OKLAHOMA

Remains found in search for 1921 Tulsa massacre victims

OKLAHOMA CITY — At least 10 bodies were found Oct. 21 in an unmarked mass grave at a Tulsa cemetery where investigators are searching for the remains of victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, Oklahoma’s state archaeologist said.

Investigators found 10 wooden coffins containing what was initially presumed to be one person in each, state archaeologist Kary Stackelbeck said. She said further examination of the coffins and remains, which have not been removed, was needed.

Combined with one set of remains found nearby a day earlier, there have now been at least 11 bodies discovered, according to Stackelbeck.

University of Florida forensic anthropologist Phoebe Stubblefield, a descendent of a massacre survivor who is assisting in the search, said patience is needed before anyone can expect to know the identities of the remains or the cause of deaths.

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Stackelbeck said it was too early to say definitely that the remains are victims of the massacre, even though they were found near an area known as the “Original 18,” where funeral home records indicate massacre victims were buried.

Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum, who in 2018 proposed looking for victims of the violence and later budgeted $100,000 to fund it after previous searches failed to find victims, called the discovery significant in the city’s history.

The violence took place on May 31 and June 1, 1921, when a white mob attacked Tulsa’s Black Wall Street, killing an estimated 300 mostly Black people and wounding 800 more, while robbing and burning businesses, homes and churches.

UTAH

Rivals in governor’s race call for decency

SALT LAKE CITY — Rival candidates vying to become Utah’s next governor joined together in new ads Oct. 20 urging people to accept the results of the November elections and maintain decency with one another despite political differences.

Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican who is the heavy favorite to win the race in deeply conservative Utah, joined his Democratic challenger Chris Peterson appear side-by-side in ads that feature a lighthearted approach but a serious message as they aim to offer a counterweight to the divisive political climate of 2020.

In a tweet promoting the ads, Cox said, “We can disagree without hating each other” in a nod to Utah’s political climate where many try to strike a more cordial, compassionate tone rooted in the beliefs of the state’s predominant religion, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“Although we sit on different sides of the aisle, we are both committed to American civility and a peaceful transition of power,” Cox says in one ad.

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“We hope Utah will be an example to the nation,” responds Peterson, a University of Utah law professor.

“Because that is what our country is built on,” Cox responds.

The ads come after President Donald Trump has cast doubt on election results.

Trump is expected to win Utah again despite voters in the state being uncomfortable with his brash style and his comments about women and immigrants.

WYOMING

Treasure hunting charged in Yellowstone cemetery

CASPER — A Utah man faces felony charges resulting from alleged attempts to locate a famed treasure on the grounds of a cemetery in Yellowstone National Park.

Rodrick Dow Craythorn, 52, of Syracuse, Utah, was accused of digging in Fort Yellowstone Army Cemetery in northeast Wyoming while searching for the Forrest Fenn treasure.

Craythorn pleaded not guilty to charges of excavating or trafficking in archaeological resources and injury or depredation to U.S. property between October 1, 2019, and May 24. He’s set to stand trial Dec. 14.

The indictment alleges Craythorn caused more than $1,000 in damages to the cemetery.

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Fenn, a New Mexico art dealer, sparked a treasure hunt through several states after offering clues to a treasure he had hidden.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the treasure was located in an undisclosed Wyoming location in June.

People died while searching for Fenn’s treasure, while others had to be rescued from remote areas. An Indiana man searching for the treasure was rescued after climbing into the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone in December and was later banned from the park.

Fenn died in September at age 90.

NEW MEXICO

Diocese to cease Sunday Mass amid virus surge

ALBUQUERQUE — One of the oldest Roman Catholic dioceses in the United States will again be foregoing Sunday Mass indefinitely as New Mexico marks its latest surge of COVID-19 cases.

Archbishop John C. Wester is directing churches within the northern New Mexico diocese to cease regular Mass schedules after Oct. 25. He’s encouraging Masses to be streamed online or recorded so that they can be accessed by people at home. He’s also calling for funeral services and weddings to be delayed.

The guidance comes as state officials have been pushing people to stay home and adhere to the provisions of the amended public health order that took effect Oct. 23. That includes limiting retail hours and the temporary closure of businesses that the state determines are hot spots for the virus.

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Wester pointed to data that shows the demographics of COVID-19 cases migrating toward the younger ages and the uptick of hospitalizations, saying there are concerns about the state’s health care system reaching maximum capacity for treating patients.

“Combined with the perennial influenza season which is fast approaching and persons being in closer quarters during the winter, this portends a ‘perfect storm’ to form an extremely hazardous situation,” Wester said in a message to parishioners.

Wester did say there has been no significant increase in the number of cases within the Catholic schools that are part of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Under his guidance, schools may remain open in accordance with the judgment of the pastor, superintendent and principals.

KANSAS

Protest at school after student told to remove hijab

JUNCTION CITY — Officials at a Kansas high school are investigating after a student was told to remove her Islamic head scarf, known as a hijab, prompting other students to stage a demonstration.

A spokeswoman for the Geary County School District said officials are still determining details of the incident, but a student reported an employee at Junction City High School told her to remove the hijab on Oct. 20.

That prompted students to demonstrate outside the school the next day before classes started to protest religious discrimination. The demonstration ended without incident, and the students returned to class.

“We are proud that our students choose to stand up for what they believe is an injustice within their community,” spokeswoman Sacha Dent said in a statement.

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Dent said the Geary County School District does not tolerate bias or discrimination against students and requires “robust diversity training, active community engagement, and more education of different cultures and beliefs.”

The Kansas Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said in a statement that it welcomed the investigation by the school district.

“We will closely monitor the investigation, but strongly believe and demand that the Junction City High School and its school district must examine policies to determine if changes must be made to prevent such incidents in the future,” said CAIR-Kansas Board Chairman Moussa Elbayoumy.

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