Tinker Air Force Base Releases Few Details On 17 Deaths
There have been at least 17 deaths on Tinker Air Force Base this year, but details of the death are unclear.
The deaths were first revealed in reporting by the online news site Military.com.
A statement from Tinker officials provided after the Military.com report, provided some clarity.
Air Force Installation Commander Col. Abigail Ruscetta says in a statement that 11 uniform and civilian airmen died as a result of natural causes or accidents.
The other six deaths remain under investigation – most of the people who died were civilians.
"Each and every death is a tragedy," Ruscetta said in the statement. "Following each loss of life, leaders from the affected unit engaged with their people to acknowledge the loss of a valued teammate. We offered many avenues of support, including a network of helping agencies, mental health counselors, chaplains, and Military Family Readiness professionals."
The base in central Oklahoma has more than 30,000 personnel, including service members, contractors and civilians.
The outlet was also told by base officials that the Air Force policy is to prohibit disclosure of the number and causes of deaths, including suspected suicides still under investigation.
Oklahoma Supreme Court To Decide Fate Of State Representative’s Term
Gov. Kevin Stitt is putting forth an effort to unseat Republican Representative Ryan Martinez of Edmond.
Stitt's general counsel filed the case to the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
Stitt attorney Trevor Pemberton writes that because Representative Ryan Martinez agreed to a deferred sentence for a felony non-driving DUI, he must vacate his seat.
Pemberton writes, “state law forces the governor’s hand,” on the issue.
The nonprofit news outlet Nondoc broke the story and reports Attorney General Gentner Drummond disagrees. His office suggests Martinez can keep his seat because a deferred sentence isn’t the same as a felony conviction.
House Speaker Charles McCall concurs and says he believes Martinez should continue to serve.
It’s unclear what will happen, but Oklahoma’s Supreme Court will ultimately make the decision about Martinez’s fate.
YouTube Removes State Superintendent Walters’ Video On Tulsa Public Schools
A video from the State Department of Education outlining shortcomings at Tulsa Public Schools is now no longer available on YouTube.
State Superintendent Ryan Walters’ administration refused multiple requests from the Tulsa World newspaper to remove a clip of the paper’s interview with Walters.
According to the World, it filed a copyright infringement complaint with the streaming platform because it had not given the department permission to use the footage.
Tulsa World wasn’t the only news outlet to flag use of their content - News9 in Oklahoma City also reports it asked the department to remove their newscast footage from the video, saying its parent company never granted permission nor were they ever asked for it.
Walters released the video as part of a broader campaign against Tulsa Public Schools - a district whose accreditation decision he delayed due to what he calls ongoing, significant, severe issues.
The district’s accreditation status will be reviewed at Thursday’s State Board of Education meeting.
State Fair Vendors Rolling Out New Fair Food Items
The Oklahoma State Fair returns next month with all the traditional fair food.
This year, vendors will also have plenty of new items to try.
Meat Candy On-A-Stick, Chicken Honey Waffles and Pickle Pie are new this year.
Or maybe you can take on the Ultimate Champ Dog.
Other sweet treats include Deep-Fried Caramel Apple Cow Tales, Texas-sized donuts and--of course-- "Barbie" Lemonade.
That's just a sampling of some of the new items the fair has to offer this year.
You’ll find the full list here.
The fair runs Sept. 14 through the 24.
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