state government
Unpaid tolls prevent thousands of Oklahomans from renewing vehicle registrations
OKLAHOMA CITY — Amanda Mayo was making what she thought was a routine visit to a tag agency to renew her husband’s vehicle registration when she discovered the account was locked. After waiting in line for 30 minutes one day in March, she learned she couldn’t renew the car tag due to more than $100 […]
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 […]
State retiree files legal challenge over Oklahoma’s bank boycott law
OKLAHOMA CITY — A retired state employee filed a lawsuit Monday to block the enforcement of a new law barring the state from working with banks deemed hostile to fossil fuel energy companies. Former Oklahoma Public Employees Association President Don Keenan alleges the law that targets financial institutions with environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies […]
Oklahoma schools turning to the new, old way of teaching students to read
In a classroom full of future teachers at Oklahoma State University, Robin Fuxa instructs her students to count sounds in words like “map” and “can,” by placing pennies on a corresponding chart. “Let’s look at ‘stop’,” Fuxa prompts. “Ss-tuh-ah-puh,” her students respond in unison. “Four,” they count and move four pennies into the sound boxes […]
Report: Oklahoma could lack power reliability if extreme winter weather hits
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahomans could face rolling blackouts if extreme weather rolls in this winter, a new report found. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s 2023 report listed Oklahoma and the central U.S. region’s power reliability at an elevated threat level if the extreme cold weather hits the region. NERC is a non-profit organization that […]
Report: Oklahoma to pay $3.3 million for Stitt’s tribal legal fees
OKLAHOMA CITY — As Gov. Kevin Stitt’s administration continues to clash with Oklahoma’s tribes in the courtroom, the state is paying his legal costs using gaming compliance fees from the tribes. The state will pay at least $3.3 million in legal fees associated with ongoing tribal disputes, according to a report issued by a legislative […]
Advocates urge lawmakers to ease barriers to affordable housing
Oklahoma could increase the number of affordable homes and rental units if lawmakers ease city building codes and fund new grant programs, advocates said. During the bipartisan interim study on Tuesday, affordable housing advocates called on lawmakers to lift city-imposed bans on manufactured housing, reign in rising insurance costs, and consider appropriating additional taxpayer funds […]
New technology helps Oklahoma officers, clinicians provide mental health care
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Deputy Gene Bradley stared down the reality that an armed man who threatened to end his life might die like so many others experiencing a mental health crisis. But on that fall day in 2021, Bradley had a tool that would make a difference – an iPad that quickly […]
New Oklahoma law extends marijuana business license moratorium until 2026
OKLAHOMA CITY — Lawmakers extended a moratorium on new medical marijuana business licenses for two more years as the state tries to get a handle on the exploding industry. A new state law extends a two-year pause on granting new cannabis licenses for dispensaries, growers and processors into a four-year moratorium. The pause does not […]
Oklahoma governor says China is buying up the state’s farmland. The data shows otherwise.
Saddling a horse on his family’s east Oklahoma ranch, Gov. Kevin Stitt told a Fox News reporter his state’s land was under threat from the Chinese “Communist Party.” Thousands of acres were being bought by China-based companies and individuals to build marijuana farms, if not for more nefarious purposes, the Republican governor said. “We pulled […]
Joe Manchin won’t seek reelection to U.S. Senate in 2024, will hit road to ‘unite the middle’
Flanked by two bald eagle statues and several American flags, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced Thursday that he will not seek reelection to the U.S. Senate. Instead, he said in the pre-recorded video, he will be touring the country in an effort to “unite the middle.” “I believe in my heart of hearts that I’ve […]
A lifeline: Free mental health hotline serves thousands of Oklahomans
A new free mental health hotline fielded tens of thousands of calls from Oklahomans during its first year. The national 988 hotline launched in Oklahoma in July 2022, and operators have answered 50,000 calls for help, reports from the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services show. The hotline is a federally funded […]