Category: Media

Nick Kristof and the Failure of Welfare and Education Reform (Huffington Post)

By John Thompson  Back before school reform killed so many of the opportunities to teach meaningful subject matter in a holistic manner, my inner city high school students frequently read Nick Kristof’s New York Times columns and his in-depth reports… Read more [More...]

Panel Targets Business Incentives Totaling $110 Million (Oklahoma Watch)

By Warren Veith   Members of the Oklahoma Incentive Evaluation Commission prepare to choose the tax breaks they will review this year. Left to right: Lyle Roggow, Carlos Johnson, Cynthia Rogers and Jim Denton. A new state oversight panel has decided… Read more [More...]

‘I feel like it’s been a win already’: Education advocates tout progress ahead of primaries (KFOR)

By Lorne Fultonberg OKLAHOMA CITY – The polls were still hours from closing, but Angela Little couldn’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment. “I feel like it’s been a win already,” she said, standing behind one of 63 candidates… Read more [More...]

Fallin Allies Say ‘Softer Touch’ Would Complement Trump Bid (NBC)

By Vaughn Hillyard Mary Fallin, the two-term governor of Oklahoma, returned this weekend from an informal meeting in Washington, D.C., with members of the RNC platform committee, which she will co-chair at the GOP convention in Cleveland next month. But… Read more [More...]

The $100 million question (Sequoyah County Times)

By Meghan Partain School administrators are once again scrambling to make last-minute adjustments to school-year budgets in light of recent news that the state of Oklahoma will end Fiscal Year 2016 with a surplus of over $100 million. The news… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma finds $100M cash surplus at end of fiscal year (The Oklahoman)

By Rick Green Oklahoma finance officials, concerned over sagging tax revenues, cut spending so much in recent months that the state will end its fiscal year in two weeks with a cash surplus likely to top $100 million. That amounts… Read more [More...]

The state we’re in: Oklahoma’s fractured narrative (Tulsa Voice)

By Barry Friedman In “The White Album,” Joan Didion’s seminal work about how America defines itself, she writes, “We tell ourselves stories in order to live…We interpret what we see, select the most workable of the multiple choices. We live… Read more [More...]

New head of state tobacco trust to earn $250K (The Oklahoman)

By Rick Green  A state agency that manages tobacco settlement money has created a $250,000-a-year job and offered it to someone whose name was not disclosed. By comparison, the governor of Oklahoma makes $147,000 per year. Some have questioned the… Read more [More...]

Payday lenders balk at proposed rules (Journal Record)

By Brian Brus Proposed rules would affect payday lending businesses, like Advance America at 1841 Belle Isle Blvd. in Oklahoma City. (Photo by Brent Fuchs) OKLAHOMA CITY – The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s proposed new rules on what the agency… Read more [More...]

“Oh My God—We’re on Welfare?!” (Slate)

By Krissy Clark  You, yes, you, might have used welfare services without knowing it.Digital Vision This article is part of the series “Welfare Reform: 20 Years Later,” a collaboration between Slate and Marketplace. You can listen to Marketplace’s podcast on… Read more [More...]