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STOOPS TEAMS WITH STATE TO SUPPORT CHILD SAFETY Voluntary program to help families find missing children with use of personal kits RICKY MARANON Assignment Editor
OKLAHOMA CITY — OU football head coach Bob Stoops is teaming up with Gov. Brad Henry and State Superintendent Sandy Garrett to back a new program to help find missing children. The National Child Identification Program is a voluntar y program designed to give families tools to identify
their children if they are lost or missing. “This is an easy way for parents to keep track of information that could someday save a child’s life,” Henry said. Statistics show that 800,000 children are reported missing every year, the governor said. “That means a child goes missing every 40 seconds,” Henry said. The state plans to launch the program, which is co-sponsored by the American Football Coaches Association, within the next 30 days.
“Coach Stoops brought the idea to my office, and through a federal grant, we are implementing this program,” Henry said. Many other football coaches have backed the program in other states, Stoops said. “We work with young people every day and it is important that we do everything we can to keep them safe,” Stoops said. A missing girl from Dallas was found in Phoenix with the help of a kit the girl’s parents had picked up at her school, said Bret Phillips, National Child Identification Program spokesman.
“In states where these programs exist, we’ve had many success stories,” he said. Garrett said the state will encourage parents to participate. “The program is purely voluntary, and parents will keep the information at home,” she said. Phillips said the kit’s contents will not expire or require replenishment, but the child’s photo should be updated as the child gets older. Henry said the government does not want to create a database that stores the information in the kit.
“The only time you will ever need to give this to a government official is if your child goes missing,” he said. The governor said the state received a portion of the Federal Safe School’s Grant, so state funds would not be used to purchase the kits. The federal grant allowed the state to purchase 360,000 kits for $300,000. “We hope that we will get 100 percent participation, but at this time, we only have enough for students who are currently enrolled in public school,” Henry STOOPS CONTINUES ON PAGE 2
RICKY MARANON/THE DAILY
OU football head coach Bob Stoops announces his support for a new child safety program. Stoops has partnered with Gov. Brad Henry and State Superintendent Sandy Garrett to help Oklahoma families protect children in kindergarten through sixth grade. Stoops, Henry and Garrett announced at a press conference Thursday that the new federally funded safety program will begin this month.
HENRY: TREASURER’S WORDS ‘IRRESPONSIBLE’ Lawmakers debate if federal stimulus money can be used toward state budget crisis RICKY MARANON Assignment Editor
OKLAHOMA CITY — State Treasurer Scott Meacham’s comments about political fighting surrounding the state’s budget are “irresponsible,” Gov. Brad Henry said Thursday. Meacham told the Associated Press on Wednesday that lawmakers are risking a veto on supplemental funding for education, prisons and health care if an agreement isn’t reached on the source of the funds. At the heart of the issue is whether federal stimulus money can be used to alleviate Oklahoma’s budget crisis. Meacham said Henry could potentially veto any bills that included federal money, rather than the governor’s proposal to use the state’s Rainy Day Fund. “Are they willing to do all that work and potentially have the governor veto it?” Meacham said. “The governor has proven
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in the past that if he feels something is not in the best interest of the state, he will veto it.” But Henry said using a veto has not come up as an option yet. “[The Republicans] have wanted me to supplement the spending of the Rainy Day Fund with stimulus money, but I have signed an agreement that would not permit me to do so,” Henry said. “Spending stimulus money would be a no-no.” The governor, who signed the agreement with the federal government, has said he’s concerned spending stimulus money in lieu of reserve funds could jeopardize the federal funding, which is critical to easing the state’s worst budget crisis since the Great Depression. One provision of the agreement, he said, stipulates that states not use the stimulus money to replenish, or as a substitute, for using reserve funds. B u t P re s i d e n t P ro -Te m Glenn Coffee said using federal stimulus money to boost funding for education would not constitute supplanting the VETO CONTINUES ON PAGE 2
Fishing team lands history-making catch Seniors use ‘strategy’ to net victory, six bass at national event last month CAROLINE PERRYMAN Daily Staff Writer
The OU bass fishing team recently won a national college fishing event with a catch that marked the biggest weigh in college fishing history.
Chip Porche, communications senior, and Mark Johnson, dental hygiene senior, helped win the National Guard FLW College Fishing Texas Division event at Falcon Lake on Saturday, Jan. 31, by catching six bass that weighed a combined 34 pounds, 8 ounces. From this victory, the OU bass fishing team brought home $5,000 for the university, Porche said. To compete in these tournaments,
the team members must use about $10,000 to $15,000 of their own money in addition to sponsors’ contributions. “We asked [UOSA] for $3,000 and we got maybe $300,” said Porche, who helped start the team. Porche said bass fishing is the fastest-growing sport, and while there were 50 universities competing four years ago, there are now about 300 competing.
FISHING CONTINUES ON PAGE 2
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OU bass fishing team members display its winnings from the National Guard FLW College Fishing Texas Division event.
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VOL. 95, NO. 96