Oklahoman
A group of Black preachers and community leaders from the metro area said they walked away disappointed after a recent meeting with Gov. Kevin Stitt about a controversial critical race theory bill.
The Rev. A. Byron Coleman III, senior pastor of Fifth Street Baptist Church, said he and other ministers and leaders affiliated with predominantly Black congregations urged Stitt on Wednesday to veto House Bill 1775. HB 1775 moves us further from progress and reconciliation, the clergy leaders said in a news release.
The Rev. Derrick Scobey requested the meeting with the governor after a metro minister, the Rev. Tony Rhone, senior pastor of Galilee Baptist Church in Shawnee, asked him to see whether Stitt would be willing to discuss the bill in person.
A circuit court judge has vacated the results of the city of Tuscaloosa’s District 7 City Council results, clearing the path for a special election to determine who will hold this seat.
Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Robert S. Vance issued his decision Thursday, less than a week after final summary judgment arguments were submitted by attorneys for incumbent Councilor Sonya McKinstry and political newcomer Cassius Lanier, who won by 28 votes.
Days after her defeat, McKinstry filed a legal challenge to the election citing Lanier’s legal eligibility to hold the office based on his prior felony convictions and asked the court to name her the winner.