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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.
Voting and Election News
Young audience questions candidates at TYPros Tulsa mayoral forum: Not surprisingly, the first questions at Thursday night’s Tulsa’s Young Professionals mayoral candidates forum dealt with issues of particular interest to young people: diversity, inclusion and the environment. And will Tulsa’s next mayor keep a place for them at the table? [Tulsa World]
Criminal Justice News
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]
Del City interjects in OKC, OK County jail joust as failed health inspections mount: In the most recent court filing between two warring governments over a location for the new Oklahoma County Jail, the City of OKC’s attorneys believe Oklahoma County’s lawsuit claiming sovereignty should be dismissed because the county has failed to state a claim for relief and Oklahoma County District Court lacks jurisdiction to conduct a judicial review of Oklahoma City zoning decisions. [NonDoc]
Oklahoma court rules that moms who use medical marijuana while pregnant aren’t breaking the law: Women with state medical cards who use marijuana during pregnancy can’t be prosecuted for child neglect, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals ruled Thursday. [The Frontier]
- Can a mom who smoked pot while pregnant be charged with child neglect? It depends. [The Oklahoman]
Delayed reports of alleged abuse continue to plague an Oklahoma center for people with developmental disabilities: After an abuse scandal, state inspectors continued to cite the Robert M. Greer Center in Enid for missing reporting deadlines. Delayed reporting can make proving allegations more difficult and allow abuse to continue, one expert says. [The Frontier]
Listen Frontier: Our investigation into abuse and exploitation at Oklahoma marijuana farms (audio): On this episode of Listen Frontier, Frontier executive editor Dylan Goforth talks with reporters Garrett Yalch and Clifton Adcock about their year-long investigation into Oklahoma’s medical marijuana industry. [The Frontier]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Recent attack shows vulnerability of Oklahoma City homeless community: 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. [KGOU]
Oklahoma City nonprofit expands tiny home community for foster care alumni: A newly built and furnished set of 15 tiny homes have popped up in Oklahoma City. While they’re all around just 300 square feet, they’re equipped with everything you’d find in a studio apartment — a kitchen, a bathroom, and an area to eat and sleep. [KOSU]
‘Fix Our Fridge’ campaign to help fix appliance Homeless Alliance uses to feed hundreds: Funds from the Homeless Alliance’s “Fix Our Fridge” campaign will be used to repair the walk-in refrigerator in the nonprofit’s day shelter. [The Oklahoman]
Education News
Oklahoma state superintendent went from ‘excited’ to ‘disgusted’ over standards he helped create: Ryan Walters, then a high school history teacher, said he was “very pleased” with the drafting process for the state academic standards for social studies education and “excited” about the finished product. Now, he has gathered a group of right-wing voices, most of whom live out of state, to carry out a “complete overhaul” of the social studies standards in 2025, promising a more pro-America and pro-Bible revision. [Oklahoma Voice]
Several Oklahoma public schools take stand against Ryan Walters’ Bible mandate: Norman Public Schools’ superintendent is standing firm — no Bibles in the classroom. This comes after State Superintendent Ryan Walters recently announced changes to the state’s social studies standards that introduces the Bible as an instructional resource. However, NPS superintendent Nick Migliorino says it’s not happening. [KOSU]
- Norman, Moore, Stillwater school districts among those that won’t follow Ryan Walters’ order to teach Bible [The Oklahoman]
- Bixby schools will make no curriculum change to add Bible [Tulsa World]
‘Where else could we go?’: Bacone College alumni, staff discuss historic college’s past and future: At one time, Bacone boasted a renowned arts program among other fields of study. The institution made its mark in Oklahoma by creating the state’s first associate degree nursing program. The college also offered a unique baseball program that produced five MLB athletes. Now, years later, this legacy is in jeopardy. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Opinion: What Tulsa Public Schools needs from the city of Tulsa: Every municipal election cycle, candidates offer up their ideas on how the city can help schools. Many times, the ideas are what candidates think the district needs and may not be what’s best. Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Ebony Johnson is making this easier for those who will be serving as Tulsa mayor and city councilors. She has a definitive list of what TPS could use in support. [Ginnie Graham / Tulsa World]
Community News
Oklahoma City Memorial Museum offers lessons on responding to political violence: As Oklahomans prepare for November’s Presidential election and respond to this weekend’s assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, it’s easy to let despair and despondency set in. [KOSU]
Editorial: Oklahomans need better affordability, access to homeowners insurance: Oklahoma homeowners now have data showing what they already suspected — that our insurance rates are among the top nationally. [Editorial / Tulsa World]
Editorial: Identification of 1921 Race Massacre victim an emotional moment for Tulsa: It’s an emotional moment, uncovering the life of a Black man who died nameless during the two days of violence by whites that destroyed more than 35 square blocks of Tulsa’s Black Greenwood District and killed dozens — perhaps hundreds — of people. It’s also an important step in restoring dignity to victims and reconciling the present with the city’s past sins. [Editorial / Tulsa World]
Local Headlines
- Google donates over $100K to local schools and nonprofits [Journal Record]
- Tulsa’s MetroLink to scale back bus services and increase ridesharing options [Public Radio Tulsa]
- Miami gets $6.3 million to prevent road closures during floods in Northeastern Oklahoma [Public Radio Tulsa]
- The MAPS 4 ‘Beautify OKC’ plan is being drafted. Check out proposals for its next phases. [The Oklahoman]
Quote of the Day
“We all have a very significant responsibility to tone it down. To take a deep breath, to listen, to listen some more and be willing to share why we feel strongly about something. But that doesn’t mean we’re always right.”
-OKC Memorial Museum CEO Kari Watkins, speaking about how we can apply lessons learned from the 1995 Murrah Building Bombing to today’s political environment. [KOSU]
Number of the Day
59%
Percentage of young children (ages 3 and 4) in Oklahoma who are not in school. This is higher than the national average of 54%. [KIDS COUNT]
Policy Note
School Vouchers Were Supposed to Save Taxpayer Money. Instead They Blew a Massive Hole in Arizona’s Budget: In a lesson for these other states, Arizona’s voucher experiment has since precipitated a budget meltdown. The state this year faced a $1.4 billion budget shortfall, much of which was a result of the new voucher spending, according to the Grand Canyon Institute, a local nonpartisan fiscal and economic policy think tank. Last fiscal year alone, the price tag of universal vouchers in Arizona skyrocketed from an original official estimate of just under $65 million to roughly $332 million, the Grand Canyon analysis found; another $429 million in costs is expected this year. [ProPublica]
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