Cell phone ban
Lawmakers are considering the case for a statewide ban on cell phones in public schools. The Senate Education Committee listened to physicians, policy researchers and educators at a legislative interim study.
Last spring, legislators mulled over a bill to offer grant incentives to schools that implemented phone-free policies, but it never advanced from the Senate. Some members said they were in favor of an outright ban, but concerns arose about superseding local control.
Tuesday, lawmakers heard from Superintendent Jeremy Jackson of Pocola Public Schools, which recently instituted phone restrictions. He says a state mandate is needed to support districts against parent pushback.
"We need your help. Just to help those administrators or superintendents in those districts where it is not as welcome. The data is all there," Jackson said. "We have the experience, we have the information. We just need a little bit of help getting that pushed through the - across the finish line."
Several lawmakers, including Committee Chair Adam Pugh, say they will carry another phone restriction bill next spring.
Tulsa County social services
The Social Services Department in Tulsa County will remain open despite a different interpretation of the same law in Oklahoma County.
Tulsa County Commissioners say there are no plans to change operations at the county’s Social Services Department.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma County’s Social Services Director, Christi Jernigan-Marshall, says her department is forced to disband by the end of the month due to bills passed during the last legislative session.
Senate Bill 1931 repealed laws related to county care of indigent persons - laws that had been in place since 1910.
But legal interpretations vary by county.
While Oklahoma County’s District Attorney ordered the closure, Tulsa County officials cite a different section of state law to keep services running. Tulsa’s commissioners say they plan to follow Article 17, Section 3 of the Oklahoma State Constitution, which mandates counties care for those in need.
Irish mod murder
An Osage County judge sentenced a man at an Oklahoma prison to life in prison for orchestrating the murder of an Irish Mob member in 2021. State agencies collaborated on the investigation.
An inmate at Hominy’s Dick Conner Correctional Center, used a contraband cell phone to orchestrate the murder of Mitchell Roberts, a fellow Irish mob member.
Tulsa Police Department and Homeland Security investigators found Zachary Millard organized the killing.
Heather Anderson is a prosecutor for the Attorney General’s Office. She spent three years working on the case.
“It was extremely important we hold the person who put the plan in motion just as accountable. And I believe that that's what this verdict shows people, is that he was held just as accountable as if he had pulled the trigger,” Anderson said.
The alleged shooter died before charges were filed, but six co-defendants associated with organized crime pleaded guilty to charges related to the killing.
Thunder season opener
Oklahoma City Thunder basketball is back, starting tonight. The team enters the season with high expectations following their best-in-the-west record last year.
OKC travels to Denver to face the Nuggets. The three-time NBA MVP is generally expected to be guarded by Thunder center Chet Holmgren, but Holmgren says it’s not that simple.
“It’s not a “me preparing thing,” it’s more of a “we preparing thing.” He’s a really good player and there is no guarding him…there is no 1-on-1 matchup for him," Holmgren said. "You’re guarding him with a whole team. That’s the beauty of basketball - it’s a 5-on-5 game, so I got some teammates to help me out with that one.”
OKC will be without new big man Isaiah Hartenstein tonight, as he misses the next five to six weeks with a hand fracture.
_________________
For additional news throughout the day visit our website, KGOU.org and follow us on social media.We also invite you to subscribe to the KGOU AM NewsBrief.