Oklahoma News
Judge temporarily blocks Trump administration freeze on broad swath of federal payments: A federal district judge ruled Tuesday the Trump administration must wait until at least next week before it can move forward with pausing federal spending on trillions in grants and loans, though she emphasized the short-term administrative stay might not continue after a Feb. 3 hearing. [Oklahoma Voice]
Rule requiring citizenship checks in Oklahoma schools passes state board vote: A proposed rule that would require schools to ask for proof of U.S. citizenship during enrollment unanimously passed the Oklahoma State Board of Education on Tuesday, sending the highly controversial proposal to the state Legislature. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma Board of Education advances rule requiring schools to check citizenship documentation at enrollment [KGOU]
- Amid protests, Oklahoma State Board of Education votes on immigration rule, others [The Oklahoman]
- Hundreds protest Ryan Walters' proposed citizenship rule: 'These children, they are not criminals' [The Oklahoman]
- Hundreds rally against Ryan Walters, ICE at protest outside OSBE meeting (photos) [The Oklahoman]
- Hundreds gather at state capitol building to protest against anti-immigration legislation (video) [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma Students Rally Against OSDE's Controversial Immigration Rule [The Black Wall Street Times]
- Amid new admin rule drama, Walters seeks proof of parents' citizenship [NonDoc]
- Legal experts say OSDE citizenship rule likely to face lawsuits [KFOR]
- Proposal requires parents to provide immigration status when enrolling students [The Journal Record]
- Ryan Walters wants parents' immigration status, not just students [Tulsa World]
- Education board votes to advance rule to ask immigration status of students, parents [The Oklahoman]
- Opinion: Let's not make our schools an immigration battleground [Jane Sutter / The Oklahoman]
- From OK Policy: Statement: All children have the fundamental right to an education
State Government News
Teacher pay raises, incentives among education bills proposed. Read the summaries of each: When sharing his vision for Oklahoma, Pugh said he wants to "get out of the way" of schools, students and parents. He said he wants to focus on getting schools the resources they need and then let them decide what will work best for them in their situations. [Tulsa World]
Oklahoma lawmakers will weigh death penalty moratorium, jail reforms: Oklahoma lawmakers are gearing up to debate a slate of criminal justice bills that could update the state's correctional policies, change treatment expectations for incompetent defendants, restructure the parole board and pause the death penalty. [KOSU]
Key issues to watch in Oklahoma's 2025 Legislative Session: Lawmakers will begin the 2025 Legislative Session in less than a week with bills to consider on teacher pay, tax cuts, homelessness and the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority. [The Journal Record]
Mike Sanders embraces his role as Oklahoma's chief broadband advocate: Sanders will take the federal government's investment and couple it with investments from private companies. It's a job, he said, he embraces — even if it may not be for the long-term. [The Oklahoman]
Opinion: A tax cut mostly helping the wealthy? Or better prisons? The choice ahead: This year, with new House and Senate leadership, the governor is pushing again for an income tax cut. But there are signs that the state's economy may not be quite as robust as it appeared to be last year, meaning there might be slightly less money coming in to cover appropriations. [William C. Wertz / The Oklahoman]
Federal Government News
Tom Cole 'doesn't have a problem' with White House aid pause: An Oklahoma representative is telling reporters he's okay with President Donald Trump's freeze on federal grants and funding streams. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Trump issues order prohibiting openly transgender service members in the military: President Donald Trump signed orders late Monday banning openly transgender service members from the U.S. military and suppressing any diversity initiatives, including prohibiting "un-American" concepts from military educational institutions. [Oklahoma Voice]
Voting and Election News
Listen Frontier: Gentner Drummond is running for Oklahoma Governor. Who might join him? (audio): On this episode of Listen Frontier, we talk with Republican political strategist A.J. Ferate about Drummond's announcement, what he needs to do to capitalize on his head start, and who else might enter the race. [The Frontier]
Education News
Nation's Report Card shows Oklahoma academic results are stagnant: Only 23% of fourth graders and 20% of eighth graders in Oklahoma performed at a proficient level in reading on the NAEP tests, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, which administers the assessments. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Nation's Report Card raises alarm about 'historically low' reading scores [Tulsa World]
OSBE suspends three Sperry educators' certificates: Without discussion or debate in open session, the board issued an emergency order to suspend the teaching certificates of Sperry High School Principal and Athletic Director Richard Akin, Sperry High School football coach Robert Park and Sperry High School teacher and assistant football coach John King. [Tulsa World]
Health News
National study ranks Oklahoma as one of the unhealthiest states in the US: Health and well-being in Oklahoma remain the 47th worst in the nation, according to an annual study released Tuesday. The state ranked in the bottom five in nearly all of the 2024 America's Health Rankings main measures of health: social and economic factors, physical environment, clinical care, behaviors and health outcomes. [Oklahoma Voice]
Oklahoma health officials monitoring tuberculosis cases amid Kansas outbreak: What to know: According to a release from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, public health officials reported 66 active cases and 79 latent infections in the Kansas City metro area, as of Jan. 17. In neighboring Oklahoma, officials are watching for any spikes in cases. [The Oklahoman]
Criminal Justice News
Would OKC police help ICE enforce immigration law, deportations? City manager speaks out: In 2019 during Trump's first term in office, then-OKC Police Chief Wade Gourley said he would not have officers arrest people based on immigration status; he said that doing so would fracture the relationship officers have with the communities they serve. More than five years later, however, the response is more nuanced. [The Oklahoman]
Lawmaker proposes help for rape victims to stay informed on their cases: Victims of sexual assault would be kept better informed of the status of police investigations of their cases under legislation proposed by a Broken Arrow lawmaker. [Tulsa World]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Long Story Short: Housing Insecurity Forcing Oklahoma Seniors To Move (audio): Heather Warlick highlights a growing trend of people feeling forced to move in their senior years. Keaton Ross talks about some notable criminal justice bills filed ahead of the upcoming legislative session. Jennifer Palmer covers the Ethics Commission's investigation into Superintendent Ryan Walters. [Oklahoma Watch]
Community News
Tulsa kicks off first-ever Lunar New Year celebration with performances, festivities: For the first time ever, the City of Tulsa will recognize and celebrate the Lunar New Year. Tulsa's first Lunar New Year celebration is from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday at 101 East Archer St. [Public Radio Tulsa]
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