Tag: oklahoma

This Small-Town Couple Sells Affordable Caskets – the State Wants to Shut Them Down

Todd Collard and his wife, Candi Mentink have owned and operated Caskets of Honor for years, providing high-quality custom designs at an affordable price for grieving families. But their dream of helping people honor their loved ones slammed into a roadblock when Oklahoma’s regulators stepped in.

The business started in 2016 soon after Todd decided to build a casket for fun. It didn’t take long for this project to become a business idea — one that would set them on their journey to manufacture affordable caskets with custom designs for those who lost loved ones. “I just always thought it’d be really neat,” Todd told Townhall. “We’ve all been to funerals and seeing just the same old caskets over and over.”

He continued, saying he “just thought it’d be really cool to be able to create a tribute to somebody or a theme or anything that they like—hunting, fishing, golf, whatever,” and that he wanted to “just create something that is memorable.”

From their shop in Calvin, Oklahoma, Caskets of Honor the couple worked together to create these caskets. Todd handles the building and outside design of the box while Candi uses her sewing skills to create the interior of the casket. “I tell people I’m a perfect example of why they should put Home Economics back in school,” Candi said.

Buying a casket direct from the company benefits consumers because if they were to purchase one at a funeral home, they would be paying exorbitant prices due to markups. Caskets of Honor sells to its customers directly so they don’t have to deal with inflated prices.

At first, the couple sold to funeral homes. But they wished to sell to families, so they took their products to the Tulsa State Fair in 2021. Todd said their caskets were “the hit of the fair,” with many coming by their booth to see their caskets. They gave away over 2,000 business cards at the event.

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Oklahoma Governor Wants Voters To Revisit Medical Marijuana Legalization Law And ‘Shut It Down’

The Republican governor of Oklahoma says he wants voters to revisit the state’s medical marijuana law and “shut it down,” arguing that “liberal activists” conned the state and “opened up Pandora’s box’ with legalization.

During his State of the State address on Monday, Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) said his “top priority has always been keeping Oklahoma safe,” and one of the “greatest threats to public safety is the out-of-control marijuana industry.”

“When Oklahomans voted to legalize medical marijuana in 2018, we were sold a bill of goods,” he said. “Out of state liberal activists preyed on the compassionate nature of Oklahomans. Then, it opened up Pandora’s box.”

The governor complained that the state has “more dispensaries than we do pharmacies,” adding that marijuana retailers “hide an industry that enables cartel activity, human trafficking, and foreign influence in our state.”

While regulators and law enforcement have “done incredible work to hold back the tide of illegal activity,” Stitt said, the industry is “plagued by foreign criminal interests and bad actors, making it nearly impossible to rein in.”

“We can’t put a band-aid on a broken bone,” he said. “Knowing what we know, it’s time to let Oklahomans bring safety and sanity back to their neighborhoods. Send the marijuana issue back to the vote of the people and shut it down.”

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Oklahoma Gov. Stitt: Trump ‘Getting Bad Advice,’ We Can’t Deport Every Single Non-U.S. Citizen

Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Gov. Kevin Stitt (R-OK) said President Donald Trump is getting “bad advice” on his immigration policies.

Host Dana Bash said, “Are you comfortable with what the Trump administration is doing in Minnesota?

Stitt said, “Well, first off, this is a real tragedy. And I think the death of Americans, what we’re seeing on TV, it’s causing deep concerns over federal tactics and accountability.”

He added, “But now Americans are asking themselves, what is the endgame? What is the solution? And, you know, we believe in federalism and state rights, and nobody likes feds coming into their state. And so what’s the goal right now? Is it to deport every single non-U.S. citizen? I don’t think that’s what Americans want. We have to stop politicizing this. We need real solutions on immigration reform. And I believe that I’ve got a great solution that we should give the states the authority to do workforce permits.”

Bash said, “Are you saying that they should pull out of Minnesota?”

Stitt said, “Well, I think that the president has to answer that question. He is a dealmaker, and he’s getting bad advice right now. The president needs to let the American people know. What is the solution? How do we bring this to a conclusion? And I think only the president can answer that question because it’s complicated. We have to enforce federal laws. But we need to know what is the endgame. And I don’t think it’s to deport every single non-U.S. citizen.”

