Otoe-Missouria Tribe Chairman issues statement regarding new Gaming Compact with State of Oklahoma
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Otoe-Missouria Tribe Chairman issues statement regarding new Gaming Compact with State of Oklahoma4/21/2020
Below is a transcript of remarks made by Otoe-Missouria Tribe Chairman John R. Shotton at the press conference announcing an historic agreement between the Otoe-Missouria Tribe and the state of Oklahoma with a new gaming compact.
“This Otoe-Missouria Tribal Council is excited about the signing of a new Class III Gaming Compact with the State of Oklahoma. At a time when so much is uncertain in our tribal government due to the Covid-19 situation, we have negotiated a new compact that provides stability for the Otoe-Missouria Tribe’s future in gaming for our tribe, employees, patrons, vendors, and our banking partners when things return to normal and we are able to open our casinos again.
“The new Otoe-Missouria compact provides a lower rate than we are currently paying for our Class III machines. The term is not limited to 15 years. It also allows for house banked card and table games. Sports Book will be available. There are opportunities for expanded gaming in the future.
While we do believe the current compact auto-renewed at the end of 2019 for another 15 years, we chose to sit down with the Governor and his team to discuss what his ideas were for a new or amended compact. After weeks of productive negotiations, the result is the compact agreement that was reached that we feel is a definite win/win for the Otoe-Missouria Tribe and the State of Oklahoma.
Most importantly, we have a stable foundation for the Otoe-Missouria Tribe that is not limited to the next 15 years with clear dispute resolution parameters moving forward. I want to thank our Otoe-Missouria legal team led by Robert Rosette at Rosette, LLP as well as Governor Stitt, his staff, and legal team for all of the good faith negotiations and effort that made this new compact possible for the Otoe-Missouria Tribe.”
The full gaming compact can be read here: (https://www.governor.ok.gov/static-assets/documents/gamingcompacts/gaming_compact_otoe_missouria.pdf)
About The Otoe-Missouria Tribe: The Otoe-Missouria Tribe is located in North Central Oklahoma in Red Rock. There are currently 3,288 members enrolled in the tribe with 2,242 living in Oklahoma. The tribe was relocated to Oklahoma in 1881 from its first reservation on the border of Nebraska and Kansas. For more information about the Otoe-Missouria Tribe, visit https://www.omtribe.org/
Otoe-Missouria Tribe Chairman issues statement regarding new Gaming Compact with State of Oklahoma Click on the headline to read the full article at Site Articles
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Below is a transcript of remarks made by Comanche Nation Chairman William Nelson, Sr. at a press conference announcing and signing an historic agreement between the Comanche Nation and the state with a new gaming compact.
“The Constitution of the United States gives authority of American Indian affairs to the federal government, not to the state governments. Just as the United States deals with states as governments, it also deals with American Indian Tribes, Nations and Townships as governments.
“Today, is a government to government agreement. For the record the Comanche Nation has had its own inherit place in the United States since time immemorial. Original lands that the Comanche Nation calls home is Texas, Oklahoma and throughout the Great Plains. The Comanche Nation is not a special interest group, individuals or some other type of non-governmental entity. The “Lords of the Plains” is who we are and will forever continue to be. The Comanche Nation stands as a Sovereign Government within the United States. The Comanche Nation has its own Constitution adopted in 1967.
“The Comanche Nation has its own Tax Commission, its own Court, its own Law Enforcement, its own Elections. The Comanche Nation looks upon past treaties of land affairs with the United States of America as Law of their presence today and for the future of its people. We are a Sovereign Nation within this Nation.
“The supreme power of the Comanche Nation is measured by its enrolled members who are eighteen years or older that are aptly named the Tribal Council. The stewards of the Tribal Council are the elected seven (7) Business Committee members that comprise of a Chairman, Vice Chair, Secretary/Treasurer and four (4) committee members. The legal quorum of five (5) Business Committee members have the stewardship power to enact governing legislation, negotiation and signature agreements.
