Free Republic

BROKEN ARROW, OKLA (KTUL) — The Broken Arrow City Council has denied a rezoning request and conditional use permit for a proposed mosque near Olive Avenue after a contentious meeting that lasted four hours. The decision came after the planning commission had approved the request last month. The meeting drew strong opinions both for and against the project, with several speakers opposing it due to concerns about traffic on the two-lane road, stormwater and floodplain issues, and whether the development aligns with the city's comprehensive plan. Rick Gates, a Wagoner County resident, expressed concerns about the financial implications, saying, "Maybe...

A state lawmaker has filed a resolution that would ask Oklahoma voters to consider a constitutional amendment prohibiting the use of Sharia Law or other foreign legal systems in state courts. Rep. Gabe Woolley, a Republican from Broken Arrow, introduced House Joint Resolution 1040, saying the proposal is meant to reinforce the authority of the U.S. Constitution and protect individual rights in Oklahoma. Woolley argues the resolution is not about restricting religious freedom, but about preventing what he describes as a political ideology from influencing the legal system. He says Sharia Law conflicts with constitutional protections such as free speech,...

Tulsa Police are appealing to the community for assistance in solving two unsolved homicide cases from last year. Despite maintaining one of the highest homicide solve rates in the country, with a near 95% solve rate last year, two cases remain open. The Tulsa Police Department (TPD) believes that someone in the community holds the key to solving these cases. Richard Meulenberg, TPD public information officer, highlighted Tulsa's exceptional solve rate, stating, "Tulsa, historically, over the last several years, our solve rate is significantly above the national average. The national average for solving homicides hovers just at or below 60%."...

A proposed mosque and commercial development in Broken Arrow is drawing statewide attention as Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced an investigation into the project. Drummond cited public concern and questions about funding and oversight as reasons for the probe. The investigation comes just four days before the Broken Arrow City Council's special meeting on Jan. 12. Drummond's office plans to review the project's ownership, governance, and financing, describing it as a matter of substantial public concern. “Oklahomans deserve confidence that local land-use decisions are being made lawfully, transparently and in full compliance with state and federal law,” Attorney General...

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — News 4 has obtained dash cam footage from an ongoing investigation into a former Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper. Jarquez Evans was arrested back in March for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman after a traffic stop. On January 26, Evans pulled a woman over near SE 29th Street and S High Avenue in Oklahoma City for an expired tag. The victim alleged that Evans told her to either go down the street with him or go to jail. Evans reportedly got into the victim’s front passenger seat after she followed him down the road. After the victim...

A string of deadly shootings connected to Oklahoma marijuana farms — including a quadruple execution and a home-invasion murder — has exposed a shadow network tied to New York money, organized crime and groups with links to China, according to a new report. Authorities told the New York Times that the operations were fueled by out-of-state cash, concealed ownership and lax marijuana laws — allowing criminal groups to scale up illicit grows, exploit immigrant labor and divert massive amounts of weed into the black market. The trail led investigators far from rural Oklahoma to New York City, where real estate...

A father was deported to Mexico last month after living in the U.S. for over 30 years, leaving his six children without their only parent, his lawyer said. According to Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, Rosalio Vasquez Meave was arrested on September 15. His lawyer, Michelle Edstrom, said he was dropping off his children at school when an ICE vehicle pulled him over and detained him.

An Oklahoma couple is facing murder charges after their family dog mauled and killed their toddler. Jordan McGuire, 34, and Darci Lambert, 24, were arrested over the tragic death of their two-year-old Locklynn McGuire. Police were called to their Oklahoma City home over concerns that the girl had been 'eaten by something' just after 11.30pm on November 18 according to KOCO. Officers arrived to find Locklynn dead at the residence in the jaws of one of the family's four dogs, a pit bull named Ella. Oklahoma City Police Staff Sergeant Dillon Quirk told People that the little girl had been...

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA. (KOKH) — Stephanie Dilyard, a former 7-Eleven clerk, faced a terrifying ordeal when a man attempted to strangle her after she refused to accept a counterfeit $100 bill for purchases. The incident occurred just before midnight on Thursday. Dilyard recounted, "He threatened me, and said he was gonna slice my head off, and that's when I tried to call the police. He started throwing things at me, came behind the counter. I tried to run off, but he grabbed his hands around my neck, and pushed me out of the counter space, and that's when I pulled...

As SNAP benefits remain frozen, many Oklahoma families struggle with transportation to access food pantries, while local charities offer some assistance. Leveda Jordan Smith, a mother of three from southeast Oklahoma City, is among the over 600,000 residents who relied on SNAP benefits before the shutdown. "Being a mother of 3, not receiving SNAP benefits has made it harder for us to figure out where our next meal is gonna come from, if we're gonna have enough to stretch by," Smith said. Smith, who does not have a driver's license, depends on her significant other, friends, and family members for...