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Oklahoma University Trans Instructor Fired for Failing Christian Student’s Essay on Gender

University of Oklahoma student Samantha Fulnecky, a Christian, received a zero grade from transgender teaching assistant Mel Curth for not upholding a woke narrative for a paper on gender stereotypes.

Initially, the University removed Curth from the classroom. On Monday, they announced that Curth “will no longer have
instructional duties at the University.”

“A student’s claim of religious discrimination on an individual assignment in an online Psychology Course taught by a graduate teaching assistant has come to resolution.”

“As stated previously, the student followed two available processes at the University: the grade appeals process in the college and she made a formal claim of illegal religious discrimination.”

“As already announced, the grade appeal was decided in favor of the student, removing the assignment completely from the student’s total point value of the class, resulting in no academic harm to the student.”

“The claim for discrimination has been investigated and concluded. The University does not release findings from such investigations.”

“At the same time of the investigation, the Provost-the University’s highest ranking academic officer— and the academic Dean reviewed the full facts of the matter.”

“Based on an examination of the graduate teaching assistant’s prior grading standards and patterns, as well as the graduate teaching assistant’s own statements related to this matter, it was determined that the graduate teaching assistant was arbitrary in the grading of this specific paper.”

“The graduate teaching assistant will no longer have instructional duties at the University.”

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Executive Director of Black Lives Matter Oklahoma Charged with Wire Fraud and Money Laundering – 25 Counts Total – Facing DECADES in Prison

An executive director of Black Lives Matter Oklahoma was charged with wire fraud and money laundering.

A federal grand jury on December 3 returned a 25-count indictment against Tashella Sheri Amore Dickerson, 52.

Dickerson was charged with 20 counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering.

“On December 3, 2025, a federal Grand Jury returned a 25-count Indictment, charging Dickerson with 20 counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering. For each count of wire fraud, Dickerson faces up to 20 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $250,000. For each count of money laundering, Dickerson faces up to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the amount of the criminally derived property involved in the transaction,” the DOJ said.

According to the charging documents, Dickerson, through BLMOKC, raised more than $5.6 million, but rather than using the money to bail out George Floyd rioters, she used millions to fund her lavish lifestyle.

Federal prosecutors said Dickerson funneled over $3.5 million to her personal accounts and spent it on vacations, six properties in Oklahoma City, retail shopping, and food.

Per the DOJ:

A federal grand jury Indictment has been unsealed, charging TASHELLA SHERI AMORE DICKERSON, 52, of Oklahoma City, with wire fraud and money laundering, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

According to the Indictment, beginning in at least 2016, Dickerson served as the Executive Director of Black Lives Matter OKC (BLMOKC). As Executive Director, Dickerson had access to BLMOKC’s bank, PayPal, and Cash App accounts.

The Indictment alleges that, although BLMOKC was not a registered tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, it accepted charitable donations through its affiliation with the Alliance for Global Justice (AFGJ), based in Arizona. AFGJ served as a fiscal sponsor to BLMOKC and required BLMOKC to use its funds only as permitted by Section 501(c)(3). AFGJ also required BLMOKC to fully account upon request for the disbursement of all funds received and prohibited BLMOKC from using its funds to purchase real estate without AFGJ’s consent.

Beginning in late spring 2020, BLMOKC raised funds to support its social justice mission from online donors, as well as from national bail funds. In total, BLMOKC raised more than $5.6 million, which included grants from national bail funds, including the Community Justice Exchange, Massachusetts Bail Fund, and Minnesota Freedom Fund. Most of those funds were routed through AFGJ, as fiscal sponsor, to BLMOKC.

According to the Indictment, BLMOKC was supposed to use these national bail fund grants to post pretrial bail for individuals arrested in connection with protests for racial justice after the death of George Floyd. When bail funds were returned to BLMOKC, the national bail funds sometimes allowed BLMOKC to keep all or a portion of the grant funding to establish a revolving bail fund, or for BLMOKC’s social justice mission, as permitted by Section 501(c)(3).

Despite the stated purpose of the money raised, and the terms and conditions of the grants, the Indictment alleges that beginning in June 2020 and continuing through at least October 2025, Dickerson embezzled funds from BLMOKC’s accounts for her personal benefit. The Indictment alleges Dickerson deposited at least $3.15 million in returned bail checks into her personal accounts, rather than into BLMOKC’s accounts. Among other things, Dickerson then used these funds to pay for:

  • recreational travel to Jamaica and the Dominican Republic for herself and her associates;
  • tens of thousands of dollars in retail shopping;
  • at least $50,000 in food and grocery deliveries for herself and her children;
  • a personal vehicle registered in her name; and
  • six real properties in Oklahoma City deeded in her own name or in the name Equity International, LLC, an entity she exclusively controlled.

The Indictment further alleges that Dickerson used interstate wire communications to submit two false annual reports to AFGJ on behalf of BLMOKC. Dickerson reported that she had used BLMOKC funds only for tax-exempt purposes. She did not disclose that she used funds for her personal benefit.

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Oklahoma U student files discrimination report after flunking gender essay for psych class with trans instructor

A graduate assistant was removed from her position amid investigations into a contested discrimination report filed by a disgruntled student who repeatedly referenced the Bible in an essay response to an article about gender stereotypes — for a course taught by a transgender instructor.

In her essay, which was supposed to cover “how people are perceived based on societal expectations of gender,” University of Oklahoma student Samantha Fulnecky presented a biblically fueled tirade against the notion that there are multiple genders.

The psychology course’s professor, graduate student Mel Curth, who uses “she/they” pronouns, failed Fulnecky on the grounds that she neglected to address the prompt and relied more on “personal ideology” than “empirical evidence,” according to a bombshell thread shared by the university’s Turning Point USA chapter.

In the essay, Fulnecky repeats ad nauseam that she doesn’t take issue with gender stereotypes because “that is how God made us.” However, she neglected to cite the article she was responding to, save for a vague reference to “teasing as a way to enforce gender norms.”

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Student at Oklahoma State University Reprimanded For Wearing TPUSA Hat

According to Campus Reform, “A student says he was reprimanded by a staff member after paying tribute to Charlie Kirk at an Oklahoma State University Student Government Association meeting.”

The student making the allegations is OSU junior John Wilson.

Wilson, the president of the OSU debate society, spoke at the meeting on Sept.10th after Kirk’s murder and delivered a speech honoring Charlie.  He is also a member of the student government association.

In his memorial speech, Wilson said Charlie was a father, a husband, a devout Christian, and a shining light for so many,” and that his assassination was “horrendous and vile, just as political violence of any kind is.”

Wilson, like Charlie, called for peaceful dialogue.

The coordinator of the SGA program was not happy about this despite the peaceful words.

According to a recording obtained by the Oklahoma Council of Public, the coordinator confronted Wilson.

She stated, “As a person who doesn’t look like you and has not had the same lived experience as you, I have family who don’t look like you who are triggered — and I will be very candid with you — who are triggered by those hats and by that side.”

In addition, she told Wilson he should, “ask others who don’t look like you and have open conversations with anyone that has a different lived experience.”

Wilson rightfully responded, “Idea and conversation is what built this country, and it’s what should maintain it. And that’s what the hat was there for.”

Wilson also said that her “identity-related arguments were moot because he has Native American ancestry.”

Wilson further claimed that the SGA coordinator stated, “It cannot just be, ‘yes, but’ – cannot be every response that you give me. Otherwise, this year is going to be difficult for you.”

These allegations are extremely serious. A patriotic college student should not be forced to defend his political beliefs or clothes, nor should he be forced to defend his memorializing of Charlie Kirk.

We will see if the school disciplines the coordinator or apologizes to Wilson.

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OUTRAGEOUS: Oklahoma Teen Rapist Avoids Nearly 80-Year Sentence After Assaulting Two Girlfriends — Judge Grants Youthful Offender Status

The case of 18-year-old Jesse Mack Butler has ignited anger and accusations of systemic failure after a “sweetheart plea deal” allowed a young man facing what could have been nearly 80 years behind bars to avoid serious prison time.

In early 2024, Butler, then 17 and a student at Stillwater Public Schools, was charged with 11 counts, including rape, attempted rape, rape by instrumentation, sexual battery, forcible oral sodomy, strangulation, and domestic assault/battery by strangulation, KJRH reported.

The allegations spanned two high-school girlfriends, and court documents say one victim was left near death after being choked; another victim alleges she was strangled unconscious and that Butler even bragged he wanted to film the act, according to

Initially charged as an adult, the potential sentence at trial reportedly approached 78 years, according to KOCO News.

In a turn that has provoked outrage, Butler’s case was reclassified under Oklahoma’s “youthful offender” statute, effectively treating offenses committed as a minor with much lighter consequences.