“The legal quorum of the Comanche Nation Business Committee on Saturday April 18, 2020 did move to accept; Gaming Compact with the State of Oklahoma and the Comanche Nation. Resolution Number 56-2020 was called for and passed by legal quorum of: Chairman William Nelson, Sr., Vice Chair LaNora Parker, Secretary/Treasurer Robert Tippeconnie, Committee Member No. 1 June Sovo, Committee Member No. 2 Dianna Doyebi-Sovo, Committee Member No. 3 Ronald Red Elk and Committee Member No. 4 Clyde Narcomey. Our legal monthly meeting is continued for today, April 21, 2020 as approved by a Motion of Action on April 18, 2020.
“We are here at the State Capital of Oklahoma to finalize our business with the State of Oklahoma. Governor Stitt, Comanche Nation Business Committeeman June Sovo would like to share with you this day: A ceremonial of our people that will finalize our agreement between two (2) governments. May God (Tah Ahpu) share his grace of peace and discernment over our ancient ways of truth and goodness.”
The full gaming compact can be read here:
(https://www.governor.ok.gov/static-assets/documents/gamingcompacts/gaming_compact_comanche_nation.pdf
About the Comanche Nation: The Comanche Nation is located in Southwest Oklahoma, with headquarters located right outside of Lawton. The tribe currently has approximately 17,000 enrolled tribal members with 7,000 residing in the tribal jurisdictional area around the Lawton, Ft. Sill, and surrounding counties. In the late 1600’s and early 1700’s the tribe migrated from their Shoshone kinsmen onto the northern Plains, ultimately relocating in Oklahoma.
For more information about The Comanche Nation, visit https://www.comanchenation.com.
Comanche Nation signs historic gaming compact with State of Oklahoma Click on the headline to read the full article at Site Articles
Though Oklahoma’s first COVID-19 case wasn’t identified until March 6, Citizen Potawatomi Nation Health Services (CPNHS) was already prepared.
On Feb. 28, CPN (Citizen Potawatomi Nation) Chief Medical Officer George A. Vascellaro, D.O., formed a coronavirus task force led by Dr. Kassi Roselius, M.D., M.P.H. Dr. Roselius is a board-certified family physician, CPNHS medical professional director, public health coordinator and CPN tribal member.
The team immediately established emergency management meetings with the CPN human resources and emergency management directors, along with Tribal Chairman John “Rocky” Barrett and Vice-Chairman Linda Capps.
“Even before a case was identified in Oklahoma, our team recognized the gravity of the situation and took swift action to help reduce the spread of COVID-19,” Vascellaro said. “Once the virus hit our state, CPNHS medical leadership began counseling other CPN enterprises, departments and community leaders on implementing CDC mitigation strategies to protect our community.”
The department has adopted a variety of preparedness measures, including:
· Limiting visitors and screening at all doors with temperature/symptom checks
· Placing COVID-19 triage tents outside the East and West clinics to separate potential cases from critical, acute and chronic care needs
· Collecting COVID-19 tests to send to reference labs
· Delivering medications curbside through the CPNHS pharmacy
· Implementing augmented patient care workflow for the safety of patients, healthcare employees and their families
· Developing infrastructure for telephone and telemedicine
Citizen Potawatomi Nation partnered with the Pottawatomie County Health Department to host a drive-thru testing site at the Citizen Potawatomi Community Development Corporation. Additionally, tribal health services tested 100 patients on April 10, regardless of symptoms, to gauge what extent the virus is spreading asymptomatically. CPNHS has tested 293 patients to date, with seven confirmed positive.
Chairman Barrett said the tribal health services have been ahead of the COVID-19 preparedness curve and will remain so in the months ahead.
“CPNHS leadership has done everything in its power to care for patients’ essential medical needs while guarding the safety of patients, employees, families and the community,” Barrett said. “We will continue to be vigilant and do our part to slow the spread of COVID-19. I am proud of the department’s efforts, and I applaud them for their great work.”
