Make sure you’ve taken back your old VHS tapes

By Steve Gust

Editor

Okay I guess I'm a pretty law-andorder kind of guy.

Let sometimes the justice system needs to step back a bit and question things.

I have that opinion after seeing a story over the Steve Gust weekend about a lady who was charged with a felony embezzlement charge. Her crime? It was 22 years ago when she allegedly rented a VHS movie from a video store. It was entitled "Sabrina the Teenage Witch."

The woman claimed she never rented it and blamed it one of the young daughters of a man she was seeing at the time.

To their credit the Cleveland County prosecutors aren't going to proceed with the matter. But still the lady has been harmed. She reports suddenly losing jobs over the years. What would happen is an employer would run a background check and stopped when they saw a charge of "felony embezzlement,."

Who knew one Sabrina VHS movie had the power of felony.

I'm all for justice, but let's make sure common sense enters the equation as well. ----

I owe the readers and Sen. Lankford an apology. Last week I put the wrong byline on Sen. Lankford's column about opposing public funding of Planned Parenthood.

Sorry about that Senator. ----

And I may be the last one to know this but the United States Postal website has an interesting feature. It's called "informed Delivery." It shows you photos of the envelopes you are supposed to receive in the mail. What's neat is if that piece of mail doesn't arrive, you check a box on the photo to let postal people know it didn't arrived. Pretty nifty little feature. (Steve Gust may be reached at news@edmondpaper.com)

The governor last week approved legislation that will ensure all vehicles – fuel-powered and electric – that use Oklahoma’s state highways are equally contributing to the cost of maintaining the infrastructure.

Rep. Kyle Hilbert, RBristow, and Sen. Zack Taylor, R-Seminole, were the principal authors of House Bill 2234, The Driving on Road Infrastructure with Vehicles of Electricity (DRIVE) Act of 2021.

“With this legislation, we’re getting ahead of the curve and coming up with creative ways to make sure electric or battery-powered vehicle drivers pay the same as traditional fuel-powered motorists to travel on our state roads,” Hilbert said. “This legislation drew together many stakeholders who helped us to help us determine a fair method for all consumers to support infrastructure funding, and I’m grateful for their input.”

Hilbert explained that other states are addressing this topic as well, with some already passing laws relating to the electric vehicle industry. He said Oklahoma’s is among the most equitable.

“The DRIVE Act is a fair and equitable way to continue providing critical funding for our state’s transportation infrastructure, especially with the ever-increasing popularity of electric vehicles,” Taylor said. “I want to thank Representative Hilbert for filing this important bill to ensure all vehicles utilizing our state roadways and bridges contribute to the cost of maintaining our transportation system.”

After signing the measure, Gov. Kevin Stitt issued the following statement, “I congratulate Rep. Hilbert and Sen. Taylor for getting the DRIVE Act across the finish line and ensuring a level playing field for all drivers as well as protecting future funding for Oklahoma’s roads and bridges.”

HB 2234 enacts a three-cent tax per kilowatt hour to charge an electric vehicle (EV) at a public for-profit charging station – capturing funding from out-ofstate drivers. There would be no tax for EVs that charge at home. The measure would charge registration fees for EVs based on the vehicle’s weight and type and would provide an income tax credit to Oklahomans for charging taxes paid at a charging station, not to exceed the EV registration fee. The bill combined with SB600 will exempt low-voltage and free charging stations from charging the tax.

The revenues from this bill will be placed into the Driving on Road Infrastructure with Vehicles of Electricity (DRIVE) Fund, which will supplement the state’s current ROADS Fund. The ROADS fund has been instrumental in taking Oklahoma from bottom ten to top ten in the country in bridge conditions.

Lankford seeks answers on COVID relief spending

By Sen. James Lankford

Senator James Lankford (R-OK) led Senators Ron Johnson (R-WI), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Josh Hawley (R-MO) in a letter to Shalanda Young, Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) asking for details on how the nearly $6 trillion in COVID-19 funding is being spent. The Sena- Lankford tors asked specifically about funding no longer protected by the Hyde Amendment. During the budget debate for the Democrats’ reconciliation bill, Lankford introduced an amendment to uphold Hyde protections that ban taxpayer dollars from paying for abortions. He expressed deep disappointment in Democrats’ desire to force Americans to pay for abortions during a HSGAC business meeting to consider Ms. Young’s nomination.

The Senators wrote, “Over the past year, Congress has passed nearly $6 trillion dollars in response to the COVID-19 pandemic through five bipartisan bills that received at least 90 votes in the Senate and one reconciliation bill that passed without any Republican support in either chamber.”

They continued, “In order for this money to have the impact Congress intended, it is imperative that every dollar is used to help Americans harmed by the pandemic. As members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, it is our responsibility to ensure that federal agencies are operating effectively and efficiently as they carry out the laws passed by Congress.”

