Oklahoma News
Oklahoma lawmakers appeal Corporation Commission's approval of OG&E rate increase: Three Republican lawmakers filed an appeal with the Oklahoma Supreme Court Dec. 19 in an effort to overturn an $127 million OG&E rate increase approved by the Corporation Commission. [Oklahoma Voice]
State Government News
Rural projects to be funded with REAP grants: Fifty-six projects submitted by towns in Southwest Oklahoma were awarded funding by the Association of South Central Oklahoma Governments (ASCOG) under its 2025 REAP Grant program. The $1,824,156 in projects funded by the Rural Economic Action Plan (REAP) grants range from storm sirens and street work, to communications upgrades in Cotton County and jail annex repairs in Tillman County. [The Lawton Constitution]
State funds to benefit Kendall Whittier, Sapulpa, other Main Street programs: The Oklahoma Department of Commerce announced funding on Jan. 2 that will advance Main Street program initiatives not just in Tulsa but also in Sapulpa and Muskogee, among other towns. The awards were the first-ever provided through a new Oklahoma Certified Main Street Incentive Program. In all, more than $830,000 was granted to nine Main Street communities. [Tulsa World]
Gov. Stitt's office: 'Classroom to Careers,' graduation requirement comments misconstrued: Gov. Kevin Stitt's office is pushing back after a quote it says was taken out of context later sparked false claims that Oklahoma students would have to attend college, a trade school or join the military to graduate. [The Oklahoman]
Senate bill renews push for sports betting in Oklahoma: Gov. Kevin Stitt doesn't have high hopes for reaching an agreement with the tribes to offer sports betting in the state before he terms out in 2026, but another push by the legislature to legalize it is underway in 2025. [The Journal Record]
Sen. Mann files 'Emergency to Permanency' bill: Sen. Mark Mann has filed Senate Bill 186 to assist Oklahoma's emergency certified teachers in earning permanent certification. [The Journal Record]
State lawmaker discusses his proposed rule changes for OK House of Representatives: The lawmaker said these rules represent the needs and complaints expressed by voters in northeast Oklahoma and focus on transparency, efficiency and divvying up powers away from House leadership. [FOX23]
Furloughed employee: Separate company owned by Canoo's CEO never paid Canoo millions it owed; spokesperson denies: Some furloughed and former Canoo employees are raising more concerns this week, this time having to do with Canoo's CEO and a separate company he owned, which they say never paid Canoo back millions of dollars it owed the electric vehicle manufacturer for making upgrades to a warehouse. [KFOR]
- New concerns over ownership of Canoo's warehouse (video) [KFOR]
Federal Government News
Biden signs bill expanding Social Security benefits for retired teachers, public employees: The new law eliminates the windfall elimination provision and government pension offset that for decades had reduced the amount some Americans receive in Social Security benefits. [Oklahoma Voice]
Opinion: Today's youth have only seen an ineffective Congress. Change is possible: Public trust in our nation's government has steadily declined, with Congress emerging as the number one least trusted part of American government. [Ian Gilliland / Tulsa World]
Tribal Nations News
Citing McGirt decision, Osage Nation wants federal court to acknowledge its reservation: The Osage Nation has asked a federal judge to vacate a 16-year-old decision that the tribe's reservation had been disestablished, citing the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the McGirt v. Oklahoma case. [The Oklahoman]
Otoe-Missouria Tribe: On the front lines of climate change: Protecting the sacred Encampment Grounds means ensuring the Otoe-Missouria Tribe's traditions and culture — which the U.S. government attempted to eradicate — remain on the same tracts of land as they had for more than a century. [KOSU]
Kiowa Tribe elder, spiritual leader walks on at 70: Phil Raymond "Joe Fish" Dupoint walked on Jan. 2 at age 70. Many in the Kiowa community remember the respected elder and spiritual leader for his work as the tribe's cultural preservation director and the principal singer for the Kiowa Black Leggings Warrior Society. [KOSU]
Oklahoma Court Rules Some Tribal Members Can Be Prosecuted In State Court: A Cherokee man is facing state charges for a DUI on Creek land, sparking debate over tribal sovereignty and jurisdiction. [NewsOn6]
Voting and Election News
