Wildfire damage
More than 100 wildfires raged across Oklahoma Friday into Saturday, scorching 170,000 acres. Hundreds of homes were destroyed, including one belonging to Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt.
Many Oklahomans returned to pick up the pieces of their homes after a firestorm swept the state. Among them was Governor Kevin Stitt, at his ranch house in central Oklahoma. In a social media video, he walked where his house once stood. Stitt says he will be rebuilding with the rest of the state.
“And you never think it’s going to happen to your place and these wildfires just come out of nowhere, and can really take over,” Stitt said.
More than a dozen fires continued to burn into the weekend. Four deaths have been confirmed and at least 142 people injured in Oklahoma due to the fires.
Automatic felonies for the undocumented
State lawmakers are pushing measures to widen their unauthorized migrant fishing net. A bill making it a felony to be arrested for any crime while in the country without a legal status passed the House last week.
House Bill 1362 by Stilwel Republican David Hardin revises anti-immigrant language passed into law last year and makes it more broadly applicable.
It removes language related to the punishment of the new crime impermissible occupation, which requires a second offense to become a felony, and instead tacks on a separate felony charge against people arrested for any state crime. The new punishment is 5 years in prison or deportation. Bail starts at $35,000 dollars.
Oklahoma City Democrat Cyndi Munson called the measure "fear mongering."
"We have so many needs and keeping the public safe in our communities," Munson said. "And it just continues to breed fear, especially with children. The governor has said, stop scaring kids and their families, which is rich because it is part of his rhetoric that we are here today."
The bill passed the House floor along party lines and awaits committee assignment in the Senate.
Oklahoma college basketball teams in the postseason
It’s ‘March Madness’ time for college basketball, and several Oklahoma teams are going dancing.
The University of Oklahoma’s women’s basketball team will host a slate of games in the NCAA Tournament, starting Saturday. The three-seed Sooners will face the 14-seed Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles for the second straight year.
The Oklahoma State’s women’s basketball team earned a seven-seed in the tourney. They’ll travel to Connecticut to play the 10-seed South Dakota State Jackrabbits on Saturday.
In the men’s tournament, the Sooners landed a nine-seed. They’ll head to North Carolina and square off against the eight-seed Connecticut Huskies on Friday.
Meanwhile, two teams from the state advanced to the Round of 16 of the NAIA Men's Basketball Championship. Langston University and Oklahoma Wesleyan University will continue their postseason runs on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
The NAIA Women’s Basketball Championship will have two teams from the state in its Round of 16. Langston will continue it’s run on Thursday, while Mid-America Christian will do so on Friday.
_________________
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.