He pleaded “no contest,” meaning he neither admitted guilt nor disputed the charges, under the deal.

While originally facing adult charges, that status change removed the possibility of a full prison sentence. The result: only one year of rehabilitation and community service in lieu of decades behind bars, the New York Post reported.

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Unhinged Oklahoma State University Professor Placed on Leave After Threatening and Reprimanding Student Who Spoke at Event Honoring Charlie Kirk

An Oklahoma State University student says he was reprimanded and threatened by a university staffer simply for wearing a Turning Point USA “47” hat while speaking in honor of Charlie Kirk.

Joshua Wilson, a junior and Senate University Chairman at OSU, says the confrontation came out of nowhere during a routine one-on-one meeting with a student government coordinator, News9 reported.

What started as a heartfelt tribute to Kirk, who was assassinated by a radical leftist, quickly devolved into a chilling lecture on “triggered” family members and veiled warnings about his future at the university.

Wilson said the hat, a white ball cap emblazoned with a gold “47” (for Donald Trump as the 47th President) and the Turning Point USA logo, wasn’t intended as a political statement.

He and a friend decided to speak briefly at a student government meeting to honor Charlie Kirk, who had visited the campus earlier this year as part of his Turning Point USA Campus Tour.

“Me and my friends were so distraught, but the first kind of thought that came to our mind was, ‘What do other students kind of think right now?” Wilson told News9. “If we’re this pained by it, if we’re worried about what may happen to us also, what are other students worried about?”

Donning their TPUSA hats, they stepped up to remind their peers that open dialogue, not censorship, is the bedrock of America.

“We thought, OK, we have our turning point hats, let’s go to student government and show our constituents they don’t have to be afraid to have a conversation and to speak about what they believe in, and that’s what we did,” Wilson said.

“It wasn’t something that was partisan. It wasn’t something that we were supporting Trump, you know, but it was a hat that symbolized that conversation is what built this country, what should maintain it.”

During the meeting, Wilson said his message was met with applause and support. No one, including the staff member who would later reprimand him, voiced any objections at the time.

“For me personally, it has nothing to do with partisan politics whatsoever, it’s just something I got at an event that meant a lot to me,” Wilson said.

“In that meeting, I hope that with the student government where I was giving my speech, I hope it was expressed that was not the issue, not partisan politics, but just the issue or the crux of the idea of why I brought the hat to campus was that students shouldn’t feel afraid, and we can go forward.”

A week later, Wilson said he was summoned to a private meeting by the staffer who had been present at his speech. He described feeling threatened and cornered.

During the meeting, which Wilson recorded and obtained by News9, the staffer admitted she was offended by his attire, saying:

“I have family who don’t look like you who are triggered by those hats and by that side.”

Wilson said he calmly explained that his hat was not about partisan politics, but about honoring free speech and the First Amendment. The staffer allegedly replied that if he “questioned that belief,” his year “might not be easy.”

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‘No Name Given’: Oklahoma nabs 125 illegal-immigrant drivers

State and federal law enforcement officials have arrested 125 illegal immigrants during a targeted enforcement action along Interstate 40 in western Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt announced today.

Under Operation Guardian, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP), in partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), encountered numerous commercial truck drivers operating with licenses issued by sanctuary states, including one individual whose New York commercial driver’s license (CDL) identified the individual as “No Name Given.”

“If New York wants to hand out CDLs to illegal immigrants with ‘No Name Given,’ that’s on them. The moment they cross into Oklahoma, they answer to our laws,” Stitt said. “I want to thank our troopers and ICE officials for their hard work. This is about keeping Oklahomans safe.”

During the Operation Guardian enforcement action, Stitt announced that law-enforcement officials apprehended more than 125 illegal immigrants from multiple countries, including India, Uzbekistan, China, Russia, Georgia, Turkey, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Mauritania.

In some self-proclaimed “sanctuary” states, local and state officials have actively taken steps to protect illegal immigrants from immigration enforcement, including through the issuance of driver’s licenses to people who entered the nation illegally.

That practice has come under fire since some of those drivers reportedly cannot read English and do not know U.S. traffic laws.

In August, three Americans were killed when an illegal immigrant semi-truck driver attempted an illegal U-turn on a Florida turnpike and caused a minivan to violently crash into the truck’s trailer.

The illegal alien was an Indian national who was granted a commercial driver’s license by California.

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