A bronze statue of Confederate Gen. Albert Pike, which was toppled by demonstrators in 2020 following George Floyd’s death, was reinstalled this past weekend in Washington, D.C. The statue, which stands 11 feet tall atop a 16-foot granite pedestal, was pulled down with ropes, spray-painted with graffiti and set on fire by demonstrators who viewed it as a symbol of systemic racism and the Confederacy. Pike was a Confederate general in the Civil War and also served as an associate justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court. He was one of the most influential figures in the history of American Freemasonry...

FIRST ON FOX: An illegal immigrant carrying a New York state commercial driver’s license with "NO NAME GIVEN" listed as his name was arrested by ICE in Oklahoma, according to DHS. The agency said that it has been working in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Transportation as well as state and local law enforcement to get illegal truck drivers off American highways following the high-profile accident involving Indian illegal Harjinder Singh. Working with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, ICE arrested another Indian illegal alien named Anmol Anmol. DHS said that Anmol was carrying a New York commercial driver’s license on...

An illegal immigrant carrying a New York state commercial driver’s license with "NO NAME GIVEN" listed as his name was arrested by ICE in Oklahoma, according to DHS. The agency said that it has been working in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Transportation as well as state and local law enforcement to get illegal truck drivers off American highways following the high-profile accident involving Indian illegal Harjinder Singh. Working with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, ICE arrested another Indian illegal alien named Anmol Anmol. DHS said that Anmol was carrying a New York commercial driver’s license on which his first...

Federal immigration authorities nabbed nearly 100 illegal migrants driving 18-wheelers off a single highway as the Trump administration continues to crack down on migrant commercial drivers. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, working alongside the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, arrested 91 illegal migrants operating a commercial motor vehicle with commercial driver licenses (CDL) during a three-day operation along I-40, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revealed to the Daily Caller News Foundation. Altogether, deportation officers took 120 illegal migrants into custody for immigration violations. The Trump administration is crediting the 287(g) program, a partnership between local law enforcement and ICE, for...

The founder of a Texas megachurch pleaded guilty today to five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child stemming from incidents that date back to the 1980s. Robert Preston Morris, 64, appeared in court today in front of Osage County District Special Judge Cindy Pickerill. Morris, who resigned last summer as senior pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas, was indicted by a Multi-County Grand Jury earlier this year. The abuse began in December 1982 when Morris was a traveling evangelist visiting the family of the victim in Hominy. The victim was 12 years old at the time,...

A city councilwoman in Oklahoma resigned this week after it was revealed that she told a supporter of President Donald Trump to kill herself. Bree Montoya, who represented Ward 3 in Norman, a city just south of Oklahoma City, got into a spat with a Facebook user in June over the size of the local 'No Kings' protests. These demonstrations occurred all over the United States and largely coincided with the US Army parade in Washington, D.C. celebrating the military branch's 250th anniversary. When arguing about the protest in Norman, Montoya told a woman named Audra Abbott to 'open a...

Gentle Care Animal Hospital in Edmond is closed after owner Dr. Christopher Rispoli’s post about Charlie Kirk's assassination sparked backlash. The Edmond veterinarian who wrote a now-deleted post, but widely shared, about the assassination of Charlie Kirk has issued his first public statement. Gentle Care Animal Hospital in Edmond has been closed since its owner, Dr. Christopher Rispoli, faced backlash over a social media post about Kirk's assassination earlier this month. The clinic’s staff and Rispoli have now each issued statements addressing the fallout. The clinic closure represents a nationwide wave of firings, closures, and job losses related to comments...

A 29-year-old man, Joshua Jahn, with ties to North Texas and Oklahoma has been identified as the suspect in a shooting at a Dallas ICE detention center. Two people were killed in the shooting. The suspect is also deceased. The investigation is ongoing, and police have not yet released a motive for the shooting. According to FOX News and FOX 4 sources, the sniper who killed at least two people at the Dallas ICE facility early Wednesday morning was 29-year-old Joshua Jahn. A sniper died from a self-inflicted gunshot early Wednesday morning after he shot three ICE detainees at a...

Dancers prepare for the grand enterance at the Gathering of Nations in April 2017 in Albuquerque, N.M. Photo: Russell Contreras/Axios The Gathering of Nations, a celebration of Indigenous dancing, music and art from around the world in what has become North America's largest powwow, will end next year, organizers announced. Why it matters: The ending closes a chapter in Native American history that has been mentioned in movies and novels and brought hundreds of thousands to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for more than 40 years. Driving the news: Organizers announced on Saturday that the cultural event will conclude in 2026, marking...

CACHE, Okla. (KSWO) - Cache Public Schools had an unveiling on Aug. 11 where they showed their brand new electric buses. School officials say this is a vital step in modernizing transportation for students in their district. A ribbon cutting was held this afternoon to showcase the 6 brand new electric vehicles. Officials say the move to electric is more affordable and reliable in the face of volatile diesel prices and shows a real step in improving the students’ experience.