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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.
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Policy Matters: Disagreement is natural, but incivility is a choice: The question of civility in the face of disagreement has been on my mind, especially given the heightened toxicity and divisiveness in our politics and culture. It seems that every day, public discourse becomes more vitriolic. The attempted assassination of former President Trump this past weekend demonstrates the dangerous consequences. We can be better. [Shiloh Kantz / Journal Record]
Oklahoma News
Oklahoma AG fights injunction blocking enforcement of immigration law: Attorney General Gentner Drummond has appealed a preliminary injunction from a federal court against an Oklahoma immigration law passed earlier this year. [Tulsa World]
- Oklahoma attorney general appeals immigration law injunction [Oklahoma Voice]
- Drummond appeals federal halt to Oklahoma’s new immigration law [KOSU]
- Drummond appeals preliminary injunction of anti-illegal immigration laws [News9]
Opinion: Anti-immigration laws, policies hurting American businesses: Have you noticed an increase in restaurant prices lately? Restaurants are not just businesses; they are the heart and soul of our communities. For generations, immigrant families have enriched our dining experiences. Unfortunately, the flaws in our current immigration system hinder these contributions. An anti-immigrant stance is fundamentally anti-business, undercutting a sector pivotal to our economy and cultural life. [R. Jared Jordan / Tulsa World]
State Government News
Long Story Short: Petitioners seek to raise Oklahoma’s minimum wage (audio): Keaton Ross discusses petitioners who submitted nearly 180,000 signatures to raise Oklahoma’s minimum wage. He discusses what’s next for the initiative and when it might reach voters. Heather Warlick explores rising rent costs in Oklahoma, interviewing housing experts who disagree on its causes. Ruby Topalian, a summer intern, reported on Oklahoma City’s efforts to enhance law enforcement responses to mental health crises last week. Ted Streuli hosts. [Oklahoma Watch]
Tribal Nations News
Amid election delays, Ponca Tribe announces charges against candidate Carla Carney: On July 11, the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma publicly announced that criminal charges had been filed against Carla Carney, a former Business Committee member and current candidate in the tribe’s 2024 elections. [NonDoc]
An Oklahoma tribal nation conducted a census for the first time. Here’s what it found: About a quarter of Osage citizens participated in the tribal nation’s first ever census, results released this week by the northern Oklahoma tribe show. Alice Goodfox, an Osage Nation lawmaker, said that while the data may not reflect all tribal citizens, it still gives Osage officials an idea of what’s working well and what might need to change. [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma City’s Indian Clinic celebrates 50 years at First Americans Museum: An Oklahoma City health center for Native Americans is celebrating a big milestone this weekend. The center serves tribal citizens with preventative and follow-up care needs, and in recognition of this golden achievement, the clinic is celebrating at the First Americans Museum this Saturday. [KOSU]
‘Reservation Dogs,’ Lily Gladstone make Indigenous breakthroughs with Emmy nominations: The groundbreaking made-in-Oklahoma series “Reservation Dogs” is finally getting big love from the Television Academy for its final season. From Tulsa-based showrunner Sterlin Harjo, the acclaimed coming-of-age series earned four nominations, including a nod for Outstanding Comedy Series, when the nominees were announced Wednesday for the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. [The Oklahoman]
- 4 Emmy nominations for ‘Reservation Dogs’ is a big win in Indian Country [KOSU]
- ‘Reservation Dogs’ earns Emmy nomination for best comedy series [Tulsa World]
Health News
Norman Regional debuts $300M HealthPlex expansion: The expansion, which is part of the system’s $300 million Inspire Health Strategic Plan, includes a 96-bed critical care tower, ambulatory care center and a larger emergency department with more rooms. There’s also some new technology to help patients walk again after an event like a stroke or a spinal cord injury. [Journal Record]
Opinion: We need to boost child outcomes. Investing in Oklahoma’s adult mental health system would help.: Oklahoma’s dismal child welfare ranking opens the door to a variety of social problems including mental illness, high incarceration rates and failing schools. The recently released 2024 Kids Count data showed that Oklahoma ranks 46th worst. But a recently proposed mental health settlement offers reason for hope, even though the “landmark settlement agreement” faces resistance from Gov. Kevin Stitt and our state’s top mental health professional. [John Thompson / Oklahoma Voice]
Criminal Justice News
City to pay $2 million to settle federal lawsuit in death of man shot by Tulsa police: City councilors on Wednesday voted to authorize a $2 million payment to settle a federal lawsuit filed by the estate of a man killed by Tulsa police nearly four years ago. The federal lawsuit was filed by Deanna Lunsford on behalf of Randall’s estate. It alleged that Tulsa police officers used excessive force while Randall was having a mental heath breakdown, according to a summary of the case issued by U.S. District Judge Claire V. Eagan. [Tulsa World]
Hope Transitions helps recently incarcerated men find purpose: In two unassuming homes in the center of town, Hope Transitions is helping men recently released from incarceration achieve independent living and find their purpose. [Enid News and Eagle]
Man arrested for setting two homeless people on fire in Oklahoma City: A man and a woman sleeping outside early Tuesday morning were set on fire in northwest Oklahoma City. They are being cared for at the burn center inside the INTEGRIS Health Baptist Medical Center. OKCPD said the woman is in critical condition, but the man is expected to survive. [Public Radio Tulsa]
