Federal Health Care Windfall Meets Fiscal Warnings in Oklahoma
Oklahoma received $223 million in federal rural health grants even as Gov. Kevin Stitt warned against relying on unstable federal funding. The five-year Rural Health Transformation program could exceed $1 billion but arrives alongside looming Medicaid cuts and federal-state political tensions.
THE LATEST
Municipal Voters Encounter Scarce Access to Campaign Finance Records
Numerous municipal elections held on Feb. 10, including a mayoral race in Oklahoma City and city council elections in Norman,…
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Inside the ICE Detention System: How Oklahoma Facilities Use Legal Limbo to Pressure Deportations
ICE and private prison companies are rapidly expanding Oklahoma’s detention infrastructure as federal policy subjects most immigrants to mandatory detention…
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Oklahoma Becomes ICE Arrest Hub as Federal Policy Drives Enforcement Explosion
Oklahoma has become an ICE arrest hub after Gov. Kevin Stitt deputized state agencies and 28 local law enforcement agencies…
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Second Stillwater Teen Faces Rape Charges as Unequal Treatment Questions Mount
Payne County prosecutors are pursuing a sexual assault case against 18-year-old Canyn Porter differently than they handled Jesse Butler’s case…
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State Farm Denies Roof Claim of Agency Employee Dying of Cancer
State Farm denied a roof claim for Karen Powers, who spent nearly 40 years selling insurance for the company while…
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From Breakfast Burritos to Living Wages: How Oklahoma Is Fixing Attorney Deserts in Child Welfare Cases
Oklahoma’s Family Representation Advocacy Program expanded to 50 counties in February but needs $5.5 million more to reach all 77…
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Gubernatorial Candidates Rely on Personal Money to Launch Campaigns
Mike Mazzei, Charles McCall and Chip Keating have loaned themselves a combined $7.6 million ahead of the June 16 primary…
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Bill Would Let Churches Build Affordable Housing Without Zoning Restrictions
Senate Bill 1545, proposed by Sen. Julia Kirt, would make it easier for faith-based organizations to develop affordable housing on…
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Oklahoma’s Winter Storm Uri Lawsuits Coming Out Of Cold Storage
Oklahoma’s lawsuit accusing natural gas marketers of price manipulation during Winter Storm Uri could reach trial later this year, as…
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Lawmakers Wonder if State Farm is Writing Oklahoma Insurance Law
In May, Rep. Mark Tedford, R-Tulsa, presented a State Farm request bill on the floor of the Oklahoma House of…
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Oklahoma Farmers Face Uncertain Future as Comprehensive Farm Bill Splinters
Congress moved major farm programs into budget reconciliation instead of the traditional Farm Bill, leaving producers with a narrower legislative…
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OU-Tulsa School of Community Medicine Ends Contracts, Shutters Clinic
The University of Oklahoma-Tulsa School of Community Medicine is facing an $18 million deficit this fiscal year, prompting clinic closures…
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NEWSLETTERS
Lawmaker Asks Ethics Commission to Crack Down on Dark Money
A state lawmaker is asking the Oklahoma Ethics Commission to adopt more stringent reporting and disclosure requirements for groups that spend big money on elections. Rep. Meloyde Blancett, D-Tulsa, presented…
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First Watch: Stuff You Should Know
Oklahoma voters went to the polls on Feb. 10 for municipal elections without access to campaign finance records after the state’s new online filing system failed. The Ethics Commission terminated…
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Session Watch: Week Two
A couple of immigration-related items caught my eye this week at the Capitol. It turns out Oklahoma is making money, and losing some, off the federal government’s crackdown on immigration. …
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First Watch: Stuff You Should Know
ICE and private prison companies are rapidly expanding Oklahoma’s detention infrastructure as federal policy subjects most immigrants to mandatory detention without bond hearings. CoreCivic reopened the Diamondback facility in Watonga…
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