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In The Know is your daily briefing on Oklahoma policy-related news. OK Policy encourages the support of Oklahoma’s state and local media, which are vital to an informed citizenry. Inclusion of a story does not necessarily mean endorsement by the Oklahoma Policy Institute. Some stories included here are behind paywall or require subscription. Subscribe to In The Know and see past editions.
New from OK Policy
Three things needed to reform education in Oklahoma (Capitol Update): A group of education leaders and others from across the state are organizing an effort to improve Oklahoma’s schools under the name Advance Oklahoma’s Kids. They are gathering input through a short online survey, community forums, and listening sessions to develop a policy agenda they’re calling Better Outcomes for Oklahoma’s Schools, or BOOK, that harkens back to the 1990 education reform package known as House Bill 1017. [Steve Lewis / Capitol Update]
Oklahoma News
Lawsuit alleges Walters’ ‘political distractions,’ agency downsizing kept it from adequately investigating bullying: State Superintendent Ryan Walters, the State Board of Education and the State Department of Education are named in a lawsuit alleging state anti-bullying laws were not adequately enforced. [KOSU]
Pagan prayer before Tulsa City Council meeting riles up Gov. Stitt, Ryan Walters: The people behind the invocation before last week’s Tulsa’s City Council meeting would like Gov. Kevin Stitt, State Superintendent Ryan Walters and other state officials who are in a tizzy over the prayer to know that it had nothing to do with Satan. [Tulsa World]
State Government News
Tax cuts, ingredient bans: The new proposed laws filed in Oklahoma: Oklahoma lawmakers want to cut personal income taxes, ban certain ingredients from food and drinks and place new requirements on where wind turbines can be built. Those ideas and others are among the earliest bills proposed for the 2025 legislative session. [The Oklahoman]
Federal Government News
Fred R. Harris, former Oklahoma U.S. senator and presidential hopeful, dies at 94: For one white-hot decade, Fred R. Harris was arguably the brightest light in Oklahoma politics. Born to a dirt-poor family in a two-room farmhouse near Walters, south of Lawton, he was elected to the Oklahoma Senate at 26 and the U.S. Senate at 33 and almost became the Democratic vice presidential nominee at 37. [Tulsa World]
- Oklahoma Democrats mourn Fred Harris, former US senator and presidential candidate [AP via The Journal Record]
Opinion: As reality stars take center stage in Trump cabinet, Oklahomans will have to think critically: Recent political events seem to be persuading many adults that we need to do a much better job of controlling – and not being controlled by – our cell phones and social media. Given that we have just elected a president who was a pioneer in “reality television,” we need to learn how to not be swept up by this medium. [John Thompson / Oklahoma Voice]
Tribal Nations News
Plan to return St. Louis mound to Osage Nation progresses: The city of St. Louis, the Osage Nation and the nonprofit Counterpublic announced on Thursday that an 86-year-old woman who owns a home that sits atop Sugarloaf Mound has agreed to sell it and eventually transfer the property to the tribe. [AP via ICT]
Cherokee Nation celebrates opening of new Head Start facility: The Cherokee Nation celebrated the opening of the $7.3 million Nowata Head Start Center last week. [KOSU]
Voting and Election News
Put out of office by voters, Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice has no regrets: Yvonne Kauger’s interpretation of the law and the paths she’s blazed outside the courtroom have shaped the foundation of Oklahoma’s justice system for decades. When the 87-year-old retires Dec. 1, she’ll collectively be the longest serving Oklahoma Supreme Court justice and staff attorney. She’ll also be the first Oklahoma Supreme Court justice in state history to not be retained by voters following a dark money campaign that targeted her as a liberal judge and as being too old. [Oklahoma Voice]
Education News
Article questioning legality of OU education course under DEI order sparks conversation about exceptions: An article from a right-leaning news organization criticizing an OU education course has sparked conversations about the specific exemptions in Gov. Kevin Stitt’s executive order banning diversity, equity and inclusion. [OU Daily]
Lesson Learned: Warner Student Phone Ban Could Be a Statewide Model: While schools everywhere struggle to wrest students’ attention away from smartphones, Warner Public Schools has held steadfast to its total bell-to-bell ban since 2013. [Oklahoma Watch]
