Deadly tornadoes, severe storms hit the Heartland

Christian OU student flunked after calling gender ideology 'demonic'

By Jon Brown, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, December 03, 2025

A Christian pre-med student has gone viral in recent days for filing a religious discrimination complaint with the University of Oklahoma after a trans-identified teaching assistant allegedly flunked her for an essay stating that gender ideology is "demonic."

Samantha Fulnecky, a junior at the University of Oklahoma who is majoring in psychology, received a zero out of 25 for a 650-word opinion essay she was told to write in her "Lifespan Development" class in response to an article about social gender expectations, according to The Oklahoman.

According to a copy of her essay published by the local outlet, Fulnecky asserted that God created two distinct genders with different roles, and that the idea of changing one's gender is a satanic assault against that design.

"I strongly disagree with the idea from the article that encouraging acceptance of diverse gender expressions could improve students' confidence," she wrote. "Society pushing the lie that there are multiple genders and everyone should be what they want to be is demonic and severely harms American youth."

Graduate teaching assistant William "Mel" Curth, who uses "she/they" pronouns, took apparent offense at Fulnecky's claims in the essay, and was especially upset at her use of the word "demonic" to describe gender ideology.

"To call an entire group of people 'demonic' is highly offensive, especially a minoritized population," Curth reportedly wrote in an online grading portal.

"Please note that I am not deducting points because you have certain beliefs, but instead I am deducting point [sic] for you posting a reaction paper that does not answer the questions for this assignment, contradicts itself, heavily uses personal ideology over empirical evidence in a scientific class, and is at times offensive," Curth also said.

"I implore you [to] apply some more perspective and empathy in your work," Curth added.

SCOTUS silently preserves church-state boundary in Catholic charter school case, but won’t say how justices voted

Elura Nanos May 22nd, 2025, 12:34 pm



Members of the Supreme Court sit for a new group portrait following the addition of Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, at the Supreme Court building in Washington, Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. Bottom row, from left, Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts, Associate Justice Samuel Alito, and Associate Justice Elena Kagan. Top row, from left, Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

As some court watchers predicted, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 4-4 ruling Thursday that preserves the distinction between church and state — for the time being. Despite the eight participating justices having been vocal during oral arguments just three weeks ago, however, the Court issued its ruling without a single word of opinion, guidance, or information as to the lineup of votes.

“A robust Catholic education”

The case, stylized as Oklahoma Charter School Board v. Drummond, was a contentious one in which the justices heard several hours of exhaustive oral arguments over whether a virtual Catholic charter school has a right to operate despite Oklahoma’s requirement that its charter schools be nonreligious. The St. Isidore of Seville school — named for an unofficial patron saint of the internet — aims to provide a “robust Catholic education,” and is open to both Catholic and non-Catholic students. The school, which would operate entirely online, projected an initial enrollment of 500 students with the expectation of reaching 1,500 students by 2028, half from lower-income families.

Although Oklahoma’s charter school board initially approved St. Isidore’s application for the 2024-25 school year, Oklahoma’s Republican attorney general and current gubernatorial candidate, Gentner Drummond, opposed the school’s participation in the charter program on the grounds that under both Oklahoma law and the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution, all public schools in the state are required to be nonsectarian.

California bans travel to another state based on its 'discriminatory' LGBT

Oklahoma mother, daughter accused of incestuous marriage

A photo from Facebook shows Patricia Spann, 43, and her daughter Misty Spann, 25. Police said they were illegally married March 25.(FACEBOOK)

BY TOBIAS SALINGER

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Wednesday, September 7, 2016, 5:50 PM

A 43-year-old Oklahoma mother married her 25-year-old biological daughter in an incestuous act that could put them behind bars for a decade, police said.

Patricia Ann Spann and her daughter Misty Velvet Dawn Spann were wanted on charges of incest after a child welfare investigator who visited their Duncan home reported them to police, according to court documents obtained Wednesday by The Lawton Constitution.

Police in Southwest Oklahoma secured a warrant for their arrest Friday and later booked them into Stephens County jail on the felony charges, KFOR-TV reported.