New leadership for juvenile detention center on agenda for Friday meeting: The Board of County Commissioners has scheduled a special meeting for 8:30 a.m. Friday to discuss and possibly take on creating a new position of manager of the Family Center for Juvenile Justice and hiring David Parker to fill that role. [Tulsa World]
First Watch: Stuff You Should Know: Oklahoma would like the seven prisoners suing the state to go away. The state concedes that the men were locked in small shower stalls at the Great Plains Correctional Facility in Hinton for hours or days. [Oklahoma Watch]
Economy & Business News
Plans for new $5.5 billion Cushing hydrogen-powered refinery delayed: Plans to build a $5.5 billion refinery in Cushing have been delayed. In May 2023, it was announced that Southern Rock Energy Partners would build the nation’s first major refinery in 45 years in Cushing. Work on facility construction was slated to begin earlier this year. [Tulsa World]
Dollar General to pay $295K in age discrimination lawsuit: Dollar General Stores will pay $295,000 and furnish other relief to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) age discrimination, harassment and retaliation lawsuit, the federal agency announced. According to the lawsuit, from July 2016 until January 2018, a newly hired Dollar General regional director in Oklahoma harassed district managers who were in their 50s and older by calling them “grumpy old men,” telling them he was building “a millennial team” and they needed “young blood” in the stores and threatening them to keep up with the “millennial team” or quit or be fired. [Journal Record]
OKC investor in Prairie Surf, Wheeler Bio buys majority interest in Energy FC team: Oklahoma City investor Christian Kanady on Wednesday purchased majority interest in the Energy FC soccer team and is also stepping in to complete a land donation to the city as part of the proposed agreement to build a stadium south of Lower Bricktown. [The Oklahoman]
Whatever happened to American Heartland Theme Park and Resort in northeast Oklahoma? For the American Heartland Theme Park and Resort, the much-talked-about $2.5 billion, 1,000-acre entertainment venue planned for Vinita, not much has been accomplished after a year. Will the park top the peak and coast the rails for a thrilling ride? Or remain stalled at the crest? [The Oklahoman]
- One year since $2 billion theme park announcement: What’s happened? [Tulsa World]
Tulsa casino preps for sports betting as gambling woes snag younger people, women: River Spirit in south Tulsa has its eye on a form of gambling that’s been gaining steam. The casino opened a bar earlier this month with infrastructure to support sports betting. The practice is not legal anywhere in Oklahoma but casinos are ready to flip the switch. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Education News
From caves to caterpillars: How Oklahoma schools are working to beat the ‘summer slide’: “Summer slide” is the phenomenon of students losing ground academically during the summer break. StateImpact visited two Oklahoma schools that provide free, multi-week summer programming to see how districts hope to make a dent in learning loss. [KGOU]
Ardmore teacher investigated for controversial comment on Trump assassination attempt: Ardmore City Schools released a statement after a district employee made a statement that seemed to condone violence against a political figure on social media. Alison Scott, a teacher at Ardmore Schools, commented under a social media post that seemed to refer to the shooter in Trump’s attempted assassination, saying, “Wish they had a better scope”. [FOX25]
- Ryan Walters vows to revoke Ardmore teacher’s certificate over post condoning violence against Donald Trump [KOCO5]
Longtime OSU donors funding a scholarship program for students in rural northwest Oklahoma: Two longtime donors to Oklahoma State University will fund a new scholarship program designed to benefit rural students from northwestern Oklahoma, west Texas and eastern New Mexico, the OSU Foundation said Wednesday. [The Oklahoman]
Community News
Rural Pride in a red state: How Oklahoma small towns support LGBTQ+ despite misconceptions: Nearly a fifth of the LGBTQ+ community lives in rural America, according to a study from the Movement Advancement Project. And same-sex couples living in rural areas overwhelmingly make up the portion of LGBTQ+ people raising children, the study states. As a number of LGBTQ+ Oklahomans set out to bring family-friendly Pride events to their rural communities, some found bitterness, but overwhelmingly, the Sooner State met them with joy. [The Oklahoman]
Local Headlines
- 2024 Tulsa Mayoral Candidate Monroe Nichols Joins Greg Robinson III for Virtual Rally [The Black Wall Street Times]
- Miami gets $6.3 million to prevent road closures during floods in Northeastern Oklahoma [KOSU]
- Muskogee GO bond election postponed after residents express concerns [Tulsa World]
Quote of the Day
“Opposing immigration reform is not merely a political stance — it is a stance against business. For the restaurant industry and many others, fixing our broken immigration system is essential for a sustainable and prosperous future.”
-R. Jared Jordan, Community Advisory Board member for the Tulsa World, wrote in an opinion editorial denouncing anti-immigration policies. [Tulsa World]
Number of the Day
22%
The share of workers in the South (2021) who are paid less than $15 per hour is substantially higher than that of any other region. [Economic Policy Institute]
Policy Note
Southern policymakers leave workers with lower wages and a fraying safety net: Rooted in Racism and Economic Exploitation: Part Three: For at least the last 40 years, pay and job quality for workers across the South has been inferior compared to other regions—thanks to the racist and anti-worker Southern economic development model. [Economic Policy Institute]
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