Town Hall Held On Potential Jail Locations
Oklahoma County Commissioners are expected to discuss the new jail location search - once again - at a meeting tomorrow.
Those who attended a Town Hall Monday night had plenty of opinions on potential sites.
Residents in northeast Oklahoma City and Del City gathered at MetroTech Springlake campus to hear from elected city and state officials.
The overwhelming consensus was to keep the jail at its current site in downtown.
Jail experts say there’s enough land to expand the current facility outward. About 7 acres of land could be acquired if the owners are willing to sell.
The expansion could also include room for a mental health facility.
Time is running out for commissioners to select a location due to time limits on ARPA funds.
The next county commissioners meeting will be held Wednesday.
Edmond Voters To Decide $147 Million School Bond Package
Voters in Edmond will soon cast their decision on a $147 million bond aimed at expanding Edmond Public Schools.
The bond includes plans for a new elementary and middle school at Air Depot and Covell and a freshman academy at Santa Fe High School.
A transition academy is also planned for special needs students.
The special election is Feb. 13, and it is open to all Edmond residents.
Oklahoma AG Files Injunction To Prevent Loss Of Family Planning Funding
Obtaining federal Title X funding for family planning services is predicated on counseling on all options, including abortion.
When Oklahoma refused to do so last year, it lost millions of dollars.
The state is at risk of losing another year of funding, and Attorney General Gentner Drummond is trying to prevent that.
Clinics participating in Title X programs offer confidential and low-cost family planning resources for all ages, including contraceptives, counseling and pregnancy testing.
The State Department of Health has received funding since 1971.
But, in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Oklahoma basically banned abortion, and the State Department refused to offer information on it, saying it would be contrary to state law. Then, its federal dollars were revoked.
Two months after his initial lawsuit against the Biden Administration, Drummond is filing an injunction which, if successful, would mean the federal government could not withhold another year’s worth of Title X money.
Those funds will be distributed on April 1st, and Drummond argues the state and its services will suffer irreparable harm without them.
Proposed Legislation Would End “No-Fault” Divorces
Proposed legislation would end 'incompatibility' as grounds for a divorce.
Basically, the legislation, if approved, would abolish no-fault divorce in Oklahoma.
It is already drawing criticism from attorneys and domestic violence victims' advocates.
Senate Bill 1958 seeks to eliminate the grounds of incompatibility for divorce, making it more challenging for couples to end their marriages without giving specific reasons.
It’s authored by freshman Sen. Dusty Deevers of Elgin.
The nonprofit newsroom Oklahoma Voice reports this would make it more difficult to end a marriage and make the reason for a divorce open to public scrutiny.
Critics argue that the bill represents a departure from the well-established precedent that recognizes incompatibility as a common reason for divorce.
Oklahoma’s legislative session begins next week.
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