The elder Spann has married both her daughter and one of her sons, marriage records in Comanche County showed. She listed her last name as “Clayton” in the March 25 marriage to Misty Spann, according to the marriage licenserecords.

Parents accused of sexually assaulting their two 4-year-olds

Yet she listed her name as “Patricia Ann Clayton Spann” in the 2008 marriage to Jody Spann Jr., according to the records. He filed for an annulment 15 months later, citing "incest" as the reason, investigators said.

Misty Spann, 25, is charged with incest. (STEPHENS CO SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT)

The state Department of Human Services Child Welfare Division investigator had inspected the Spanns' home in August, the court documents showed.

Patricia Spann told the social welfare worker she lost custody of her three kids to their father’s mother and fell out of contact for years, investigators said. She said she and her daughter “hit it off” when they reunited about two years ago, the documents showed.

Police said the mother and daughter admitted their biological relationship and wedding. Yet Patricia Spann told the child welfare worker she didn’t think they had violated any laws because her name is no longer listed on her daughter’s birth certificate, the Constitution reported.

Fla. man plotted to start ‘incest family’ with mom, girls

Investigators checked the certificate at Duncan Regional Hospital and found the elder Spann's signature on her daughter's original one, according to court records cited by The Duncan Banner. A more recent version showed the signature of Misty Spann's grandmother, investigators said.

Patricia Spann, 43, is also charged with incest. (STEPHENS CO SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT)

It wasn't immediately clear when they were arrested. Representatives for the Stephens County Sheriff's Office said no one was available to talk Wednesday night, and representatives for the Duncan Police Department, which led the investigation, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

A judge set the Spanns' bond at $10,000 on Wednesday afternoon and ordered them not to contact witnesses, the Banner reported.

Oklahoma incest laws prohibit blood relatives from getting married or having sex with each other. The felony charge carries up to 10 years behind bars.

With News Wire Services.

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Welby addresses gun culture in the US

by Tim Wyatt

Posted: 11 Apr 2014 @ 04:14






Reconciliation: Archbishop Welby told his audience to seek to pray with both victim and perpetrator (file photo)



THE Archbishop of Canterbury has urged the Episcopal Church in the United States to challenge a culture of violence by being reconcilers.

Speaking at a peace conference in Oklahoma on Thursday, Archbishop Welby said that the Church should neither pretend violence was not happening, nor be compromised by being drawn into it. Instead, he proposed a "prophetic response to violence which accepts the world as it is and seeks to bring redemption and salvation".

He told his audience at the Reclaiming the Gospel of Peace conference, in Oklahoma City, of how the provost of Coventry Cathedral had begun a reconciliation ministry, following the destruction of the cathedral and much of the town in German bombing raids during the Second World War.

Archbishop Welby worked as a canon at the cathedral for five years, and said it was essential to recognise the evil at the heart of humanity and how violence "damages the soul", if the Church wished to speak out against it.

"Reconciliation and an end to violence is something that can only be achieved by sacrifice and by a prophetic stand. There are no shortcuts and no cheap options."

Speaking of how the US Church should respond to violence, he cited the shooting in 2012 at Sandy Hook, where 20 children and six teachers had been killed at a primary school, as well as the bombing of a US government building in Oklahoma in 1995, which killed 168 people.

He acknowledged that, coming from a different culture in the UK, it would be "discourteous" for him to tell Americans what to think.

"What does [reconciliation] look like in the USA where there are people who are faithful Christians on all sides of the debate about guns?" he asked.

"What it does not mean is to shout louder from your corner in the conviction that you are right and everyone else is stupid. Rather, a Church committed to the reclaiming of the gospel of peace looks like those who join their enemies on their knees.

"Here in the USA you look at questions of gun law and violence. Perhaps part of the answer is not only advocacy, and that must happen, but being on knees together with the poorest and the most vulnerable in your local communities."

The Episcopal Church has been increasingly drawn into the national debate on guns in America in recent years. Earlier this year, the law in the state of Georgia was changed, making it possible for churchgoers to bring firearms into church for the first time.

