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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.
New from OK Policy
WATCH: Out of Reach Rent: Housing is unaffordable for working Oklahomans, seniors, and people with disabilities (video): Oklahoma families are working harder than ever, but rent keeps climbing out of reach. From stagnant wages to rising eviction rates, the housing crisis is squeezing workers, seniors, and people with disabilities. Watch our full interview with Sabine Brown, senior housing policy analyst, as we break down what’s happening — and what lawmakers can do about it. [OK Policy on YouTube]
- More from OK Policy: New data shows Oklahoma’s housing crisis is worsening | Oklahoma’s legislature missed key opportunities to address housing crisis
Oklahoma News
Push to shutter homeless camps ongoing, could spread to other parts of Oklahoma: Gov. Kevin Stitt’s removal of homeless camps in Tulsa will be an ongoing process and could expand to other areas of the state, an Oklahoma Highway Patrol official said Tuesday. As of mid-Monday, the Highway Patrol had helped remove about 30 encampments and about a dozen more had been identified, said Lt. Mark Southall. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Tulsa encampment sweeps lead to no arrests, 1 connection to services [KOSU]
- Tulsa police chief reacts to governor’s criticism of city’s handling of homeless [Tulsa World]
- Leaders call attention to complex issues of homelessness [Tulsa World]
- Opinion: Real housing solutions would save tax dollars, strengthen families, cities [Senator Julia Kirt / The Oklahoman]
- From OK Policy: Homelessness in Oklahoma – Information and Resources
State Government News
Oklahoma Attorney General accuses OMES director, Gov. Stitt of violating state law: The head of the Oklahoma Office of Enterprise Management, Rick Rose, submitted his resignation letter to Gov. Kevin Stitt on Monday. The State Attorney General says the move follows a possible violation of state law Stitt signed in 2023. [KOSU]
- Second official in Oklahoma governor’s administration tenders resignation [Oklahoma Voice]
- Top state officials resign as Drummond accuses Stitt of political misuse of power [KFOR]
- Four of Stitt’s political appointees are resigning, one as AG sends a critical letter [The Oklahoman]
CVS Caremark agrees to $32M settlement involving Oklahoma employee health plan, AG says: CVS Caremark will pay a $32.1 million settlement for allegedly keeping money that “belonged” to the state employee health plan, HealthChoice, the Attorney General’s Office said Tuesday. CVS Caremark is a pharmacy benefit manager that works to negotiate prices between insurance companies, drug manufacturers and pharmacies. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma reaches $32.1M settlement with pharmacy benefit manager CVS Caremark [The Oklahoman]
Federal judge dismisses lawsuit by Walters and SDE against ‘atheist’ organization: A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by state school Superintendent Ryan Walters and the State Department of Education against an organization that cautioned a small southern Oklahoma school district about its religious practices. [Southwest Ledger]
Oklahoma AG says drag shows not banned under HB 1217, contradicting Gov. Stitt: The opinion, released at the request of Senate Majority Floor Leader Julie Daniels, a Republican from Bartlesville, states drag shows are not inherently illegal and must meet strict legal standards to be considered obscene under Oklahoma law. That finding directly contradicts Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt’s earlier claim that the new law effectively bans drag performed in front of children. [Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise]
Long Story Short: Oklahoma Unprepared for Looming Guardianship Crisis (podcast): J.C. Hallman has been writing about guardianship issues in Oklahoma. Oklahoma Watch received many tips in response to J.C.’s first two stories, and the new piece derives from those tips. Recently, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt enacted Operation SAFE in Tulsa. Jake has been closely following the operation and its effects on Tulsa. Jennifer Palmer’s latest story reveals how infrequently one of the department of education’s top-paid advisors comes into the office. [Oklahoma Watch]
Federal Government News
Conservation groups appeal lesser prairie chicken’s loss of protection: In August, a Texas judge stripped federal protections for the chicken. Precipitating the August decision was the Trump Administration’s seismic about-face in May, with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said there was a “fundamental error” in the Biden Administration’s listing of the bird in 2022. [Oklahoma Voice]
Opinion: The ugly truth about Big Beautiful Bill: It’s the true waste, fraud and abuse: This Big Beautiful Bill Act is a grotesque economic and social train wreck happening in front of our very eyes. All this misery in exchange for the “Big Beautiful Tax Cut” that benefits the wealthiest of our country at the expense of the rest of us, including up to $20 trillion added to our national debt. [Neal Nordlinger / The Oklahoma]
