Gov. Kevin Stitt has named education advocate Nellie Tayloe Sanders to serve as Secretary of Education.
“Nellie has championed innovative paths in education, particularly for those with dyslexic thinking and unique learning styles,” Stitt said.
The Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics (ODAA) has named Sandra Shelton as director of Government Affairs, Industry Development and Communications.
Shelton will be responsible for the agency’s marketing and communications initiatives, legislative and congressional affairs activities, and spearheading industry outreach and development efforts.
Prior to Shelton joining the department in April of 2016 as the Aviation Education coordinator and Government Affairs liaison, she had served over 20 years in state government.
Sen. Jo Anna Dossett, D-Tulsa, has filed legislation aimed at incentivizing the use of firearm safety devices. Senate Bill 1476 would provide a state sales tax exemption to encourage more Oklahomans to take advantage of such equipment.
Dossett held an interim study on the topic last fall, with experts from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), the Oklahoma Rifle Association (ORA) and Everytown for Gun Safety presenting data and perspectives on the utilization of tax incentives to promote greater safety.
LAWSUITS
LVNV Funding LLC vs. Annette Pride for $969.36 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.
Midland Credit Management Inc. vs. Mia McCrory for $2,482.87 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.
Midland Credit Management Inc. vs. Elvia Valencia for $2,541.64 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.
NCB Management Services Inc. vs. Janice Dudley and Dayonna Garcia for $4,658.25 to pay a debt plus interest, costs and attorney fees.
Broken water pipes at Jenks Simmons Field House forced Mobile Meals to shut down, hopefully for no more than a week. El Reno Schools Superintendent Matt Goucher said the pipes that broke overnight on Jan. 16 were on an exterior wall at Jenks. With arctic temperatures arriving a few days before, the pipes were an easy target for the subfreezing temps.
Goucher said he is surprised the pipes had not broken before. In February of 2021, winter weather kept temperatures at or near zero for well over a week.
El Reno firefighter Gage Pittman (left) holds a set of battery-powered spreaders as fellow firefighter Nathan Dewberry (center) uses battery-operated cutters. Both devices were used on the door to free the driver of this vehicle involved in a two-vehicle accident on North Country Club Road near the entrance to Adams Park last week.
ERFD Sgt. Slade Terry (right) holds the door while talking to the driver.
According to the ERFD report, both drivers required medical assistance from Pafford Medical Services but were able to walk to stretchers on the scene.
According to a biologist with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, birds this time of year are looking for unfrozen water to migrate toward and with recent temperatures below freezing, when unfrozen ponds are located, they become crowded such as the one near the overpass (second photo), which was home to thousands of several different species of waterfowl.
Canadian County commissioners have agreed to spend more to stabilize the subgrade for a parking lot resurfacing project outside the county assessor’s building.
The commissioners, at their weekly meeting Jan. 16, voted 3-0 to approve a $15,296 change order for the long-awaited parking upgrade.
This increases the cost to $236,121.
When the old pavement was removed, officials discovered a wet subgrade. Recent wet weather delayed the process further.
The Canadian County Sheriff’s Office will begin training staff on crisis intervention, said a statement from the sheriff’s office.
The first of seven, five-day, 40-hour crisis intervention team training sessions began Jan. 22. The final block will be taught in October.
Crisis intervention team training was developed to assist officers in recognizing individuals who may be experiencing a mental health crisis.
In an effort to alleviate some of the college expenses for students, faculty at Redlands Community College are identifying free course materials.
Three instructors were recently awarded grants by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education for creating or adopting openly licensed, zero-cost textbooks, saving students hundreds of dollars.
