OKPOLICY.ORG
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.
New from OK Policy
Newly formed Interagency Council on Homelessness of Oklahoma is needed now more than ever (Commentary): The newly formed Interagency Council on Homelessness of Oklahoma is filling the void left by the shuttering of the governor’s council. While our council is not officially a state entity, we will carry on our predecessors’ work crafting a statewide plan to address homelessness, tracking data, and coordinating care among providers to ensure all Oklahomans have shelter. [Sabine Brown / OK Policy]
Oklahoma News
Attorney General Gentner Drummond directing OSDE to distribute school security funds: In an expedited opinion issued on Sunday, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is directing the Oklahoma State Department of Education to distribute school safety funds. Officials said State Superintendent Ryan Walters requested Drummond’s opinion on Aug. 12 after reports surfaced that OSDE was refusing to let schools keep unused funds from the School Security Revolving Fund. [KOCO]
- AG Drummond to Ryan Walters: Release security money to school districts immediately [The Oklahoman]
- AG orders Ryan Walters to release millions in school security funds [Tulsa World]
- OK Attorney General issues order for OSDE to release school security funds to schools [KFOR]
Oklahoma ranks 48th in the nation for women’s health amid provider shortages: Oklahoma is a bad place for women needing health and reproductive care, according to a recent Commonwealth Fund report. “I wish I could say I was surprised,” said Jacqueline Blocker, executive director of Tulsa-based Metriarch, a women’s public health data and policy nonprofit organization. [Tulsa World]
Escaping Oklahoma: A worker’s story from inside an illegal marijuana operation: Menacing guards, threats at gunpoint, workers held against their will and never paid — a Chinese immigrant describes the harsh and violent conditions on an illegal pot farm. Three years after he escaped, he still lives in fear. [The Frontier]
Opinion: GOP lawmakers stood by as Ryan Walters stonewalled everyday Oklahomans. Now he’s doing it to them: Ryan Walters is treating Republican legislators just like he’s treated everyone else who dares question the path forward for our public schools. And to these GOP leaders, that’s infuriating. [Janelle Stecklein / Oklahoma Voice]
State Government News
Pointing to 2026 governor’s race, Ryan Walters accuses Charles McCall of ‘clear political attack’: Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters sauntered into the Oklahoma State Capitol this afternoon for a press conference criticizing House Speaker Charles McCall and Appropriations and Budget Subcommittee on Education Chairman Mark McBride and daring them to begin impeachment proceedings against him on Monday. [NonDoc]
- ‘Political suicide’ Ryan Walters calls for his own impeachment: How did it come to this? [KFOR]
- ‘It was weird’: House Dems react to State Superintendent Walters calling for his own impeachment proceedings [KFOR]
- Walters lashes out at Speaker, McBride in an emotional press conference: ‘Let’s start’ [The Oklahoman]
- ‘Let’s have the impeachment proceedings,’ Ryan Walters says at Oklahoma Capitol [Tulsa World]
- Tension between Ryan Walters and his own party peaked this week after calls for investigation [KOCO]
- Ryan Walters urges Oklahoma House to start his impeachment proceedings ‘immediately’ [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma state superintendent Ryan Walters asks House Speaker to impeach him [KOSU]
Oklahoma House Republicans opt for investigation, not impeachment of Supt. Ryan Walters: The House of Representatives will be investigating funding concerns at the Department of Education through the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT). [Fox 25]
- Senate endorses LOFT investigation of Walters but will remain neutral in case “we have to act” [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma officials worry financial issues could force state park closures: The Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation faces the possibility of state park closures or service reductions after the Legislature only delivered a tenth of the funds needed for maintenance and repairs. [Tulsa World]
How does Oklahoma rank when it comes to state bridges?: A hole in one of Oklahoma City’s busiest highways backed up traffic for hours on Friday, and though lanes have been reopened, it raises questions on where the Sooner State ranks on bridges. [KOCO]
Political notebook: State Land Office reports record distributions: Oklahoma schools received a record $145.1 million from the Commissioner of the Land Office in fiscal year 2024, which ended June 30, the CLO reported. The distribution was 12% higher than a year ago and $5.1 million more than the previous record, set in 2022. [Tulsa World]
Capitol Insider: Inflation is easing as signs of recession cloud economic outlook: Dr. Robert Dauffenbach, professor emeritus at the Price College of Business at the University of Oklahoma, talks about the current state of the national economy. [KGOU]
Tribal Nations News
Dozens of Oklahoma high schools still use Native mascots, decades after calls to stop: Two decades after some of Oklahoma’s largest tribes called for the end of stereotypical Native American team names and logos, nearly 60 schools or districts still use them, an analysis by The Oklahoman shows. The teams dot the state, from the Smithville Braves to the Little Axe Indians to the Idabel Warriors. [The Oklahoman]
Opinion: Depicting a Native American as a school mascot is harmful to Indigenous people: Slurs should never be used to synthesize identity and pride in our affiliations. We cannot make exceptions for Indigenous people. Tradition cannot conquer conscience. The use of a slur accompanying the depiction of a Native American as a school mascot is a recurring conversation in my hometown. Debates of honor and absent personal offense should not permit de facto racism. We must accurately name the willful sustainment of slurs as mascots. [Bobby “Trae” Trousdale / The Oklahoman]