Tribal Nations News
Timothy Jackson Jr., James Factor vie for open Kowetv District seat on Muscogee National Council: Seeking the open Kowetv District “B” seat on the Muscogee National Council, candidate James Factor may have the endorsement of departing Rep. Mark Randolph, but Timothy Jackson Jr. is hoping his third run for the position will be the charm. [NonDoc]
Cody Phillips challenges Patrick Freeman Jr. for Creek District seat on Muscogee National Council: Rep. Patrick Freeman Jr. is seeking a third term representing the Creek District “B” seat on the Muscogee National Council, but challenger Cody Phillips is hoping voters will choose change when they cast their ballots for the Sept. 20 election. [NonDoc]
OKC, Chickasaw Nation launch new Oklahoma River projects: City and Chickasaw Nation leaders held a ribbon-cutting ceremony this week, launching two new projects along the Oklahoma River in Oklahoma City’s Horizons District. The first project is a pedestrian bridge just north of the OKANA Resort & Waterpark. [The Journal Record]
The Silent Crisis: Suicide Among Native Americans Reflects Global Mental Health Emergency: September 10 is recognized worldwide World Suicide Prevention Day. On this day, the global community pauses to reflect on a tragic reality: over 700,000 people die by suicide every year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This means one life is lost every 40 seconds. Yet beneath this staggering number lies a deeper crisis faced by marginalized communities, including Native Americans, whose suicide rates far outpace national and global averages. [Native News Online]
Opinion: What Is an American? Ask the People Who Were Here First: The National Museum of the American Indian is one of eight Smithsonian institutions under audit in accordance with President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14253, Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History. This entire process represents an effort to sanitize history by emphasizing only the positive events while ignoring negative ones. [Levi Rickert / Native News Online]
Voting and Election News
Owasso, Tahlequah voters approve school bonds while Lawton approves ‘True North’ statement: Oklahomans in 27 counties cast their ballots in local elections Tuesday. With the school year now up and running, many districts considered school bonds. [KOSU]
- Owasso voters pass $169M school bond package [Tulsa World]
- Tuesday’s election results [Oklahoma State Election Board]
Education News
Oklahoma lawmakers didn’t fund an online platform for AP classes beyond this year. Here’s why: State officials have warned that the Horizon Digitally Enhanced Campus could be forced to shut down, because the Legislature didn’t provide any funding for Horizon for the current fiscal year, which began July 1. The agency is using carryover money to fund the program for now. [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma Catholic leaders scrap religious charter school plans, announce private online school: After their pursuit of taxpayer school funding failed to get approval from the U.S. Supreme Court, Oklahoma Catholic leaders have canceled plans to open St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School and will open a private online academy instead. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, Diocese of Tulsa announce plans for new online private school [News 9]
Health News
Oklahoma children die more often from gunshot wounds than in other states. Why?: Children in Oklahoma are more likely to die from gunshot wounds than is the norm across the U.S. Yet some of the state’s most vocal gun rights supporters see little need for change. [The Oklahoman]
- From Colorado to Oklahoma, one student’s experiences with gun violence and gun law advocacy [The Oklahoman]
Criminal Justice News
Civil rights lawsuit against Wagoner County deputies allowed to proceed: A federal appeals court ruled that a multi-million-dollar civil rights lawsuit against several Wagoner County deputies accused of using excessive force in a 2019 traffic stop that eventually led to the death of the motorist can proceed through the judicial system. [Tulsa World]
Facing sex assault claims, Myles Davidson asks to leave leadership roles: Oklahoma County Commissioner Myles Davidson wants out of his county and state leadership roles, including chairmanship of the Board of County Commissioners, until sexual assault and harassment allegations against him are resolved, county records show. [The Oklahoman]
- Court agrees to drop request for protective order against wife of Oklahoma Co. Commissioner [The Oklahoman]
