Efforts to reestablish a prison rodeo appear to be stalled.

Oklahoma Department of Corrections Director Steven Harpe on Tuesday told a legislative panel his agency was no longer pursuing an $8.3 million appropriation this session to restart the prison rodeo at Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester.

Instead, the agency wants the Legislature to authorize an interim study on the issue so certain questions can be answered, Harpe said.

The last rodeo was held in 2009, according to the agency.

In 2010, state budget cuts, low attendance and crumbling facilities contributed to the rodeo closing.

At least two measures moving through the legislative process supported recreating the rodeo.

Critics, however, expressed concerns about the safety of participants, the welfare of the animals and other pressing issues facing the agency, such as staffing and infrastructure needs.

Harpe said although he is confident the rodeo would generate revenue, the agency could not restart it without additional dollars.

“At this point, we are looking at pulling back and going to the interim session during the summer so that we can bring in people like the PBR (Professional Bull Riders), IFR (International Finals Rodeo), other concert promoters that want to use the facilities so we can show the Legislature the fully thought through plan on how we would generate the revenue,” Harpe said.

He said the issue could be brought back next session.

“We are fully committed to getting this done,” Harpe said.

Sen. Blake Stephens, R-Tahlequah, said he supported reestablishing the rodeo and was excited about the interim study.

“It’s going to be great for the state of Oklahoma,” he said.

Harpe said the rodeo will not just benefit McAlester, but will generate revenue for the state.

“Inmates want this,” Harpe said. “They want the ability to do this.”

Sen. George Young, D-Oklahoma City, said he hoped the interim study would include all the costs associated with operating it.

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The Dallas Mavericks will take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 2 of the Western Conference semi-finals Thursday night at Paycom Center. The Mavericks will be looking to even the series after losing Game 1. They’ll need to win a game in Oklahoma City to win the series, so it might as well be Game 2.

Dallas looked a little off as Game 1 went on Tuesday night. It was easy to tell the Thunder had been sitting around waiting for their next opponent, developing some rust. The Mavericks, meanwhile, showed some carry-over rhythm from their series against the Los Angeles Clippers. But eventually the Thunder found their footing and showed why they’re the number one seed. The Mavericks will have to play a solid 48 minutes in order to escape down I-35 with a victory Thursday night.

Here are three things to think about before the game:

Rebound, just a little, please

The Mavericks were out-rebounded by the Thunder 52-39, and 16-11 on the offensive glass. That led to a 25-15 OKC advantage on second-chance points. That just can’t happen against Oklahoma City. The Thunder finished the regular season 29th in defensive rebounding rate. They tightened things up after the all-star break, finishing 12th in that span. But the Mavericks are bigger and longer, and have more experience. They should be winning the rebounding battle, or at the very least, be even with the Thunder. Giving a team like Oklahoma City more possessions is dangerous, considering their shooting ability.

Doncic and Irving must be better

Your instinct might be to defend the Mavericks’ star backcourt duo. “They carry this team night after night, why can’t someone else step up when they have an off game?”

But that’s not how the Mavericks are built. Dallas can get away with offensively limited but defensively oriented role players like P.J. Washington, Derrick Jones Jr., and Dereck Lively II because Doncic and Irving can more than carry the load on offense. The Mavericks don’t need their role players to get buckets—the two superstars take care of that. But if they don’t, Dallas just doesn’t have another option to create offense. Doncic and Irving combining for less than forty points, like they did in Game 1, is just a recipe for disaster.

Make free throws, I’m begging you

The Mavericks went 17-of-25 from the charity stripe in Game 1, 68 percent. That didn’t matter for the final score, but this series won’t be a parade of blowouts. There will be close games. Dallas can’t take the risk of coming a free throw or two short against a team as talented as the Thunder. For whatever reason, free throw shooting has been an issue for the Mavericks for the last few years. They’ve got to get that figured out, before it costs them a close game at the absolute worst time.

How to watch

The game tips off 8:30 p.m. CDT on ESPN.

ALBUQUERQUE – The American Civil Liberties Unions (ACLUs) of New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arizona, San Diego and Imperial Counties, Colorado, Missouri, Arkansas and Kansas issued an advisory warning their residents about the threat of civil and constitutional rights violations when traveling in the state of Oklahoma after the passage of an extreme anti-immigrant law.

Oklahoma’s new law, HB 4156, makes entering and remaining in Oklahoma a crime if a person entered the United States unlawfully. It would also make reentering Oklahoma after being ordered removed from the U.S. a crime.

When implemented, this law will pose a risk to any person while in Oklahoma, since travelers and Oklahoma residents, including life-long undocumented Oklahomans or residents of neighboring states, are at risk of arrest and imprisonment. The law also raises the possibility of racial profiling by law enforcement officers who are untrained in complex federal immigration law.

“HB 4156 is an attack on immigrants everywhere. By taking on unconstitutional immigration enforcement power, the government in Oklahoma is threatening immigrants who have lived and worked in their communities for decades. This is also a threat to New Mexicans who are undocumented, have mixed-status families or are simply a target for racist profiling overeager and undertrained local law enforcement officers,” said ACLU of New Mexico Border and Immigration Policy Advocate Leonardo Castañeda. “That is why states surrounding Oklahoma, as well as across the border, are issuing this advisory as both a warning to our residents and in solidarity with Oklahomans who do not want this law and believe in treating immigrants humanely, not as political pawns.”

Countless residents of states bordering Oklahoma have family and loved ones who may be at risk from this law that threatens their civil liberties. This joint travel advisory highlights the solidarity of communities surrounding Oklahoma against punitive and counterproductive policies that harm our immigrant communities and do nothing to welcome people seeking safety and refuge.

People traveling in Oklahoma are advised to remain calm if stopped by police and encouraged to exercise their right to immediately ask for an attorney and otherwise remain silent. More guidance is outlined in the travel advisory found here (link will take you to the ACLU of New Mexico’s website).