Earthquakes rattle central Oklahoma
A 4.0 magnitude earthquake rocked parts of Oklahoma at about 4 a.m. Thursday.
The quake's epicenter was roughly 40 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. A couple of smaller aftershocks quickly followed at the same location.
U-S-G-S citizen reports show the quake was felt in both the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metro areas.
So far, there have been no reports of damage from the earthquakes.
Cherokee Nation kicks off construction of a new hospital
Cherokee Nation held a ground-breaking ceremony today for a new 400,000 square foot hospital.
The new facility will replace the aging W.W. Hastings hospital in Tahlequah and expand services for Cherokee and Native citizens.
It will include 127 beds, an ICU, pharmacy and a helipad for emergencies. The price tag: $400 million.
This new hospital will have a connecting bridge between it and the existing Cherokee Nation Outpatient Health Center.
Officials from the Cherokee Nation say the project will take two years to complete
Langston University President To Step Down
The president of Oklahoma's only historically Black university will end his tenure after 11 years.
Langston University announced Tuesday its president, Kent J. Smith Jr., will depart at the end of the current spring semester.
Smith said he will retire from his 30-year career in education to follow entrepreneurial pursuits.
The Oklahoma A&M Board of Regents will conduct a national search for a successor.
OKC Wants Public Input on Park Plan
Do you want to have a hand in shaping Oklahoma City parks?
The city is seeking public input on a nearly $70 million park improvement plan.
The improvements are being funded by MAPS 4 - a sales tax passed by voters in 2019 for a variety of projects throughout the city..
The Neighborhood and Community Parks project of MAPS 4 aims to make improvements to all 105 community and neighborhood parks in Oklahoma City.
Officials estimate they’ll be making around $69.6 million dollars in improvements.
City officials are hoping to use community input they gather this month to develop a master plan and assess current park conditions, accessibility or potential expansion needs.
There are six scheduled days in April for public comment meetings - also a survey is available for residents to take in both English and Spanish at maps4parks.com.
Dozens of Oklahoma United Methodist Churches Aim To Leave Denomination
Fifty-five Oklahoma United Methodist Churches are trying to leave the denomination, per a list obtained by The Oklahoman newspaper.
The move comes as the denomination banned same-sex marriage and gay clergy.
The newspaper reports the churches are seeking disaffiliation and a regional board recommends that 40 be allowed to do so.
One of the 15 not recommended for disaffiliation: the state's largest St. Luke's in Oklahoma City. More than 1,000 members of the church's congregation voted to leave the United Methodist church last month.
Church leaders say in a letter to the congregation they're still hopeful the disaffiliation will continue as United Methodist leaders do their due diligence in processing paperwork.
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