Bishops and clerics expressed their discomfort with the idea of parishioners carrying weapons in the pews. In an open letter opposing the new law, the Bishops of Atlanta and Georgia, the Rt Revd Robert C. Wright and Scott Anson Benhase, remarked that supporters of the Bill "claim that if only the 'bad guys' have guns, then the 'good guys' cannot stop them.

"Our Christian faith has a more complex understanding of 'good guys' and 'bad guys'. Our biblical understanding of human sin informs us of this universal truth. This Bill solves nothing, and it only creates the potential for more gun violence, not less."

Separately, a group of more than 30 Episcopalian bishops have started a campaign to introduce stricter gun regulation.

Called Bishops Against Gun Violence, the group lobbies for expanding the system of background checks on those buying firearms, ensuring that guns are stored safely, and improving access to mental healthcare.

The three bishops who convened the group said: "We will no longer be silent while violence permeates our world, our society, our Church, our homes and ourselves. Our faith calls us to be ministers of reconciliation, to give voice to the voiceless and to strive for justice in the name of our Lord."

Full text of Archbishop Welby's speech here


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Massive Tornado Barrels Through Oklahoma City Suburb

 Block after block of Moore, Okla., lay in ruins Monday afternoon 

BY ASSOCIATED PRESS Updated May 20, 2013, 8:19 p.m. ET


http://weather.aol.com/2013/05/20/mile-wide-tornado-churns-through-oklahoma-city-suburbs/?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D316031

MOORE, Okla. (AP) -- A monstrous tornado as much as a mile wide roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods with winds up to 200 mph, setting buildings on fire and landing a direct blow on an elementary school.

The Oklahoma Medical Examiner's Office says 37 people have been killed. Spokeswoman Amy Elliott says the death toll is expected to rise. Elliott didn't know how many of those killed were children.

The storm laid waste to scores of buildings in Moore, south of the city. Block after block of the community lay in ruins, with heaps of debris piled up where homes used to be. Cars and trucks were left crumpled on the roadside.

WATCH LIVE: Weather Channel Coverage of Tornado Devastation

The National Weather Service issued an initial finding that the tornado was an EF-4 on the enhanced Fujita scale, the second most-powerful type of twister.

In video of the storm, the dark funnel cloud could be seen marching slowly across the green landscape. As it churned through the community, the twister scattered shards of wood, pieces of insulation, awnings, shingles and glass all over the streets.

Volunteers and first responders raced to search the debris for survivors.

At Plaza Towers Elementary School, the storm tore off the roof, knocked down walls and turned the playground into a mass of twisted plastic and metal.

Several children were pulled alive from the rubble. Rescue workers passed the survivors down a human chain to a triage center in the parking lot.

James Rushing, who lives across the street from the school, heard reports of the approaching tornado and ran to the school, where his 5-year-old foster son, Aiden, attends classes. Rushing believed he would be safer there.

"About two minutes after I got there, the school started coming apart," he said.

The students were placed in the restroom.

"There's no safe room in the school. There will be," said Rushing, who said his home was virtually destroyed.

Oklahoma City Police Capt. Dexter Nelson said downed power lines and open gas lines posed a risk in the aftermath of the system.

The same suburb was hit hard by a tornado in 1999. That storm had the distinction of producing the highest winds ever recorded near the earth's surface - 302 mph.

PHOTOS ON SKYE: Massive Tornado Devastation in Moore, Oklahoma



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Minor Earthquake Shakes Lincoln County

Posted: Feb 26, 2012 10:22 AM ESTUpdated: Feb 26, 2012 10:22 AM EST

posted by: Scott Montgomery

Lincoln County, OK -

A small earthquake shakes Lincoln County early Sunday morning.

KTUL.com has learned from the U.S. Geological Survey that a 2.6 magnitude earthquake was recorded at 3:15 a.m. Sunday, with an epicenter approximately eight miles south of Fallis, Oklahoma.

The earthquake was three miles in depth.

According to the Oklahoma Geological Survey, the 5.6 magnitude earthquake that struck Sparks on November 5, 2011, was the largest quake to hit Oklahoma in modern times.