Why millions of dollars in cost overruns are hitting the OK County jail care center budget: Cost overruns were supposed to have been built into plans for the Behavioral Care Center at the new Oklahoma County jail complex, but because of skyrocketing expenses, estimators missed the cushion by millions of dollars. [The Oklahoman]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Tiny homes community for homeless adds units, residents: A community of tiny homes that hopes to be part of the solution to Tulsa’s homelessness crisis is continuing to add units and residents. The village currently is up to 31 residents and expects to have a full capacity of 63, with every unit filled, by year’s end. [Wagoner County American-Tribune]
Economy & Business News
OKC hits 4 years of record-low unemployment: What is the city doing to sustain it?: Oklahoma City has achieved a new record in low unemployment, Mayor David Holt said, by keeping the city’s unemployment rate below 4% over four consecutive years. Oklahoma’s rate is good news, but it still means there are about 25,000 people unemployed in the OKC metro area. [The Oklahoman]
Cortado Ventures leads $1.8M investment in green hydrogen pioneer Tobe Energy: Cortado Ventures has led a $1.8 million seed funding round in Tobe Energy, an OKC-based energy innovator developing a next-generation green hydrogen electrolysis system. [The Journal Record]
These Oklahoma-made products spark the most state pride: From O’Neill surfboards in California to Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in Vermont, and Ford trucks out of Michigan, some products are stitched so tightly into their home state’s identity that they’re practically part of the local flag. But which Oklahoma-made goods inspire the most pride today? [The Journal Record]
Opinion: AI chatbots repeating false information on news topics more than last year: While people continue to ask artificial intelligence products about the news, one study says they aren’t getting the truth. And it’s getting worse. [Jason Collington / Tulsa World]
Community News
Minco school bus crash critically injured coach and two kids, and reignited debate on school bus seat belts: The team and coaches were headed home from an away game at Riverside Indian School on Monday, Sept. 8. According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the bus struck a deer just before 8 p.m. as it drove east on State Highway 152. The bus went off the highway and rolled over. [The Oklahoman]
- Minco mother describes scene of school bus crash: ‘A war zone’ [News 9]
- Minco community gathers at prayer vigil for softball team involved in bus crash [The Oklahoman]
- Bill requiring seat belts on school buses stalled in Oklahoma state Capitol last session [KOCO]
Local Headlines
- Edmond sales tax renewals set for Nov. 18 election, city sued again over rejected Walmart [NonDoc]
- Whole Foods, multifamily development get Edmond City Council approval [The Journal Record]
- Federal funds sought to finish Bus Rapid Transit line connecting northeast, south OKC [The Oklahoman]
Quote of the Day
“Nobody else is coming. The state is not going to come and fix this problem. The federal government is not going to come and fix this issue. … No one is coming, and that’s the reality. We’ve all seen stuff in the news over the last couple of days. It’s performative. It’s not a solution. It’s a photo op.”
– A.J. Griffin, Potts Family Foundation Chief Executive Officer, speaking at a forum held by the Oklahoma Municipal League on Tuesday, where advocates for Oklahoma’s unsheltered population discussed real solutions to homelessness that Oklahoma lawmakers have at their disposal but refuse to use, like providing more assistance to people who struggle to pay their rent and passing laws to help people avoid being evicted. [Tulsa World]
Number of the Day
96%
Share of residential land in Oklahoma City that is zoned exclusively for single-family dwellings. Oklahoma’s three most populous cities are majority zoned for single-family residences by right: Oklahoma City at 96 percent of residential land, Tulsa at 81 percent, and Norman at 98 percent. To build anything other than a detached single-family residence requires a cumbersome review process and approval from the city, requiring both developers and the city officials to manually review and approve each project. [OK Policy]
Policy Note
High-Density Housing Is for Families, Too — and We Need More of It: My family of five lives in a 1,100-square-foot, three-bedroom condo in one of the densest neighborhoods in the Washington, D.C., region. We chose the tradeoff of a smaller home in a walkable neighborhood rather than a bigger home in a farther-flung neighborhood, and we’re not alone. High prices in the country’s densest neighborhoods tell us that many people are willing to make the same choice. Unfortunately, not everyone who is inclined to live close to plentiful job opportunities, conveniences and culture — without the need for a daily drive down congested freeways or to water a large yard — gets to do so. A morass of regulations stands in the way. [Governing]
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