WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to the State of Oklahoma to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms and tornadoes beginning May 18, 2013, and continuing.

The President’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Cleveland, Lincoln, McClain, Oklahoma, and Pottawatomie counties.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Federal funding is also available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work in Cleveland, Lincoln, McClain, Oklahoma, and Pottawatomie counties.

Federal funding is available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

Sandy Coachman has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. Coachman said that damage surveys are continuing in other areas, and more counties and additional forms of assistance may be designated after the assessments are fully completed.

Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties can begin applying for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or by web enabled mobile device at m.fema.gov. Disaster assistance applicants, who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.

Follow FEMA online at blog.fema.gov, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema.

The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

President Obama

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to the State of Oklahoma to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by a severe winter storm and snowstorm during the period of February 24-26, 2013.


The President’s action makes federal funding available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe winter storm and snowstorm in the counties of Alfalfa, Beaver, Beckham, Blaine, Custer, Dewey, Ellis, Garfield, Grant, Kay, Kingfisher, Major, Noble, Roger Mills, Washita, Woods, and Woodward.


In addition, assistance is available to the state and eligible local governments on a cost-sharing basis for snow assistance, for a continuous 48-hour period during or proximate to the incident period in Dewey and Ellis counties.


Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.


Sandy Coachman has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. Coachman said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.


Follow FEMA online at blog.fema.gov, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema.


The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.


FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin and Gov. Janice Prairie-Chief Boswell of the Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes sign a trio of historic accords on Friday, including a tobacco compact, a burn ban cooperative agreement and new provisions on gaming.
Photo by State Legislative Photographers

by Patrick B. McGuigan
Associate Publisher


OKLAHOMA CITY – New compact agreements between Oklahoma and a leading western tribe mark an historic moment in relations between the sovereign governments. The new accords ban in-state Internet gaming while establishing a new revenue stream for Oklahoma, establish a tobacco compact, and form a cooperative agreement on outdoor burn bans as part of joint efforts to battle the exceptional drought afflicting Oklahoma.
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin and Gov. Janice Prairie-Chief Boswell of the Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes signed the agreements in an April 5 (Friday) ceremony at the state Capitol in Oklahoma City.


The gaming accord is first of its kind concerning online international gaming pursuant to a Class III compact. Among other provisions, the settlement agreement allows 20 percent of revenues generated from international gaming to go to the state of Oklahoma. The agreement could generate hundreds of millions of dollars for the state of Oklahoma in the coming decade.


Shortly after the signing, Gov. Boswell told CapitolBeatOK, “The tribe is pleased to announce that this afternoon it signed three agreements with the State of Oklahoma including a Tobacco Compact, a Burn Ban and a Settlement Agreement under the terms of its Class iii Gaming Compact.
“The Tobacco Compact and Burn Ban Agreements are identical to compacts signed by the Kaw Nation a few days ago. The Settlement Agreement effectively shuts down the Tribes online social gaming network, including Pokertribes.com, inside the United States in exchange for an Agreement that the Tribes be allowed to operate the site internationally pursuant to international standards and each specific countries jurisdictional requirements consistent with all state of oklahoma and u.s. federal laws.


“The Tribes plan to bring this exciting new product to the international market in the very near future. We appreciate the support and cooperation of Governor Fallin of the State of Oklahoma and her staff in making this an historic day for the Cheyenne & Arapaho people. We look forward to working with the State in the future for the common good of our collective peoples.”


Friday evening, Brian Foster of the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association (OIGA) applauded the accord in a statement sent to CapitolBeatOK. He commented, “The Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association has been informed that a member Tribe has entered into an agreement with the State of Oklahoma to insure the citizens within the State cannot participate in Internet Gaming off Indian Lands as set forth in the Model Tribal Gaming Compact passed by the Oklahoma citizens in November 2004.


“Since this agreement has affected a site currently in operation, the OIGA office of the Chairman supports the Tribe in the cease and desist of the Internet site within the jurisdiction of the United States of America and any other jurisdiction which might have laws prohibiting its citizens from such forms of Gaming.