There are no reports of damage at this time as a result of this earthquake.

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Oklahoma rattled by 5.6 earthquake Homes damaged and roads buckled by series of shocks including the biggest on record in US state

Homes damaged and roads buckled by series of shocks including the biggest on record in US state

Reuters in Oklahoma City
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 6 November 2011 02.20 EST

Oklahoma has been shaken by a series of earthquakes, culminating in a 5.6 magnitude quake that is the state's biggest on record. Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty

Earthquakes of up to 5.6 magnitude have shaken Oklahoma, damaging buildings and roads and sending a handful of people to hospital.

The first quake was recorded on Saturday morning at a magnitude of 4.7. The second came on Saturday night and is the largest recorded in Oklahoma, topping a tremor of 5.5 magnitude in 1952, according to the US Geological Survey.

In Prague, Oklahoma, where the first quake was centred, city manager Jim Greff said part of the town library's ceiling collapsed and a chimney fell through the roof of a home. There were no serious injuries.

The quake buckled highway 62 in three places west of Prague and sent a boulder "about the size of an SUV" tumbling onto a rural road in south-east Lincoln County, said Aaron Bennett, dispatch supervisor for the county's emergency management division.

The quake was felt more than 300 miles away in Kansas City, where it rattled windows and shook houses for half a minute.

The second quake was a shallow 3.1 miles (5 km) deep and centered four miles east of Sparks, east of Oklahoma City.

JL Gilbert, owner of the Sparks Vineyard and Winery, about four miles from the epicentre of the second quake, said it lasted "a good 30 seconds".

"It was a pretty good jolt. We're not used to this. We're used to being sucked up into the wind," he said, referring to Oklahoma's reputation as a tornado alley.

Earthquakes of a 4.0 magnitude east of the Rocky Mountains can typically be felt from up to 60 miles away, according to the USGS. A 5.5 magnitude quake can be felt up to 300 miles from its epicentre.

One of Gilbert's employees went to the hospital after tripping and hitting his head on a doorway while scrambling to get out of his home, Gilbert said.


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Earthquake, aftershocks felt across Oklahoma, region

Multiple earthquakes shook much of central Oklahoma early Saturday, rousing people from their sleep as far away as Kansas City, Mo.

FROM STAFF REPORTS
Published: November 5, 2011

A 4.7 magnitude earthquake rattled homes across central Oklahoma early Saturday morning.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the initial quake was centered about six miles north of Prague about 2:12 a.m.

That quake was followed by a series of aftershocks. A 3.4 magnitude aftershock was felt moments later followed by another 2.7 magnitude aftershock about five miles southeast of Sparks. Sparks is east of the metro area in Lincoln County.

And those aftershocks continued into this morning as a 3.6 magnitude quake struck about 8:36 a.m., also centered about two miles southeast of Sparks.

The National Weather Service in Norman said via its Facebook page the earthquake was felt in Norman and also as far away as weather offices in Topeka, Kansas and Pleasant Hill, Missouri.

There have been no reports of significant damage caused by the quake. According to OG&E's system watch page it did not cause power outages anywhere in that company's coverage area across the state. Oklahoma Natural Gas is not reporting any gas leaks or service outages.

Tom Foster was awakened in his southwest Oklahoma City home by what he believes was an aftershock.

"It was a little later than what they say was the initial quake so I think I felt one of the after shocks," he said. "The bigger quake didn't wake me up. But I know we've already had several phone calls from out of state relatives wondering what happened. I guess it's more interesting than anything that was dangerous."

Heather Spicer of Sapulpa said the quake woke her son and dog up.
"At first I thought and airplane had crashed nearby," she said. "But now I believe it was an earthquake because the whole house just kept vibrating with what sounded like distant thunder outside."

Matt Hoover of Perkins was wrapping birthday presents at 2:20 a.m. when he felt the quake. He thought the experience, his first with a quake, was exciting.

"The whole house started to shake and a low rumble could be heard throughout the house," he said. "It lasted about 20 seconds."

