Oklahoma News
Trump administration blocked from cutting off SNAP benefits as two judges issue orders: A federal judge in Boston ruled Friday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's plan to pause a food assistance program for 42 million people was illegal — but gave the Trump administration until Monday to respond to her finding before she decides on a motion to force the benefits be paid despite the ongoing government shutdown. [Oklahoma Voice]
- SNAP details are up in the air, despite court decisions and Oklahoma funds [KOSU]
- Families, retirees using food pantry worry about future as SNAP funding is uncertain [The Oklahoman]
- As U.S. Senate remains in gridlock, SNAP benefits suspended [NonDoc]
- Schools tackle food insecurity as SNAP benefits teeter [The Hill]
- Food stamp freeze: These resources could help if you lost your benefits [Tulsa Flyer]
- Are rural areas more likely to be harmed by reductions to SNAP? Yes. [Oklahoma Watch]
Oklahoma mom working without pay says shutdown has left her broke and exhausted: For one mother in Oklahoma, it's hard to fathom having to rely on her young adult children for financial support, but keeping up with rent and putting food on the table feels impossible without income. She hasn't received a paycheck in more than three weeks because of the federal government shutdown, and she was already living paycheck to paycheck before the Congressional stalemate. Still, working on a military base means she's required to go to work most days from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. [The Oklahoman]
'We're dealing with human lives.' OKC outreach teams, unhoused push on after Operation SAFE: Gov. Stitt first launched Operation SAFE in Tulsa, where troopers cleared hundreds of people from 64 encampments on state property. In Oklahoma City, troopers have targeted encampments around interstates and railroads. State troopers cleared 20 people from their living spaces during the sweeps. The 12 people who accepted shelter on Monday went to an emergency shelter, and case managers will work to get them into longer-term housing. [The Oklahoman]
State Government News
State officials plan to vote on sending $1M per week to Oklahoma food banks during shutdown: Oklahoma officials said late Friday that a vote will be held Monday to give $1 million per week to Oklahoma's food banks during the federal government shutdown, a fraction of what is needed. [Oklahoma Voice]
Oklahoma lawmakers hold interim study examining solutions for stabilizing municipal funding: Two Oklahoma senators from either side of the aisle are taking a closer look at how cities are funded and whether sales tax revenue can continue to support essential local services. Senator Christie Gillespie (R-Broken Arrow) and Senator Mark Mann (D-Oklahoma City) co-chaired an interim study in October to examine long-term solutions for stabilizing municipal funding across the state. [Fox 23]
Tulsa lawmakers author laws to benefit women, families: Women who represent Tulsa in the state Legislature authored several laws set to take effect Saturday designed to improve the health and well-being of women and families. [Tulsa World]
Roundup: OKDHS furloughs start, SQ 836 petition circulates, Guardian system (sort of) relaunches: Updates about Oklahoma's system for reporting and tracking campaign and lobbyist activity, court systems throughout the state — including how the government shutdown is affecting the federal judiciary — and the latest on a controversial state question initiative that would transform Oklahoma's primary system. [NonDoc]
Opinion: New Oklahoma health care laws are window dressing for a failing system lawmakers helped create: Oklahoma lawmakers' obsession with over-regulating our state's health care industry is destroying it. Thanks to their burdensome efforts thus far, we're officially a top 5 worst state for health care. We can't get doctors to work here. We can't get aspiring physicians to train here because we don't have enough residency slots. We have a shortage of nurses and other critical health care workers. Patients can't easily access what should be routine procedures. And we're one of the least healthy states in the nation. [Janelle Stecklein / Oklahoma Voice]
Federal Government News
Head Start programs are closing down as shutdown funding lapses grow: Democrats and advocates are warning about the growing consequences that the government shutdown will have on Head Start programs across the country. The program, which provides child care and nutritious meals to more than 700,000 families across the country, has already faced funding lapses that forced some programs to close completely and others to look for interim funding elsewhere. [The Journal Record]
D.C. Digest: Cole says House 'wasting time' waiting for Senate to resolve standoff: Fourth District Congressman Tom Cole and 5th District Congresswoman Stephanie Bice are among House Republicans who have expressed some degree of frustration with Speaker Mike Johnson's decision to keep them at home until the Senate breaks its continuing resolution impasse. [Tulsa World]
