Do you want to know more about the jail?

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Oklahoma County Commissioner Carrie Blumert is communicating with constituents in new ways, taking to social media and regular emails to share news about county government. Elected just a year ago, Blumert represents an area that includes  Luther on the three-member county governing board. She posted a video update after Monday’s county commission meeting.

If you didn’t have 14 minutes to spend watching the video, here’s a recap:

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• Blumert invited District One residents who are qualified to run for a seat on the Oklahoma County Fair Board;
• She said commissioners are likely moving toward a vote to let county voters decide whether liquor stores can be open on Sundays. Tulsa County is already putting the issue on the March (presidential primary) ballot and could also be on the ballot that day in Oklahoma County as well.
• Blumert also talked about the Jail. Are you following what’s going on? If you’ve been around a while, you probably remember when that new Oklahoma County jail was opened around 1991. It was a disaster then! Something is finally being done about it. Finally. But not without resistance, and criticism on Twitter from members of the Sheriff’s Office.

Basically, the new jail trust is supposed to “take over” operations of the jail from the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff said he is out of there on January 1. There’s a lot to do before then, mostly come up with money to pay for everything and apparently let the employees know they won’t lose any vacation time or benefits.

Who’s on the jail trust making these decisions? You can’t find out on the Oklahoma County website.  The Oklahoman and other outlets like OKC Free Press have covered the transition since the trust was named earlier this year. The trust members include Todd Lamb who was the Lt. Governor and ran for governor, a former Oklahoma City Police Chief, the former OKC city manager, a public defender, the current sheriff and some others, led by Tricia Everest who chairs the trust and has worked in criminal justice reform. The new trust appointed a new director that Blumert talked about in her update.

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“He has spent entire career in corrections, not law enforcement,” said Blumert about new jail administrator Greg Williams who is an administrator with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections.

Would you like to know more about what’s going on at the jail and the county? Ideally, The Luther Register would cover it, particularly from an angle that affects eastern Oklahoma County residents. As we wind down on a very interesting, busy and dramatic year, we are reviewing and casting our plans to grow in coverage next year. What do you want to read about? Or hear about if we do some podcasting.

There are a lot of big stories we are working on. One is about what is going on at the Eastern Oklahoma County Partnership. It’s the group that is supposed to be working on economic development for us and the town pays $441 a month into the “effort.” What sort of effort has there really been for us?

Finally, welcome to our new advertiser, Luther Hardware and Lumber. Check out their ad, and the ads of other Luther businesses. Rates are reasonable if you want to start your own campaign, or just support your local news with a monthly investment.  Thanks.

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