“The OIGA looks forward to assisting our member tribes as they are joining a rapidly changing and developing international gaming industry. Worldwide projections show the annual marketplace to be at 30 billion dollars. This is the next step in generating much needed revenue for Oklahoma Tribes and the State of Oklahoma.”


Foster concluded, “I applaud the dual effort between the State of Oklahoma and the Tribes to open the pathway for international gaming. This continues an already mutually beneficial partnership which will ensure future economic growth and continued success for ALL citizens of Oklahoma. We look forward to adding to millions of dollars in education revenue, millions of dollars in goods and services, and the over 80 thousand jobs that have been created, much of which are in rural areas outside of the already blossoming metropolitan areas.”


Tribal nations have a unique situation with respect to federal law. The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act exempted the Tribes from the Wire Act and the 2006 federal law which prohibited internet gaming in the United States and by U.S. citizens.


Earlier this week, on April 3 (Wednesday), the Cheyenne & Arapaho Gaming Commission approved implementation of technical standards for Internet Gaming in non-USA markets where such gaming is not illegal, pledging to abide by all relevant federal laws.


In Friday’s settlement agreement, the State and the Tribes agreed that “approval of the National Indian Gaming Commission, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Department of the Interior may be beneficial, but is not necessary for this Agreement to be in full force and effect.”
Additionally, the Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribal Legislature approved measures supporting Gov. Boswell’s decision to sign the accords.


www.CapitolBeatOK.com

Governor Mary Fallin

“Due to the apparent need for only modest financial resources to achieve appropriate competence for full implementation of Oklahoma’s Justice Reform and Reinvestment initiative the Governor would prefer to pay for executive branch training needs out of state budget assets. Please remove the requests for funding for the Department of Mental Health and Department of Corrections. Oklahoma will self-fund those important training programs.”

In her Feb. 21 letter to Lyon, Frazier recalled that “in October 2012, in anticipation of the need for extensive additional financial support to fund training for multiple state entities to insure full implement the Justice Reform and Reinvestment initiative, Governor Fallin wrote to the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) requesting favorable consideration of an expected funding request by the Council of State Governments.”


Lyon had written members of the “core work group” – including Frazier – on Feb. 20 detailing the process she had assisted, intended to model state policies on “the best practices for policy implementation to increase public safety and to best position Oklahoma for successful implementation.”


Lyon noted in her Feb. 20 letter that the governor’s office had provided initial approval for the grant submission to CSG on Jan. 14.


www.CapitolBeatOK.com

OKLAHOMA CITY – At the request of Governor Mary Fallin, Lt. Governor Todd Lamb today declared a State of Emergency for 56 Oklahoma counties due the winter storm, excessive snow, and severe weather affecting many areas of the state.

Counties included in the State of Emergency are: Adair, Alfalfa, Beaver, Beckham, Blaine, Caddo, Canadian, Cherokee, Cimarron, Cleveland, Comanche, Cotton, Craig. Creek, Custer, Delaware, Dewey, Ellis, Garfield, Grady, Grant, Greer, Harmon, Harper, Jackson, Kay, Kingfisher, Kiowa, Lincoln, Logan, Major, Mayes, McClain, McIntosh, Muskogee, Noble, Nowata, Okfuskee, Oklahoma, Okmulgee, Osage, Ottawa, Pawnee, Payne, Pottawatomie, Roger Mills, Rogers, Seminole, Texas, Tillman, Tulsa, Wagoner, Washington, Washita, Woods and Woodward.


This declaration may be amended to include additional counties as conditions warrant.


“The winter storm has already caused dangerous travel condition in northwest Oklahoma as well as sub-freezing temperatures,” said Lt. Governor Lamb. “I am urging Oklahomans in the impacted areas to take winter storm precautions and stay off the roads unless travel is absolutely necessary. This is a very serious winter storm and we want Oklahomans to stay safe.”


The Executive Order allows state agencies to make emergency purchases related to disaster relief and preparedness. It is also a first step toward seeking federal assistance should it be necessary.


Under the Executive Order, the state of emergency lasts for 30 days.

Staff Report

OKLAHOMA CITY — At 11 a.m. on Christmas Day (Tueday), the temperature in Oklahoma City was 24 degrees F, with snow steady in the MidTown area. The chance of snow continues at 80 percent for the next several hours, dropping to 60 percent in the evening.

Driving conditions were beginning to deteriorate, as an icy glaze covered streets and roads, and snow had begun to accumulate on side streets. Christmas Eve services yesterday and at midnight were heavily attended, but this morning attendance was off dramatically at many MidTown and MidCity congregations.

Temperatures are expected to be below freezing for the next couple of days.

City street crews hit the pavement all over town beginning late yesterday, and are dividing the work today with two 12-hour shifts. Approximately 33 trucks were working with 9000 tons of available salt and loads of sand to help keep bridges and snow routes passable.

Christmas morning, weather conditions at Will Rogers Airport were still good.  Airport crews applied dry chemical to the runways beginning approximately 2:30 a.m.  Surface temperatures were then hovering around 32 degrees.

The airport is open and it was anticipated that some flights would leave Christmas morning, however several flights were cancelled yesterday in advance of the storm. Even though the airport is open, is important to remember that other conditions, such as freezing precipitation, low visibility, or conditions at other airports may impact the operation of a flight.

Weather problems may not be limited to Oklahoma City.  Denver is expecting snowstorms through tomorrow (Wednesday) morning, Dallas has the potential for snow and freezing rain, and Houston and Atlanta are expecting thunderstorms. The weather could impact several major airline hubs across the country.

In a notice to The City Sentinel, Karen Carney of the airport public information staff urged anyone traveling to or from Will Rogers World Airport to check flight status prior to coming to the airport.

Note: Associate Publisher Patrick B. McGuigan contributed to this report. 

Staff Report

OKLAHOMA CITY — Twelve City street crews will spend much of the Christmas Eve holiday pre-treating bridges and overpasses in Oklahoma City with a brining solution. The salt and water mix helps slow the formation of ice along elevated roadways.  Brining efforts began at 10 a.m. Monday (Dec. 24) and should wrap up around 3 p.m.

Another shift will report in at noon on Christmas Day and work through to midnight.

The City has approximately 33 trucks that can be equipped with salt spreaders and plows.  Crews limit their salt and plow efforts to the City’s snow routes, which can be viewed at www.okc.gov.

Salt is in good supply with more than 9000 tons in stock.

Some mixed winter precipitation is expected to begin west of Oklahoma City during the afternoon and evening.

Note: Associate Publisher Patrick B. McGuigan contributed to this report.

By Jerry Bohnen, special to The City Sentinel

Allegations of grade changing and attendance record manipulation against the principal of the Douglass High School prompted a criminal investigation by the U.S. Department of Education, a probe that began earlier this year.

At least one investigator from the regional office of the Department of Education based in Dallas, Texas spent time this past summer interviewing the teachers who had been fired by Principal Brian Staples.  Those same teachers and their supporters have been demonstrating daily in front of the high school. This reporter, for The City Sentinel, has been investigating the situation for several weeks.

This week, Karl Springer, OKCPS Superintendent, said, “The district investigation is ongoing.  We are fully cooperating with the United States Department of Education.” Springer’s statement was issued at the request of News9, the CBS affiliate which is also investigating the controversy.

Special Agent Michelle L. Bouziden, based in Dallas with the Inspector General’s division of the Education Department, would neither confirm nor deny that she was investigating the allegations raised by the teachers. “We usually don’t give out a whole lot of information,” she explained when asked about the probe. Bouziden referred inquiries to Katherine Grant, a spokeswoman for the Education Department in Washington, D.C. “Per our policy, we don’t confirm nor deny. We can only discuss our completed work,” said Grant.

Bouziden’s name was provided by some of the former teachers who explained they each spent from an hour to two hours with Bouziden as she questioned them about their allegations made against Staples.  “She told us there could be criminal charges if they found something wrong,” said Marcia Muhammad, the former Assistant Principal of Douglass High School. “She felt like we had some legitimate complaints.”

Muhammad added that Bouziden referred her to what happened to the school superintendent in El Paso, Texas as an indication how serious the government is taking the allegations in Oklahoma City.  It was in June when former Superintendent Lorenzo Garcia, 56, pleaded guilty to schemes to defraud the El Paso Independent School District and the federal government out of thousands of dollars.

One of the charges was mail fraud in which Garcia had directed staffers to manipulate state and federal mandated annual reporting statistics in order to keep EPISD compliant with requirements of No Children Left Behind Act.  Federal prosecutors claimed the manipulation allowed Garcia to receive $54,000 in bonuses. He is to be sentenced this month.

The federal investigation into the Oklahoma City school district started when Muhammad first contacted the U.S. Education department regional office in Kansas City, Missouri.  Officials there referred the matter to the Dallas office because it concerned alleged criminal wrongdoing. She sent articles, affidavits and documentation to the Inspector General in Washington, D.C.  “In less than 12 hours she e–mailed me back,” said Muhammad in an email response to this reporter.  Two weeks later, Special Agent Bouziden arrived in Oklahoma City and spent two days interviewing some of the fired teachers.

Bouziden’s investigation comes as the School District is preparing a final report on the allegations.  The district hired Annita Bridges, of Litigation Alternatives, Inc. to carry out an investigation and make a report.  The district originally had planned for the report to be issued by the end of August but the release of the report has been delayed.  In an email to Marcia Muhammad, Bridges explained her role is as an impartial and neutral fact-finder.  “As a mediator and administrative law judge, my background and experience is in discerning the facts in a dispute in a fair and unbiased manner.”  She has previously served as a hearing officer for the Oklahoma City Public School District and the State School Board.

Several teachers who were fired in 2010 and 2011 claim Staples raised grades on students they had either given Fs or Ds, and ignored absences on the student records.  The District has stated Staples is not commenting about the allegations. The fired teachers claim Staples took the steps to keep Douglass off a state list of schools needing improvements of student performances.

Note: Jerry Bohnen, an award-winning journalist, author and broadcaster, reports occasionally for The City Sentinel.

Dr. Boyd Shook (front) and Dr. Kathy Scheirman (behind him on right). Photo taken from online

In an interview with CapitolBeatOK, Dr. Katherine Scheirman declared, “I think it’s a wonderful thing for America. I’m relieved and happy. The main beneficiaries of this decision will be the American people, especially those who haven’t had access to our health care system.”

Dr. Scheirman, a military veteran, has been active with “Doctors for America,” a group advocating for retention of the federal law. She contends 32 million more Americans will gain insurance as a result of the new law. In April, she led a rally in Oklahoma City, co-sponsored by the Democratic party, advocating for the law, “to ensure that everyone has access to affordable, high quality health care.”

At the time of the “Doctors for America” rally, Oklahoma County Democratic party chair Marguerite Leon told The City Sentinel the federal legislation “is clearly constitutional.” The court narrowly agreed with her assessment in one of the most widely anticipated rulings in modern American history.

Dr. Boyd Shook, who operates a free clinic in Oklahoma City, told CapitolBeatOK, “The first word out of my mouth when I heard about the ruling was ‘Alleluia!’ A couple of things are important now. It’s extremely important, clearly important, for Oklahoma to develop a health exchange of its own. If we don’t we will be thrown into the national pool and subject to federal control. That is not in Oklahoma’s best interest. There is not that much time left to do this, so we need to get moving.

“A second point is that the number of people eligible for Medicaid is going to go up by a large number. To have this many people suddenly eligible is going to put a strain on Oklahoma’s infrastructure. We do not have enough primary care physicians to absorb this.


Dr. Shook elaborated his view: “Presently those left out of Medicaid get care, through free care clinics and emergency rooms. This law being upheld means we are presented with the opportunity to change the locus of their care.

“To sketch another issue, hospitals are pleased to have Medicaid patients, doctors are not because of the fee structure. We have to seriously address that issue. People who understand economics and health care need to sit down and get to work on that. Many who have health insurance carry high-deductible low-cost plans then they may want to shift to Medicaid as a result of this ruling.