Opinion: I'm asking Congress to renew health-care subsidies: Today, I live with a blood cancer that requires ongoing treatment and frequent transfusions. I can no longer work a traditional full-time job, so I've built a consulting practice that allows me to continue doing what I love at a pace that matches my health. I'm proud of the work I've done and the impact it continues to make in this city and with the clients I serve. But here's the truth: even with all my experience, connections and determination, I'm one policy decision away from losing the health coverage that keeps me alive. [Shagah Zakerion / Tulsa World]
Tribal Nations News
Native communities scramble to provide food with SNAP, WIC cutoffs looming: American Indian and Alaska Native communities are scrambling to fill anticipated gaps in food security and assistance created by the lack of funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC, during the ongoing government shutdown. [Oklahoma Voice]
Oklahoma AG Drummond nixes prosecution of Indians hunting on tribal land: Attorneys general don't often get involved in misdemeanor hunting citations, but Oklahoma AG Gentner Drummond's intervention in a Pushmataha County case last week reaffirmed his position on the broader issue of tribal sovereignty. Drummond moved in district court to dismiss the charge of hunting without a license against Shawn Robertson, a Choctaw Nation citizen from Antlers. Drummond said he will take over and dismiss any further cases against tribal members charged with hunting on tribal land without a license. [Tulsa World]
Voting and Election News
State Question 836 Campaign Begins Gathering Signatures: Proponents of State Question 836 launched their signature gathering effort on Wednesday, with hopes of qualifying for the ballot in 2026. Supporters of the ballot initiative, which seeks to implement a top-two primary system where all candidates are placed on a single, nonpartisan ballot, will have until Jan. 26 to collect 172,993 signatures. Senate Bill 1027, which places several restrictions on signature gathering, won't apply to State Question 836. [Oklahoma Watch]
- Volunteers need 173K signatures to get open primaries on the ballot. Here's what that means for voters. [Tulsa Flyer]
Is there a November 2025 election in Oklahoma? See which counties are voting, what to know: Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, is Election Day, leaving many Oklahomans wondering whether there's anything on the ballot this week in our state. Not exactly. Oklahoma will hold elections two weeks later on Nov. 18, and only a handful of counties in the state will have items to vote on this month, ranging from mayoral elections to school propositions and sales tax. [The Oklahoman]
Tulsa mayor proposes Feb. 10 vote on city sales tax increase: Mayor Monroe Nichols will meet with city councilors Wednesday to discuss his proposal to call a Feb. 10 election to ask voters to approve a 0.7% increase in the city's sales tax rate as well as an increase in the city's hotel/motel tax. [Tulsa World]
Education News
Lindel Fields felt called to fill Ryan Walters' role. Now he's 'chipping away' at fixes: New state schools Superintendent Lindel Fields has served in his current role since Oct. 2, when Stitt appointed him to succeed Ryan Walters, a conservative firebrand who resigned Sept. 30. In a wide-ranging interview with The Oklahoman, Fields addressed why he agreed to serve the remaining 15 months of Walters' term, the status of Walters' often-controversial initiatives and his goals while in office. [The Oklahoman]
10K Tulsa kids get the chance to be CEO for the day. Soon, that number will grow: At JA BizTown, elementary schoolers run the show. Working as newspaper publishers, oil and gas engineers and nonprofit CEOs, these young leaders issue paychecks, promote their businesses and unwind from the workday with a little shopping — then head home on a school bus. [Tulsa Flyer]
Opinion: How I found my calling as a middle school teacher: Teaching puts a lot more into my soul than my bank account, but I've reached the point when what's most important to me is something other than serving a beautiful dinner to a well-heeled clientele. When kids grasp a concept or forge a new skill, and I have a hand in that? Well, I've never found anything more fulfilling in my entire life. [John Goodner / Tulsa World]
Opinion: 50 years ago we transformed education. Now, that progress is in jeopardy: Fifty years ago, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) transformed our nation's schools by guaranteeing that every child — no matter their disability — has the right to a public education. It was one of the most important civil rights victories in our country's history. But instead of celebrating this year, we find ourselves fighting to hold on to what generations of advocates worked so hard to build. Across Oklahoma and the nation, decades of hard-won disability rights are now at risk. [Lisa Kelly / Tulsa World]
