Suspects In Panhandle Murder Plot Appear In Court
Four people accused of killing two Kansas women in Oklahoma's panhandle had their first court appearance Wednesday.
43-year-old Tad Bert Cullum, 54-year-old Tifany Machel Adams, 50-year-old Cole Earl Twombly, and 44-year-old Cora Twombly were each arraigned in Texas County on two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree.
Authorities found two bodies in rural Texas County in the Oklahoma panhandle last weekend, which have now been positively identified as the missing Kansas women, Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley.
One of the suspects, Tifany Adams, was apparently involved in a custody battle over Butler’s children.
Adams is the Cimarron County GOP Chair.
Oklahoma GOP Party Chairman and state Sen. Nathan Dahm released a statement Tuesday saying the Oklahoma Republican Party has no personal relationship with or knowledge of the individuals accused in the crime, while also acknowledging Adams’ role as chair in Cimarron County.
Proposed Legislation Would Increase Statute Of Limitations For Certain Crimes
State lawmakers are advancing a bill to modify the statute of limitations on certain crimes.
Republican Senator Jessica Garvin’s Senate Bill 1658 would eliminate the statute of limitations for rape when DNA evidence or a confession comes to light.
Currently, the statute of limitations for rape is 12 years in cases where the victim is 18 or older.
The bill passed the Senate floor unanimously in March, and passed unanimously again on the House floor on Monday after an amendment was added to extend the statute of limitations on the dissemination of revenge porn from 12 years to 20.
In a news release, Garvin said this is a “common-sense measure” that will allow Oklahoma to be tough on heinous crimes such as rape.
The bill now returns to the Senate to approve the amendment.
Budget Battle Brews Between Oklahoma House and Senate
A fight over Oklahoma’s budget at the state capitol continues with a $1 billion gap between lawmakers in the House and Senate.
The House’s budget plan accounts for a quarter-percent income tax cut, which the Senate made sure to leave out of its budget proposal last month.
House Speaker Charles McCall says an income tax cut is a must-have for House Republicans.
"We're not going to give up on tax cuts. I think it's a priority for the House. And so that's going to be something that we're going to be very serious about in our discussions with the Senate," McCall said.
Senate Republicans have consistently objected to more tax cuts, after slashing the state’s portion of sales tax on groceries.
Still, the House and Senate should have what they need to begin negotiations with the governor on a final state budget in the neighborhood of $12 or $13 billion.
In addition to the budget, House Republicans released an online dashboard to compare different budget plans to government agencies' requests.
Study Finds Indigenous Populations Underrepresented In CDC Health Research
When the CDC counts Native American respondents to health surveys, they’re sometimes under-reporting the actual number of people who make up the data.
In at least one survey, Indigenous populations are under-represented.
A team of Native American researchers based in Tulsa analyzed the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System data results.
The Oklahoma State and University of Oklahoma researchers discovered that when respondents answered they were more than one race, they were funneled into a single multi-racial or ethnic category.
Consequently, less than 15 percent of all Native participants were properly accounted for.
The researchers say this matters because statistical collection affects federal resource distribution. That in turn could impact health, social and behavioral outcomes for Indigenous people.
The team recommends the CDC take a more nuanced approach toward collecting data. And studies that utilize their numbers, look at the complexities of the populations surveyed.
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