Voting and Election News
Nine GOP-led attorneys general sue Biden administration over voter registration efforts: Nine states, including Montana and Oklahoma, are challenging an executive order by President Joe Biden that would enlist federal agencies to help register residents to vote, and those states say the order undermines their power to control elections, calling it federally subsidized program aimed at boosting Democratic and left-leaning blocs. [Oklahoma Voice]
AI will play a role in election misinformation. Experts are trying to fight back: AI-created likenesses, often called “deepfakes,” have increasingly become a point of concern for those battling misinformation during election seasons. Creating deepfakes used to take a team of skilled technologists with time and money, but recent advances and accessibility in AI technology have meant that nearly anyone can create convincing fake content. [Oklahoma Voice]
Moon, Merritt tout varying experiences in Comanche County sheriff runoff: Both candidates in the Aug. 27 runoff for Comanche County sheriff see a department in desperate need of modernization, while they each tout their own unique experiences in public safety that they believe make them uniquely qualified to be the top law enforcement officer in southwest Oklahoma’s most populated county. [NonDoc]
Tulsa Mayoral and City Council Election:
- Why Your Vote In This Tulsa Mayoral Race Matters [The Black Wall Street Times]
- Interview with Tulsa mayoral candidate Monroe Nichols [Public Radio Tulsa]
- Tulsa City Council District 2: Voters face crowded ballot [NonDoc]
- Tulsa City Council District 6: Challenged by Davis, Bengel pushes back on ‘corrupt’ label [NonDoc]
- Tulsa City Council District 7 incumbent faces two challengers [NonDoc]
- Five seek Tulsa City Council District 9 seat [NonDoc]
- Pay increases for Tulsa city councilors, auditor on ballot Aug. 27 [Tulsa World]
Education News
Skiatook HS pulls assignment on Christianity after Osage family protests: Skiatook High School sophomore Nettie Gray received an assignment this week that left her and her family confused and upset. Her mother posted about the assignment on social media: “This is one of Nettie’s assignments for World History class. It’s being called a research paper. …” and included a photo of the assignment, which contained a series of ten questions about “how the world started” and urged students to write a research paper on the topic. Among the questions were “What does it mean to be a Christian?” “Is God real” and “Is satan [sic] real?” [Osage News]
- History assignment asking about God draws objections from Skiatook family [Tulsa World]
- Oklahoma mother says daughter’s world history assignment pushes Christianity [Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise]
- ‘Is God real?’: Skiatook Public School research assignment causing controversy [KJRH]
‘Kind of perplexing’: Confusion over staff-student communication bill: Is a law meant to protect students from potential predators having unintended consequences? On Friday, the lawmaker behind the policy said family communications are being impacted—even though that’s not what she intended. [Fox 25]
Will Legos or Barbie improve student attendance? Tulsa Public Schools will find out: The staff at Skelly Elementary School are turning to fancy journals, dance moves, Legos, Barbie and Ken — and even Allan — for an attendance assist this coming school year. [Tulsa World]
OU Polytechnic Institute in Tulsa kicks off inaugural school year: With over two years of planning and partnership-building now behind it, a Tulsa-based effort by the University of Oklahoma to supply more job-ready technology graduates says it’s ready to start delivering on its promise. OU Polytechnic Institute, located on the OU-Tulsa campus, will start its first semester this week, with its inaugural class meeting for the first time Tuesday. [Tulsa World]
Opinion: Community colleges are a conduit for the transformative power of education: Education has transformed my life. As a leader in higher education today, it is my responsibility to share the transformative power of education with others. [Mautra Staley Jones / The Oklahoman]
Opinion: 92% of OKCPS kids live at or below poverty. Let’s help get them a winter coat: The Coat-A-Kid program, run jointly with Oklahoma City Public Schools, raises funds to provide a new, warm winter coat for our students in need. While it’s miserable to even think about putting on a coat with the heat we’re experiencing, now is the critical time to raise money to get the coats ordered and delivered ahead of the cold weather that is coming in just a few months. [Mary Mélon-Tully / The Oklahoman]
Health News
COVID-19 surge not alarming but a reminder ahead of peak season, Tulsa health officials say: A local surge in COVID-19 has arrived a little early, but public health leaders say it’s not cause for alarm and creates an opportunity for Oklahomans to “recommit to the hygiene practices we all learned” during the pandemic. [Tulsa World]
Despite health care labor growth, minorities need better access to care, advocates say: While Oklahoma’s largest hospital systems spiked in labor growth, minorities in the state continue to miss out on opportunities to improve the quality of health care in their communities. [The Oklahoman]
