State Lawmaker Disagrees With Decision To Close Oklahoma County Social Services Department
The Oklahoma County Social Services Department is set to close Thursday due to a recently passed bill.
But the measure’s sponsor does not think that needs to happen.
Senate Bill 1931 flew under the radar as it sailed through the legislature this spring.
It stripped out language from state code mandating that counties have a social services office. Oklahoma County took that to mean it would need to shut down its social services department. That will happen on Thursday.
Republican Sen. Chris Kidd authored the measure. He said he didn’t intend for the department to close.
“They could offer these services still. We just removed the mandate. Simple as that, black and white, they can offer those services that they want,” Kidd said.
Oklahoma County officials disagreed. They said county attorney Vicki Behenna gave them legal advice to close the department.
With the department’s closure, the county will lose services it provided for people living in poverty, experiencing homelessness and the elderly.
Oklahoma Election Official Says Nov. 5 Will Be Safe, Secure
Oklahoma’s top election official says voters -should feel safe- when they cast their ballots this year.
The statement comes after the recent arrest of a man accused of plotting an Election Day attack.
Paul Ziriax is the Oklahoma State Election Board Secretary. He oversees election operations and preparedness in all 77 counties.
He said planning for the security of polling places and county election offices is routine during election season, regardless of threats of violence or terrorism.
“I’ll give you an example. Recently, the state election board coordinated what's called a tabletop exercise, which is where you gather around and, and, and you simulate various scenarios on paper,” Ziriax said.
Election officials, alongside local, state and federal law enforcement, walk through various scenarios, including acts of terror.
“We had that planned before we even knew about this threat that was disrupted,” Ziriax said.
He said the goal is constantly improving security, readiness and communication.
Water From Canton Lake Replenishing Lake Hefner
Water from Canton Lake in northwest Oklahoma is now arriving in Oklahoma City to boost a dwindling Lake Hefner.
Lake Hefner is where OKC stores about 40% of its drinking water, and right now it’s about 7 feet below normal.
After coordination between the city, state officials and Canton community members, the Army Corps of Engineers - which operates the Canton dam - began releasing water last Tuesday.
OKC city engineer Larry Hare helped plan this release. He said the city wants to ensure it doesn’t affect fishing at Canton, which the community relies on to generate revenue.
As the weather gets colder, the fish gather near the dam, where they’re more likely to get pulled through the gate and sent downriver.
“So we decided, if we were going to do it, now would be the time to unfortunately lose a little bit of fish, but not a vast majority of fish,” Hare said.
The release is expected to raise Hefner by about 3 feet and lower Canton by the same amount.
El Reno Hosts 36th Annual World Gay Rodeo Finals
The international gay rodeo wrapped up this weekend in El Reno.
Dirt flied as horses galloped through the 36th Annual World Gay Rodeo Finals in the Canadian County Expo and Event Center.
There were ten traditional events at the World Gay Rodeo Finals, but there were also some you won’t find many other places, like a goat dressing contest.
Mark Christensen is the rodeo’s director. He got into the Great Plains Rodeo Association while in college.
“We are about family, and that's one of the things that a lot of folks don't understand. And that's what we are about. We are about family, and we're going to take care of our families," Christensen said.
More than 100 people competed in the event.
_________________
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.