Briefs
Oklahoma Senate leader details plans to make state budget process more transparent
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma senators next year will not get their first glimpse of the proposed state budget mere hours or days before they’re expected to vote on the multibillion-dollar spending plan. Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, on Monday announced the Senate will take steps to make the budget process more transparent […]
Osage Nation member earns national award for dedication to improving Indigenous education
TOPEKA — An assistant professor of education leadership at Kansas State University and a citizen of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma earned a national human rights education award for work to improve Indigenous education. Alex Red Corn, executive director of the Kansas Association for Native American Education, was chosen by Human Rights Educators USA to […]
Launch of Oklahoma private school tax credit program delayed
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Tax Commission unexpectedly postponed the opening of the application window for $5,000-$7,500 private school tax credits. The Tax Commission announced the delay Thursday night, mere hours before families were meant to begin applying for the refundable tax credit program Friday morning. Instead, applicants can submit their forms starting at 2 […]
At U.S. Senate lunch, Rand Paul aids Joni Ernst in choking emergency
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst is doing okay after a fellow senator, Rand Paul of Kentucky, had to perform the Heimlich maneuver on the Iowa Republican when she choked on food during a closed-door GOP lunch Thursday. “Can’t help but choke on the woke policies Dems are forcing down our throats. Thanks, Dr. @RandPaul!,” […]
Agency finalizing rules for Oklahoma’s $215 million affordable housing program
New homes and rental properties could hit the Oklahoma market in the next two years if rules for a $215 million state-funded construction loan program are approved by the end of the year, officials said. The Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency, which will oversee the state’s new Housing Stability Program, is crafting rules to administer it. […]
Ransomware attacks force Oklahoma hospitals to divert emergency room patients
Oklahoma is among six states experiencing a temporary disruption to some hospital services after a ransomware attack against Ardent Health Services, a health care company based in Nashville. Ardent operates 30 hospitals, including those under Oklahoma’s Hillcrest HealthCare System. It’s investigating a ransomware attack it experienced on Nov. 23, and, according to a news release, […]
Oklahoma fundraising campaign hopes to wipe out over $76,000 in school lunch debt
OKLAHOMA CITY — A fundraiser aims to relieve more than $76,000 in lunch debt for Oklahoma students, as struggles with outstanding meal fees continue in schools. That total would cover overdue cafeteria bills from seven school districts across the state. The largest of them, Stillwater Public Schools, reported $37,003 in student lunch debt from the […]
ACLU launches effort to inform Kansans with felony records of their voting rights
TOPEKA — A leading Kansas civil rights organization says an estimated 30,000 people living in the state should be informed they have the right to vote. The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas launched a campaign to reach out to Kansans with felony records and encourage them to register to vote and to participate in […]
Audit dings Oklahoma Republican Party PAC for misreporting finances, election spending
OKLAHOMA CITY — A federal audit uncovered millions in misreported income and expenses for a political action committee associated with the Oklahoma Republican Party. A Federal Election Commission draft audit found the Oklahoma Leadership Council’s bank records did not match its federal campaign finance reports by nearly $2 million. The council is a federal PAC […]
Oklahoma AG clarifies exceptions for abortion patients and medical providers
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma’s attorney general said Tuesday that although state law prohibits most abortions, pregnant women cannot be punished for seeking out the procedure. In response to a request from six GOP lawmakers, Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued a formal opinion clarifying that state law does not allow for pregnant women — even those […]
Oklahoma State Chamber, Farm Bureau challenge effort to raise minimum wage
OKLAHOMA CITY — A proposed state question to raise Oklahoma’s hourly minimum wage to $15 faces its first legal challenge. The State Chamber of Oklahoma and Oklahoma Farm Bureau Legal Foundation asked the state’s high court on Monday to find the proposal unconstitutional for delegating state lawmakers’ power to officials at a federal agency. Proposed […]
Oklahoma Turnpike Authority goes back to drawing board as work resumes on $5B ACCESS plan
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority is rethinking its $5 billion turnpike expansion and improvement plans now that two lawsuits have been settled. The agency recently acquired $500 million in bonds that will allow it to resume engineering design work and property acquisitions, but will reprioritize the order of the projects, said agency spokesperson […]