Citizen Potawatomi Nation Health Services Responds to COVID-19 Pandemic Click on the headline to read the full article at Site Articles
NOTE: On April 20, Patrick B. McGuigan participated in an Oklahoma City tribute to a Kashmiri physician who recently passed away. The event, sponsored by the Interfaith Alliance of Oklahoma, was entitled “A Life’s Purpose: Interfaith Dialogue and the Memory of Dr. Mohammad Ali Matto.” McGuigan joined with members of the Alliance at the request of Dr. Matto’s daughter, Nyla Ali Khan. The brief reflection and prayer which follows is adapted from McGuigan’s remarks.
I address you from my heart, which is rooted in the Roman Catholic tradition.
I speak for my friend Nyla Ali Khan, a wonderful writer it is my privilege to work with as an editor. I hope these words provide comfort and assurance for all who hear me. I honor her dear father, of blessed memory.
My favorite writer, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote in the novel ‘Cancer Ward’: “The meaning of existence [is] to preserve untarnished, undisturbed and undistorted the image of eternity which each person is born with. … Like a silver moon in a calm, still pond.”
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus instructed his disciples, “love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for He makes His sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.” [Mt. 5:44-45]
In the Book of Revelation [Chapter 21], my Lord’s disciple John foresaw a time when God’s dwelling would be with the human race: “He will dwell with them and they will be His people and God Himself will always be with them [as their God]. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, [for] the old order has passed away.”
I yearn for that happy day when God will lead us “to springs of life-giving water,” and indeed when He “will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes.” [Rev. 7:17]
My prayer now is to the God of All humanity, the One who created us all.
It is for Nyla and for us all in these times and in all the days to come: comfort, care, understanding, compassion, decency, and righteousness.
I pray in His Holy Name. Amen.
Endnote: Sketches about Dr. Matto’s life can be read in Dr. Nyla’s tributes to his memory, “Abba’s Dedication, and the Gift of a Fine Suit”
(https://ift.tt/2VN9S2T) and “Honoring My Father: Finding Meaning and Purpose in Adversity” (https://ift.tt/2VI1WjK).
Remembering the Father of a Friend; Honoring the One Who will wipe away our tears Click on the headline to read the full article at Site Articles
I wish there was more good news to report for what our state is facing, but it is important for you to know what Oklahoma has ahead. Anticipation is that the high point of COVID-19 will hit our state this week, Oklahoma hospitals will need 800 beds for COVID-19 patients, along with 200 ICU beds, and 192 ventilators, according to news reports.
Economically, the Petroleum Alliance of Oklahoma reported last week that activity in the state’s oil and natural gas sector continued to contract in February with the Oklahoma Energy Index down 1.4 percent from January. The February drop marks the sixteenth consecutive month of declining activity. The worst of the COVID-19 related news did not hit markets until March suggesting a further and more dramatic drop in activity is yet to come.
“It is important to remember that Oklahoma was already heading into a mild oil cycle recession before COVID-19 related restrictions,” explained Dr. Russell Evans, executive director of the Steven C. Agee Economic Research and Policy Institute at Oklahoma City University. “These restrictions will constrain the flow of goods and services through the economy and create one of the most abrupt and severe recessions ever experienced in a developed economy.”
Unemployment filings last week across the nation reached 5.2 million, and more than 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 51,000 of those are Oklahomans. The Oklahoma Employment Securities Commission has more than 1,100 workers assisting claim filers, but the response time is still far behind the norm with so many people seeking assistance.
Updates provided by officials late last week show that the upcoming budget that will be voted upon by the Legislature in the very near future might look even worse than originally expected. The Board of Equalization met on Monday (April 20) and certified numbers which the lawmakers will use to craft the allocations.
The revenue failure (the amount collected that is less that projected) for this year will be $459 million. Preliminary estimates for the fiscal year beginning July 1 – the one our lawmakers are writing during this session – show that the state will have $1.366 billion less than originally expected, dropping from $8.244 billion to just under $6.8 billion.
The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy appreciates the work done by each of our lawmakers who will be crafting the budget for the state, and we ask them to be thorough and methodical with how the allocations are distributed. The temptation will be there to make across-the-board cuts that hit every agency the same percentage.
