Author: Forrest Farjadian

Fiscal Panelists: Anemic Education Funding May Cost Jobs (KGOU)

By Ben Fenwick Education is a core service of Oklahoma’s state government, is woefully underfunded, and will cost the state future jobs if not addressed soon. That’s the message of some panelists convened by the Oklahoma Policy Institute last month,… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma Is in a Tough Place When It Comes to Health (KWGS)

By Matt Trotter First, some good news from Oklahoma Policy Institute Executive Director David Blatt on the state’s health rankings. “Chlamydia, we’re only ranked 23rd, so you can maybe see that on a T-shirt someday soon: Oklahoma — only 23rd… Read more [More...]

Will the government stop using the poor as a piggy bank? (MSNBC)

By Suzy Khimm Kyle DeWitt was sentenced to three days in jail after he couldn’t afford to pay a fine for catching a fishout of season in Michigan. Nicole Bolden spent a day in a Missouri jail after failing to… Read more [More...]

OKC Legislator Proposes to Raise Subminimum Wage (Okemah News Leader)

State Rep. Mike Shelton said Monday he intends to introduce legislation next year that would raise the subminimum wage for service-sector employees whose meager salaries are supplemented with tips. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, workers younger than 20, workers… Read more [More...]

Segregation in modern-day Tulsa schools based more on income than race, panel says (Tulsa World)

By Andrea Eger Marking the 60th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to end racial segregation in public schools, a panel of community leaders on Thursday examined dramatic shifts in Tulsa’s modern-day segregation patterns. “We see that our schools… Read more [More...]

2014 Oklahoma Summer Policy Institute Session Recordings (KWGS)

By Frank Christel This year’s Summer Policy Institute was held August 3-6, 2014 at The University of Tulsa. The event brings together more than 50 highly-qualified undergraduate and graduate students for a four-day learning experience. The Institute is hosted by… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma Policy Institute honors Henry Bellmon (Tulsa World)

By Randy Krehbiel Few political figures had a broader or longer-lasting influence on Oklahoma during the second half of the 20th century than Henry Bellmon. “He thought big,” former state Sen. Penny Williams, a Democrat, said during a Monday panel… Read more [More...]

Without Medicaid expansion, many Oklahomans with mental health issues will go untreated, experts say (NewsOK)

By Jaclyn Cosgrove  A framed portrait of Abraham Lincoln hangs prominently near Joshua Kraft’s bedroom door. For Kraft, it’s a reminder of what he could be, what he wants to be.  Although historians don’t agree across the board on how… Read more [More...]