Stay Of Execution Request Denied
An Oklahoma death row inmate’s request for a stay of his execution has been denied.
The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals denied 41-year-old Michael DeWayne Smith’s request on Monday.
Smith had asked for the stay following a proposed moratorium on the death penalty pending before the state Legislature.
The judges dismissed his claim, stating it was based solely on speculation regarding the potential passage of House Bill 3138.
They concluded that Smith failed to demonstrate a clear legal right to the relief requested.
Smith faces execution for two murders in 2002.
He is scheduled to be executed on April 4 at the State Penitentiary in McAlester.
Polling Shows State Superintendent Might Have Image Problem
State Superintendent Ryan Walters collects his fair share of headlines across Oklahoma.
The news involving Walters is starting to have a negative impact on his polling numbers.
Walters has not shied away from controversy in his first year and some change in office. And it appears that is starting to affect how he’s perceived.
In a series of internal Republican polls collected and reported on by the nonprofit news outlet NonDoc, Walters has significant unfavorable ratings in many.
One survey of Republicans shows his favorability rating among his own party at below 40 percent.
Another found him far behind Republican leaders like Gov. Kevin Stitt in popularity.
A pollster presentation made to House Republicans earlier this year describes Walters as “abrasive” and “crass.”
When asked about the negative polls by NonDoc, the highest ranking education official in the state did not respond.
Federal Regulators Halt Proposed Hydroelectric Plant Project on Kiamichi River
A power company is looking to build a hydroelectric plant on the Kiamichi River near Talihina, but federal regulators have nipped the project in the bud.
The plant could produce enough electricity to power more than 5,000 homes. But not Oklahoma homes — that electricity would be piped down to Paris, Texas.
In January, Southeast Oklahoma Power Corporation filed a pre-application and a notice of intent to build and operate the facility.
Now, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has rejected both documents, saying the company “has not demonstrated due diligence” in preparing them.
The company failed to provide enough information about landowners who could be affected by the hydropower project, and it didn’t document enough outreach with Tribes and state agencies.
Southeast Oklahoma Power Corporation could correct the issues and refile, but the project is off the table for now.
Plans for a similar hydroelectric power project were abandoned in 2022 after protests from the local community and official opposition from the Choctaw Nation.
Expansion of Oklahoma's Noxious Weeds Law Proposed to Combat Invasive Species
Under Oklahoma’s noxious weeds law, landowners must control three types of thistles on their property to prevent spread.
There could soon be two more plants on the list: Invasive Kudzu is known as the “vine that ate the south” and poison hemlock is extremely toxic to humans and animals.
House Bill 3186 would require landowners to control them both.
"We have about 85 locations in Oklahoma that are invaded by Kudzu. The largest area is probably about a ten acre location," said Karen Hickman, who is on the Oklahoma Invasive Plant Council and is director of Oklahoma State University’s environmental science program.
She says this would be the first addition to Oklahoma’s noxious weeds list since its creation.
The bill has passed the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee and is on its way to the Senate.
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