This severe downturn will require much more thought as some services that support those in need will actually see an increase in demand due to more people qualifying. An across-the-board same-percentage cut for one agency, for example, might not be as devastating as it would be for an agency – like the Department of Human Services – that helps maintain the social safety net, or like the Education Department which creates opportunity for children.
An across the board cut may be easy in the short term. It will, however, most likely result in lawmakers having to return later to pass supplemental increases to specific agencies serving those impacted by this economy and the pandemic.
Approaches for how to handle COVID-19 are across the board. A push is being made by some across the nation to return the country to work immediately, including a group who rallied at the State Capitol from their vehicles calling on a lift to all shelter requirements. In contrast, a study from Johns Hopkins University is calling on slow return to the workforce and large scale “contact tracing” to help notify people who would notify anyone who might have been exposed to the virus and recommend they also be tested and self-quarantine for 14 days to avoid further spread.
OICA asks you to please be safe and continue to social distance and follow the recommendations of health professionals to help “flatten the curve” faster and help move to a point where it is safe to be out in your community.
About OICA: The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy was established in 1983 by a group of citizens seeking to create a strong advocacy network that would provide a voice for the needs of children and youth in Oklahoma, particularly those in the state’s care and those growing up amid poverty, violence, abuse and neglect, disparities, or other situations that put their lives and future at risk. Our mission statement: “Creating awareness, taking action and changing policy to improve the health, safety and well-being of Oklahoma’s children.”
Challenges for Oklahoma, from Budget to Healthcare Click on the headline to read the full article at Site Articles
The Rose State College Foundation Board has approved a Student Relief Fund to assist Rose State students needing financial assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding will provide internet access for students, cover a portion of unpaid classes for the spring semester and other immediate needs of students.
“The Foundation Board is committed to supporting students who are needing financial assistance, at this time,” Rose State Foundation Executive Director Cindy Mikeman said. “It’s important for students to complete the spring semester and enroll in virtual summer classes at Rose State College and it is our hope that students will complete their education without any barriers.”
One need to be addressed by this relief fund is internet access. Rose State (https://www.rose.edu/) moved all class delivery to an online platform for the remainder of the spring semester and will continue through summer 2020. At least 50 to 75 Rose State students have been identified as not having internet access in their homes. The college has loaned laptops to those students and will allow use of the relief fund to assist with internet access at private residences to ensure the students have every opportunity to complete their college work.
Students interested in taking advantage of the fund will be required to fill out an application which will be reviewed by a committee for student selection. The application can be found on the Rose State website here (www.rose.edu/studentrelief).
The COVID-19 student relief fund has been established to support students. The need is great and community support is encouraged to ensure a seamless educational journey for our students. Donate to the relief fund at https://ift.tt/3aqtVcK.
Another benefit to struggling students will come after today (April 20) in the form of $256 as part of the CARES Act. The students must be enrolled at Rose State at the time to take advantage of this funding.
On Friday (April 17), Rose State staff organized a special effort, providing food boxes and personal hygiene items in a program organized with the Regional Food Bank.
About Rose State College: Rose State is a two-year community college in Midwest City, Oklahoma. Founded in 1970, Rose State now welcomes more than 13,000 students each year. Rose State offers more than 60 different degree programs and among the lowest cost of tuition in the State of Oklahoma.
Rose State College Foundation launches Student Relief Fund Click on the headline to read the full article at Site Articles
When it opened in movie theaters in 2014, ‘The Equalizer’ had the third most successful opening weekend of Denzel Washington’s acting career. It was a powerful and poignant addition to the incredible body of work he is crafting in Hollywood. The film depicts deaths so harsh that it fully merits its “R” rating.
The movie appears tonight (Tuesday, April 14) on FX (Channel 35 in the Oklahoma City Cox Cable system). This is stellar film-making, at least for adults who can stomach shocking on-screen killing. This review contains, if not full “spoilers,” some specific reflections on this excellent story.
Think of implements you might purchase, or look at, in a Wal-Mart, or a Loew’s, an independent hardware or department store. Imagine those things as instruments of death: sledge hammer, electric drill, tree trimmer, wine corkscrew, and nail-gun. Yup.
