The Criminal Justice Authority extended an offer of employment in early October 2019. Later in the month, the authority voted to rescind the offer and begin the search for a jail administrator anew.

The deeper I go into Christian faith, the more I understand it as a series of stark contrasts between what is considered desirable by the world’s standards, versus The Way of Christ. And there is perhaps no starker contrast between these realms than how we understand the concept of surrender.

With the Oklahoma Presidential Primary Election about six weeks away, local voters may be looking for ways to support their candidate of choice. Contacting political organizations and actively sharing candidates' platforms are among the suggestions.

Salvation Army bell ringers pulled in just over $65,000 for the organization's Muskogee branch over the holiday season, exceeding their goal of $55,000, said Lt. Rev. Charles Smith. 

Muskogee sixth-grader Myriah Synar learned on Thursday that early career planning can pay off.

Coming off a career-high 41-point night against McAlester on Tuesday, Conner Calavan scored 24 points and Jaxon Blunt added 18 as Class 4A No. 13 Fort Gibson defeated Tulsa Hale 70-53 in the opening round of the Old Fort Classic at Harrison Field House.

FORT SUPPLY - “This is an attack against rural Oklahoma is what this is,” District 27 State Sen. Casey Murdock said. “The lack of investment that rural Oklahoma gets from the power brokers in Oklahoma City - this is the line in the sand for me.”

High Plains Technology Center Superintendent Dwight Hughes is Woodward's new Citizen of the Year.

City of Enid CFO Erin Crawford also delivered a financial update that shows sales tax revenue is down compared to the previous fiscal year, and hotel and motel tax revenue has been decreasing as well.

Mass shootings have received increased national attention in recent years, as lawmakers, gun rights advocates, gun reform proponents, and the public have feverishly debated how to address the issue.

HULBERT – Shirley Teague has served as mayor of Hulbert for 14 years, but she's been on the Town Council since 2003.

GROVE, Okla. — When most think of vending machines, they envision vessels full of candy, chips and soda. But a new machine in Grove is different.

Last week, a Payne County jury awarded a Stillwater woman $5 million in a civil suit that followed her husband's death in a tractor accident. 

An engineer with more than 50 years of oilfield experience testified Thursday as National Oilwell Varco’s expert witness in the civil trial ongoing at the Pittsburg County Courthouse in McAlester.

A man who lead police on a chase through downtown in a stolen forklift last week was charged in connection with that incident Thursday, as well as in connection to a December theft of a truck belonging to Garfield County.

A convicted felon shot to death Wednesday by two Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers was identified as Adam Ray Hernandez.

A woman broke down in tears as she thanked volunteers handing her socks during an event working to connect homeless people with resources.

Three years and a few months after the murder of Linda Salazar, the man accused of her slaying is in custody of the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office.