MULTIMEDIA

PHOTOview all photos

Earthquake, aftershocks felt across Oklahoma, region

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Raw Video: Tornado Kills 2 in Suburban OKC

Uploaded by AssociatedPress on May 24, 2011


An emergency official says a tornado has killed two people in suburban Oklahoma City as a line of severe thunderstorms moved across the state during the evening rush hour. (May 24)

Flash flooding strands dozens in Oklahoma City

This image made from video provided by KWTV shows a person stranded in a tree during flash flooding across the Oklahoma City area Monday, June 14, 2010. Flooding stranded motorists on their morning commutes Monday, prompting at least a half-dozen rescues and at least three interstate closures, authorities said. (AP Photo/KWTV)

By SEAN MURPHY (AP) – 19 minutes ago

OKLAHOMA CITY — Crews have rescued at least 50 motorists and residents after flash flooding washed-out roads and inundated neighborhoods in the Oklahoma City area.

One boat carrying three rescuers to aid a 17-year-old girl clinging to a tree Monday sank in swift-moving floodwaters on the city's north side. Deputy Fire Chief Marc Woodard says all four were rescued by a second boat.

No injuries were immediately reported.

Portions of three interstates and numerous thoroughfares in and out of the metro area were closed.

Weather service meteorologist Forrest Mitchell says the area received showers and thunderstorms almost continually for the better part of six hours Monday morning. More rain was expected later in the day.

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Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gQXtV8BrcW_eyr6m4cLARHEZxghgD9GB79V00

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Ice, snow chill southern Plains amid power outages

By TIM TALLEY Associated Press Writer © 2010 The Associated Press
Jan. 28, 2010, 9:22PM

Ben Woloszyn AP
A Stillwater, Okla. Firefighter walks around a rolled over Chevy pickup truck on the southbound side of Interstate 35 at the Oklahoma Highway 51 interchange on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010. No injuries were reported in the accident. (AP Photo/Stillwater NewsPress, Ben Woloszyn)

OKLAHOMA CITY — A powerful storm dumped snow, sleet and freezing rain on the southern Plains Thursday, disrupting power to thousands of homes and businesses, canceling flights and shutting down major highways across three states.

The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings through Friday for much of Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle.

Ice accumulations of more than one-half inch and high winds snapped electrical lines across Oklahoma, knocking out electrical power to tens of thousands of customers.

"In some places, as far you can see there are hundreds of utility poles on the ground," said Andrea Chancellor, spokeswoman for Public Service Company of Oklahoma.

"It could be five days for all customers who can take power to get power restored," she said.

Airlines canceled more than 100 flights at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City over concerns about icing on aircraft, spokeswoman Karen Carney said. She said additional flights will likely be canceled Friday morning.

Another 35 flights were canceled at Tulsa International Airport, said Alexis Higgins of the Tulsa Airport Authority.

Many flights in and out of Lubbock, Amarillo and Wichita Falls airports in Texas were canceled.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said a 50-mile stretch of Interstate 44 southwest of Oklahoma City was closed due to downed power lines in the roadway. Toppled power lines also forced the closure of a portion of Interstate 40 in far western Oklahoma.

In New Mexico, eastbound I-40 was closed from Tucumcari 40 miles east to the Texas state line because of snowpacked, icy conditions. Difficult driving conditions also were reported in the Santa Rosa area 60 miles west of Tucumcari, and snow was accumulating on I-40 east of Albuquerque.

The Texas Department of Transportation closed I-40 Thursday night from the New Mexico state line to the Texas-Oklahoma border. It also closed U.S. 87 and U.S. 287 from Amarillo north and U.S. 54 from the Texas-Oklahoma border to the New Mexico line after about 13 inches of snow accumulated in the northern Panhandle by nightfall.

In parts of West Texas, heavy snow and freezing precipitation downed tree limbs and power lines.

National Weather Service meteorologist Justin Weaver said the storm could generate up to 8 inches of snow in counties northwest of Lubbock.

The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said up to 12 inches of snow is likely in northwestern Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Panhandle. Freezing rain and sleet was forecast to turn to snow in central Oklahoma.

