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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
Housing ends homelessness. Confinement makes it worse (Commentary): President Trump recently signed an executive order expanding forced institutionalization of unhoused people with mental illness or substance use disorders. His administration has branded it as an act of “compassion” and “public safety.” Stripped of its veneer, it is neither. The measure tramples basic rights and drags America backwards in addressing homelessness. Such approaches have a long history of failure. They punish people for the conditions of poverty while failing to address the true drivers of homelessness and mental illness. [Kati Malicoate / OK Policy]
Oklahoma News
In Oklahoma, details about data centers are often shrouded in secrecy: Across Oklahoma, officials are courting data centers as sources of new revenue and jobs. But local authorities also keep information private on which companies will run the centers and how much water and electricity they will use. Republican state leaders have embraced data centers as a way to boost economic development in Oklahoma, but some lawmakers and local residents worry the projects will gobble up water and electricity. [The Frontier]
State Government News
State Rep files brief challenging PSO’s 2021 winter storm bonds: Customers are paying back billions of dollars in debt that utility companies took on when they had to buy natural gas at much higher prices just to keep up with demand during the 2021 storm. Those extra charges will be on our bills for more than a decade to come, but one state lawmaker is saying that money should be given back to certain utility customers. [KFOR]
Tulsa Mayor: Stitt’s Encampment Raids Strip IDs and Sow Chaos: In his sharpest rebuke yet of Governor Kevin Stitt’s intervention in Tulsa’s homelessness crisis, Mayor Monroe Nichols said the governor’s “Operation SAFE” has displaced vulnerable residents, stripped them of IDs and belongings, and created a “manufactured crisis” that undermines public safety. [The Black Wall Street Times]
- Stitt’s order to clear homeless camps in Tulsa has led to chaos, advocates say [The Oklahoman]
- Governor says video just shows Tulsa problems that needed to be cleaned up [Tulsa World]
- Opinion: Tulsans will pick up broken pieces after Gov. Stitt gets done [Ginnie Graham / Tulsa World]
- From OK Policy: Homelessness is complex, but every credible expert begins with the same premise — people cannot heal, work, or stabilize without a roof overhead.
Oklahoma AG rebuffs accusations that he’s violated conduct rules in Swadley criminal case: A restaurant owner charged with defrauding the state is accusing Oklahoma’s attorney general of using a pending criminal case to bolster his gubernatorial bid. [Oklahoma Voice]
When Ryan Walters is in his office after hours, he’s probably on national cable television: When state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters is in his taxpayer-funded office outside of regular working hours, it usually means one thing – he’s about to be on a national cable network show, an analysis by The Oklahoman shows. [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma Gov. Stitt appoints familiar faces to top state roles: Here’s who they are: Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt has named a trio of new appointees to his administration, saying the private-sector picks will help him end his second term with a focus on business. [The Oklahoman]
Political notebook: Area lawmakers vow changes at deadly Glenpool intersection: Two area lawmakers pledged changes to a dangerous intersection where a 9-year-old boy died in a multivehicle collision last week. Sen. Todd Gollihare, R-Kellyville, and Rep. Chris Banning, R-Bixby, said they have asked for several immediate and short-term changes to make the intersection of Oklahoma 67 and Warrior Road in Glenpool safer. [Tulsa World]
Capitol Insider: Stitt state employee ‘return to work’ order survives legal challenge: The Oklahoma Supreme Court upheld a district court’s dismissal of a lawsuit filed by Del City State Representative Andy Fugate that was challenging Governor Kevin Stitt’s executive order requiring state employees to return to their offices. [KGOU]
Opinion, Rep. Mark Tedford: What Oklahomans need to know about health care in 2025: New federal policies through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 and the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits under the Affordable Care Act will affect how many Oklahomans get and keep coverage. Some changes are years away, but others could hit next year. [Mark Tedford / Tulsa World]
