects implemented within the last five years that demonstrate achievement in a few areas: minimizing freshwater use, showing measurable outcomes, is innovative in the field and includes a demonstration of the processes and results.
The idea behind Water for 2060 is from the passage of a 2012 bill that set a state goal of consuming no more fresh water in 2060 than was consumed in 2010.
Awards are divided into three categories: public water supply, energy and industry, and crop irrigation and agriculture production.
Past winners include a farm with innovative irrigation techniques, a city with a drought-resilient water supply, and a producer who grows water-efficient hybrid crops.
Health and Human Services Secretary speaks out against Oklahoma’s efforts to prevent transgender minors from receiving gender-affirming care
Oklahoma American Rescue Plan Act funding stipulations have garnered attention from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra spoke out against Oklahoma’s recent efforts to prevent transgender minors from receiving gender-affirming care in the state.
In a tweet published the day after Governor Kevin Stitt signed Senate Bill 3, which blocks ARPA funding from being used for gender-affirming medical services for minors at OU Children’s Hospital, Becerra says interfering with potentially life-saving care for transgender and nonbinary youth is dangerous and negligent.
Research from the Trevor Project, a LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention nonprofit, shows gender-affirming care such as hormone therapy is associated with reduced suicide risk.
Voter registration deadline for November General Election
The deadline to register to vote for the November General Election is nearing.
According to the Oklahoma State Election Board, the deadline to register to vote or update your registration before next month’s election is Friday, Oct. 14. Applications must be received or postmarked by that day.
Applications can be found at all County Election Boards, most tag agencies, post offices and libraries. They are also available on the OK Voter Portal website at elections.ok.gov.
Oklahoma tribes to launch sports-themed betting mobile phone app
The Tulsa World reports New York-based Vetnos is working with the tribes to launch PlaySqor to fill a need in tribal sports gaming.
PlaySqor will allow people to bet as little as a dollar on player matchups from a variety of sports, including pro and college football, basketball, soccer, hockey and golf.
The app should be available for download early next year and will be licensed by the tribes to customize and market it as they wish.
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