Connect with us

Oklahoma

Oklahoma County jail is running out of money

Published

on

Oklahoma County jail is running out of money


The Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority announced Friday it is projecting a $5.8 million budget shortfall, which it expects will leave the county jail without operating funds by August 1.

The news simmered among trustees during a meeting Friday morning. Trustee Derrick Scobey was among the most vocal.

“The community criticism we have endured is not unwarranted,” he said. “It reflects the legitimate concerns of taxpayers and citizens who expect competent professional management of public institutions.”

While Scobey acknowledged he had considered moving to dissolve the jail trust, he said he wouldn’t do it. He believed returning the jail’s operations to the sheriff’s office would be saddling the agency with a major problem.

Advertisement

“We simply do not have enough resources to properly fund and operate this jail to the standards that public safety and human dignity demands,” he said.

The facility’s projected annual revenue is $38.8 million, whereas the projected expenses are $44.7 million.

“These numbers are not abstract accounting exercises,” wrote Paul Timmons, interim chief executive officer of the Oklahoma County Detention Center, in a news release. “This is about whether we can pay our staff, maintain basic safety and sanitation, and meet the legal obligations to everyone housed in our facility. Our dedicated team of detention officers, medical staff, and support personnel work hard every single day under extremely challenging conditions. They deserve to know that we will fight to secure the resources needed to support them and keep everyone safe.”

The operational funding issues compounds the existing problem the county faces: unable to fund construction for a new county jail. County commissioners previously indicated they will likely ask voters next year to approve more funding for a future jail; to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.

“I support the trust and think they have done good work in a number of areas. I always welcome opportunities to review and see if additional improvements can be made. As always, I’m grateful to the citizens who serve for free on the jail trust. We are fortunate to have such dedicated volunteers,” wrote District 2 Commissioner Brian Maughan in a statement to News 9.

“I support the trust and think they have done good work in a number of areas. I always welcome opportunities to review and see if additional improvements can be made. As always, I’m grateful to the citizens who serve for free on the jail trust. We are fortunate to have such dedicated volunteers,” wrote District 1 Commissioner Jason Lowe in a statement to News 9.

“Today’s announcement from the jail trust regarding a projected budget shortfall is deeply concerning. As stewards of public funds and public safety, we must ensure that the jail is managed transparently, responsibly, and sustainably,” wrote District 3 Commissioner Myles Davidson in a statement to News 9.





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Oklahoma

Putnam City West moves to virtual learning after student incident

Published

on

Putnam City West moves to virtual learning after student incident


PUTNAM CITY, Okla. –

Putnam City West High School will shift to virtual learning on Tuesday after an incident involving two students prompted an investigation by the district and Oklahoma City police, according to Putnam City Schools.

District officials said administrators were alerted near the end of the school day Monday to an altercation involving two students in the school’s arena area.

Officials said the students left campus, and the case was turned over to Putnam City Campus Police and the Oklahoma City Police Department for investigation.

Advertisement

District officials said no students or staff were harmed and there is no ongoing safety threat related to the incident.

What we know

Putnam City West sent the following email to all families and staff at the school:

All PCW students and staff will transition to virtual learning for Tuesday, April 21st.

Today, an isolated serious incident involving two students occurred on school grounds. Near the end of the school day, administrators were alerted to an altercation between two students in the arena area. The individuals involved quickly left campus, prompting an initial fact-finding response by school administrators before the matter was turned over to Putnam City Campus Police and the Oklahoma City Police Department for further investigation. Because this is an active investigation involving students, no further information will be released at this time.

Advertisement

We understand this information may be concerning to students, staff, and families. Please know we are committed to maintaining a safe, secure, and positive learning environment for all students. At Putnam City Schools, student and staff safety remains our highest priority. Therefore, out of an abundance of caution and to allow for a thorough investigation, all PCW students and staff will transition to virtual learning for Tuesday, April 21st. Students will need to check Google Classroom for updates from teachers.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support of PC West.

Putnam City Schools

All students and staff at Putnam City West will transition to virtual learning on Tuesday, April 21, while investigators continue their work, according to the district.

Students were told to check Google Classroom for instructions from teachers.

Advertisement

The district said it is withholding additional details because the case involves students and remains under investigation.

School officials have not said what triggered the incident or whether any arrests have been made.

This is a developing story. Updates will be added as more information becomes available.





Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Oklahoma

Oklahoma launches program letting adults use past credits, test scores to earn diplomas

Published

on

Oklahoma launches program letting adults use past credits, test scores to earn diplomas


A new program in Oklahoma is giving adults another way to finish high school by allowing them to use past credits and test scores to earn a diploma, an option officials say could help thousands of people and strengthen the state’s workforce.

For years, adults in Oklahoma who did not finish high school largely had one main option: earning a GED. Now, Oklahoma CareerTech is rolling out the Career Readiness Diploma, a pathway designed to build on what students have already completed rather than requiring them to start over.

“So in Oklahoma right now, if you look at the demographics, we have about 279,000 people in our state without a high school diploma. So it’s almost 10% of our population doesn’t have a high school diploma,” said Lance Allee, an adult education and family literacy specialist with Oklahoma CareerTech.

Allee said the program allows adults to apply previously earned high school credit and combine different assessment scores into a single record to qualify for a diploma.

Advertisement

“It allows the student to use previously earned high school credit. So, it’s kind of like a portfolio where you can take multiple assessment scores and put them into one portfolio to get your high school diploma,” Allee said.

The program is open to adults 21 and older. In some cases, officials said, participants can finish in just weeks, depending on how many credits they already have.

CareerTech officials say the program is also aimed at improving job prospects for individuals while helping Oklahoma remain competitive when attracting employers.

“When you’re a company and you’re looking at moving into Oklahoma, you look at the demographics and say, is there a workforce there that we can employ? And you say, well, about 10% of the population doesn’t have a diploma, they may start looking at states that surround us. So, we definitely want to get as many diplomas out there as we can,” Allee said.

The program started issuing diplomas in recent weeks, and officials said dozens more people are already in the process. For more information or to sign up click here.

Advertisement

SIGN UP FOR THE CHANNEL 8 NEWSLETTER



Source link

Continue Reading

Oklahoma

Cord Rager’s Return, Consistent Hitting Earns Oklahoma First SEC Sweep of Missouri

Published

on

Cord Rager’s Return, Consistent Hitting Earns Oklahoma First SEC Sweep of Missouri


NORMAN — Cord Rager’s return comes at a pivotal time for Skip Johnson’s Oklahoma Sooners. Not only do they get their day three starter back in time for big road matchups against Auburn and Arkansas on the horizon, but the Sooners pitching strength, their rotational depth, is primed and ready for the test.

The freshman lefty finished with eight strikeouts and only gave up one hit in only 65 pitches before his day ended in the sixth.

No. 14 Oklahoma earn its first conference sweep of the season, defeating Missouri 8-4. It was OU’s fourth conference series win.

Advertisement

Oklahoma (27-12, 10-8) put their best foot forward as they turn the page to the meat of their schedule where they will do battle against No. 13, No. 20 and No. 16 over the next three weeks — two of those series’ on the road.

Advertisement

Camden Johnson runs home against Missouri. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Four runs in five hits in the second got things rolling for the Sooners.

Advertisement

Camden Johnson continued his brilliant play of late with a triple in the second. This came after a Brenden Brock solo home run to put OU up 1-0. Deiten LaChance grounded out to short but scored Johnson. Dasan Harris and and Nolan Stevens each found home before the inning ended.


Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.


Advertisement

OU found fortune from the plate again in the fourth. Four runs off of four hits highlighted by a three-run home run by Johnson put Oklahoma up 8-0. It was Johnson’s seventh home run of the season, second on the team behind Brock’s nine.

Trent Collier got the nod in the sixth to relieve Rager.

In the seventh, Missouri finally got on the board for the first time since the ninth inning of Friday night’s Sooner victory. Cam Durnin hit a solo shot — his fourht of the season — to make the score 8-1 in favor of the home team.

The Tigers got their third hit of the game shortly after. From there, Collier’s short day was done. Gavyn Jones came on to relieve

Advertisement

Dasan Harris runs home to score against Missouri. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

LaChance missed a home run by inches when Tiger center fielder Kaden Peer made a leaping catch, jumping into the fence.

In the eighth, the Tigers continued to chip away. With bases loaded, Blaze Ward hit a basehit to score two Missouri base runners. OU led 8-3 heading into the final inning.

Advertisement

Harris led the Sooners with three hits. His day was accented by an RBI, stolen base and a run.

Advertisement

Oklahoma will travel to Auburn to take on the No. 13 Tigers for a three game series starting on Friday. Before that, they will host Oral Roberts for a midweek game at Kimrey Family Stadium in Norman. The Sooners won 4-0 against ORU earlier this season.

Add us as a preferred source on Google



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending