New bill could give death penalty to repeat child molesters
State lawmakers voted to increase the penalties - including life in prison and death - facing repeat child molesters.
House Bill 2965, by state Rep. Rex Duncan, would expand the penalties for child molesters, allowing repeat offenders to face life in prison without parole or the death penalty.
“The death penalty is the ultimate deterrent and reserved for worst of the worst criminals,” said Duncan, a Sand Springs Republican who chairs the House Judiciary Committee. “Individuals with a history of violently raping children clearly fall into that category and should face a punishment equal to their crime.”
Under current law, a child molester can face a sentence of 25 years to life for a first offense. Duncan’s legislation will increase the penalty to include a maximum sentence of life without parole.
His legislation will also allow the death penalty to be considered for those convicted of a second or subsequent offense. That provision has been crafted to comply with recent court rulings.
The legislation will also eliminate the “homeless defense” as an excuse for not registering as a sex offender and allow those convicted of failure to register to receive a 20-year prison sentence.
“Without a sentence of life in prison, most child molesters will victimize more children upon their release,” Duncan said. “By locking them up for the rest of their lives or putting these individuals to death, this legislation will increase public safety and better protect children.”
House Bill 2965 passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on a 91-2 vote.
City to keep adding more sidewalks
Tulsa is working on providing more sidewalks and other aids to citizens with disabilities.
The City of Tulsa is updating its Americans with Disabilities Act Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan.
This one-year process includes a citywide inventory of public facilities, programs and services to evaluate where modifications are needed for ADA compliance. The city also will implement changes to remove accessibility barriers identified through the evaluation.
The City of Tulsa completed its original ADA Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan in 1992. Since then, the city has experienced significant changes in population, physical size, streets, sidewalks and curb cuts, as well as added city facilities and programs.
Under the leadership of Dr. Lana Turner-Addison, director of the City Human Rights Department, city staff has been working to update the Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan.
In the Public Works Department, Brent Stout of Engineering Services serves as project manager, working with consultants Kimley-Horn & Associates and Accessology, Inc.
The city also has formed both a steering committee and advisory committee to help guide this project to completion and implementation. Committee members include professionals, citizen groups and disabled consumers who require access throughout the city to maintain their independence.
A major part of ADA compliance involves sidewalks. The city of Tulsa devotes a portion of every capital improvement funding measure - general obligation bond issues and the third penny sales tax - to sidewalk specific work. This includes repairs to eliminate tripping hazards, adjustments made for ADA compliance, and additions made for continuity of travel.
Whenever the city constructs or repairs a sidewalk, it is brought into ADA compliance. Arterial street rehabilitation and widening projects both include sidewalks and curb ramps. Every arterial street widening project includes construction of ADA compliant sidewalks on both sides. The city coordinates with residents to include sidewalks with non-arterial street rehabilitation near parks, schools and public areas.
The city maintains an inventory of citizen concerns regarding existing and proposed sidewalks and curb ramp locations. The locations are addressed by priority as funding allows.
The 2005 Bond Issue provided $600,000 for citywide sidewalk work, most all of which has been spent. The 2006 Third Penny Sales Tax included $500,000 for sidewalks on arterial streets and $750,000 for sidewalks on non-arterial streets. The funds are made available each July for five years. Two more annual distributions remain in both July 2010 and July 2011: $100,000 for arterial sidewalks and $150,000 for non-arterial sidewalks.
The 2008 Bond Issue for streets includes $400,000 for sidewalks on arterial streets and $300,000 for sidewalks on non-arterial streets. The 2008 Third Penny Sales Tax extension includes $1.6 million for sidewalks on arterial streets and $700,000 for sidewalks on non-arterial streets.
More than $26 million of sidewalk projects have been identified citywide. Also, starting this summer, the city will begin an assessment of all sidewalks for 1,300 lane miles of arterial streets and their intersections both with each other and with side streets.
Tulsa also has applied through INCOG for $23.8 million of transportation projects funded through the federal Jobs for Main Street. Of that amount, $3.1 million would be for sidewalks only. The arterial street rehabilitation projects in the application also include sidewalk work.
Finance series at Hardesty Library
A series with information and tools for financial success at “Financial Literacy @ the Library” will be presented March 11, March 25 and April 1 at the Hardesty Regional Library.
Tulsa City-County Library’s Research Center and the Tulsa County Bar Association are teaming up to present the free series to help educate the community about financial matters in difficult economic times. The programs are scheduled from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Hardesty Regional Library, 8316 E. 93rd St.
The series kicks off March 11 with “Debt Management and Consolidation.” Join Iris Philbeck with Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma and Robert Johnson with Debt Reduction Services as they dispel the myths of debt elimination services and offer actual solutions to debt issues. Gain insight into basic budgeting, controlling personal spending and everyday financial planning to help individuals live virtually debt free.
“Long-term Financial Planning and Security” is the topic for March 25. Join Vicky Watkins with the Social Security Administration, Irving Faught of the Oklahoma Securities Commission and local attorney Travis Barnett as they share information on Social Security benefits, different investment options and other retirement programs, including military. Also, learn more about investment scams and what actions to take if you are a victim of investment fraud.
The series concludes April 1 with “Bankruptcy 101.” Attorney Victor Hunt with Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, Wayne Kindrick of Consumer Credit Counseling Services and attorney Sid Swinson of Gable & Gotwals will provide the ins and outs of bankruptcy, what it involves, what the creditors expect and what you can expect as you begin rebuilding your credit.
For more information, contact Robbie Sittel at 596-7946 or rsittel@tulsalibrary.org, or John Thomas Hall at 284-0310 or john_hall70@yahoo.com.
Pilot program is a teacher incentive
Legislation proposing a performance pay pilot program in six school districts across the state passed the state House with bipartisan support.
House Bill 2836, by Rep. Earl Sears, creates a teacher performance-based pay pilot program. Under the legislation, the State Department of Education will create a grant award for a teacher performance pay pilot program and adopt guidelines for districts to follow in developing the program.
Each district will be allowed to craft its own plan based on the input of teachers, parents, administrators and community leaders. No district would be required to participate in the program, but instead will develop a plan and apply to the state Board of Education for grant funds and plan approval.
“This pilot program would give us an opportunity to reward teachers who are going above and beyond to improve student performance,” said Rep Earl Sears, author of the bill. “This serves as an incentive that I hope will unite teachers, parents, administrators and community leaders as they seek to improve their students’ education.”
The legislation requires that each plan include:
• Measures of student academic growth and achievement and performance goals and benchmarks for student improvement
• Measures of professional growth
• An evaluation tool to measure progress
Outside of those requirements, the district is free to craft a local plan that fits in with its community’s education goals and needs.
The grants, which will be a minimum of $1,000 per teacher, will be awarded based on district enrollment. Two grants will go to districts of less than 1,000 average daily membership and two will go to districts with more than 1,000 and less than 8,000 average daily membership. The remaining two grants will go to districts with more than 8,000 average daily membership.
The hope is this legislation would allow school districts to tap into some federal Race to the Top funds if those are secured later this year.
Nutrition funds for farmer’s produce
Legislation allowing mothers to use their federal nutrition program funds at farmers’ markets unanimously passed the Oklahoma House.
House Bill 2775, by Rep. Kris Steele, would give low-income Oklahomans access to fresh fruits and vegetables for their children. The legislation is an effort to improve overall health in Oklahoma, especially for children. The bill allows usage of the federal supplemental nutrition program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) at local farmers’ markets.
“Unfortunately, most of the low-cost food on the market is unhealthy,” said Steele, R-Shawnee. “In recent years we have worked hard to improve the health of all Oklahomans, and this bill furthers that effort.
“We must do all we can to encourage families to include fresh fruits and vegetables and healthier options overall into their diets.”
Sullivan measure to help workers
Legislation seeking to further protect injured Oklahoma workers while also bringing workers’ compensation costs under control passed the House.
House Bills 1611, 2652, 2658 and 2659 passed the House today and will now move to the Senate for consideration. The titles are off the bills, meaning they remain works in progress, said author Rep. Dan Sullivan.
The legislation seeks to significantly improve employee benefits and lower business expenses, making Oklahoma more attractive to new industry. There is currently deep dissatisfaction with the workers’ comp system, which is plagued by fraud and high costs and rarely produces consistently fair and equitable results.
Despite the fact that the benefits specified in state law are comparable to workers’ comp benefits in other states, the actual cost of those benefits in Oklahoma is the most expensive in the nation.
Some of the reforms being sought will include defining the term “surgery” for purposes of compensation, strengthening the value-added attorney fee provision and capping the time for temporary total disability. A reduction in the number of workers comp judges may also be considered, coupled with a more equitable distribution of judges between Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
Language translators to speak at Wycliffe banquet here
Amid a flurry of hands communicating in sign language, Pastor Gustavo stood up to address the group. “This is God’s work,” he signed. “God will help us translate the Bible into each sign language here.”
Jason and Elizabeth Parks, sign language surveyors with Wycliffe, watched and listened, overjoyed to be part of this very important gathering. The meeting in Bogotá, Colombia, was the first of its kind, a coming together of deaf and hearing translators from 14 countries. Here they shared ideas and experiences and developed plans to translate the Bible into every sign language represented.
“We were amazed to know that God had allowed us to be an integral part of this process,” Mrs. Parks said. “Through our survey fieldwork, many of these sign languages had been identified as having a translation need.”
Tulsa residents can hear the Parks at a Wycliffe Associates banquet at 7 p.m. April 5 at the Hilton Tulsa Southern Hills. They will share how people of all backgrounds and talents are working together to advance Bible translation for deaf and hearing alike. Call 888-599-7551 for complimentary tickets.
Since 2006, the Parks have been serving with Wycliffe, assessing the need for Bible translation and language development work in deaf communities, in countries like Guatemala, Peru, Jamaica and Chile.
More recently, the Parks have been training and mentoring other surveyors, preparing them to conduct language assessment in Asia and Eurasia in the coming year. The couple is also helping develop a comprehensive sign language translation plan to be carried out over the next several years - part of a global sign language Bible translation movement.
Wycliffe Associates was organized in 1967 by friends of Bible translators. They support the work of translation around the world.
Wycliffe Associates’ recruits offer time, talent and finances for the translation work. They renovate facilities, teach Bible classes, pray, build roads and airstrips, do office work, work with computers and oversee projects.
They contribute more than 560,000 volunteer hours every year and have built hundreds of facilities around the world. In 2009, they mobilized 4,347 volunteers and helped speed translation of the Bible in 54 countries.
There are 6,848 languages spoken in the world, with 2,393 languages that need a translation project.
Police open new operations hub
The Tulsa Police Department has just opened its new Amber/Silver Alert Operations Center.
The center was primarily set up for use during an Amber Alert or Silver Alert, but is multi-functional in design allowing the department to use it during any emergency operation.
Until now, the department was using the Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency EOC to manage Amber Alerts and other emergencies. The new center was designed for the Police Department’s primary use.
The new Amber/Silver Alert Operations Center can monitor and record all four local news broadcasts simultaneously and monitor multiple police radio frequencies. It contains a smart board for street mapping, phone bank and multiple computers for dispatching, tracking and research during an event.
The TPD’s Child Exploitation Unit will be working to grow the center as new technologies and innovations become available to aid in the recovery of a missing or abducted child or endangered elderly, according to a police spokesman.
Noble Foundation ranked No. Two
ARDMORE (PRNewswire-USNewswire) - The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation garnered the No. 2 ranking in The Scientist magazine’s annual “Best Places to Work for Postdoctoral Fellows” (postdocs) survey, topping more than 90 research institutions nationwide.
Internationally renowned for its plant science discoveries and agricultural programs, the Noble Foundation has participated in the survey for three years, placing in the top 10 each year. This year’s No. 2 ranking marks yet another significant jump in the competitive survey. During the previous two years, the Noble Foundation moved from a No. 8 ranking (2008) to No. 4 (2009). Each year, the Noble Foundation has ranked as the highest plant science research institute on the list.
“This survey allows the Noble Foundation to benchmark our activities against the finest research organizations. We continue to distinguish ourselves as one of the top research institutions in this country and around the world,” said Michael A. Cawley, president and chief executive officer of the Noble Foundation. “This survey reaffirms the Noble Foundation commitment to our research and to our researchers. We have the best postdocs from around the world, and we strive to provide them the means to succeed both during and after their time here.”
Postdocs are typically defined as non-tenured scientists with a doctoral degree, many of whom have recently graduated. Postdocs typically spend three years at a research institution after graduation, gaining valuable experience. The Noble Foundation employs 61 postdocs from more than 15 different countries to conduct research at the institution’s 800-acre campus in Ardmore, Okla. Noble Foundation scientists provide training and mentorship to help postdocs establish their careers and become independent scientific investigators or university faculty.
“When postdocs look for the best possible destination to advance their research and propel their careers, they look for an organization with a solid research reputation, strong mentors and quality facilities,” said Richard Dixon, D. Phil., senior vice president and director of the Plant Biology Division. “The Noble Foundation has the rare combination of these qualities, making it a launching pad for the careers of many high-achieving postdocs.”
Each fall, The Scientist magazine conducts a Web-based survey, gathering thousands of responses from postdocs at more than 90 institutions in the United States. Participants were asked to rate their institution on 43 criteria in 11 core areas that make up their institutional environment.
The Noble Foundation received its top scores for:
• training and mentoring;
• quality of communication;
• networking opportunities;
• generously funding postdoc research programs; and
• the quality of the infrastructure.
“Institutions would do well to listen to the intellectual and personal needs of their postdocs. There’s a small army of great postdocs behind every high-achieving scientist,” said Associate Editor Edyta Zielinska, who oversees the Best Places surveys. “Our survey is one of the few in the world to give postdocs a place to voice their concerns. And it highlights the institutions that do the most to nurture talented fellows.”
The Noble Foundation topped such recognized research organizations as the Mayo Clinic, the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes for Health, the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, and the J. David Gladstone Institutes, as well as dozens of universities, including Princeton University, Vanderbilt University and the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
“When you look at the top 40 institutions in this survey and you see so many outstanding organizations, it makes you realize the Noble Foundation is among the very elite research organizations,” said Joe Bouton, Ph.D., senior vice president and director of the Forage Improvement Division. “We’re proud of the science we’re conducting here. We believe it is some of the best in the world because we have such talented researchers and postdocs.”
The Scientist magazine released the results of its eighth annual survey today in anticipation of the publication’s March issue.
State is selling surplus planes
The sale of five Department of Public Safety aircraft will not impede manhunts or similar law enforcement activities and will allow the state to increase the number of troopers on state highways, state Rep. Randy Terrill said today.
“Given the age of the aircraft involved, the truth is that we were not going to get much more use out of them without significant additional investments of money that we do not have,” said Terrill, a Moore Republican who chairs the House appropriations subcommittee on public safety. “To keep those planes would mean wasting taxpayer dollars on storage space, maintenance costs and additional personnel expenses for aircraft that we can’t even afford to fly in a down economy.”
As part of the recently announced budget agreement, the Department of Public Safety will sell five aircraft for $60,000 to $75,000 each, generating $300,000 to $375,000 for the state.
The planes being sold include
• a 1976 Cessna 182P in Pauls Valley with 11,312 hours on the airframe (that will need a new engine within 194 hours of additional flight time),
• a 1978 Cessna 182Q in Tahlequah with 12,078 hours on the airframe (that will need a new engine in 481 hours),
• a 1976 Cessna 182P in Bethany that has 8,122 hours (and will need a new engine in 424 hours),
• a 1984 Cessna 182R in McAlester that has 8,538 hours (and will need a new engine in 668 hours); and
• a 1985 Cessna 182R in Bethany with 8,900 hours (that will require engine replacement in 1,096 hours).
The Department of Public Safety will continue to have five other newer planes at their disposal, Terrill noted.
The five aircraft being sold all have Continental engines. The remainder of the of the Department of Public Safety planes have Lycoming engines, meaning the agency will no longer have to stock parts for two different types of engines.
“The sale of these five planes will allow us to put five more troopers on the roads,” Terrill said. “Given the budget situation, that’s a much better use of personnel and limited taxpayer dollars.”
He said the remaining planes can and will be used for manhunts and other needs as those situations arise.
State Rep. Doug Cox said that the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety should think “long and hard” about selling off highway patrol airplanes in order to tighten the agency’s budget.
“I would just encourage the agency to move slowly and give that a lot of thought,” Cox, R-Grove, said. “These airplanes are invaluable assets in man hunts, drug operations, traffic control and numerous other public safety endeavors. I think it would be a mistake to sell them.”
Cox said used airplane prices have been trending downward since 2001.
“All of aviation has suffered more than the general economy,” Cox said. “Never before has there been such a high percentage of used aircrafts for sale. The simple law of supply and demand say now is a terrible time to divest ourselves of Highway Patrol planes.”
Cox noted that the agency would do better to maintain the airplanes on the ground until state revenue in Oklahoma returns to normal levels.
“We all realize that in these hard budget times, these planes may have to remain in the hangar,” Cox said. “However, the expense of keeping them on the ground and in a hangar is probably minimal.
“My concern is that the agency will get rock-bottom prices for the planes in the current downturn and would later pay top dollar to buy them back when state revenue returns to normal levels.
“In my opinion, while a temporary grounding of these planes may be in the best interest of the Oklahoma taxpayer, selling them at this time is not.”