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How earmarked funds help upgrade Oklahoma communities

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How earmarked funds help upgrade Oklahoma communities


WASHINGTON, D.C. –

Earmark is the term many know, but technically it’s congressionally directed spending in the Senate, community project funding in the House, which is exactly what earmarks are: funding directed by members of Congress for projects in their community.

Fifth District Congresswoman Stephanie Bice visited the Edmond Water Treatment Plant on Tuesday to present city leaders with a symbolic check for $4 million.

The money is part of the Housing and Urban Development budget and is to be used to update the electrical grid in a city that, like all municipalities in Oklahoma, is funded predominantly through sales tax.

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“Sometimes the revenue doesn’t meet the need, and this is one way that I can actually bring federal dollars back home to Oklahoma to help my communities across the 5th district,” said Bice.

Federal dollars like this have helped upgrade the 911 center in Logan County, the airport in Chandler, and the Forensic Science Institute at UCO.

Bice facilitated funding for 15 projects this way, and she’s certainly not alone. According to the nonpartisan National Taxpayers Union Foundation, Fiscal Year 26 appropriations contained just over 7600 earmarks, totaling about $14.3 billion, less than 1% of all discretionary. The Oklahoma delegation accounted for 66 of those earmarks, worth about $314 million.

“These are dollars that would have been spent by agencies, by federal agencies, and I think it’s incumbent upon me as an elected official representing this community to be able to secure those dollars and bring them back home for projects that are really vital,” said Bice.

By law, the projects are listed on each member’s website.

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Oklahoma Moves up Friday Start Times for Baseball, Softball Games

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Oklahoma Moves up Friday Start Times for Baseball, Softball Games


OU fans hoping to make it to either diamond on Friday will need to get there earlier than expected.

Oklahoma announced on Thursday that its baseball and softball series openers will each begin at 5:30 p.m on Friday.

Game 1 of the No. 14 Sooners’ baseball series against Missouri was scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m., while the No. 1 softball team’s series opener against No. 8 Arkansas was slated for 7 p.m.

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In a pair of releases on OU’s athletic website, the reason given for both time changes was “forecasted inclement weather.” According to the National Weather Service, severe weather is supposed to arrive in Norman and its surrounding areas around 8 p.m.

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OU’s other baseball games against the Tigers on Saturday and Sunday will remain at their scheduled times (4 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively). The softball games scheduled for Saturday and Sunday will remain at 7 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.

The baseball team’s three-game duel with Mizzou will be OU’s third home series of SEC play. Oklahoma opened conference play by taking two games of three against Texas A&M before dropping two of three to Alabama a few weeks later.

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OU has already played three SEC road series. The Sooners won two games of three at LSU in March before getting swept at Texas a week later. Most recently — last week — Oklahoma won two games against Vanderbilt in Nashville.

Oklahoma (24-12 overall, 7-8 SEC) sits in a five-way tie for ninth place in the SEC standings alongside Mississippi State, Kentucky, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.

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Missouri, on the other hand, has played its way out of contention.

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The Tigers come to Norman 20-17 and 3-12. They earned a road series win against Kentucky two weeks ago, but they followed that up with three losses in a row to fellow conference bottom feeder South Carolina last week. Mizzou has been swept three times — by Auburn, Texas A&M and the Gamecocks — since the start of SEC play.

On the softball side, Oklahoma is ranked No. 1 after taking two games of three against former top-ranked squad Texas. The Sooners, though, dropped their third game in Austin before falling to unranked Oklahoma State at Devon Park in Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

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The Sooners are 40-5 overall and 13-2 in conference play. OU currently sits atop the SEC standings, one game ahead of second-place Alabama.

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Arkansas comes into the series at Love’s Field on a heater. The Razorbacks (35-6, 10-5) have won six of their last seven contests. Their only series loss of conference play this year came against Alabama, which is ranked No. 3.

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Oklahoma police set up sting for stolen property

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Oklahoma police set up sting for stolen property


One person has been arrested after allegedly trying to sell stolen property on Facebook.

On April 10, an officer with the Tulsa Police Department saw a post on Facebook Marketplace for a projector lens that was stolen from the condemned Promenade Mall.

The lens, which is worth $20,000, was listed for just $500.

The officer used a fake Facebook account to message the seller and arranged a trade for the lens in exchange for a minibike.

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Earlier this week, 19-year-old Zachery Scrivner met with the officer and was arrested.

According to the police department, Scrivner said he knew the lens was stolen but decided to try to sell it anyway.

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He was arrested on a complaint of knowingly concealing stolen property.

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Video shows Oklahoma principal tackling gunman in school lobby

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Video shows Oklahoma principal tackling gunman in school lobby


Newly released surveillance video shows a gunman opening fire in the lobby of Pauls Valley High School in Oklahoma last week. Seconds later, Principal Kirk Moore runs toward the threat, tackles the suspect onto a bench, and helps restrain him as another staff member kicks the weapon away.



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