Former senior administrator at Tulsa Public Schools sentenced to prison: A former Tulsa Public Schools executive was sentenced to federal prison Monday in a years-long embezzlement scheme. [Tulsa World]
Former teacher accuses Cache schools of firing her because she reported sexual harassment: A former agriculture teacher for Cache Public Schools has accused the school district of retaliation for reporting alleged acts of sexual harassment committed by a teacher against herself and students. [The Oklahoman]
Health News
Opinion: Supporting Oklahoma’s family caregivers is an urgent public health priority: Family caregivers across Oklahoma face mounting pressures as they provide care, often at the expense of their own mental and physical well-being. This November, as we observe National Family Caregiver Month, let’s pause to consider the often-overlooked support that caregivers and parents desperately need. [Lisa Kelly / Tulsa World]
Criminal Justice News
Criminal case dropped against one former Tulsa County juvenile detention center employee: Tulsa County prosecutors on Monday dismissed charges against a former juvenile detention center employee after their main witness — the alleged victim in the case — refused to testify. [Tulsa World]
Jail advisory council seeks new director after ‘driving force’ behind reform leaves: Just as the Oklahoma County jail advisory task force put criminal justice practitioners in charge, replacing the business leaders who founded it, the organization finds itself without a daily chief. [The Oklahoman]
- From OK Policy: Lawmakers must build on criminal justice reforms, not tear them down (Legislative Wrap-Up)
‘Too many funerals’: Local church hosts gun safety awareness event: Oklahoma County district attorney painted a bleak picture for the holidays but her somber message fit the topic of discussion at a local church. [The Oklahoman]
Opinion: Incarcerated Oklahomans deserve opportunities. Higher education is lifechanging: Having a college education eases the transition from prison back to a community, but there are still so many challenges people face outside the prison gates. [Tricia Everest / The Oklahoman]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
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Economy & Business News
Could Oklahoma be a model for reducing oil and gas-induced earthquakes?: A study from the U.S. Geological Survey used physics-based modeling to show the number of earthquakes in Oklahoma would have been more than four times higher in 2024 without mandates requiring more shallow wastewater injection depths in oil and gas production. [KOSU]
ONEOK announces billion-dollar acquisition plans. What will this mean for investors?: Tulsa-based ONEOK has announced plans to acquire $4.3 billion of common stock from EnLink Midstream by the end of the first quarter in 2025. [Tulsa World]
Community News
4 new books by Oklahoma authors out this November: If you need something to read during Thanksgiving break, here are some recommendations of new books by local authors. [KOSU]
‘Focus: Black Oklahoma’: Tulsa’s first Black mayor, holiday stress, Black Wall Street film: This episode of Focus: Black Oklahoma features stories on Monroe Nichols’ historic mayoral win, how the Tulsa Dream Center helps during the holidays, a new film on Black Wall Street and more. [KOSU]
Local Headlines
- Proponents for $1B Norman entertainment district challenge petition [The Journal Record]
Quote of the Day
“The fundamental problem is that too few people have all the money and power and everybody else has too little of either.”
-The late former Oklahoma U.S. Senator Fred R. Harris told the New York Times in 1975. Harris was the last surviving member of the Kerner Commission, which in 1968 produced a landmark report on race, power and money in the United States. Harris launched brief presidential campaigns in 1972 and 1976, but neither went very far. Harris died Saturday at the age of 94. [Tulsa World]
Number of the Day
1 in 14
By age 14, 1 in 14 U.S. children experiences a resident parent leaving for jail or prison. [Society for Research in Child Development]
Policy Note
I grew up visiting my mom in prison. Here’s what schools should know about students like me: It is deeply traumatic to be separated from your parent and to worry about their well-being. It can also be very isolating. I remember feeling like I was the only one going through maternal incarceration, unaware that many thousands of kids around the country were experiencing the same thing. We need support and community, yet one of the biggest challenges is that students often don’t know what resources are available or how to access them. [Chalkbeat]
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