Category: Media Coverage

Flat Poverty, Uninsured Rates in Oklahoma Mean State Fell Further Behind (Public Radio Tulsa)

By Matt Trotter New Census data shows poverty and uninsured rates in Oklahoma were essentially flat from 2015 to 2016. From 2015 to 2016, the state’s poverty rate went from 16.1 to 16.3, while the uninsured rate went from 13.9… Read more [More...]

Ending DACA cruel, un-American (O’Colly)

By O’Colly Editorial Board We are at history’s mercy. Our actions today decide what our children and grandchildren will one day read in textbooks. How will they talk about the Dreamers? What if one of our sons or daughters come… Read more [More...]

Tax ruling expands Oklahoma’s budget options (News OK)

By Dale Denwalt The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling that upheld the automobile sales tax could give lawmakers an easier way to raise revenue. The court defined the difference between creating a new tax, which requires a supermajority vote, and modifying… Read more [More...]

Deep Blue Connecticut Faces Fiscal Woes. So Does Deep Red Oklahoma (WSHU Radio)

By Ebong Udoma Connecticut is a blue state that has fiscal problems. Oklahoma is a red state that has fiscal problems. Conservatives blame Connecticut’s problems on liberal tax-and-spend policies. And liberals blame Oklahoma’s problems on conservative economic policies. We decided… Read more [More...]

Poorest Parts of Tulsa County Hit Hardest by Rising Court Costs (Public Radio Tulsa)

By Matt Trotter Tulsa County’s poor, majority black neighborhoods are struggling the most with rising court costs. For example, in Turley, where 57 percent of residents are black and the poverty rate is nearly 40 percent, the total court debt… Read more [More...]

Guardian UK reports on the failing state next door (Arkansas Times)

By David Koon The Guardian UK recently published a deep and enlightening dive into the fortunes of Oklahoma, the Republican-dominated state where the petroleum industry largely holds sway over environmental regulations, fracking-driven earthquakes rattle the land, school teachers make less… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma job licensing changes won’t happen easily (News OK)

By The Oklahoman Editorial Board The state Department of Labor has begun the overdue work of reviewing job licensing requirements in Oklahoma, with an eye on perhaps changing some of those requirements. An initial public meeting about the idea offered… Read more [More...]

Big Oil, Small Schools (U.S. News)

By Gaby Galvin In Oklahoma, oil drillers have reaped the benefits of the lowest effective tax rates in the nation while the state’s schools have struggled to keep their doors open. As U.S. oil patches boomed between 2008 and 2014,… Read more [More...]

Higher Education Budget (OETA)

[arve url=”https://youtu.be/huo1uskjg3k” /]… Read more [More...]

Bipartisan support evident for renewed license policy (Journal Record)

By Catherine Sweeney OKLAHOMA CITY – When state Department of Labor officials introduced their push to update licensing laws, they said the movement had bipartisan support. That became clear during a panel discussion Wednesday. Last week, officials announced they would… Read more [More...]