Friday, June 16, 2023
Oklahoma to create first publicly funded religious school in the nation for their kids, and we are committed to help provide them.” While religious schools have received some level of public funding in the past, it will be the first religious school in the nation to be fully funded by taxpayers. In the 2022 case Carson Stephanie Landaverde v. Makin, the Supreme Court ruled News and Lifestyle Editor religious private schools could not be exempt from government funded programs, such as scholarships or tuition waivers. In the 2020 Espinoza v. MonOn June 5, in a vote of three to tana Department of Revenue case, the two, the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board approved plans to Courts ruled religious schools could not be exempt from voucher programs. publicly fund and create St. Isidore of Following the decision, Gov. Seville Catholic Virtual School. Kevin Stitt issued a statement applaudThe Archdiocese of Oklahoma ing the board’s decision, calling it a win City and the Diocese of Tulsa applied for religious liberty and educational for funding and will create the school. freedom. “We are elated that the board “Oklahomans support religious agreed with our argument and appliliberty for all and support an increascation for the nation’s first religious ingly innovative educational system that charter school,” said director of the Catholic Conference of Oklahoma Brett expands choice,” Stitt said. “Today, with the nation watching, our state showed Farley, according to an article by the that we will not stand for religious disArchdiocese of Oklahoma City. “Parcrimination.” ents continue to demand more options Attorney General Gentner Drum-
Courtesy of Alex Wong Following the decision, Gov. Kevin Stitt, right, issued a statement applauding the board’s decision, calling it a win for religious liberty and educational freedom.
mond disagreed with the board’s decision in an official press release. “The approval of any publicly funded religious school is contrary to Oklahoma law and not in the best interest of taxpayers,” Drummond said. “It’s extremely disappointing that board
members violated their oath in order to fund religious schools with our tax dollars. In doing so, these members have exposed themselves and the State to potential legal action that could be costly.” See School on 5
Ranking Big 12 football nonconference schedules Braden Bush Sports Editor
Mountaineers just like to play teams residing in Pittsburgh. 2. Texas – Rice, @ Alabama, Wyoming Forget everything else. If you walk into Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa for a football game, your nonconference schedule gets a gold star. The Longhorns nearly upset the Crimson Tide in a 20-19 loss in Austin last season. Could UT keep it close again? This is the 97th meeting between the Longhorns and Owls – with Rice’s last two wins coming in 1994 and 1965. Wyoming is a nice opponent to round things out. 3. Texas Tech – @ Wyoming, Oregon, Tarleton State Wyoming plays more games against Big 12 Texas schools (two) than OSU (one). Weird. Oregon is a great test for the Red Raiders. Tech took a jump in Year 1 under coach Joey McGuire, and many are high on them in 2023. Playing the Ducks in Lubbock will be a good gauge to see where TTU stands. Everyone is entitled to a gimme. Tech is keeping theirs in West Texas with Tarleton State. 4. Iowa State – Northern Iowa, Iowa, @ Ohio The Cyclones like to keep it in state, but neither the Hawkeyes nor Panthers are slouches. Iowa has controlled the Cy-Hawk trophy, winning seven of the past nine, though ISU squeaked out a 10-7 win last year. UNI has played in Ames twice in the last four years – both tight games. The Cyclones survived a 16-10 slugfest in 2021 and a 29-23 triple overtime thriller in 2019. Also, Ohio quietly had a 10-4 season a year ago. A sneaky good, Midwest schedule for ISU.
