Oklahoma Executes Convicted Killer Emmanuel Littlejohn
A convicted Oklahoma County killer was put to death Thursday after Gov. Kevin Stitt declined to grant clemency.
Emmanuel Littlejohn, 52, was executed via lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester on Thursday morning. He was pronounced dead at 10:17 a.m.
Last month, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-2 to recommend clemency for Littlejohn.
Littlejohn was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to death for the 1992 fatal shooting of Kenneth Meers during a robbery of an Oklahoma City convenience store.
The execution follows calls from the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty and Oklahoma House Representative Jason Lowe for Gov. Stitt to grant Littlejohn clemency.
Stitt released a statement after the execution saying the decision was difficult, but ultimately he is a “law and order governor.”
Oklahoma’s execution was the fourth to be carried out nationwide in one week.
Federal Judge Grants OKC TV Station Access to State Education Board Meetings
An Oklahoma City TV station will be able to attend a state board of education meeting Thursday.
A federal judge granted KFOR a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against Oklahoma’s State Department of Education to cover the meetings.
KFOR's lawsuit against the education department alleges the TV station’s reporters have been singled out and denied access to monthly public board meetings and press conferences held by State Superintendent Ryan Walters.
Courtney Corbello is the attorney representing the station. She addressed reporters outside the federal courthouse downtown.
"It's a pretty straightforward First Amendment issue. When the government opens up limited forums for reporters to then report from, they can't just use their unbridled discretion to figure out who they want there and who they don't," Corbello said.
The granted temporary restraining order and injunction means KFOR can attend the next state board of education meeting and be part of any gaggle of reporters that may bunch up around Walters after it.
State Agency Pauses Proposed Rule Change Due To Public Feedback
Oklahoma’s Department of Human Services is pausing a rule that would have changed day care reimbursement rates.
The decision came after public back-lash.
The DHS proposal would have decreased the number of people eligible for child care subsidies.
Anyone making 85 percent or less of the state median income is eligible for a child care subsidy program with the agency. The new rule would’ve decreased the income threshold to 70 percent.
DHS said the current rates are proving difficult to fund. However, child care providers and some state lawmakers balked at the cuts for low-income families.
A statement from DHS officials said they’ll revisit the rules and try to find other ways to reduce spending on the program.
The agency said it won’t be able to pay for the child care subsidy in the long term without a cash infusion from the state.
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