Oklahoma News
Rural western Oklahoma coming together to keep families fed amid government shutdown: It's Day 36 of the government shutdown, and there is no end in sight. Nearly 700,000 Oklahomans who rely on SNAP benefits are now trying to find ways to help put food on the table after learning funds would not be sent out at the first of the month. Rural Oklahoma is where most of the state's SNAP recipients live. [KFOR]
State Government News
Oklahoma mental health agency won't be sanctioned for 'halting progress' with consent decree: A federal judge has rejected sanctions against Oklahoma's Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services for not fully complying with a consent decree. [KOSU]
- Federal judge rejects request for sanctions against Department of Mental Health [Tulsa World]
Policy differences may explain higher SNAP participation rate in Oklahoma: Oklahoma trails only three other states when it comes to the percentage of residents who receive SNAP benefits. That's bad news if it's considered only as evidence that Oklahoma is a high-poverty state. But it may also reflect that Oklahoma has done a better job than other states in making sure that people who are eligible for SNAP benefits are signed up. [Tulsa World]
Oklahoma utility regulators delay vote on OG&E's request to charge customers during new construction: The Oklahoma Corporation Commission deliberated Wednesday on Oklahoma Gas & Electric's case that would increase rates for customers before new projects are complete. [KOSU]
Lawmakers study incentive pay for teachers based on performance: Lawmakers are exploring ways to improve public education in Oklahoma by investing more in incentive pay for high-performing teachers. [Tulsa World]
Opinion, This Week in Oklahoma Politics: Food assistance funding, DHS employee furloughs, SQ836 signature gathering and more (podcast): The panelists talk about Gov. Kevin Stitt and legislative leaders approving $7 million from the state's emergency fund for food banks amid SNAP cuts and the federal shutdown, calls growing for a special session to provide even more food assistance funding and the state Department of Human Services furloughing employees as the shutdown reaches historic levels. Signature gathering begins for State Question 836 to open primaries to all voters regardless of party and a state lawmaker calling for the investigation of a former Department of Corrections director who worked out a deal with an artificial intelligence company and then to a job with the same company. [KOSU]
Opinion, State Rep. Trish Ranson: Why Oklahoma needs a Department of Early Childhood: There are several challenges facing Oklahoma children when it comes to care, health, education and support services. That is why I believe Oklahoma families and children would greatly benefit by creating an early childhood department. [State Rep. Trish Ranson / The Oklahoman]
Federal Government News
Trump administration ordered to pay full $9B in November SNAP benefits amid shutdown: A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration Thursday to pay roughly $9 billion for a full month of nutrition assistance benefits by the next day. Chief Judge John J. McConnell Jr., who was appointed by Democratic former President Barack Obama, said the administration blew its chance to choose to pay only partial benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, when it failed to release funds by a Wednesday deadline. [Oklahoma Voice]
- When will SNAP benefits be paid? What Oklahomans should know about partial payment, updates [The Oklahoman]
- Tulsa Public Schools families awaiting SNAP benefits can get $50 per child per week [Tulsa World]
- Photos: Food on the Move serves hundreds experiencing SNAP lapse [Tulsa World]
Trump tariffs undergo intense scrutiny from US Supreme Court justices: The U.S. Supreme Court during lengthy arguments Wednesday weighed whether President Donald Trump violated the Constitution when he became the first U.S. president to impose sweeping global tariffs under an economic emergency powers statute usually reserved to combat rare and unusual threats. [Oklahoma Voice]
Oklahoma City, Tulsa airports not on FAA's air traffic pullback list; 3,300 flights daily to be canceled: The 40 airports set to see a 10% reduction in flights during the government shutdown nearly matched the list of the nation's busiest airports, according to a preliminary list seen by States Newsroom, potentially leading to thousands of flight cancellations across the country. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Union representing FAA workers warns shutdown could lead to staff departures, cripple flight systems nationwide [KFOR]
- As flight cuts at major airports start today, Tulsa official urges checking with airlines [Tulsa World]
Tribal Nations News
New task force combines resources to address Missing Murdered Indigenous Peoples crisis in Oklahoma: Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced the launch of a task force dedicated to addressing the MMIP, or Missing Murdered Indigenous Peoples, crisis during the United Indian Nations of Oklahoma annual meeting on Thursday. [KOSU]
Voting and Election News
Ethics Commission weighs in on Oklahoma candidates' banking practices: Candidates for office may not need to close and open a bank account each election cycle, according to two draft opinions from the Oklahoma Ethics Commission. [Oklahoma Voice]
Education News