Still the story does not pivot on the violent abilities of Robert McCall (Washington), who formerly served in secret U.S. “black ops,” outside public scrutiny.
To outward appearances, McCall is living the ordinary life of a hard-working middle income person. He mentors Ralphie (Johnny Skourtis), an awkward but likable geek, with whom he works at “Home-Mart,” someone who is underestimated and taken for granted. Ralphie’s transformation is a pivotal plot line.
Unable to sleep at night, Robert haunts a short-order joint to drink tea and read literary classics. He is working his way through the 100 greatest books in American literature, in part to share (ex post facto) an experience with his late, beloved wife. The books include “Invisible Man” by Oklahoman Ralph Ellison, deemed by many the greatest autobiographical work of the Twentieth Century.
In the diner, McCall chastely befriends a young prostitute named Teri (Chloe Grace Moretz). Their discussion of Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea” is the kind of thing we simply don’t see enough of in modern motion pictures. Moretz is captivating in the role of a troubled soul who knows she can do more than turn tricks, but who needs someone to love her enough to nudge her in a better direction.
McCall is a careful man, reluctant to return to his old ways. But then Teri is snatched before his eyes by her pimps, who are heartless Russian mobsters. She is beaten by thugs who have offered him special access to the services she and her abused girlfriends offer. Robert tracks her down in a hospital, where he encounters another troubled woman, portrayed with tenderness by Haley Bennett.
Leading up to his second encounter with the gangsters, McCall transforms. In Washington’s on-screen face and dialogue come hints of previous characters, including leading roles in “Man on Fire,” “The Book of Eli,” and even “American Gangster” or “Training Day.”
Still, his interpretation of McCall is an authentic addition to the Washington canon.
Love for others, not a desire to be the meanest bad-ass on the planet, leads McCall to abandon dreams of peace.
Portraying Teddy, the screen villain, is Marton Csokas – one of the most memorable bad guys ever. He kills with awful brutality, in ostensible service of a crime syndicate, but actually in thrall to his own depravity. Teddy’s face-to-face encounters with McCall feature palpable tension.
In deft cameos from Bill Plummer and Melissa Leo, friends from McCall’s former life appear. (They each returned in the second Equalizer film, released in 2018.)
Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the story is adapted from a television program of the same name that had a three-year run in the 1980s.
In that version, Edward Woodward portrayed McCall as English, a naturalized American who served “the agency” during the Cold War. His home contained a variety of lethal weaponry which McCall used to forge justice in response to inquiries for a classified ad in the New York Times, reading “In Trouble? Need a Friend? Call The Equalizer.”
Guest stars on the TV version included Robert Lansing as “Control” – McCall former’s boss – and, in one unforgettable episode, Telly Savalas as a terrorist-turned-pacifist monk.
Different in some particulars, not merely the ethnicity of the principal character, the film reboot is true to the original spirit. Credit film scriptwriter Richard Wenk and cinematographer Mauro Fiore for source-fidelity, while fashioning a contemporary narrative. I applaud the mix of musical genres that serve the story throughout.
We see on the screen hints of a likely future. Washington’s McCall returns to the short-order joint where he befriended Teri. From his laptop, McCall reaches out to the hopeless via a Web posting.
‘The Equalizer’ is really about friendship and decency, and loving one another, with or without government sanction. A mysterious parable on human decency and the limits of government, this was one of the best-crafted movies of 2014.
Tired of lame action-story plot lines? In need of a great movie fix? Watch ‘The Equalizer’ tonight on FX, at 6 p.m. central time, and repeating at 9 p.m.
Note: McGuigan’s review of the first Equalizer film appeared in shortened online versions. The foregoing is adapted form his original full-length review in The City Sentinel newspaper.
First in the hearts of American film-goers: Denzel Washington delivered in ‘The Equalizer’ Click on the headline to read the full article at Site Articles Santa Fe Family Life Center teams with St. Anthonys Hospital to produce face shields and masks4/13/2020
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Santa Fe Family Life Center teams with St. Anthony’s Hospital to produce face shields and masks Click on the headline to read the full article at Site Articles
Editor’s Note: This story, adapted from a report in the April 2020 print edition of The City Sentinel newspaper, documents this spring’s start of a new science, engineering, technology and mathematics (STEM) education program from Amazon.