Amid Medicaid’s ‘unwinding,’ many states work to expand health care access: Since April 2023 — when protections that had blocked states from disenrolling Medicaid beneficiaries during the pandemic expired — states have disenrolled more than 24 million people whom they said no longer qualified or had failed to renew coverage. This Medicaid “unwinding” led to fears that the number of people without insurance would spike. But it also coincided with moves in more than a dozen states to expand health coverage for lower-income people, including children, pregnant women, and the incarcerated. [KGOU]
Opinion: The experiment of Medicare privatization has failed: The attack on Medicare began in the 1970s with a proposal to turn the nation’s best public health program over to profit-centric corporations and privatize Medicare. The false premise was that the free market would create competition that could drive down health care costs and turn a profit for the investment community. That strategy works in many parts of the economy, but not in health care. [Priya Pal/ Oklahoma Voice]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Tulsa will develop permit-ready housing plans to speed multifamily development: Soon, builders hoping to construct mixed-use, “middle housing” in Tulsa will be able to choose from pre-existing plans the city has already approved. This is all part of the city’s Pre-Approved Housing Plan – and its latest Path to Home initiative.[KOSU]
Economy & Business News
Entrepreneur invests in north Tulsa shopping center revitalization: When Harold Jones was growing up in north Tulsa in the 1970s and 1980s, he remembers going to a thriving retail and entertainment center around the corner. Jones and his wife Natalie have invested more than $350,000 into revitalizing the Northridge shopping center on the east side of Peoria Avenue at 50th Place North. [Tulsa World]
Community News
Three more sets of remains tied to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre found with gunshot wounds: Eleven additional sets of human remains have been found in connection with the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, three of which have gunshot wounds, the city said Friday. Two of the victims have gunshot wounds from two different weapons, and one had signs of possible burns. [Public Radio Tulsa]
- Three More Victims of 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Found With Gunshot Wounds [New York Times]
Family, friends call for investigation of DHS amid claims of abuse: Family and friends of a 12-year-old in DHS custody — backed by the governor’s father and two state lawmakers — held a press conference Friday in Tulsa to call out the state agency for its handling of the child’s care. The boy, Clayton Woolley, has been in DHS custody since 2018, after his 1-year-old brother, Elijah, died in Broken Arrow, supporters told the media. [Tulsa World]
The Myth of the Christian State: The Gospels, with which most orthodoxies were aligned in Oklahoma, were objectively not applicable to Black Tulsans. Segregation, lynchings and mass murder were the justified responses to perceived encroachment and entitlement. No Black Tulsan man, woman or child was deserving of dignity, as represented in the state’s constitution, yet faith, Christianity, was regarded as the foundation upon which all were governed. [Oklahoma Eagle]
Through Broadway-themed sermon series, OKC church takes stand against antisemitism, hate: An Oklahoma church shared a message about the importance of standing against antisemitism and all forms of hate on Aug. 18 during its popular Broadway-themed sermon series. [The Oklahoman]
Is Oklahoma in the South, Midwest or Great Plains? CDC, Census Bureau, USDA can’t agree: We’ve all debated which region Oklahoma actually belongs to. But it’s hard to put the Sooner State in such a bubble due to its central location in the U.S. and Southern charm mixed with Midwestern manners. For the most part, there’s no consensus on which region Oklahoma actually belongs. [The Oklahoman]
Local Headlines
- Edmond City Council put $231 million GO bond on November ballot [KFOR]
- Longtime officer Ron Bacy named new OKC police chief [NonDoc]
- Oklahoma City police department names Ron C. Bacy as new police chief [The Oklahoman]
- Tulsa seeks ‘Age-Friendly City’ designation from AARP to attract more retirees [Tulsa World]
- Tulsa County Commissioner Stan Sallee, of Collinsville, appointed to national committees [Tulsa World]
- OKC amphitheater fate unknown; promoter cancels Tennessee development [The Oklahoman]
- Bartlesville Development Authority defends $88K incentive for Price Tower amid controversy [The Oklahoman]
Quote of the Day
“There are counties in Oklahoma that have no health care provider, and so if we don’t have a sufficient network to take care of our population, it’s very difficult to have basic preventive visits, because our physicians and our advanced practice providers are booked way out.”
-Mary Gowin, associate professor of family and preventive medicine in the College of Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, speaking about the impact of Oklahoma’s primary care shortages. Oklahoma was recently ranked 50th for its maternity care workforce — doctors and nurse midwives practicing in obstetrics and gynecology per 100,000 women and girls ages 15 to 44. [Tulsa World]
Number of the Day
28%
Percentage increase in people experiencing homelessness in Oklahoma City from 2023 to 2024. [2024 Oklahoma City Point In Time Count]
Policy Note
The Supreme Court Rules on Homelessness: What it All Means: The Supreme Court issued its opinion in Grants Pass v. Johnson, which makes it easier for communities nationwide to fine, ticket or arrest people living unsheltered, even when there is no adequate shelter available. Specifically, the Supreme Court determined that the “cruel and unusual punishment” clause of the Eighth Amendment does not prohibit the City of Grants Pass from enforcing criminal punishments against people who are homeless for camping outside in the city. [National Alliance to End Homelessness]
You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail.
