Intense Wind, Dust Whip Oklahoma Again
Winds kicked up and a wave of dust moved across the state early Wednesday creating dangerous fire weather conditions.
Dozens of new fires popped up overnight as crews still fought more than 30 blazes that have started since Friday.
The Oklahoma Forestry Service’s daily report said responding to new fires and blow-outs of existing ones has left crews exhausted ahead of yet another day of high fire danger.
The fires have killed four people, injured hundreds and damaged or destroyed more than 400 homes in Oklahoma over the past week.
And there’s not much relief in sight - fire weather is expected to linger through at least Friday, and most of the state has no rain in the forecast.
Oklahoma’s First Execution of 2025 Is Set For Tomorrow
Oklahoma’s first execution of the year is scheduled for Thursday morning.
Fifty-six-year-old Wendell Grissom will be put to death by lethal injection.
He received the sentence more than a decade ago - for the 2005 killing of Amber Matthews.
Grissom fatally shot Matthews and injured her friend during a home invasion in Blaine County.
His fate was solidified earlier this year when the Pardon and Parole Board denied a request for clemency.
Grissom’s attorneys say he suffered from brain damage that was never presented to a jury. They also told the board Grissom has always accepted responsibility and expressed remorse for Matthews’ killing.
Governor Intervenes In Legal Fight Between Tulsa and Muscogee Nation
Gov. Kevin Stitt is stepping in to support the City of Tulsa's legal fight with the Muscogee Nation.
The governor's latest action to intervene in tribal affairs is against the current mayor’s will.
Muscogee Nation is suing Tulsa for the right to issue traffic tickets - and therefore collect revenue - from tribal citizen motorists within city limits on the Muscogee reservation.
The suit began before Tulsa’s new mayor Monroe Nichols took office, but he said in December he was searching for a way to settle it.
Talks are ongoing, but the governor’s intervention could complicate them.
Stitt’s filing argues a settlement would be a political convenience for Tulsa and the tribe. He said it would set a bad precedent by taking away core powers from the state’s police officers and handing them to tribal nations.
The governor asks for the suit - and therefore the negotiation process - to end.
Lawmaker Seeks AG Opinion on Ryan Walters’ Endorsement of Conservative Teachers Union
An Oklahoma representative is asking Attorney General Gentner Drummond for an opinion on State Superintendent Ryan Walters’ endorsement of a conservative teachers union.
The lawmaker also wants an investigation into financial ties.
Oklahoma City Democrat Ellen Pogemiller wants Drummond to opine on whether Walters violated state law by issuing three press releases last week touting the Teacher Freedom Alliance, a teachers’ union recently launched by the conservative think tank Freedom Foundation.
Walters bills TFA as an alternative to traditional teachers’ associations — groups he has equated to “terrorist organizations.”
Pogemiller alleges Walters violated an Ethics Rule that prohibits state officials from using their office to endorse a service or enterprise.
Walters said in a statement the request is “grasping at straws.”
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