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PM NewsBrief: July 6, 2023

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for Thursday, July 6, 2023.

Oklahoma's AG Files Brief To U.S. Supreme Court In Support of Death Row Inmate

Oklahoma's Attorney General filed a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of death row inmate Richard Glossip.

The move from State Attorney General Gentner Drummond comes two months after the U.S. Supreme Court halted the execution of Oklahoma death row inmate Richard Glossip.

In the brief, Drummond said Glossip’s conviction for the 1997 murder of Barry Van Trese should be vacated and remanded back to the district court for a retrial.

This follows the findings of an independent review of Glossip’s case, including evidence of false testimony from the prosecution’s lead witness, causing doubts about his guilt.

Drummond also represented the State in support of Glossip at his clemency hearing in April.

OKC Heat Island Volunteers

The City of Oklahoma City is looking for volunteers to collect data as part of a national project studying heat in urban areas.

Upward of 300 street scientists are needed for the Urban Heat Mapping Campaign.

Not all parts of Oklahoma City are equally hot. Urban heat islands, with fewer trees and more blacktop roads, can be 20 degrees HOTTER than neighborhoods with more foliage and less asphalt.

Sarah Terry-Cobo is a planner in the City of OKC’s Office of Sustainability.

“In general, research tells us that low-income, minority communities, disadvantaged communities feel the heat effects more so than affluent communities." said Terry-Cobo.

The project seeks to map these urban heat islands.

On one of the hottest days of the year, teams of volunteers will drive assigned routes through 350 square miles of Oklahoma City collecting information about temperature, air quality and location.

Anyone is able to sign up to volunteer. Two training sessions will take place online this month, on July 13 and 27.

Find more information on the campaign and ways to get involved here.

Special Election Next Month For Chickasha Water Facility

People who live in Chickasha will soon decide how the city will pay for a new water treatment facility.

The city of Chickasha says its aging water treatment facility needs to be replaced.

Next month, residents will vote on a 1.25% sales tax to fund the new water treatment plant.

But, if residents vote down the sales tax increase, the city says water rates will then automatically increase in October by 82% to cover the cost.

Chickasha City manager Keith Johnson says the 1950s-era water treatment plant is way beyond its estimated life and that short-term repairs are no longer economically viable.

The city has struggled to produce quality water and could possibly face state fines from the Department of Environmental Quality if improvements are not made.

The new plant is estimated to cost approximately $74 million and be completed in three years.

New Trailer for ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Movie Is Out

A new trailer for the upcoming film Killers of the Flower Moon was released Wednesday.

Killers of the Flower Moon is based on the non-fiction book by David Grann about the murder of Osage people for their wealth.

The release of the film has been hotly anticipated after it premiered to great fanfare at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

Everett Waller, heads the Osage Nation's Mineral's council and he appears in the film. He's also featured in this new trailer.

“They’re like buzzards circling our people. We're still warriors,” Waller says in the movie.

The film stars Leonardo di Caprio, Lily Gladstone, Robert De Niro and is directed by Martin Scorsese.

The film is expected to come out in wide release this fall.

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