Opinion: I took Ryan Walters’ so-called ‘woke’ test for Oklahoma teachers. Now PragerU is spamming me: After weeks of hype, it turns out the Oklahoma Department of Education’s new test that promises to weed out “woke” teachers doesn’t do any such thing. In fact, it’s impossible to fail Superintendent Ryan Walters’ so-called “America First” test that he promises is “woke-proofing the classroom” and that he wants to require blue-state educators to take before they can teach here. [Janelle Stecklein / Oklahoma Voice]
Editorial: We want a governor who calls people in before he calls them out: When it comes to homelessness, we believe that the mayor and police were on the right track. We wish the governor would take off his cape and instead put out the fires at the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, which have burned brightly for seven years under his supervision. He let it get to the point of not making payroll, and it now is in the process of canceling hundreds of contracts directed at serving the people he’s displacing while throwing out their belongings. [Tulsa World Editorial Board]
Federal Government News
US preparing for ‘critical threat’ to US agriculture, USDA leader says during Oklahoma stop: U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins outlined the Department of Agriculture’s plan to prevent the spread of screwworm to the United States, including a partnership with the government of Mexico, during a stop at Express Ranches in Oklahoma. [Oklahoma Voice]
DOJ is sharing state voter roll lists with Homeland Security: The U.S. Department of Justice is sharing state voter roll information with the Department of Homeland Security in a search for noncitizens, the Trump administration confirmed. [Oklahoma Voice]
Federal judge halts Trump administration directive preventing immigrants from accessing Head Start: A federal judge in Washington blocked a Trump administration directive Thursday that prevented immigrants lacking permanent legal status from accessing certain health and education-related programs, like Head Start. [KGOU]
Trump says National Guard is heading to Memphis next: In a move that marks a significant expansion of his administration’s “law and order” agenda, President Donald Trump has announced he will deploy the National Guard to Memphis, Tennessee. The decision, revealed during a televised interview, follows similar federal interventions in other cities and has ignited a debate over the role of the military in domestic policing, as well as the effectiveness of such deployments. [The Black Wall Street Times]
D.C. Digest: Lankford, Mullin reserved in responses to Kirk death: Like virtually all political conservatives, Oklahoma Republican leaders expressed grief and outrage at the killing of Charlie Kirk on Wednesday. Democratic leaders were mostly silent, except for condemnations of Kirk’s shooting and violence in general. [Tulsa World]
Opinion: The larger we let our national debt get, the more out of control it becomes: Since I was born, the United States has racked up 24.3 trillion new dollars in additional debt. Now to just show what that truly means, I’m only a 16-year-old junior in high school. That is an absolutely mind-boggling amount of money in a short amount of time. The national debt has just reached a staggering $37 trillion, and is still climbing. [Cassius Clark / Tulsa World]
Opinion: Austerity isn’t about debt reduction. It’s about deepening market dependence: How did we arrive at this point, where economic marginalization grows as wealth concentrates in fewer hands? And how do we reverse it? Mainstream economics rarely helps. Its toolbox — focused on individual choice — is too abstract and narrow. We need to examine the rules of the game: The political and institutional structures humans built and now feel trapped by. [Clara Mattei / Tulsa World]
Tribal Nations News
Elect 2 or 16? Muscogee election to decide ballot question on at-large vs. district-based voting: Muscogee Nation voters will decide Sept. 20 whether they will continue voting for all 16 seats on the Muscogee National Council or whether their future ballots will only contain candidates for their “home” districts. [NonDoc]
- ‘Tackle the tax codes’: Russell Wind challenges Sandra Golden for Akfvske District seat [NonDoc]
- Gover-Miller challenges Yahola Osborn in Tukvpvtce District with ‘daily needs’ [NonDoc]
Voting and Election News
Special election set for soon-to-be vacant Oklahoma House seat: Gov. Kevin Stitt has set the election dates to fill a legislative seat that will become vacant Oct. 1, following the resignation of Rep. Ty Burns, R-Pawnee. He resigned after pleading guilty in Pawnee County District Court to one misdemeanor count of domestic abuse and two misdemeanor counts of assault. [Oklahoma Voice]
Education News
HBCUs Face Threats, Lockdowns in Wake of Kirk Assassination: In an alarming series of events, several Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were placed on lockdown within 24-hours following what officials described as “terroristic threats” in the aftermath of the Charlie Kirk assassination. [The Black Wall Street Times]