Amazon leadership announced over recent weeks that they were closely monitoring the impact of COVID-19 and working to support local communities, customers and employees during a difficult time.
Schools in Oklahoma are experiencing disruption during the health pandemic and Amazon leaders say they want to help. Evidence supports the assertion: Year-round, Amazon is committing resources to ensure more students and teachers get access to a computer science education through the “Amazon Future Engineer” program.
Amazon Future Engineer is providing free access to sponsored computer science courses in the U.S., which is for independent learners grades 6-12, and teachers who are remotely teaching this age group. (Parents can also access this curriculum.)
Amazon Future Engineer is offering a virtual robotics program through partners CoderZ. The fully sequenced course accommodates age levels from second grade with block-based coding to high school with text-based coding.
Amazon Future Engineer also is providing access to EarSketch, a free program that helps students learn to code through music. Grammy-award winning artists Ciara and Common have both provided studio-quality music STEMs that students can remix from home using code.
State private schools have pioneered online learning approaches for several years, and some began offering second semester education programs on the original “back-to-school” date of March 16. Other private schools followed soon thereafter, on March 23.
Then, after the March embrace of “distance learning” by the Oklahoma Board of Education, Oklahoma’s public charter schools with a pre-existing online presence got back to work.
By last week – as of Monday, April 6 – school leaders in all systems within Oklahoma were focused on making “Distance education” or “Online learning” or other approaches work.
Interest in offerings from Amazon and range of technology companies soared over the past month and featured widespread news coverage –- including not only The City Sentinel’’s print edition (which was available in late March), but in television news broadcasts and a range of stories in The Oklahoman and other newspapers.
Oklahomans are checking into the offerings Amazon has made at this link:
(https://ift.tt/3bFpOeb). The effort is broad-based and many are signing up for these programs, and checking out more free computer science programming being added by the Amazon Future Engineer team.
Visit here (https://ift.tt/2U22yja) for a blog post about the Amazon-specific new offerings, characterized by the company as intended to support community members, employees and customers affected by COVID-19.
About Amazon Future Engineer: Amazon is committed to bringing more resources to children and young adults to help them build their best future. Amazon has invested more than $50 million to increase access to computer science/STEM education and has donated more than $20 million to organizations that promote computer science/STEM education across the country. Amazon’s primary computer science access program, Amazon Future Engineer, is a four-part childhood-to-career program intended to inspire, educate, and prepare children and young adults from underrepresented and underserved communities to try computer science. Each year, Amazon Future Engineer aims to inspire hundreds of thousands of young people to explore computer science; awards dozens of schools Amazon Future Engineer Robotics Grants, provides over 100,000 young people in over 2,000 high schools access to Intro or AP Computer Science courses; awards 100 students with four-year $10,000 scholarships, as well as offers guaranteed and paid Amazon internships to gain work experience, and forms unique partnerships with trusted institutions to bring new coding experiences to students – for example, in 2019, Amazon Future Engineer sponsored a music-based coding remix competition with Georgia Tech on their EarSketch platform.
Note: This story is adapted from the April 2020 print edition of The City Sentinel newspaper, and appeared online here: https://ift.tt/2JY7e59 . Publisher Patrick B. McGuigan contributed to this report. He is a member of the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame, the author of hundreds of news stories and analyses of education, and a state-certified teacher in 10 subject areas.
www.City-Sentinel.com
In a time of trouble, Amazon moves to support STEM education Click on the headline to read the full article at Site Articles
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Fairfax Community Hospital and Oklahoma State University Launch Statewide Telemedicine Program for Rural Patients Click on the headline to read the full article at Site Articles |
Pat McGuiganThe dean of all Oklahoma Journalism, Mr Patrick McGuigan; has a rich history of service in many aspects of both covering the news and producing the information that the public needs to know. Archives
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