It’s never too early to look ahead to college football, and breaking down nonconference schedules is a good place to start. Here’s a ranking and breakdown of nonconference slates in the Big 12 – but first, let’s look at a few interesting notes. • Only West Virginia scheduled more than one Power Five school. • Houston, OU and UCF play no Power Five programs. • Texas Tech and West Virginia are the only schools to open the year on the road. • Wyoming plays more Big 12 Texas schools than OSU. • UCF has the longest nonconference road trip – a 37-hour drive. Now, time for the rankings. 1. West Virginia - @ Penn State, Duquesne, Pittsburgh The Mountaineers have to be at the top simply because they were the only Big 12 team to schedule two Power Five schools. Not to mention they’re two good Power Five teams. Opening the season at Penn State in one of the nation’s best environments is no joke. A rivalry game against Pittsburgh is another quality matchup, even if Pitt may not be a nine-win or 11-win team like the past two seasons. Duquesne, well… it’s forgivable with the rest of the nonconference slate. Maybe the See Big 12 on 3
Chase Davis West Virginia is the only team in the Big 12 to schedule two Power Five teams in the nonconference.
Courtesy of Gavin Pendergraff, Daniel Mutai and Emmett McKeel Trans Activist, Ramona Diaz, was asked to speak in front of hundreds of people at the capitol on Feb. 26, 2023, regarding trans rights.
Oklahoma bans gender-affirming care Gavin Pendergraff, Daniel Mutai and Emmett McKeel O’Colly Contributors Anti-trans laws won’t push Moss Lavender Abla out of Oklahoma. Rather than move away as his parents offered, the 16-year-old trans-youth said he will fight the GOP’s legislative efforts to outlaw genderaffirming care for teens and others. “I’m most scared for the other kids,” said Abla of Moore. “I have only two years until I’m 18 and can get a lot of this stuff. You know the suicide rates for trans youth goes up a lot when these type of things pass.” Oklahoma Republican legislators filed 40 bills this session targeting the LGBTQ+ community. Similar bills have been filed in 48 other states. In Oklahoma, Senate Bill 129 would have created the Millstone Act, which would have cut state funding for health care providers offering gender-affirming care to anyone under age 26. Both private and public insurances also would have been barred from covering gender-transition procedures. SB 129 is dead for this legislative session. The Senate Appropriations Committee passed an amended version of the bill by a vote of 14-6 on March 1. It was not heard on the Senate floor by the
required deadline. Kevin West, Tom Gann But in late April, and Denise Crosswhite legislators passed SB 613 Hader sponsored the bill. banning gender-transition Jett of Shawnee, surgeries and hormone who also co-sponsored SB therapies for children 129, said children need under age 18. Gov. Kevin protection from health Stitt signed it into law on care providers wanting May 1. The statute take to make money off them effect Nov. 1. by providing expensive The new law progender-transition surgerhibits gender-transition ies. procedures, including As introduced, the surgery and “pubertyMillstone Act would have blocking drugs, cross-sex made it a felony for health hormones, or other drugs care professionals to to suppress or delay norrefer someone under age mal puberty or to promote 26 for gender-transition the development of femi- procedures or to provide nizing or masculinizing the procedure. They could features consistent with have been prosecuted up the opposite biological to 40 years afterward. sex,” for minors. “Child abuse is a Children already felony in our state and taking puberty-blocking mutilating a young perdrugs or cross-sex horson’s genitalia should be mones may continue the viewed no differently,” treatment until June 1, the bill’s original author, 2024, solely for the purRepublican Sen. David pose of gradually decreas- Bullard of Durant, said ing and discontinuing use in a press release. “The of the drugs or hormones. Millstone Act will hold Under the new those who perform child law, providing gendermutilation accountable transition procedures by making such activity a to children is a felony. felony. ” Health care providers The criminal pencan be prosecuted until alty was removed from the minor turns age 45. the amended version, but They also can have their SB 613’s penalties for a licenses revoked for “un- violation include felony professional conduct.” charges, license revocaThe Senate sponsors tion and civil actions. were Republicans Julie Democratic Sen. Daniels, David Bullard, Julia Kirt of Oklahoma Shane Jett, George Burns, City, who voted against Michael Bergstrom, SB 613, said bills remove Warren Hamilton, Tom the option for parents Woods, Cody Rogers, and their children to get Blake Stephens, Nathan advice from health care Dahm and Rob Stanprofessionals. dridge. In the House, Republicans Toni HasenSee Ban on 6 beck, David Hardin,