Oklahoma Carries Out Nation’s 25th Execution This Year
Convicted child killer Kevin Underwood was executed Thursday morning for the 2006 murder of a 10-year-old Purcell girl.
Underwood died by lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester Thursday morning. The 45-year-old was pronounced dead at 10:14 a.m.
Corrections officials said the execution was carried out without complications.
Witnesses said Underwood’s final words included an apology to the family of Jamie Bolin, the 10-year-old neighbor he murdered.
Bolin’s sister, Lori Pate, gave a statement to media moments following the execution.
“This does not bring our Jamie back, but it does allow the space in our hearts to focus on her, and allow the healing process to begin,” Pate said.
Underwood was the fourth inmate to be executed this year in Oklahoma, and the 25th nationwide.
Governor Stitt Is Ending Remote Work Option For State Employees
Remote work options will soon end for full-time state employees.
Gov. Kevin Stitt issued an executive order requiring full-time state employees to return to in-office work by February 1, 2025.
Stitt said in a news release the decision aims to ensure efficient government operations and greater accountability to taxpayers.
He said remote work accommodations are no longer necessary.
Exceptions may be granted for non-standard work hours, impractical in-office roles or limited office space.
Agencies must report exceptions and submit quarterly updates on workforce arrangements to the Office of Management and Enterprise Services.
Oklahoma City’s Rapid Transit Bus Service Exceeds Expectations in First Year
Oklahoma City officials are calling the new rapid transit bus service a success.
The route provided nearly half a million rides in its first year of operation.
After years of planning and construction, Oklahoma City welcomed the first passengers on the Rapid Northwest bus route in December 2023.
It travels between downtown OKC and just south of Lake Hefner along Northwest Expressway and Classen Boulevard.
EMBARK Director Jesse Rush reviewed the first year of the service at a City Council meeting earlier this month.
"We're averaging about 1,200 riders per day using our service. Our expectations were about 1,000 riders per day, so we are exceeding that expectation," Rush said.
Oklahoma City residents voted in July to approve a second bus rapid transit route connecting the Adventure District in the northeast part of the city to bus stops on the southwest side, near Will Rogers International Airport.
That route won’t be under construction until 2028, but once completed, it’s expected to serve around 2,700 riders daily.
Oklahoma Mesonet Seeks New Home For One Of Its Oldest Weather Stations
The Oklahoma Mesonet is seeking a landowner to house one of its oldest weather stations.
The station went offline last week after a private landowner sold the acreage it was housed on.
The Mount Herman station will still be located in McCurtain County.
The organization is seeking a new site from a volunteer - preferably a generational farm with open space.
The mesonet collaboration between the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University has stations in every county that contribute to a library of weather knowledge going back 30 years.
Data from the mesonet is used by local farmers, firefighters and decision makers like emergency managers.
Its hyperlocal weather stations capture events that other systems might miss.
And it helps scientists understand how Oklahoma - and the planet - is reacting to climate change.
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