Oklahoma

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A Twister Killed Her Sisters. Now, a Move Into Meteorology

Aria Vargyas, 20, survivor of 2013 tornado in Oklahoma, studies meteorology in college

(Newser) - In a story that seems inspired by the plot of Twisters , a college student who survived a massive tornado more than a decade ago that killed her two little sisters is now learning how to predict the same type of extreme weather that upended her town and family. Per CBS...

Supreme Court Blocks First Religious Public School in US

Justices deadlock 4-4 in Oklahoma case after Amy Coney Barrett recuses herself

(Newser) - A big ruling handed down by the Supreme Court on Thursday means Oklahoma won't be able to establish the first public religious school in the nation:
  • The court deadlocked 4-4, with Amy Coney Barrett recusing herself, reports the Washington Post . The tie means a lower-court ruling against the charter
...

High School Basketball Star, 7 Others Die in Fiery Crash

Police are investigating collision of 2 vehicles in rural Kansas

(Newser) - Two vehicles collided head-on and burst into flames on a two-lane highway in rural eastern Kansas, killing eight people, including two high school students, a former teacher-coach, and a school employee from Oklahoma, authorities said Monday. The crash occurred at about 5:45pm local time on Sunday on US 169...

States With the Biggest Drug Problem

New Mexico holds dubious No. 1 spot in WalletHub rankings, with Hawaii logging the least drug use

(Newser) - There's been some positive movement in the US on fighting drug overdose deaths in recent years, but the war on drugs continues to rage on, particularly in some states. WalletHub looked at all 50 states and the District of Columbia to try to suss out where the problem is...

'We're Citizens!' Mom, 3 Girls Told ICE in Mistaken Raid

Mother in Oklahoma City describes 'guns pointed in our faces'

(Newser) - A mother who moved from Maryland to Oklahoma with her three daughters, all US citizens, hoping for a fresh start, instead encountered terror Thursday when 20 armed men stormed into her home in the early hours, seizing the family's phones, laptops, and life savings. The woman, who spoke to...

Cops: Woman Posed as Men in Love Scams Targeting Elderly

She allegedly tricked 4 older women out of $1.5M by wooing them into fake romances

(Newser) - An Oklahoma woman apparently got sucked too far into the online dating world—but as the scammer, not the one being scammed, according to state authorities. Christine Echohawk is accused of posing as men to woo four elderly women, with a release from the office of Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner...

'Once-in-a-Generation' Weather Wallops Midwest, South

At least one dead amid tornadoes, violent weather

(Newser) - At least one person was killed Wednesday as violent storms hit the Midwest and South, and potentially deadly flash flooding could still come. Dozens of warnings for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms were issued in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri (where the fatality was reported), and Mississippi , the AP reports. The storms...

Recent Dust Storms Recall the 1930s 'Dust Bowl'

A pair of recent events in Kansas, New Mexico have proven deadly; drivers aren't prepared

(Newser) - A gust of wind sweeps over bare soil, kicking up enough dirt and dust to cut visibility to nearly zero, and for drivers, the dust storm seems to come out of nowhere. As the AP reports, such conditions resulted in a pileup on Interstate 70 last week in western Kansas...

Best States to Go Off-Grid
Best States to Go Off-Grid
Mar 23, 2025 2:30 PM CDT

Best States to Go Off-Grid

Iowa is especially ready for those seeking a self-sufficient lifestyle, per Home Gnome rankings

(Newser) - If you're ready for a more self-sufficient lifestyle that allows you to independently live off the land, Home Gnome has your back. The home-service site looked at all 50 US states to see which ones were the most suitable for off-the-grid living, making its assessment based on more than...

Oklahoma Curriculum May Add Trump's 2020 Vote Claims

Proposal would have students identify 'discrepancies' in presidential election

(Newser) - A proposal by the Oklahoma Department of Education would have high school history students learn about "discrepancies" in the 2020 presidential election, starting with a series of possibilities that reflect President Trump's debunked claims about the vote. Students would be instructed to identify factors including "the sudden...

