Execution Scheduled For Thursday
Oklahoma is set to execute the second death row inmate of the year.
Jemaine Cannon, 51, is scheduled to be put to death Thursday.
Cannon was convicted for the 1995 murder of Sharonda White Clark at her home in Tulsa.
Last month, Oklahoma's Pardon and Parole Board denied clemency for Cannon by a 3-to-2 vote.
Cannon is scheduled to be the ninth person to be executed by Oklahoma since the state resumed the practice in 2021.
Two other men are scheduled to be put to death this year.
Water Issues In Southwest Cities
Southwestern Oklahoma communities face water problems as they head into a week of high temperatures.
The Foss Reservoir Master Conservancy District supplies more than 17,000 people with treated water from Foss Reservoir.
Its water plant shut down on Thursday for emergency repairs, according to the City of Hobart, which relies on Foss as its only water source.
The city asked residents to conserve the water left in their towers and warned repairs could take days.
Just southwest of Foss, the Quartz Mountain Water Plant Board has declared a separate water emergency for Lone Wolf, Granite, Quartz Mountain State Park and the Oklahoma State Reformatory.
Despite recent rain, the wells that supply those systems are only providing half the plant’s capacity.
That’s according to the Towns of Granite and Lone Wolf, which are implementing odd/even outdoor watering days and asking residents to conserve as much as possible.
Tribal Nation Reiterates Foundation Of McGirt Ruling
Choctaw Nation Chief Gary Batton published an open letter telling critics of the McGirt ruling that the U.S. Supreme Court's decision does not mean tribal citizens can break the law.
Batton told citizens of the Choctaw Nation and Oklahoma that since the McGirt ruling came down in 2020, the tribal nation has filed more than 3,500 felony and misdemeanor cases and more than 2,200 traffic violations.
Batton writes that Choctaw Nation has more than 77 cross deputization agreements with local, state and federal law enforcement and takes public safety seriously.
The letter is in response to recent comments made by Gov. Kevin Stitt after the 10th circuit court of appeals ruled against the city of Tulsa.
That case over a traffic ticket reaffirmed tribal sovereignty for Indigenous law enforcement, and Batton writes -- did not suggest Indigenous people could break laws with impunity.
Hollywood Strike Could Impact Productions In Oklahoma
The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists strike will likely impact film and television production in Oklahoma.
SAG-AFTRA, which represents approximately 160,000 actors and artists, began their strike against the Allegiance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on Friday, July 14.
Their strike follows the Writers Guild of America, which represents more than 11,000 writers, starting their strike against AMPTP in May.
The strike will likely affect the production of Twisters, a movie directed by Golden Globe-winning director Lee Isaac Chung, which filmed in downtown Oklahoma City earlier this year.
This comes as Oklahoma has attempted to draw more film and television productions to the state through incentives like the Filmed in Oklahoma Act and the Oklahoma City Film Incentive Program.
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