Wayne tornado
A small Oklahoma community is picking up the pieces after a confirmed EF2 tornado tore through the area early Tuesday morning.
Uprooted trees, severe damage to multiple homes and dangling powerlines... that’s what residents in the small town of Wayne in McClain County woke up to early Tuesday after a confirmed tornado tore through the tiny community.
It was part of a line of storms that spawned numerous tornado warnings in Oklahoma late Monday into early Tuesday. The storm also forced Wayne Public Schools to cancel class due to a lack of electricity.
Closings and delays for surrounding districts were also reported.
The Red Cross has set up a center at the First Baptist Church on Main Street that will be available throughout Tuesday. So far, no injuries have been reported.
Western Heights board appointment
The Western Heights Board of Education is back in business following Gov. Kevin Stitt’s appointment of a new board member. The move comes in response to the resignation of three board members who oversaw multiple operational failures.
Robert Everman was the former Western Heights school board president, and he’ll be replaced by Jerome Johnson — a father of two children who attend an elementary school in the district. Everman and two other members who regularly vote with him resigned last month, leading to the district not having enough personnel on its board to hold meetings.
Last year, the state board of education suspended Western Heights’ superintendent, installed its own and took over district operations. This came after massive losses of students and employees, financial mismanagement, retaliatory behavior toward staff and parents, and some of the lowest academics in the state.
Western Heights’ school board may appoint two members to replace the other resignations in the meantime, but one of those positions is up for election in February.
Shannon Hanchett vigil
Members of the Norman community met last night to celebrate the life of a local bakery owner who died while in custody at the Cleveland County Jail.
More than 100 people gathered on Monday night on Norman’s Main Street near the Cookie Cottage to hold a candlelight vigil for Shannon Hanchett, the owner of Okie Baking Co. who died in the Cleveland County jail last week, under circumstances that are still being investigated.
Kate Bierman, a friend of Hanchett’s, says visiting the Cookie Cottage was an important part of her and her daughter’s lives.
"I told her that I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that Shannon’s recipes and Shannon’s Cookie Cottage live on if possible," said Bierman.
Hanchett was a known ally to the LGBTQ+ community in Norman. Accordingly, an all-ages drag show will be held in her memory on Sunday, Dec. 18th at The Mercury Center in Norman. Donations will be collected and given to Hanchett’s children.
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