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Associated Press reporters Betsy Blaney in Lubbock, Texas, and Heather Clark in Albuquerque, N.M., contributed to this report.

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Source:http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/6841114.html

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Venezuela and Oklahoma Earthquakes Come on Heels of Earthquake in Haiti

by Jeffrey Martin
Member since:
September 6, 2006


Venezuela and Oklahoma Earthquakes Come on Heels of Earthquake in Haiti
January 16, 2010 12:49 AM EST (Updated: January 16, 2010 12:49 AM EST)


Earthquakes in Venezuela and Oklahoma came right on the heels of the earthquake in Haiti. The Venezuelan earthquake measured 5.6 on the Richter Scale. According to NPR, the earthquake hit near the coastal town of Carupano which is only about 800 miles from Port-au-Prince. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the epicenter of the quake was about 235 miles east of Caracas. Venezuela lies on the same Caribbean tectonic plat as Haiti. Power outages have been reported, but, amazingly, there have been no reports of damage or injuries.

Meanwhile, near Oklahoma City, a 4.0 earthquake was measured on Friday morning. The quake was centered in Jones City, about 17 miles from Oklahoma City. Earthquakes are considered rare for Oklahoma but this is actually the third earthquake to strike the same region this week. Geologist say that any quake below 5.0 on the Richter scale is considered a small earthquake and will do minor damage.












Source: http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977997164&grpId=3659174697244816&nav=Groupspace

Oklahoma City Bombing

http://chandrakantha.com/articles/indian_music/filmi_sangeet/media/1995_Oklahoma_City2.jpg

Oklahoma City Bombing
By Jennifer Rosenberg, About.com Guide

Historical Importance of the Oklahoma City Bombing:

The Oklahoma City bombing was the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil until the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attack.

Dates of the Oklahoma City Bombing:
9:02 a.m. on April 19, 1995

Also Known As: Oklahoma City Tragedy; Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building Bombing

Overview of the Oklahoma City Bombing:

On April 19, 1993, the standoff between the FBI and the Branch Davidian cult (led by David Koresh) at the Davidian compound in Waco, Texas ended in a fiery tragedy. When the FBI tried to end the standoff by gassing the complex, the entire compound went up in fire, claiming the lives of 75 followers, including many young children. The death toll was high and many people blamed the U.S. government for the tragedy. One such person was Timothy McVeigh.

McVeigh, angered by the Waco tragedy, decided to enact retribution to those he felt responsible -- the federal government, especially the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). In downtown Oklahoma City, the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building held numerous federal agency offices, including those of the ATF.

Planning his revenge for the second anniversary of the Waco disaster, McVeigh enlisted his friend Terry Nichols and several others to help him pull off his plan. In September 1994, McVeigh purchased large amounts of fertilizer (ammonium nitrate) and then stored it in a rented shed in Herington, Kansas. The ammonium nitrate was the main ingredient for the bomb. McVeigh and Nichols stole other supplies needed to complete the bomb from a quarry in Marion, Kansas.

On April 17, 1995, McVeigh rented a Ryder truck and then McVeigh and Nichols loaded the Ryder truck with approximately 5,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate fertilizer. On the morning of April 19th, McVeigh drove the Ryder truck to the Murrah Federal Building, lit the bomb's fuse, parked in front of the building, left the keys inside the truck and locked the door, then walked across the parking lot to an alley, then started to jog.

On the morning of April 19, 1995, most employees of the Murrah Federal Building had already arrived at work and children had already been dropped off at the daycare center when the huge explosion tore through the building at 9:02 a.m. Nearly the entire north face of the 9-story building was pulverized into dust and rubble.

In took weeks of sorting through debris to find the victims. In all, 168 people were killed in the explosion, which included 19 children. One nurse was also killed during the rescue operation.

Ninety minutes after the explosion, McVeigh was pulled over by a highway patrol officer for driving without a license plate but when the officer discovered that McVeigh had an unregistered gun, he arrested him on a firearms charge. Before McVeigh was released, his ties to the explosion were discovered. Unfortunately for McVeigh, almost all his purchases and rental agreements related to the bombing could be traced back to him after the explosion. On June 3, 1997, McVeigh was convicted of murder and conspiracy and on August 15, 1997 he was sentenced to death by lethal injection. On June 11, 2001, McVeigh was executed.