Health News
Forecast bleak for mental health providers serving Tulsa area, across the state: Thousands of people in the Tulsa region who rely on the state for mental health care or substance abuse treatment will lose access to services — potentially soon — if officials don't do more than make budget cuts to resolve serious problems exposed this year at the mental health department, the executive director of the Healthy Minds Policy Institute said. [Tulsa World]
Opinion, Former U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts, Jr.: Failure to keep up on Medicare fees to doctors hurting Oklahomans: Oklahoma routinely sees some of the worst health outcomes when compared to other states. There are a number of reasons for this, but one is painfully clear: We don't have enough physicians to care for those in need. [J.C. Watts Jr. / The Oklahoman]
Criminal Justice News
State troopers to stop responding to most calls on interstate highways in city of Tulsa: Tulsa Police have started answering calls on interstate highways within the city limits under a new Oklahoma Highway Patrol policy that the attorney general said violates the "spirit of the law" governing OHP responsibilities. The new policy is revised from one originally announced in July after Attorney General Gentner Drummond said the agency was bound by law to patrol interstate highways in metropolitan areas. [Tulsa World]
Tulsa police aim to bridge the gap between the department, Latino community: The Tulsa Police Department's first Spanish Citizens Police Academy is designed to connect with the Latino community. Department leadership said they felt a widening gap with the community and developed the Spanish-language classes to turn things around. The classes covered many aspects of the police department, including how officers investigate crimes like homicides and domestic violence. [Tulsa Flyer]
A nonprofit will run OK County's new jail-related behavioral care center. Which of three?: Oklahoma County will not run its new jail-related Behavioral Care Center itself, and has narrowed its search for an operator to three nonprofits, two in Oklahoma and one in Georgia. [The Oklahoman]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Evictions Through the Lens of a Law Enforcement Officer: An Oklahoma County sheriff's deputy often finds herself as the bearer of bad news as she carries out evictions on behalf of the Oklahoma County Courthouse. Balancing serving her community, while at the same time evicting people can be tough, but Hopkins seeks every opportunity she can to ensure she's helping people. [Oklahoma Watch]
How does hope fly? One e-bike at a time as nonprofit's initiative prepares to hit the road: An Oklahoma City nonprofit seeks to help Oklahomans experiencing "transportation poverty." Upward Transitions plans to lease e-bikes — electric, battery-powered bikes — to clients in need of temporary transportation moved forward. [The Oklahoman]
Economy & Business News
Big Bets for America in Oklahoma City pairs capital with ideas to amplify impact: In an effort to address challenges related to health, AI, food and other quality-of-life factors in the Heartland, leaders in the public, private and non-profit sectors will converge in Oklahoma next week to announce initiatives they believe will spur change and move communities across America forward. [The Oklahoman]
Community News
A family without a country: They are legally in the U.S., but earlier this year, President Donald Trump ended the humanitarian parole program that gave them their status. Since then, the family has faced a legal and emotional rollercoaster as their case moves through the federal court system. [The Frontier]
'It's cruel and inhumane': Vigil outside Oklahoma jail honors lives lost in ICE custody: Community members and advocates gathered outside the Oklahoma County jail Thursday night for a candlelight vigil honoring people who have died while in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. [KOSU]
She started with a few sandwiches. Now a north Tulsa woman feeds dozens of people in need every week: Brandi Johnson is cooking meals for anyone who needs one. Her mission to feed people started about five years ago when she worked for the Salvation Army. One day, she saw a homeless man rummaging through trash cans at a convenience store. [The Oklahoma Eagle via Tulsa Flyer]
'She would be grateful.' New Clara Luper Plaza celebrates OKC history of courage, nonviolence: Oklahoma City added a new landmark of courage and hope Saturday morning with the dedication of the Clara Luper National Sit-In Memorial Plaza, located less than a mile south of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. [The Oklahoman]
