Proposed Oklahoma County Jail Location Denied
The Oklahoma City Council has denied a special permit to construct a new county jail on East Grand Boulevard near Del City.
With the council opposed to that location, the site of a new jail remains in limbo.
The City Council’s decision Tuesday came after dozens of people spoke out against the proposal.
Del City’s mayor had threaten legal action to keep the county from building the jail at that location if council approved the permit.
Oklahoma County commissioners approved the East Grand Boulevard location after narrowing down a list of potential sites in the last year.
OKC City Council Approves New Arena Location
The location for the new Thunder basketball arena is now finalized.
Oklahoma City Council approved the downtown site Tuesday with a 7-2 vote.
The council approved development plans for the new basketball arena to be located at the former site of the Cox Convention Center.
The City will own and be responsible for maintaining and operating the new arena.
The plans include a parking garage and reserved space for a possible transit hub by 2029.
Ward 6 Council Member James Cooper encouraged using the community benefits agreements to provide construction employment opportunities for residents from underrepresented demographics.
“This is going to be an opportunity to bring different workforce intermediaries together in our city, to figure out how we can work together to better connect them to skills and employment,” Cooper said.
As part of the agreement, the Thunder will remain in Oklahoma City for 25 years after the arena opens.
Convicted Murderer Richard Rojem Set To Be Put To Death Next Month
Oklahoma’s next execution will be in late June.
Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals judges set a date for Richard Norman Rojem Jr. to be executed on June 27.
The court order says he has exhausted all of his appeals.
Rojem was convicted of the 1984 murder of his stepdaughter, Layla Dawn Cummings. She was seven years old.
Rojem has been incarcerated for almost 40 years and maintains his innocence.
The execution will be 84 days since the last person was put to death in Oklahoma.
Attorney General Genter Drummond has asked the court to schedule executions 90 days apart instead of 60 to reduce the stress put on the volunteer execution teams.
The court has agreed to extend the period between executions “unless circumstances dictate modification.”
Monarch Conservation Program Grows Into Nonprofit
Monarch butterflies pass through Oklahoma on their annual migration, but their numbers have plummeted in recent years.
For the past six years, friends of the flutterers have united under the “Okies for Monarchs” program to teach about the insect and advocate for their conservation.
The Conservation Coalition and the Nature Conservancy have always hosted the program.
Now "Okies for Monarchs" has grown its own 501-C-3: the Oklahoma Monarch Society.
Director Katie Hawk said the program is ready to soar.
“‘Okies for Monarchs’ will not change. It will not go away. It will continue to thrive and go forth. And it is now one of the programs of the Oklahoma Monarch Society,” Hawk said.
The new non-profit has teamed up with O-K-C brewery Anthem to develop a Pollinator Pilsner.
Sales will go to monarch conservation.
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