“Many of my patients at the free clinic will now be eligible for health insurance under this ruling. And, we’ll have to retool. Some patients may stay with us and for those who do we’ll need to develop the logistics to submit insurance claims.”


www.CapitolBeatOK.com

By Patrick B. McGuigan

Executive Editor

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma’s political leadership responded negatively Thursday morning (June 28) to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision upholding the controversial Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Governor Mary Fallin said she did not plan to call a special session to deal with the decision’s impact on state policy, but added a special session “is always a possibility.”

In response to a question from The City Sentinel, Governor Fallin said she and other governors believe “we can provide solutions better than the federal law.” Fallin said state leaders disagree “that one size fits all” in health care policy.

Fallin described herself as uncertain about the meaning of the Court’s mixed ruling, which in a 7-2 vote found the state Medicaid spending mandate unconstitutional even as the Court upheld the individual mandate to purchase or secure health insurance. Chief Justice John Roberts colorfully described the Medicaid spending mandate as a gun held to the heads of American states.

Fallin estimated “Obamacare will bring a half-billion dollars in new costs” to Oklahoma. She said she and legislators will need to “see how the pieces of the puzzle fit together” in the ruling.

Fallin said she did not think the Court’s decision yields good public policy, and that the federal law does not address better access, better quality and other needed reforms in the nation’s health care system.

The Republican governor said at least the Court “clarified that ObamaCare is a tax on Americans.” Fallin said she and her legal advisors are studying the 100-page majority opinion to “see what it means.”

The Sooner State’s chief executive said she is glad there is an election in November, giving Oklahomans “a chance to express how they feel” about the federal law.

Fallin expressed no regrets for the 2011 decision she and other state leaders made to avoid creation of a health exchange (http://www.capitolbeatok.com/reports/upon-further-reflection-oklahoma-leaders-reject-federal-money-for-health-exchange-state-to-build-ins), as mandated in the federal law.

Pressed as to whether or not it was a mistake to “wait and see” on the lawsuit brought by a majority of the nation’s state attorneys general, Fallin said it was not an error. She believes the mixed nature of the ruling ratified the inclination to wait for clarity in what would withstand judicial scrutiny.

In prepared comments distributed during a brief press conference with members of the Capitol press corps, Fallin spoke forcefully against the decision as a whole, saying:

“Oklahomans have voiced their opposition to the federal health care bill from the very beginning, having approved a constitutional amendment to block the implementation of this bill in our state. We believe that, rather than Big Government bureaucracy and one-size-fits-all solutions, the free-market principles of choice and competition are the best tools at our disposal to increase access to health care and reduce costs.

“I’m extremely disappointed and frustrated by the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the federal health care law. President Obama’s health care policies will limit patients’ health care choices, reduce the quality of health care in the United States, and will cost the state of Oklahoma more than a half billion dollars in the process.

“Today’s decision highlights the importance of electing leaders who will work to repeal the federal health care law and replace it with meaningful reform focused on commonsense, market based changes.”

Speaker of the House Kris Steele issued a statement within about 90 minutes of the High Court ruling, saying:

“It’s unprecedented to see America’s highest court rule that the federal government is more powerful than the individual despite the fact that our nation’s founding principles say the opposite. This was a deeply divided opinion, with the dissenting justices explaining precisely why Oklahoma has opposed this law from the beginning.”

The Shawnee Republican continued, “The constitutional concerns that led Oklahoma to tread carefully with policy decisions on all elements of this law – big and small – have proven valid, given the narrowly split opinion. Our best hope now is to elect those willing to repeal this law and work together to find better solutions to the significant health care challenges faced by our state and nation.”

Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman, a Sapulpa Republican, shared the frustration of several state leaders about the decision. He said,
“The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the president’s health care law is not only disappointing — but frankly, it makes no sense. Oklahomans simply do not believe it is constitutional for the government to force individuals to purchase a private product, period.

“What Oklahomans want is conservative, common-sense health care reform to lower the cost of care using free-market principles. They want to protect the doctor-patient relationship and make sure we have access to the care we need. Worse yet, the president’s health care law will continue undermining this fragile Obama economy by driving up health care costs and squeezing the job creators in Oklahoma and around the country.”

Echoing Gov. Fallin, Bingman commented, “We must turn our focus toward November and elect leaders who will repeal and replace ObamaCare.”

www.CapitolBeatOK.com