JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas, April 26 -- The U.S. Air Force Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland (16th Air Force) issued the following news: Col. Amy Lewis, 340th Flying Training Group commander, presided over a ceremony where Lt. Col. Christina Hopper assumed command of the 5th Flying Training Squadron from Lt. Col. Anthony Straw on April 18, 2024, at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. As a command pilot who has flown more than 50 combat missions throughout Operations Southern Watch and Ir  more

WASHINGTON, April 26 (TNSres) -- The U.S. Census Bureau issued the following news release on April 25, 2024: Nationally, public school spending per student rose 8.9% from $14,358 in FY 2021 to $15,633 in FY 2022, according to new data from the 2022 Annual Survey of School System Finances released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. This represents the largest percentage increase in public school spending per pupil in the 50 states and the District of Columbia in over 20 years. Statistics are not a  more

WASHINGTON, April 27 -- The National Severe Storms Laboratory issued the following news: Have you ever wanted to get up close and personal (well maybe not too close) with a tornado? If you answered yes, then the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) or one of its field experiment partners might be just the place for your next career. While maybe not realistic for most, NSSL staff has led field experiments gathering data to better understand severe weather for better than 60 years. Dur  more

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, April 27 -- Gov. Kevin Stitt, R-Oklahoma, issued the following news on April 26, 2024: Today, Governor Kevin Stitt announced his appointment of philanthropy executive, businessman, and lawyer Ken Levit to the State Regents for Higher Education. "Ken has dedicated his career to uplifting Oklahoma communities in countless ways, and he's passionate about making a difference," said Governor Stitt. "Ken is an excellent choice to serve as a State Regent, and I look forward t  more

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, April 27 -- The Oklahoma Health Care Authority issued the following news release: The Oklahoma Health Care Authority has distributed the first enhanced directed payment to Oklahoma hospitals in the amount of $252.4 million. This enhanced funding was made possible by the agency's successful transition to SoonerSelect and the allocation of a 2023 state appropriation. "The creation and distribution of the enhanced hospital directed payment through SoonerSelect allows the   more

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, April 27 -- The Oklahoma House issued the following news release on April 26, 2024: Rep. John George, R-Newalla, on Thursday secured passage of legislation that will ensure a prompt and coordinated response from law enforcement in the event of a child abduction. Senate Bill 1407 would authorize the Department of Public Safety to establish and oversee the Oklahoma Child Abduction Response Teams (OCARTS) in collaboration with federal, state, tribal, county, and municipal  more

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, April 27 -- The Oklahoma House issued the following news release on April 26, 2024: Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, on Thursday held a public meeting to discuss allegations of abuse in Oklahoma prisons. Humphrey chairs the House Criminal Justice and Corrections Committee. Speaking at the meeting were Bobby Cleveland, director of the Oklahoma Correctional Professionals; Emily Barnes with Hooked on Justice; Egypt, a child advocate for Let our Fathers Go; and multiple famil  more

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, April 27 -- The Oklahoma House issued the following news release: A measure granting landowners the right of first refusal in eminent domain sales has been sent to the Governor's desk. House Bill 3159, authored by Eric Roberts, R-Oklahoma City, would give landowners the right of first refusal if the state or any person who acquired the land through eminent domain authority decides to sell the land. "If the state acquires land via eminent domain from a landowner and su  more

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, April 27 -- The Oklahoma House issued the following statements on April 26, 2024: * * * A few Oklahoma Republican legislators released the following statements in response to the Biden Administration's new Title IX protections for "gender identity." Earlier this month, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona announced the new Title IX rules. Under the new regulations, sex discrimination includes discrimination based on "gender identity" as well as sexual orientation.   more

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, April 27 -- Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education issued the following news on April 25, 2024: State Regent Ann Holloway was recognized as a state regent emeritus during today's meeting of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. Appointed to fill an unexpired term by Gov. Mary Fallin in 2013 and reappointed by Fallin to a nine-year term in May 2015, Holloway will complete her second term on the board May 16. "Regent Holloway's leadership and dedication t  more

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, April 26 -- The Oklahoma State Senate issued the following statement on April 25, 2024, by State Sen. Greg McCortney, R-Ada: * * * Sen. Greg McCortney, R-Ada, today released the following statement on House Bill 2946. "The Senate not hearing this bill is a policy decision and based on not going backward on criminal justice reform," Sen. McCortney said. "Statistics have made it clear that Oklahoma previously led the nation and parts of the world in overincarceration. T  more

TULSA, Oklahoma, April 19 (TNSres) -- The city of Tulsa issued the following news: The Mayor's Office of Resilience and Equity (MORE) and the Tulsa Area United Way (TAUW) have released the sixth Tulsa Equality Indicators report, with results showing a continued overall score increase from the 2018 baseline. Tulsa's aggregate City Score for 2023 is 42.37 out of 100, which is greater than any of the scores from the previous five report years (prior years' scores have been adjusted for indicator   more

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, April 27 -- Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes issued the following news on April 26, 2024: On Thursday, Attorney General Sean D. Reyes joined a 17-State coalition, led by Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, in suing the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) over its new rule mandating workplace abortion accommodations through an illegal interpretation of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act of 2022 (PWFA).  more