Hello, Verified News Community!
VNN’s Rocky Brown is here with your February News Byte.
We begin in Oklahoma, where the death of a non-binary high school student sparked national attention.
Many are calling for justice and accountability following the death of 16-year-old Nex Benedict, an Owasso High School student. The school district, law enforcement and tribal government have weighed in on the tragic case of Benedict, who died a day after they were beaten in a high school bathroom.
Their official cause of death has yet to be determined.
Osage Nation extended its tobacco compact for another year with the state of Oklahoma. The extension of this compact comes on the heels of the approval of compacts with the Chickasaw and Apache Tribes last month.
And in Muscogee Creek Nation, legislation that would have codified Same Sex Marriage failed to pass a subcommittee 1 to 3. There was only one vote in favor of the legislation.
In other Indigenous news, VNN announced a commitment to continue researching the Allotment Era history in Northeast Oklahoma.
February marked the 100th anniversary of the Indian Rights Association’s investigative report “Oklahoma’s Poor Rich Indians”, relating to the American Indian probate scandal many people still don’t know about. VNN Oklahoma will continue to research and report what transpired after that publication was released.
The Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office released new statistics about Domestic Violence Homicides this month.
The Oklahoma Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board reports while the number of homicides decreased slightly in 2022, they are substantially higher than they were prior to 2019.
In lighter news, VNN’s Cait Medearis reported on an Oregon State University professor’s work to help protect homes during wildfire season.
And in New York, Rocky had the pleasure of reporting on one of Binghamton's most successful nail techs, Kat Proctor, and her journey from renowned bartender to nail art favorite.
We also had some impactful stories out of the Great Lakes State this February.
A fundraiser was held for a local boutique that helps women leaving prison, domestic violence, and trafficking get the clothes they need.
And the founder of the West Michigan Networking group, SWAN, sat down with VNN’s Rachael Schuit to talk about the journey to creating the innovative group.
March is already shaping up to be a busy month here at VNN.
VNN’s first Citizen Journalism Project Cohort will wrap up and the students will be contributing their first stories. It has been a great group and we are looking forward to sharing their hard work with you all.
It will also be time for the Oscars! So, make sure to stay tuned for an exciting event in collaboration with our partners at Osage News.
Find more news from our VNN collaborators in the VNN News Feed, on our YouTube channel, and by signing up for our free email news and updates.
Thanks for being part of our Verified News Community. We’ll see you next month!