Nichols was brought in for questioning two days after the blast and then arrested for his role in McVeigh's plan. On December 24, 1997, a federal jury found Nichols guilty and on June 5, 1998 Nichols was sentenced to life in prison. In March 2004, Nichols went on trial for murder charges by the state of Oklahoma.

A third accomplice, Michael Fortier, who testified against McVeigh and Nichols, received a 12-year prison sentence and was fined $200,000 on May 27, 1998 for knowing about the plan but not informing authorities before the explosion.

What little remained of the Murrah Federal Building was demolished on May 23, 1995. In 2000, a memorial was built on the location to remember the tragedy of the Oklahoma City Bombing.

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Source:http://history1900s.about.com/cs/crimedisaster/p/okcitybombing.htm

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Pastors Warned After 'Horrific' Slaying

Photo (Courtesy)http://watchdogblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/08/hot-links-26.html

Pastors Warned After 'Horrific' Slaying
By SEAN MURPHY,
AP


posted: 18 HOURS 5 MINUTES AGO


ANADARKO, Okla. (Aug. 26) - Authorities warned pastors in a town where a preacher was brutally killed inside her own church that they should take precautions at their buildings, even as police refused to say exactly what happened.

District Attorney Bret Burns, who described the killing as "horrific," held a closed-door session with about two dozen pastors, along with members of law enforcement. Several pastors who were there said authorities did not discuss any facts of the case.


"We talked about security issues within their churches and their congregations," Burns said. "We asked them to remain vigilant and be aware of their surroundings and their church locations."
He did not say why the meeting was held just with pastors rather than the community at large, or what kind of a threat the clergy might face.

The body of 61-year-old Carol Daniels was found Sunday in the Christ Holy Sanctified Church in Anadarko. A preliminary autopsy found she died of "multiple sharp force injuries," but law enforcement declined to elaborate and have been tight-lipped about details of the crime or a possible motive.

Burns did not rule out the possibility that the killer specifically targeted a pastor or a church.
"There are a lot of things we're not prepared to rule out," he said. "I'm concerned about the nature of this crime. I'm concerned about the community."

No arrests have been made, and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation has offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

Tracy Schumpert, pastor of the town's First United Methodist Church where the meeting was held, met afterward with a worker from an alarm company.

"I think we'll take precautions," she said. "But I don't feel overly fearful.

"You want your church to be accessible, but you also are aware of what the world is like and you're aware of the people you minister to and take precautions."

Ben Sullivan, executive director of the Christian Center of Anadarko, which runs a soup kitchen and food pantry, said he's not fearful of another attack but plans to tighten security at his facility a few blocks away from where the killing happened. He said the center will probably close before dark and volunteers will work in pairs.

"We're always keeping our eyes open because of the work we do. We deal with people that aren't in the best of situations," he said.

Daniels, who lived in Oklahoma City, made the 60-mile drive to Anadarko every week, even though the small, weather-beaten church had no regular congregation.

On Wednesday, a makeshift memorial of stuffed animals, flowers and a candle stood at the front door of the church, where a sign with Daniels' name read: "God Loves You!"


Randalyn Holder, whose mother lives nearby, rode by the church on her bicycle and stopped to prop a small, wooden cross against the door.

"I never knew her or met her, but I think about the faith she had to come down here every week," she said.

Holder, who works at a local grocery store, said the killing has rattled residents of the town.
"You never hear about anything like that happening here," she said. "I'm not going to hide out or anything, but I'm going to make sure my door is locked at night."

2009-08-24 15:47:12
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Source: http://news.aol.com/article/pentecostal-pastor-carol-daniels-found/636172?icid=mainhtmlws-maindl4link3http%3A%2F%2Fnews.aol.com%2Farticle%2Fpentecostal-pastor-carol-daniels-found%2F636172

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