You can read the full letter HERE or below: trillion dollars in response to the COVID-19 pandemic through five bi-partisan bills that received at least 90 votes in the Senate and one reconciliation bill that passed without any Republican support in either chamber. In order for this money to have the impact Congress intended, it is imperative that every dollar is used to help Americans harmed by the pandemic. As members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, it is our responsibility to ensure that federal agencies are operating effectively and efficiently as they carry out the laws passed by Congress.

Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans. The pandemic and subsequent lock-downs and restrictions caused mass unemployment, permanently closed many small businesses, prevented children from attending school in person, and pushed the limits of our health care system. In response, Congress created the Paycheck Protection Program to help small businesses, provided billions of dollars for K-12 education to get kids back in school, provided billions more for the development and distribution of a vaccine, and sent stimulus checks directly to millions of Americans.

Most of these spending bills were designed to provide targeted relief in order to shorten the pandemic and its effects, save American lives and American jobs, and allow us to return to normal life. To ensure these funds are being spent in accordance with those goals, please provide the following by May 10, 2021: 1.A complete list of each grant program funded by each agency and used to distribute funds authorized by any of the six COVID-19 response bills. 2. A complete list of each individual grant recipient over $1 million and the total amount received to date. 3 For grants funding specific programs:

a. The name of the program funded. b. The goal of the funding program. c. The metrics used to track progress toward that goal.

4 For grants intended to promote equity: a. The name of the program. b. The name of the recipient or sub-recipient. c. The equitable goal intended to be achieved. d. The metrics used to measure the success of that goal. 5. The total amount of money provided to each agency through any of six COVID-19 response bills. a. The amount of money in each program that has been allocated. b. The amount of money allocated for administrative costs. c. The amount of money in each program that is still available as of the date of this letter. 6. The amount of money provided to each agency through any of the six COVID-19 response bills for use in developing and purchasing the vaccine. a. The amount of money for this purpose that has been allocated. b. The amount of money for this purpose that is still available as of the date of this letter. 7. The amount of money provided to each agency through any of the six COVID-19 response bills for use in distributing and administering the vaccine. a. The amount of money for this purpose that has been allocated. b. The amount of money for this purpose that is still available as of the date of this letter. 8. The amount of money provided to each agency through any of the six COVID-19 response bills for use in developing or administering a COVID-19 test.

Edmond North’s StellarXplorers team is recognized as one of the best in the world.

North’s StellarXplorers excel in high-tech competition

By Eriech Tapia

The number crunching was out of this world as the Edmond North StellarXplorers team competed in the international competition vying to find the best solution for sending a satellite into space.

“You are in stiff competition all weekend,” said Aerospace Science Instructor Eric Weingaertner. “It is pure determination.”

The team was selected as one of the top ten teams from 211 worldwide. While none of the top ten teams ultimately found the best solution, being selected was an honor in itself.

“It is really cool to have these skills in high school,” said senior Alex Loney, who has a desire to study aerospace engineering at Purdue University this fall.

This is the second year for the StellarXplorers program at Edmond North. Additionally, the AFJROTC program has a cybersecurity and aeronautics program along with traditional activities.

“I was much older by the time I got the skills they have at their age,” said Ernie Sanchez, Edmond North AP Physics and Robotics teacher, who helps oversee the program. “We have a special group of students.”

The goal of the competition created by the Air Force Association changes each year but encompasses all aspects of system development and operation with a spacecraft and payload focus.

“You definitely have to have an interest in this,” said Edmond North Senior Michael Gaona, the student Cadet Wing Commander. “It does not get better or much more professional than this.”

StellarXplorers has been at Edmond North for two years and seven years overall.

Major corporations including Lockheed Martin and L3Harris, which see a future workforce in training, sponsor the StellarXplorers competitions.

The first day of the competition is an orientation day where students are given their mission. The next day they work on the solution. They spent eight hours crunching numbers, working with an online shareable spreadsheet to allow the team members to check each other's work consistently. Then the third day consists of the team creating a briefing on how they came to their conclusions.

“Some of the best ideas come from students,” Weingaertner said. “We just need to stop and listen.”

For Sanchez and Weingaertner, teaching life skills to the students like communication, collaboration and how to use a spreadsheet are areas of focus within the program.

The Edmond North AFJROTC program has around 150 students with multiple areas for students to explore their varying interests.

“We try to give the students as many options as possible in the AFJROTC program,” Weingaertner said.

Each year the students also set community and personal goals, including two service projects and raising the average GPA.

“It is incredible what these students can do,” Sanchez said.

To learn more about the AFJROTC programs at Edmond North go to www.north.edmondschools.net.