Kingfisher Schools Cuts Jobs In Wake Of $5 Million Hazing Settlement
In the wake of a $5 million dollar lawsuit settlement, the Kingfisher Public Schools Board accepted 18 resignations Wednesday night.
The lawsuit alleged a football coach allowed locker room hazing, and the district did little in response.
Nonprofit newsroom Oklahoma Voice reports of the 18 resignations, 11 were teaching positions.
Kingfisher’s superintendent said those teachers worked for the district for less than two years, held emergency certifications or were in adjunct positions.
Jeff Myers, the coach at the center of the lawsuit, is still employed.
While no longer coaching, he is still on the payroll as a tenured teacher.
The superintendent said because of due process protections, Myers cannot be fired without cause.
Felony criminal child neglect charges have been filed, but there has been no conviction.
All departing employees will be paid through next week and receive $2,500 to waive due process hearings.
Oklahoma Turnpike Toll Increase Begins Jan. 1
Toll booths might be gone, but the cost of driving on Oklahoma turnpikes will increase in 2025.
The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority voted this week to increase tolls for roadway extension and improvement projects.
The move is due to higher-than-anticipated costs for the ACCESS Oklahoma project.
That includes widening the Turner Turnpike, adding access points on roads and expanding a motorway around Norman. Nonprofit newsroom Oklahoma Voice reports the project will cost $3 billion dollars more than what OTA officials had estimated.
That means an average of a 15 percent increase at various tolls around the state.
The exact hike will depend on where drivers are headed, and if they are using the PlatePay or PikePass systems.
Clemency Hearing For Death Row Inmate Kevin Underwood Scheduled For Friday
The clemency hearing for confessed murderer Kevin Ray Underwood is set for Friday morning at 9 a.m.
This is the third time the hearing has been added to the calendar.
The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board has locked in a new date for death row inmate Kevin Underwood’s clemency hearing after two false starts.
A shakeup of the board has delayed the 44-year-old’s clemency hearing until now.
The hearing is necessary before an execution, which Underwood is scheduled for on Dec. 19.
Underwood and his attorneys have been fighting against holding the clemency hearing because the parole board does not have its full five members.
They argue that violates his constitutional due process rights.
A U.S. appeals court ruled his arguments to delay were insufficient and that he will get a fair hearing with the current four-member board.
Federal Protections Proposed For Monarch Butterflies
New protections could be coming for Monarch butterflies.
Monarchs regularly travel through Oklahoma for their yearly migration in the fall and spring.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week announced its proposing Endangered Species Act protection for the monarch butterfly and looking for public input on potential regulations.
The fish and wildlife service estimates the eastern monarch population - which is found in Oklahoma - has dwindled by 80% since the 1990s.
Nonprofit Oklahoma Monarch Society works on an awareness campaign for the species across the state.
Executive Director Katie Hawk said Oklahoma’s geography is critical to the insect’s survival.
“We are centrally located right in the middle of their migratory path. And because of that, it makes us a critical place for habitat,” Hawk said.
Public comments are accepted until March 12, 2025.
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