Megachurch Founder Indicted on Child Sex Crimes Charges
Megachurch Founder
Turns Himself in
UPDATED
Mar 17, 2025 2:49 PM CDT

Megachurch Founder Turns Himself in

Ex-Gateway pastor Robert Morris faces child sex abuse charges

(Newser) - Texas megachurch founder Robert Preston Morris surrendered to authorities in Osage County, Oklahoma on child sex abuse charges Monday. Court records show that the 63-year-old, who has been charged with five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child, was ordered to surrender his passport, the AP reports. A...

Monster Storm Kills at Least 16 in US
Monster Storm Kills
at Least 16 in US
Mar 15, 2025 11:30 AM CDT

Monster Storm Kills at Least 16 in US

Sparks threat of high winds, tornadoes, fire, and blizzard conditions

(Newser) - The threat of violent tornadoes in parts of the US proved deadly as well as destructive as whipping winds moved east into the Mississippi Valley and Deep South on Saturday, with at least 16 people killed and scores of homes decimated. The most fatalities as of Saturday morning were in...

Feds Send Inmate to Oklahoma for Execution

Convicted killer George John Hanson had been serving a life sentence in federal prison

(Newser) - Federal prison officials transferred an inmate to Oklahoma custody so that he can be executed for a 1999 killing, following through on President Trump's sweeping executive order to more actively support the death penalty. George John Hanson, 60, was moved from a federal prison in Louisiana to the Oklahoma...

Supreme Court Throws Out a High-Profile Death Sentence

Oklahoma inmate Richard Glossip had been served a last meal 3 times

(Newser) - The Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out the murder conviction and death penalty for Richard Glossip, an Oklahoma man who has steadfastly maintained his innocence and averted multiple attempts by the state to execute him. The justices found that Glossip's trial violated his constitutional rights, reports the AP . The...

States Where People Spend Less on Groceries

Consumers in Jersey spend the least, while those in Mississippi are paying the most, per WalletHub

(Newser) - With inflation rising and increasing prices for products like eggs making headlines, it's natural to want to cut your supermarket bill as much as possible. WalletHub used recent data from the US Census Bureau and Council for Community and Economic Research to assess the cost of a variety of...

Oklahoma Students May Need Proof of Citizenship

State education board approves the policy, which now goes to the legislature

(Newser) - Parents enrolling children in Oklahoma public schools would be required to provide proof of their child's US citizenship or legal immigration status under a proposal approved Tuesday by the State Board of Education. The board voted unanimously to approve the rule aimed at helping President Trump's immigration policies,...

Best States for Drivers
Best States for Drivers
Jan 26, 2025 12:00 PM CST

Best States for Drivers

Hawaii ranks last on WalletHub's list; Kansas is handing out the fahrvergnügen

(Newser) - Your commute can make or break you before it's even 9am, as can a five-minute drive to the grocery store that turns into 30 due to traffic. WalletHub wanted to find where it's not so onerous to get behind the wheel, so it looked at driving conditions in...

Oklahoma Asks for Inmate in Federal Custody to Execute Him

State says request is in line with Trump directive in support of death penalty

(Newser) - Oklahoma's top prosecutor asked the federal Bureau of Prisons to transfer an inmate to state custody so that he could be executed for his role in the kidnapping and killing of a 77-year-old woman in 1999. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond requested the transfer Thursday of George John Hanson,...

In SCOTUS Case, a 'Historic Victory for Gender Justice'

Court rules for Oklahoma death row inmate Brenda Andrew, who says she was sex-shamed during trial

(Newser) - The US Supreme Court has ordered a review by the lower courts on a case involving the only woman on death row in Oklahoma. Per NBC News , the nation's highest court issued a 7-2 ruling on Tuesday determining that Brenda Andrew, convicted of murdering her estranged husband, can continue...

Oklahoma Carries Out Nation's Last Execution of 2024

Kevin Underwood killed 10-year-old girl, planned to eat her

(Newser) - An Oklahoma man who killed a 10-year-old girl in a cannibalistic fantasy died by lethal injection Thursday in the nation's 25th and final execution of the year. Kevin Ray Underwood was pronounced dead at 10:14am at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, state Department of Corrections spokesperson Lance...

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