Survivor's release requested, strengthening sovereignty, and community conversations
VNN Weekly Digest March 31 - April 6
Here’s a look at the week’s top stories:
Lawyers argue survivor’s incarceration is “unlawful” following passage of Oklahoma Survivors’ Act
(OKLAHOMA) Following the lack of movement on the case of domestic violence survivor April Wilkens, her legal team filed a petition for a Writ of Habeas Corpus Ad Prosequendum to have her released on Friday.
Wilkens’s attorneys Colleen McCarty and Abby Gore of Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice requested the court:
- Set a hearing for argument and decision on their April 4 petition
- Have Wilkens transferred to Tulsa County for its argument, and
- If issued, have Wilkens placed on supervised release until her resentencing hearing
Officials discuss sovereignty on 19th anniversary of reformed government
(OSAGE RESERVATION) Leading officials from the Osage Nation voiced their thoughts on sovereignty here as the Nation enters its 19th year as a constitutional form of government and as the federal government undergoes changes and downsizing following the reelection of President Trump in January.
Officials from the Nation’s three government branches, including those who sit on the Nation’s various boards and commissions gathered on March 8 at the Tulsa Osage Hotel & Casino for a first-of-its-kind leadership assembly themed “Strengthening Sovereignty.”
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Mayor Nichols, City Leaders to Host Community Conversations Series in April, May
(OKLAHOMA) Mayor Monroe Nichols has announced a series of Community Conversations throughout Tulsa to give residents an opportunity to hear from the City and ask questions and engage in one-on-one discussions.
"Connecting with Tulsans is a priority for all of us at the City as we work to break down barriers and ensure that everyone feels like they have a voice at the table," Mayor Nichols said.
WEATHER ACROSS AMERICA
(NATIONAL) A lingering concern for heavy rainfall and flash flooding over the Southeast and Gulf Coast, severe weather concerns across portions of the Southeast, wintry weather with some accumulating snowfall expected around the Great Lakes and parts of the Northeast, and unsettled weather impacts the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies.
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