Oklahoma News
Alleging Stitt intervention, grand jury slams ‘reprehensible’ favoritism for Sara Polston: According to a multi-county grand jury report released Friday by Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s office, Gov. Kevin Stitt allegedly used his influence as the state’s top elected official to expedite the monitored release of Sara Polston, a “close personal friend” who served only 73 days of an eight-year prison sentence for a DUI crash that caused significant brain and bodily injuries to a 20-year-old woman. [NonDoc]
- Oklahoma grand jury finds 'rank political favoritism' in release of Stitt's friend after DUI [KOSU]
- Polston got TV perks, Chick-fil-A while in Cleveland County jail, report says [The Oklahoman]
- Sara Polston asked about pardon, special treatment in jailhouse calls [The Oklahoman]
- DUI felon gets Chick-fil-A, iPad, and more at Cleveland County Detention Center [KFOR]
- Stitt snared in controversy over inmate's early release [Tulsa World]
- Gov. Stitt defends role after Grand Jury report criticizes him over Sara Polston release [News 9]
- Oklahoma politicians decline to comment on Stitt scandal [The Oklahoman]
State Government News
Frustrations flare between House, Senate GOP leaders as legislative session nears end: Tensions between legislative leaders spilled out into the open this week, culminating in a House leader on Friday warning lawmakers could end up in a special session. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Paxton responds to critics of his choice to end Oklahoma Senate work early [KOSU]
- Oklahoma Senate refuses to hear more House bills [The Journal Record]
- "Nothing Crazy's Going On" [Monday Minute / NonDoc]
- Capitol Insider: The effort to adjourn the Oklahoma Legislature early gets complicated [KGOU]
Oklahoma Legislature’s proposed tobacco settlement power grab lacks support: A plan to ask voters to give lawmakers access to restricted funds earmarked to improve health appears to be dead. President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, said the Senate does not support House Joint Resolution 1077, which would have allowed lawmakers to spend $1 billion of public funds that voters locked in the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust Fund. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Effort to redirect $1B in tobacco settlement funds stalls in OK Senate [The Oklahoman]
Paycom CEO Chad Richison donates to OETA after Gov. Kevin Stitt's veto: A foundation created by Paycom founder and CEO Chad Richison announced Friday it is donating $500,000 to the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority in the wake of a veto for a funding extension by Gov. Kevin Stitt for the agency that broadcasts “Sesame Street,” “Antiques Roadshow” and highly acclaimed Ken Burns documentaries. [The Oklahoman]
- Richison Family Foundation gives $500k to OETA amid funding threats in Oklahoma [The Journal Record]
Legislative Roundup
- Stitt orders eligibility checks on those applying for food assistance, Medicaid [Tulsa World]
- Stitt Vetoes Bill to Strengthen Open Meetings Act Enforcement [Oklahoma Watch]
- Bill ensuring Oklahoma's federal milk compliance reaches last legislative hurdle [KOSU]
- Cellphone ban in schools to be permanent after Stitt signs law taking effect July 1 [Tulsa World]
- Political notebook: May 11, 2026 [Tulsa World]
Opinion: Most of us must show up to work. Why do Oklahoma lawmakers hold themselves to different standards?: If any Oklahoman decided to play hooky from work for three weeks, they’d be fired. If we decided to ignore the state’s compulsory education laws and let our kids accumulate three weeks of unexcused absences, we’d wind up in truancy court, facing fines or even imprisonment. So why, then, do House members think it’s acceptable to allow one of their own to miss over 300 votes and accumulate three weeks of unexcused absences? [Janelle Stecklein / Oklahoma Voice]
Federal Government News
Trump-appointed FEMA panel urges states should take the lead in disaster recovery: State governments should shoulder more of the cost and responsibility for natural disaster recovery, according to a report released Thursday by the Federal Emergency Management Agency review council. [Oklahoma Voice]
D.C. Digest: Mullin says deportations not slowing down "even a little bit": With the Trump administration under pressure from some immigration hardliners, Department of Homeland Security Director Markwayne Mullin assured Newsmax that the undocumented are still being rounded up and deported. [Tulsa World]
Voting and Election News
Hear from the Democratic candidates for Oklahoma governor: To assist readers in their decision-making process, The Oklahoman has asked the candidates running the primary election for information about their positions on various issues. [The Oklahoman]
