OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma State Department of Education has purchased more than 500 Bibles to place in Advanced Placement government classrooms, the agency announced Thursday.

Agency spokesperson Dan Isett said the cost was $25,000.

The purchase is separate from a larger solicitation for bids to buy more Bibles, as well as copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution, according to the announcement.

State Superintendent Ryan Walters said the Bibles are intended to serve as an academic and literary resource. He said he aims to place a Bible in every classroom in the state.

“I will take every step possible to ensure Oklahoma students have the resources they need to fully understand American history,” Walters said in a statement. “By acting now, Oklahoma is leading the country on a path toward greater focus on academic excellence by providing critical historical, cultural, and literary context for our students.”

The Education Department previously issued a request for proposals with the goal of buying 55,000 Bibles, along with America’s founding documents. The agency canceled the solicitation but intends to issue a new request for proposals, Oklahoma Watch reported.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include information the Education Department provided after publication about the $25,000 cost of the Bibles.

The new era of Cowboy wrestling is here.

Oklahoma State will start its first dual season under new coach David Taylor this weekend with a pair of road duals against Utah Valley and Oregon State. Here’s everything to know about OSU’s matchup with Utah Valley (1-2), including broadcast info, projected lineups and series history.

Broadcast Info

When: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: UCCU Center in Orem, Utah
Watch: Flo

Projected Lineups

Series History (OSU Leads 1-0)

A $2.5 billion theme park in Oklahoma designed to rival Disney has stalled after a year of no construction progress.

When announced in 2023, the American Heartland Theme Park and Resort, which was set to occupy a 1,000-acre plot in northeast Oklahoma, had an opening date scheduled for 2026. With a $2.5 billion price tag, the park was planned to be the size of Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in Florida.

Despite breaking ground on the development last year, the park has not seen progress since, and the opening date has been pushed back by at least three years, according to construction officials.

The park’s design team, which includes former Disney Parks builders and “Imagineers,” told local media that several key permissions were needed before construction could continue.

“We’ll still have to wait a while for Corps of Engineer approvals,” Steve Hedrick, the executive producer, told Tulsa World in October.

“We still have some inspections that they need to do. We did some land swaps for some wetlands,” he continued. “So all of that is yet to be done, but as soon as that’s done—at least on a construction end—we’ll be ready to go. We’re within weeks of getting ready.”

Another setback hit the development when Oklahoma state legislators denied a $35 million grant that would have provided water and waste infrastructure to the site.

Newsweek contacted the office of Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt for comment on the development.

According to developer Mansion Entertainment Group, the park—with a planned camping area of 750 RV spaces and 300 cabins—would be the largest camping ground in the central U.S. once completed.

However, several stakeholders in the park have said the project owed them money. In May, the Canadian design firm Forrec filed a lien in an Oklahoma court against Mansion Entertainment, alleging the developers owed it more than $5 million in unpaid invoices.

OGB Holdings, which owns the property and premises of the theme park and camping ground, also alleged the project owed it more than $300,000.

While the project was originally given a $2 billion budget, costs increased to $2.5 billion. In May, Kristy Adams, Mansion’s senior executive vice president of marketing, told NonDoc Media that the company was “working on a new timetable.”

“We’re confident with the team that we have, if we get rolling, that we can still produce the park in time,” Adams said. “So, and I know that’s an optimistic approach, but we do have a world-class team together.”

She added, “We always said we were going to open in 2026, so probably later in 2026, but yeah, we haven’t announced any delays.”

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