City of Norman

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Norman City Council voted to require that masks be worn indoors at house parties if more than 25 people are present to slow the spread of the coronavirus in the college town — a step that angry residents said would infringe on their rights.

The council voted 5-3 on Tuesday night in favor of the ordinance, which took effect immediately and expires Nov. 30, despite the objections of some locals.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — A group of citizens in Norman, Oklahoma, that was seeking to oust the mayor over her push to reallocate police funding has fallen short of the number of signatures needed to force a recall election, city officials said Monday.

City Clerk Brenda Hall said in a statement the group did gather enough signatures to force a recall election for City Council member Alison Patrone.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — A group of citizens in Oklahoma’s third-largest city has launched a petition drive seeking to oust half of the City Council and the mayor for cutting police funding, building on resentment over the mayor’s order requiring people to wear masks in public to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The City of Stillwater and the Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City are the latest entities in Oklahoma to require the wearing of masks in an attempt to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. 

The Stillwater City Council voted unanimously Thursday for an ordinance that requires face coverings to be worn in places like schools, churches, gyms, restaurants and bars, among others. 

The Norman City Council on Tuesday voted to approve a mandatory mask ordinance.

The measure passed 8-1 at the virtual meeting, and applies to public places including stores, retail establishments, houses of worship, among others.

"By God, if Texas can do it, then we can do it too," Mayor Breea Clark said before the motion passed. "Our residents are worth it."

"The lives of Norman residents are worth fighting for," Clark tweeted late Tuesday evening.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — An Oklahoma police officer will keep his job after being disciplined for responding to an email about department-issued coronavirus protective masks by sending racist images of people with white bags over their faces carrying torches, reminiscent of the Ku Klux Klan preparing to lynch black victims, officials said.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — An Oklahoma police officer will be disciplined for violating department policy when he responded to an email about coronavirus protective masks that were issued by sending racist images of people with white bags over their faces carrying torches, reminiscent of black victims being lynched by the Ku Klux Klan, a spokeswoman said Tuesday.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — An Oklahoma police officer is under investigation after responding to a departmental email about coronavirus protective masks that were issued by sending images of people with white bags over their faces carrying torches, reminiscent of lynchings of blacks by the Ku Klux Klan, his police chief said Tuesday.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — A social media post that called Norman Mayor Breea Clark a vulgar name and lamented that “politicians don’t get hung in public anymore” was not a direct threat to the mayor and is protected free speech, Cleveland County District Attorney Greg Mashburn said Friday.

Facing accusations of religious discrimination from Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter and U.S. Attorney Timothy Downing, Norman Mayor Breea Clark on Friday announced that she would amend the city's order meant to limit the spread of COVID-19 and allow places of worship to hold in-person services sooner than she originally intended.

City of Norman residents have been in touch with Attorney General Mike Hunter’s office about their mayor’s reopening plan because it delays in-person church services from resuming until May 15.