BIA closures, Irish events, and BA filming incentive
VNN Weekly Digest Month February 24 - March 2
Here’s a look at the week’s top stories:
Twenty-five BIA offices to close – including the Osage Agency
(OSAGE RESERVATION) Twenty-five BIA offices across the country, which is over 27% of all BIA locations, will be shut down by late summer or early fall this year – including the Osage Agency in Pawhuska, which is set to close in September.
According to a Feb. 28 press release from U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) titled, “Trump, Musk Plan to Shutter Interior Offices Nationwide, Devastating Local Economies and Abandoning Tribes,” this is the latest attempt from the Department of Government Efficiency to reduce government spending.
Celebrating Irish American Heritage Month in Oklahoma
(OKLAHOMA) It’s officially the luckiest month of the year. The impact of Irish immigrants and Irish culture have been celebrated in the U.S. every March since 1991.
Oklahoma is no different. As of 2024, 9 percent of Oklahoma’s population claims Irish ancestry. .9 percent claim to be Scots Irish.
The Irish have had a strong presence in what is known as Oklahoma since the 1800s. According to the Oklahoma Historical Society, the forced relocation of the Five Civilized Tribes to Indian Territory also brought the Irish, as many mixed blood members had an Irish parent or spouse.
Broken Arrow offering new incentive to attract filmmakers
(OKLAHOMA) With Oklahoma becoming a popular place of late for filmmakers, Broken Arrow is looking to get into the act in a big way.
The Broken Arrow City Council approved a new $100,000 pilot film incentive program designed to attract film productions and drive economic growth in the city.
This decision comes after a recent economic impact study found that the state’s “Filmed in Oklahoma Act” has generated over $531 million in direct economic impact for the state since its inception in 2021.
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WEATHER ACROSS AMERICA
(NATIONAL) Critical Fire Weather Risk over portions of the Southwest to Southern High Plains, temperatures drop well below average across much of the Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, and unsettled weather expected across the West as a new Pacific storm system advances inland across the Intermountain Region and through the Rockies.
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