Private donation allows some Tulsa-area Head Start programs to reopen amid shutdown: C.A.R.D. Head Start programs are temporarily reopening in Broken Arrow and several other northeastern Oklahoma communities thanks to a private donation. [Tulsa Flyer]
Opinion: OSU has a problem bigger than the football team. It's too much secrecy: From the relocation of the public health lab to Stillwater, to the $41 million audit scandal that forced the resignation of Oklahoma State University President Kayse Shrum, to the recent arrest of a senior research administrator on child exploitation charges, the through-line is not just scandal. It is secrecy. And at the center of that secrecy lies a combination of legal maneuvering and legislative loopholes that have allowed OSU to distance itself from accountability while continuing to manage millions in taxpayer funds. [Vance Winningham / The Oklahoman]
Health News
Isolation, Illness and Guns: Why More Older Oklahomans Are Dying by Suicide: More older Americans are dying by gun suicide. The rate is particularly high in Oklahoma, and especially in rural counties. Pushmataha County in Oklahoma had a rate of gun suicide deaths among older adults higher than in any U.S. state, according to an analysis of detailed mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2009 to 2023. [Oklahoma Watch]
Criminal Justice News
A brother confessed to murder and got life without parole. Tremane Wood got death: Tremane Wood's case has become a flashpoint over the state's use of the death penalty as Gov. Kevin Stitt weighs whether to grant mercy. [The Frontier]
9 more individuals unearthed at Oaklawn could be 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre victims: Another round in the search for graves of 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre victims has concluded. Researchers held a media update Thursday to summarize their latest efforts. Remains of 80 more individuals were documented in Oaklawn Cemetery with nine meeting search criteria for exhumation. [Public Radio Tulsa]
- As fifth search for Tulsa Race Massacre victims ends, effort to identify victims begins [Tulsa Flyer]
- Latest Oaklawn Cemetery dig ends, maybe for the year [Tulsa World]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
'Helping to restore lives': Tiny home village for formerly homeless building a working farm: Eden Village is looking to restore its formerly homeless residents' dignity — one dozen fresh eggs, pint of blackberries or basket of fresh-grown okra at a time. The gated, tiny home community in west Tulsa operated by a nonprofit just got a huge infusion of cash to become more self-sustaining with the establishment of a new working farm. [Tulsa World]
Economy & Business News
OKC planners looking to throttle large data center noise, drain on water and power: With a "handful" of large data center developers looking at expanding into Oklahoma City, planning commissioners are looking to change the city's zoning and code statutes to address concerns about water resources, energy consumption and noise pollution. [The Oklahoman]
Workforce development among Tulsa Chamber's legislative priorities: Workers and workforce development ranked high among the state and federal legislative priorities set Wednesday by the Tulsa Regional Chamber of Commerce's OneVoice agenda. [Tulsa World]
Opinion: Cuts to renewable energy incentives will drive up consumer costs in Oklahoma: More than 40% of Oklahoma's energy generation comes from wind turbines and solar companies are showing increased interest in building projects in the state. Yet Oklahoma's position as a top-tier renewable energy producer may fade following the passage of President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill. [Mike Altshuler / Oklahoma Voice]
Community News
From protests to forums, Tulsa groups take different approaches to immigrant advocacy: Amid the Trump administration's campaign to deport people living in the country illegally, Tulsa groups are taking action on behalf of immigrants — though their strategies for doing so are very different. [Tulsa Flyer]
Opinion: If we give in to political fatigue, we will become cowards. Don't give up: I have friends who live in the netherworld of despair, disenchantment and discouragement. They view the partisan politics of chaos and throw up their hands, vowing to stop reading the news and stay off social media. But their cocoon of withdrawal comforts little. Reality seeps in around the edges. Most of all they feel powerless to contribute in any meaningful manner. [Jim T. Priest / The Oklahoman]
Editorial: Oklahoma City's new landmark attraction invites you to sit and think: The new Clara Luper sit-in plaza just opened in downtown Oklahoma City is destined to become just as much of a civic landmark as the Survivor Tree and other elements of the bombing memorial just a few blocks away. And rightly so. As Mayor David Holt noted in his remarks at the plaza's dedication on Nov. 1, Clara Luper's courageous leadership launched a significant and long overdue change of course for our city and our state. [The Oklahoman Editorial Board]
Local Headlines
- City of Tulsa touts clearing of homeless camp along Arkansas River [Public Radio Tulsa]
- Tulsa, Oklahoma City eye utility grace period for those impacted by federal shutdown [KGOU]
- Tulsans can request a grace period if they're struggling with utility bills during the shutdown [Tulsa Flyer]
- Gun buy-back event, launched after Saint Francis shootings, returns for fourth year [Tulsa World]
