State Board Denies Clemency For Death Row Inmate Wendell Grissom
The state Pardon and Parole Board voted Wednesday to deny clemency for death row inmate Wendell Grissom.
That means Oklahoma’s first execution of 2025 is set for March 20.
Grissom, 56, was convicted in the 2005 murder of Amber Matthews during a home invasion in Blaine County, shooting the victim twice in the head.
Grissom’s attorneys have said Grissom has brain damage, though he has admitted to the murder.
The state pardon and parole board wasn’t convinced.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond commended the board in a news release, saying “Amber died at the hands of a cruel and evil man,” and that his fate is now sealed. Grissom is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary next month. Only Gov. Kevin Stitt could stop the execution now.
OSU President Kayse Shrum Resigns
Oklahoma State University President Kayse Shrum has resigned.
OSU’s Board of Regents said Wednesday it has accepted her resignation which took effect on Monday.
In a statement, the board expressed its deepest gratitude for her dedicated leadership, unwavering commitment to students and significant contributions to the OSU system.
Shrum became the first woman to lead one of Oklahoma’s two research universities when she succeeded Burns Hargis in July of 2021.
The Board will begin the process of identifying the next leader for Oklahoma State University.
State Committee Approves Lawmakers’ Unannounced Prison Visits
A state House committee has passed a bill to allow lawmakers to do surprise prison inspections.
Long time Corrections Department critic Republican Representative Justin Humphrey of Lane believes legislators can't get a real picture of prison conditions when the Department knows they are coming.
“You get the golden tour. It's not the real tour. You don't get to see reality,” Humphrey said.
When the bill next goes to an oversight committee, Humphrey promised to amend it to instead of giving lawmakers surprise access, it would move the prisons Inspector General from the Corrections Department, to the Board of Corrections, to be more independent.
This story was produced by Sam Moore at The Freelancer.
Bill Requiring More Oversight for Renewable Energy Projects Advances
The Oklahoma legislature is considering a measure that would require more state oversight for renewable energy facilities.
The bill has passed its first legislative hurdle Tuesday, gaining unanimous approval from the House Utilities Committee.
The bill would require new solar and wind energy generation projects to apply for a permit through the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, similar to the one required for new oil and gas projects.
Okeene Republican Mike Dobrinski authored House Bill 2155. He said the permitting process isn’t meant to be restrictive.
"It's not designed to keep any of these new projects from coming. It simply allows notification and public knowledge of them, we hope, in a quicker fashion," Dobrinski said.
An earlier version of the measure would have put the same regulations on transmission line projects, but Dobrinski took that out with the committee’s approval.
The bill can now go before the House Committee for Energy and Natural Resources Oversight before advancing to the full floor.
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