Oklahoma open primary supporters refile petition to clarify issues: Supporters of open primaries have refiled their initiative petition to clarify some concerns. State Question 835 has been refiled as State Question 836. The new wording clarifies that the constitutional provisions do not impact the selection of presidential electors and ensures that the initiative only addresses the process for partisan primary elections at the state, county and federal levels. [Oklahoma Voice]
Education News
Edmond Board of Education votes to keep "The Glass Castle" in its high school libraries: The Edmond Board of Education voted unanimously to keep a book called "The Glass Castle" in their high school libraries. This decision comes despite Oklahoma State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters directing Edmond Public Schools (EPS) to remove the memoir from their district buildings. [FOX25]
Health News
At Tulsa's Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Martin Paulus brings cutting-edge neuroscience to Oklahoma: Since joining the Tulsa-based Laureate Institute for Brain Research in 2014, Dr. Martin Paulus has pursued new ways to leverage neuroscience to treat mental illness. LIBR's researchers all share a goal of identifying targetable causes of mental health problems and using neuroscience to develop treatments for them. [NonDoc]
Criminal Justice News
Tulsa police won't share the locations of more than 200 surveillance cameras: The city pays a private company more than $696,000 a year for the cameras, which read license plates and can track cars. [The Frontier]
Report on state, OKC police's poor response to behavioral health calls 'not surprising,' some say: "As expected." That is an advocacy firm's response to a U.S. Department of Justice report that the state of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma City Police Department have violated federal laws and unnecessarily institutionalized adults with behavioral health disabilities while officers engaged in discriminatory conduct. [The Oklahoman]
With way cleared for the county jail, OK County commissioners vote to drop lawsuit against OKC: Oklahoma County commissioners ceased fire Monday in their half-year legal fight with Oklahoma City over the location of a new county jail, voting to withdraw the county's lawsuit against the city. [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma senator proposes bills to ease driver's license access for former inmates: An Oklahoma lawmaker is looking to remove barriers to getting a driver's license for people getting out of prison. [KTUL]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Oklahoma winter shelters open up in wake of Arctic blast. Here's how to stay warm: Winter in Oklahoma has been warmer than usual, but thanks to a mass of Arctic air, temperatures are dropping. To support the state's homeless population during the winter, warming stations have opened up in more than 28 cities throughout Oklahoma. [KOSU]
Food pantry demand jumps 24%, opening of new homeless shelter delayed: A record number of people are homeless in the United States, and Oklahoma is also seeing a spike. According to data from the federal government, homelessness increased 18% across the state in 2024. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Economy & Business News
One of the largest startup hubs in the U.S. opens in Tulsa: The new 115,000-square-foot Gradient — formerly 36 Degrees North — facility at 15 N. Cheyenne Ave. is expected to welcome 1,500 to 2,000 people every day. The facility consolidates the nonprofit's three current locations into the former Oklahoma Tire and Supply Co., or OTASCO, building, built around 1925. [Tulsa World]
Community News
Opinion: Church attendance is shrinking. Masses at the Rother Shrine prove otherwise: At the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine in Oklahoma City, we are the recipients of giant Hispanic crowds who come to worship. The shrine was dedicated in February of 2023 in honor of Father Stanley, a missionary from Okarche, Oklahoma who was martyred in Guatemala in 1981. From the day of dedication until now those who have come to pray and give thanks have grown steadily. So much so, in fact, that finding enough mass times on Sundays to accommodate their needs have become a pressing concern for us as most of our Hispanic masses are standing-room only. [Father Don Wolf / The Oklahoman]
Local Headlines
- As part of beautification effort, city to erect 'Welcome to Tulsa' signs [Tulsa World]
- Sims plans to focus on Tulsa County levees, bridges as commissioner [Tulsa Public Radio]
