$40M falls short, teachers union says
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma lawmakers approved an additional $40 million for public schools Friday, but the head of the state's largest teachers union said it was going to take more than that to end a walkout that has led to five straight days of school closures.
Two bills approved by the state Senate -- one taxing certain Internet sales and another expanding tribal gambling -- will be sent to Gov. Mary Fallin, who will decide whether to sign the revenue-raising plans into law.
Oklahoma Education Association President Alicia Priest told teachers rallying at the Capitol that lawmakers must eliminate a capital gains tax exemption and the governor must veto a repeal of a proposed lodging tax to end the protests.
"We've always shown a road map forward, and the Legislature has had all the opportunities to make the votes and pass the funding," Priest said. "Everything is in their corner."
Some of Oklahoma's largest school districts have already canceled classes on Monday in anticipation of continued protests. Many teachers already are back at work, especially in rural communities where local boards didn't vote to shut down.
Senate Floor Leader Greg Treat, a key negotiator on the budget, said union leaders are shifting their focus.
"I'm not sure what their next set of demands will be," said Treat, a Republican.
Oklahoma is the second state where teachers have gone on strike this year. West Virginia teachers won a 5 percent pay increase after striking for nine days. That ignited protests in other Republican-led states, including Kentucky and Arizona.
Under fire, Texas lawmaker steps down
U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, a Texas Republican who was facing an ethics investigation after using taxpayer funds to settle a sexual harassment claim from a former staff member, abruptly resigned his seat Friday.
Farenthold had announced in December that he would not seek re-election and had appeared determined to serve out his fourth term in the House. But in a statement Friday he said that he had sent a letter to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, resigning his seat effective 5 p.m. Friday.
"While I planned on serving out the remainder of my term in Congress, I know in my heart it's time for me to move along and look for new ways to serve," he said in the statement, which offered no further rationale for his decision to immediately resign.
While Texas law allows the governor to call an emergency election to fill a vacant congressional seat, a Republican official familiar with the circumstances surrounding Farenthold's resignation said that no election will be held to fill the seat before November.
Farenthold publicly promised in December to repay taxpayers the $84,000 that was paid to his former communications director, Lauren Greene, who alleged in a 2014 lawsuit that he had discussed having sexual fantasies with her and that she was fired after she complained about his behavior.
Despite Farenthold's pledge, he has not made any payment to date.
Michigan to close bottled water sites
LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder announced Friday that the four remaining free bottled water stations in Flint are closing.
The statement comes with an update that the city's water has tested below the federal lead and copper limit of 15 parts per billion for about two years. The first three months of 2018 recorded levels of 4 parts per billion.
However, in a letter, Flint Mayor Karen Weaver urged state officials to keep the sites open. The state began closing them last summer.
Lead levels in Flint's water supply first dipped below the federal limit in 2016. On Thursday, Snyder released Flint from six years of state oversight.
Flint's water system was contaminated by lead in 2014 and 2015 because corrosive water from the Flint River wasn't properly treated before it entered the city's lead pipes.
Chicago suburb sued over firearms ban
DEERFIELD, Ill. -- The northern Chicago suburb of Deerfield is being sued after its village board voted unanimously to ban certain semi-automatic firearms.
The Illinois State Rifle Association, the Second Amendment Foundation and Deerfield resident Daniel Easterday filed the lawsuit Thursday in Lake County court. They say the ban infringes on citizens' right to acquire and keep firearms and is unenforceable because it is pre-empted by state law. They're asking for a permanent injunction and say the ordinance causes them irreparable harm.
The ban goes into effect June 13. Residents who don't remove banned weapons face a fine of $1,000 a day. The ban includes the military-style AR-15 rifle, which has been used in mass shootings.
The village said in a statement that it has received the lawsuit and "believes it has acted within its statutory authority."
A Section on 04/07/2018