For the leaders at OU’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Wednesday was a day of promising beginnings and gratifying endings.University leadership hosted a dedication for the office’s new space in Copeland Hall Wednesday, cutting a ribbon and welcoming guests into the updated space, which includes a lounge, a kitchen, offices and a meeting room.The office will be an inviting, inclusive space where students feel a sense of belonging, but will also exist to foster new unity and commitment to diversity and inclusion on campus, said Belinda Higgs Hyppolite, OU’s new vice president of diversity and inclusion.“Today provides a fresh start for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion here at OU,” Hyppolite said during Wednesday’s dedication. “This opening will help to set the course for what is to come, specifically around uniting the OU community. We will not just focus on race and ethnicity, but we will focus on all the aspects of culture that make us uniquely who we are.”For Jane Irungu, the opening was an ending. Irungu, who has served as interim associate vice president for university community, then interim vice president of diversity and inclusion for nearly a year and a half in total, left the position this semester as Hyppolite took over permanently.Opening a physical office space for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion was always an ambition for Irungu, who said Wednesday that it felt gratifying for OU to finally achieve the goal even as she’s transitioning out of the office.“This gives me a lot of gratification, but really it also affirms that the work we’ve put in in the last year and a half is worth it,” Irungu said after the dedication. “We were all located in so many different spaces, so when I started as interim, one of my goals was to make sure that we had a centralized location, but also to make sure that as a university, that we really do make a statement about our value for diversity and inclusion. We cannot say we value diversity and inclusion [when] we don’t even have an office for it.”In her address Wednesday, Hyppolite told the audience that the new space gives office leadership a chance to spark new collaboration and ideas, to usher in a new era for diversity and inclusion on campus.“Diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives will require all of us to move forward — it can no longer be an afterthought at this institution, it must be woven into every facet of what the campus says it owns,” Hyppolite said. “...Our goal is to take things not to the same level, but to the next level. We can’t do that on our own — we’re not here to maintain the status quo, we’re OK with saying ‘this is how we did it in the past, but my job is to move forward. We’re in a new decade, we’re in a new year — it’s time for new opportunities, so we want you to be creative, and we want you to be innovative.”Irungu said while OU still has significant work to do in diversity and inclusion, the new office is just one of the ways that she’s seen the university start to show its commitment to the issues over the past year and a half. In her time in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Irungu has seen the office rebrand from the Office of University Community, host meetings and summits to hear from faculty and staff, create, share and begin to implement an official university plan to address diversity and inclusion, and install diversity officers in each of OU’s colleges, she said.“For me, it’s really gratifying that we have moved the needle just even in recognizing that we need a space and we need a plan, but also that there’s a lot of work to be done,” Irungu said. “I’m really happy that everybody understands that this is just the beginning.”As the university gives the office a fresh space and start, it was important for OU to be intentional about the office’s physical location, Interim President Joe Harroz said Wednesday.“One of the elements of all of this was [that] this office should be not on the periphery of campus, but it should be at the heart of our campus,” Harroz said. If its going to resonate in our heart, it has to be in a place that is toward our center.”While Irungu did not speak at the dedication, Harroz recognized her work toward the new office and her impact in her position since August 2018. Irungu will continue to serve at OU through a role as executive director of the Southwest Center for Human Relations Studies and through work on projects addressing faculty diversity, she said.“Dr. Jane Irungu has been the proponent, in my office, saying repeatedly, ‘each of these things need to happen, and certainly the location of this office needs to happen,’” Harroz said. “Many people deserve credit for this...but the absolute advocate for this, and someone who has left an impact, and will continue to make an impact on the climate of this campus and of creating the heartbeat of this campus...let’s all please join me in thanking Dr. Jane Irungu.”Emma Keith366-3537Follow me @emma_ckeithekeith@normantranscript.com

A male suspected of stealing a vehicle was shot and killed after a brief chase involving Oklahoma Highway Patrol on Wednesday, OHP officials said.

An Enid High School student brought a BB gun to campus Thursday morning, according Enid Public Schools officials, who promised the incident "will result in both disciplinary and legal consequences."

Brian West of Rover Taxi says he is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible for the death of taxi driver Dustin Parker.

The YouthBuild program offers education and training to low-income youth, ages 17 1/2 to 24, who need help completing their high school diploma or building job skills.

Traveling near or far, connecting with nature or people, learning history or discovering a talent are reasons for getting out of the house and exploring this corner of the world.

A Park Hill family is hoping someone with Type O blood will come forward to help 9-year-old Dakota Roe in his need for a live kidney donation.

U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Oklahoma Brian J. Kuester announced Wednesday that 12 people have been indicted for their alleged roles in distributing methamphetamine and other drugs through the U.S. Postal Service.  

Representatives from the Muskogee County Assessor’s Office will begin setting up shop Thursday at various locations during the remainder of the month to assist property owners with their annual assessments.

Downtown Fort Gibson business owner Noel Cox hopes to see plenty of feet at Saturday's Gathering on the Green.

State lawmakers are hoping to ease the health care burden during the legislative session to begin in February, as three representatives have announced their intention to end "surprise billing."

Oklahoma lawmakers may consider a bill this year that would bar people under 21 from buying tobacco products.

The Oklahoma State Election Board provides information on voting during the primary elections.

Worry is one of the most destructive habits we can have. Rid yourself of it, and you are sure to have a more useful, happy life

John Gray, who directs the Coach-A-Kid program, said Neville was selected for his dedication and his perseverance in overcoming his own learning disabilities to inspire children to stay in school.

People in the McAlester area want to help connect homeless people with resources.

Although it might not have the properties of a mythical elixir of life, tea could potentially prolong a person's time on earth, according to a recent study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

Efforts of a committee formed by local government agencies, nonprofits and businesses to help “meet the long-term and unmet needs” of Muskogee County residents impacted by near-historic flooding in 2019 were bolstered by a $100,000 grant. 

Charlotte Neale made sure she showed up at the Relay for Life Kickoff event Tuesday night at Station 1.