Oklahoma News
Swadley fraud trial begins in OKC as questions swirl over pardon claim: Jurors at the fraud trial for the owner of Swadley's Bar-B-Q may hear testimony that he's claimed he has already talked with Gov. Kevin Stitt about a pardon. The trial is set to begin Monday, May 18, in Oklahoma County District Court. Both Swadley and the governor deny that they discussed a pardon. [The Oklahoman]
Oily sludge is flooding their dream home. Oklahoma regulators say they can’t help: The Merediths were forced to abandon their house after it filled with black goo, reaching gas concentrations at explosive levels. Despite evidence of oil and gas pollution, the state “wanted to act like it would go away,” the family says. [The Frontier]
Oklahoma ranks among the highest in the nation for utility shutoffs, federal report shows: Despite its modest population size, Oklahoma had the third highest number of electricity disconnections in the U.S. because of nonpayment in 2024. It fell behind Texas and Florida and leads Tennessee. [KGOU]
Study finds heavier storms mean less usable water. Why it matters for Oklahoma: New research shows that although the world is seeing more rain overall, it's also getting drier at the same time. How can that be? In simple terms, the world's rainfall is increasingly packed into bigger storms with longer dry spells in between. And a lot of rain all at once causes problems for overwhelmed soil. [The Oklahoman]
State Government News
Campaign Contribution May Have Scuttled Investment Advisory Bid: A campaign donation to Oklahoma Treasurer Todd Russ from the owner of an investment firm that won a state bid further complicated the state’s Invest in Oklahoma program and may have led to the firm pulling out of the process. [Oklahoma Watch]
Oklahoma Legislature repeals law that could have raised gas prices: Oklahoma lawmakers made a surprise move on the last day of the 2026 legislative session that they hope will keep gas prices at bay. Legislators voted to repeal what they described as an "outdated" provision in state law that would have automatically raised the state fuel tax if Congress suspended the federal gas tax. [The Oklahoman]
Legislature Sends Four State Questions to the Ballot: The Legislature adjourned sine die last week, but is counting on Oklahoma voters to approve several policies. Four legislatively-referred state questions will appear on the ballot in 2026: two in August and two in November. Voter approval is necessary when lawmakers seek to amend the state constitution. [Oklahoma Watch]
Oklahoma public television is under threat. What does that mean for viewers like you?: Oklahoma lawmakers failed to override a Gov. Kevin Stitt veto of a bill that would have extended the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority beyond July 1, 2026, as they hastily wrapped up the session on Thursday. [KOSU]
Oklahoma legislative session ends with wins, losses and GOP infighting: Some programs ultimately benefited from the cross-chamber disagreements, including Medicaid expansion and the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Fund. Republican leaders wanted to make substantial changes to how those programs operate but couldn’t garner enough support. People who currently benefit from those programs were some of the biggest winners of the legislative session. Here is a deeper look at some of the most notable winners — and losers — this session. [The Oklahoman]
- Legislature adjourns with a lot left undone [Tulsa World]
- Legislators tout session successes, note Medicaid, TSET setbacks [Tulsa World]
- Oklahoma Legislature adjourns early, leaving vetoes on the table [The Journal Record]
- Sine die: Oklahoma lawmakers wrap up the 2026 legislative session [Capitol Insider / KGOU]
Legislative Roundup
- Oklahoma lawmakers send hundreds of measures to governor [KOSU]
- Stitt considering special session to ban AI in political ads following News 4 investigation [KFOR]
- New Oklahoma law lets families request cold case reviews, update forensic methods [The Oklahoman]
- Legislative overhaul of cosmetology board dismantles Massage Therapy Advisory Board [Tulsa World]
- Oklahoma lawmakers fail to agree on residential wind setbacks [Oklahoma Voice]
- Third-grade retention for struggling readers: 5 things to know about new Oklahoma law [Tulsa World]
- Senate sends bill for student 'President Donald J. Trump Physical Fitness Test' to governor's desk [StateImpact Oklahoma via KOSU]
Opinion: An ode to Garth Brooks, courtesy of Oklahoma leaders’ ban on child marriage: Most Oklahomans likely realize with time that they’re completely different than they were when they were in high school, and it’s a no-brainer to require children to wait until at least 18 before they can legally say “I do.” After all, ours is a state whose leaders don’t let children divorce, vote, drink, smoke, serve on a jury, or enter into any contracts. Children often can’t even see a doctor without parental permission. [Janelle Stecklein / Oklahoma Voice]
Federal Government News
US House members scrutinize ‘big, beautiful’ law’s loan limits for nursing degrees: U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon took heat Thursday over forthcoming changes to the federal student loan system that will impose new borrowing limits for professional and graduate students. Lawmakers took specific aim at stricter loan caps set to be established for students pursuing advanced programs that do not fall under the department’s “professional” classification, such as nursing, teaching and social work. [Oklahoma Voice]
D.C. Digest: DHS continuing to take shape under Mullin's direction: Politico reported that while Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has improved DHS relations with Congress, there are still strains — especially in the Senate, where Kentucky Republican Rand Paul remains chairman of the committee overseeing the agency. Mullin, it may be remembered, referred to Paul as a "snake" while Paul called Mullin a liar during his confirmation hearing. [Tulsa World]
Tribal Nations News
‘Congress already drew the line’: Judge halts Henryetta’s prosecution of Indians: A federal judge Wednesday ordered the City of Henryetta to stop issuing and enforcing municipal criminal citations against Native Americans within city limits, ruling that federal law leaves no authority for the city to prosecute Indians in Indian Country. [NonDoc]
- Federal judge rules City of Henryetta cannot prosecute tribal citizens on Muscogee land [KOSU]
- Judge's order to block Henryetta from ticketing tribal members bucks precedent [Tulsa World]
Tribal roundup: Freedmen case closed, Osage election looms, Ponca and Kiowa results final: Nearly a year after the Muscogee Nation Supreme Court held the descendants of Freedmen — people of African descent held in slavery by Muscogee citizens before the end of the Civil War — are entitled to tribal citizenship under the nation’s Treaty of 1866, the court has closed the case and shut down hopes it would attempt to enforce its ruling. [NonDoc]
Voting and Election News
Everything you need to know about Oklahoma primaries on June 16: Primary elections in Oklahoma will be held Tuesday, June 16, 2026, and includes a wide variety of important races, including the governor and several major state positions. We've compiled everything you need to know about the elections, what you need to vote, and where each candidate stands here. [The Oklahoman]
- Political notebook: Republicans undecided on state superintendent [Tulsa World]
- The last day Oklahomans can register to vote in the primary is May 22. Visit the election board's OK Voter Portal for more information.
Republican hopefuls search for paths to victory in Congressional District 1: Of the 10 Republican candidates for the 1st Congressional District seat, seven appeared at Friday's Tulsa Republican Club meeting and an eighth sent a representative. Some of them barely mentioned Trump. Others pledged undying loyalty. All tried to make an argument strong enough to beat Trump's endorsement of Jackson Lahmeyer. [Tulsa World]
Oklahoma GOP race seen as a lock for Trump's pick draws big spending: Two Republicans running for lieutenant governor each say they have more than $300,000 to spend, but the newest candidate to enter the race — the state's chief operating officer — is claiming to have almost double that amount. [The Oklahoman]
Trump elections order would create chaotic ‘nightmare,’ Democrats and allies tell court: Democrats and advocacy groups urged a quick rejection of President Donald Trump’s latest executive order on compiling citizenship lists and creating traceable mail-in ballots in a federal court hearing Thursday. [Oklahoma Voice]
Education News
Rising diesel costs from Iran war strain US school budgets: Soaring diesel prices since the onset of the Iran war are draining already tight U.S. school district budgets, making it more expensive to bus students and run generators in a shock officials say they will not be able to afford for long. [Reuters]
