Oklahoma News
Oklahoma Could Collect $175 Million Annually From Federal Immigration Enforcement Agreements: Oklahoma has built one of the most aggressive immigration enforcement infrastructures in the country, one that generates significant federal money for the state's law enforcement agencies, detention facilities, and local economies, regardless of whether those arrested are in the country legally. [Oklahoma Watch]
Six Navy suicides in one year at Tinker Air Force Base: Six U.S. Navy service members from one unit at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City died by suicide last year. The Frontier identified the service members using state medical examiner records and obituaries. The sailors ranged in age from 20 to 41. Some died within weeks of each other. [The Frontier]
Gov. Stitt meeting with President Trump as he mulls Senate pick: Gov. Kevin Stitt says he has met with President Donald Trump to discuss Oklahoma's soon-to-be open seat in the U.S. Senate. Stitt and Trump met on Thursday, March 12, in the nation's capital to talk about the "importance" of appointing a replacement for outgoing Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who is set to join Trump's Cabinet as secretary of Homeland Security. [The Oklahoman]
- Markwayne Mullin cabinet confirmation hearing scheduled for March 18 [KOSU]
State Government News
Oklahoma House cans employment bill seeking to expand marijuana usage ban: House lawmakers on Thursday defeated a measure that would give employers more leeway to fire individuals for using medical marijuana. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Grumpy House rejects workplace 'zero-tolerance' expansion for medical marijuana [Tulsa World]
Oklahoma AG challenges Jewish charter school vote: Attorney General Gentner Drummond again took a state board to court over its vote on a religious charter school. The Statewide Charter School Board on Monday rejected an application to open Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School because its curriculum would include religious teaching. Drummond alleged the vote was deliberately rigged to benefit the school's chances in court. [Oklahoma Voice]
Legislative Roundup
Opinion, This Week in Oklahoma Politics: Markwayne Mullin nomination, SQ836 fails, Jewish charter school and more (podcast): The panelists talk about the nomination of Senator Markwayne Mullin to lead the Department of Homeland Security, the political fallout with Mullin vacating his Senate seat and the failure of State Question 836 to open primaries in Oklahoma. The trio also discusses concerns from Attorney General Gentner Drummond after a board denies a second attempt to create a Jewish charter school and the governor's plans to use state funds to help unhoused individuals in Oklahoma City. [KOSU]
Opinion: Lawmakers launch full court press against OSSAA: Gov. Kevin Stitt and legislators tipped off the 2026 session with a full court press against … the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association? Yep, the OSSAA. The group that governs high school extracurricular activities. The group that is operated by its m-e-m-b-e-r schools. [Arnold Hamilton / The Journal Record]
Federal Government News
Long security lines start popping up at airports as TSA officers go without pay: Passengers at a handful of airports this week waited in hours-long security lines as the government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security dragged on. [Oklahoma Voice]
Tribal Nations News
Decolonizing prayer: Quapaw Nation offers online course to connect citizens with language, culture: The Quapaw Nation's language department created an eight-week program to help tribal members make their own personal prayers in Okáxpa. The virtual course is seen as a form of decolonizing prayer and an act of reclaiming culture and history. [KOSU]
Citizen Potawatomi Nation support transforms foster youth: As a young child, Samantha Masquat — a citizen of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation — was made a ward of the state, unable to remain in the care of her parents. Eventually, she was placed with her grandmother, with the CPN tribal court supervising her case. Masquat credits the Tribe's consistent presence in her life with increased confidence during her teens, especially as she approached aging out of foster care. [The Journal Record]
MCN roundup: Whitecloud wants AG DQ'd; ballot questions set, but Freedmen seek election injunction: Muscogee Nation courts have a busy month ahead of them as the criminal case against Rep. Robyn Whitecloud continues in district court, while attorneys representing Muscogee Freedmen Jeff Kennedy and Rhonda Grayson filed two separate motions in the nation's Supreme Court, including a request to delay the tribe's May 30 special election. [NonDoc]
Education News
TPS advocates push for $609 million bond package: Supporters of Tulsa Public Schools' upcoming bond election formally launched a campaign Thursday to encourage Tulsa voters to head to the polls on April 7. [Tulsa World]
Cheers fill Tulsa Public Schools classrooms as district announces Teacher of the Year finalists: At every campus, the scene was similar. As Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Ebony Johnson addressed the room, students, staff and families burst into applause. The teacher working inside quickly learned the reason behind her surprise visit — to congratulate them on being named one of five finalists for 2026 Teacher of the Year. [The Oklahoma Eagle]
- Tulsa Public Schools names Teacher of the Year finalists [Tulsa World]
Criminal Justice News
Jail trustee wants investigation of chairman over jail staff pay raises: Oklahoma County Jail Trustee the Rev. Derrick Scobey is calling for an investigation of trust Chairman Jim Holman's approval of pay raises for jail staff, and for Holman's resignation if he is conclusively found to have acted against the trust's express direction. [The Oklahoman]
Protective order may put more pressure on Myles Davidson to resign: An Oklahoma judge granted a three-year protective order against Oklahoma County County Commissioner Myles Davidson for a woman who accused him of sexual harassment and stalking. The judge's ruling could lead to Davidson's removal from office, which would impact the Board of County Commissioners and other county boards. [The Oklahoman]
Tulsa police's use of Flock cameras to investigate protest activity sparks debate: The Tulsa Police Department used Flock Safety cameras and automatic license plate readers to investigate protest activity throughout 2025, according to data collected by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit that advocates for privacy rights. Now, EFF's report is raising concerns of whether TPD's use was a violation of constitutional rights. [Tulsa Flyer]
Economy & Business News
Oklahoma doubled its solar energy capacity last year, report shows: A majority of new energy added to the grid in the U.S. came from solar installations, according to a new report. Oklahoma's capacity to generate solar energy jumped significantly last year, more than doubling the number of megawatts it can produce. [KOSU]
Video shows Amazon workers forced outside Oklahoma City warehouse as tornado warned storm approached: Multiple Amazon delivery drivers tell News 4 that management at an Oklahoma City warehouse had locked them and dozens of other drivers out of the building during a tornado warning Tuesday evening, capturing the entire thing on camera. [KFOR]
Metro woman represents self in trademark fight with DoorDash and wins: A months-long legal fight with the company DoorDash ended in favor of a metro woman. She took on the multi-billion-dollar company on her own when they opposed her request to trademark her therapy business by arguing its name was too similar to theirs. [KFOR]
Opinion: OKC can't let overreach hurt economic, community growth: Legislative decisions made at the Capitol, even those that may seem unrelated to economic development, can shape whether businesses invest, families relocate and graduates choose to stay. [Lori Dickinson Black / The Oklahoman]
Local Headlines
- Construction underway on four major Oklahoma City projects [The Oklahoman]
- Citing frustration with Tulsa Animal Services, residents ask for stricter enforcement [The Oklahoma Eagle]