What you can and can’t vote for in the June 16 Oklahoma primaries: All Oklahoma voters have decisions to make in the June 16 and Aug. 25 elections, but only members of political parties can make candidate choices. State questions appearing on the June and August ballots are eligible for every voter to have a say. [Tulsa Flyer]
‘Killing our vote’: GOP states rush to break up Black districts after US Supreme Court case: The day after the U.S. Supreme Court crippled the federal Voting Rights Act, NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson addressed a virtual gathering for the group’s members and supporters where he ranked the landmark decision alongside the court’s most infamous cases. [Oklahoma Voice]
Education News
OKC ministers group call charter school 'lifeline' amid closure calls: Members of a local ministers' group are urging the Statewide Charter School Board not to close a fledging charter school. In a news conference on Friday, May 8, the Concerned Clergy for Spiritual Renewal, along with members of the Baptist Ministerial Alliance, both groups of Black Oklahoma City metro area ministers, said they support Proud to Partner Leadership Academy as it fights to remain open. [The Oklahoman]
Tulsa Hamilton Elementary's student council wins national award, its third in three years: Hamilton Elementary School’s Student Council is one of three Oklahoma recipients of the National Association of Elementary School Principals’ Student Council School of Excellence award this year. [Tulsa World]
Universities urge precautions after Canvas access restored: A web-based class management platform is now back online after being targeted by a ransomware attack. Instructure, the parent company for Canvas, announced Friday that it has reinstated the platform after temporarily taking it offline while investigating a ransomware attack from a hacker group. [Tulsa World]
- Canvas back up after hackers force shutdown. Is my data still at risk? [The Oklahoman]
Big changes arrive July 1 for student borrowers, including in loan repayments: The federal student loan system is set to see a dramatic overhaul beginning this summer, and critics warn it likely will make loans more expensive and difficult to obtain for borrowers — driving them to private lenders or altering their plans for higher education. [Oklahoma Voice]
Health News
Health disparities study ranks Oklahoma near last in nation: A recently released study of racial and ethnic health disparities indicate Oklahoma's are not as wide as some other states', which would normally be considered good. The narrower gaps, though, are not because minority populations, for the most part, are better served than elsewhere. They're because Oklahoma's white population is doing worse than just about anyplace in America. [Tulsa World]
Justice System News
DA Vicki Behenna, Sheriff Tommie Johnson spar over OK County Jail transportation issue: Oklahoma County’s process for transporting detainees between the jail and the courthouse is beginning a transition today after a fierce Friday argument between District Attorney Vicki Behenna and Sheriff Tommie Johnson, who says his office has been underpaid for the service and that he needs to devote resources to securing the courthouse. [NonDoc]
- Oklahoma County DA, Sheriff clash at jail trust meeting [KFOR]
- Cadets train as situation, funding prospects improve at OK County jail [The Oklahoman]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
OKC sees modest drop in overall homeless population: Oklahoma City’s 2026 point-in-time count found homelessness declined by 1 percent in the city after several consecutive years of growth, leaders said during last week's State of Homelessness Address. [NonDoc]
Economy & Business News
Tulsa officials fret over loss of 1,400 childcare slots: Tulsa city councilors are worried about working parents in the wake of drastic childcare funding cuts, stricter regulations and rising costs. At this week’s Urban and Economic Development Committee meeting, councilors felt they should work out a plan to get ahead of the possible fallout from the loss of nearly 1,400 childcare slots in Tulsa County. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Trade War, Fertilizer Tariffs, Strait of Hormuz: How Global Events Are Crushing Oklahoma Farm Margins: Profits for Oklahoma farmers have remained low as they continuously face mounting financial pressures from trade disruptions with China, rising production costs, restrictive tariffs and instability from the Iran conflict. [Oklahoma Watch]
Community News
After ICE raids, immigrants are living in fear. How their neighbors are trying to help: The news of ICE raids has quieted in recent months, but many immigrants are still living with uncertainty. Here is a look at the people and organizations who are working to assist immigrants in their communities throughout the Midwest and Great Plains. [Harvest Media via KOSU]