Students complained about school meals. Now Tulsa Public Schools is ready to part ways with Aramark: Tulsa Public Schools is ending its partnership with an outside child nutrition contractor and bringing the program back in-house after students went to the school board to complain about their cafeteria meals. [The Oklahoma Eagle]
- Tulsa Public Schools announces plans to drop Aramark, bring child nutrition in-house [Tulsa World]
‘We deserve it, too, to be here’: Meet students, educators making a difference in Tulsa’s Hispanic community: The Greater Tulsa Area Hispanic/Latinx Affairs Commission presented its annual Tomás Rivera education awards Thursday night, recognizing high school seniors and local heroes who make a positive impact on the Hispanic/Latinx community. [Le Semana via Tulsa Flyer]
Health News
High ozone levels in OKC, Lawton could affect your health. Here's why: The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality issued an air quality alert on Thursday, May 14, for different parts of the state, including Oklahoma City and Lawton, according to the National Weather Service. [The Oklahoman]
- Air quality alert issued in OKC, raising health concern for sensitive groups [The Oklahoman]
Justice System News
‘Deeply troubling’: Feed the Kids faces inquiry as SEOK nonprofit battles OSDE in court: A brewing battle over alleged fraudulent activity by a southeast Oklahoma school nutrition nonprofit went public earlier this month after legal disputes in state and federal court have developed all year. [NonDoc]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Oklahoma City homes cost $89K more now than 10 years ago: Between 2016 and 2026, Oklahoma City’s median home price rose from $117,591 to $206,713, a gain of $89,121 and a 75.8% increase over the decade. By comparison, median household income in the city grew by 46.1% over a similar period, reaching $68,656 in 2024, meaning home prices outpaced earnings by nearly 30 percentage points. [The Journal Record]
Economy & Business News
Southern, midsized cities lead population gains between 2024 and 2025: Large, immigrant-rich cities saw population fall back between mid-2024 and mid-2025 after nation-leading increases the year before. Oklahoma City saw Oklahoma’s largest increase at .9%, while Enid saw the biggest decrease at-.5%. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Tulsa population stays flat as nearby cities see increase in residents, Census shows [Tulsa World]
Oklahomans use AI more but trust it less than national average: Oklahomans may be adopting artificial intelligence in the workplace at higher rates than the national average despite deep skepticism and distrust of AI. About 80% of Oklahomans use AI at work, while trust in workplace AI in Oklahoma is 67%, below the national average. [The Journal Record]
Opinion: I'm a banker. Inflation no longer fades easily: For much of the past decade, inflation was treated as a problem central banks could manage with interest rates and forward guidance. Supply shocks were considered temporary. Global trade smoothed price pressures. Now, that era is ending. [Steve Wyett / The Oklahoman]
Community News
Tulsa attorney represented massacre survivors in court. Now he’s making the case in a new book: Tulsa civil rights attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons is taking his fight for justice to the pages. In his new book, “Redeem a Nation: The Century-Long Battle to Restore the Soul of America,” Solomon-Simmons brings readers inside his journey to achieve it for the last survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. [The Oklahoma Eagle]
Opinion: Has inclusion been excluded in Oklahoma?: Disability exclusion in the United States is often explained as an unfortunate result of complexity or limited resources. In reality, it is neither accidental nor rare. It is structurally accepted, financially rationalized and culturally normalized, embedded so deeply in public spaces, service systems and employment practices that it quietly teaches us who public life is for. [Taylor Orebaugh / The Oklahoman]
Local Headlines
- Edmond City Council examining Arcadia Lake access after mass shooting [The Oklahoman]
- Tulsa mayor holds rare Sunday public meeting to discuss homelessness [Tulsa World]
- Tulsa Council votes unanimously to shift oversight of Greenwood development funds [Public Radio Tulsa]
- How Dreamland Tulsa founder Steph Simon gives back to the community that raised him [The Oklahoma Eagle]
- Next big vote for area data centers: Claremore [Tulsa World]