Oklahoma education news: UCO advances bid to become state’s third research university: The University of Central Oklahoma is adding what will be the Edmond school’s second doctoral degree program, this time in education. [The Oklahoman]
Renovated OSU vet school will include new animal hospital: Regents that govern Oklahoma State University have increased the scope of a planned renovation for its College of Veterinary Medicine to include a new hospital, with school officials touting the project as a fresh start for a beleaguered program. [The Oklahoman]
After tumultuous year, Epic says it’s in the black and enrollment is up, but audit is on the way: The final financial report for Epic Charter Schools for the 2024-25 school year indicates Oklahoma’s largest virtual and charter school finished the tumultuous year in the black, albeit barely. [The Oklahoman]
Ryan Walters threatens Oklahoma teacher licenses over Charlie Kirk comments: State schools Superintendent Ryan Walters is threatening to revoke the teaching licenses of any Oklahoma public school teacher “who attempts to glorify” the murder of conservative political icon Charlie Kirk. [The Oklahoman]
Indivisible Tulsa County holds education forum to discuss solutions to raising Oklahoma’s state ranking (video): Parents and teachers gathered on Sunday afternoon at All Souls Unitarian Church to discuss possible solutions to help Oklahoma students and improve the state’s education ranking. [Fox 23]
Broken Arrow Public Schools educators list concerns, successes for legislators: Rather than a formal legislative breakfast facilitated by a moderator, Broken Arrow Public Schools hosted six state legislators at the district’s Education Service Center for a conversation about the district’s needs and realities. [Tulsa World]
Health News
Inside a ‘Hell on Earth’ in Oklahoma: The Greer Center was supposed to be a refuge for people with developmental disabilities. But accounts from inside the secretive facility paint a starkly different picture, depicting a place where helpless patients faced beatings, waterboarding and constant fear. [New York Times]
Will AI decide your healthcare coverage? Oklahoma’s pilot program starts in January: Oklahoma is one of six states set to participate in a federal pilot program using AI for Medicare claims that’s already raising concerns about how automation will affect prior authorization decisions. [The Oklahoman]
Is ‘kissing bug’ disease in Oklahoma? What to know about Chagas disease: Researchers have found the notorious “kissing bug” in 31 U.S. states over the past decade, and are now hoping that health officials bring more awareness to the disease that it can transmit to humans. [The Oklahoman]
Criminal Justice News
Execution of convicted Oklahoma murderer Tremane Wood set for Nov. 13: The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has decided convicted murderer Tremane Wood should be executed next after all. The court set the execution for Nov. 13 despite complications caused by an ongoing drug trafficking investigation. [The Oklahoman]
- From OK Policy: Oklahoma Death Penalty Tracker
Former Oklahoma judge gets probation for 2023 drive-by shooting that missed victim by inch: A former judge has pleaded guilty to a drive-by shooting in Oklahoma in 2023 that went unsolved until he was arrested after another drive-by shooting in Texas. [The Oklahoman]
Economy & Business News
New Mexico governor announces free universal child care: New Mexico will offer child care at no cost to all residents, regardless of incomes, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced on Monday, thus becoming the first U.S. state to offer universal free child care, she said. [Oklahoma Voice]
Community News
Pastor proposes state question in honor of Tulsa Race Massacre victims, survivors: A Tulsa pastor has called for a statewide vote on a proposal to designate June 1 as Greenwood Remembrance and Reconciliation Day annually in Oklahoma. [Tulsa World]
- Pastor hopes to create state holiday memorializing Tulsa Race Massacre [KOSU]
Opinion, former Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor: Tulsa must balance immediate needs with long-term growth: Every city must constantly weigh competing priorities, but Tulsa’s situation is uniquely challenging because of how we are required to fund local government. The Oklahoma Constitution restricts how Oklahoma cities fund operations to sales taxes (unlike other cities and Oklahoma counties that rely on a mix of property, income, and sales taxes). Sales tax is volatile, rising and falling with the economy, making balancing for both immediate needs and long-term growth challenging. [Kathy Taylor / Tulsa World]
Opinion: Dialogue or Death: The Crossroads After Charlie Kirk: Charlie Kirk’s death exposes the deadly toll of toxic politics — and the urgent need to replace division with dialogue if democracy is to survive. [James S. Bridgeforth, PhD and Emma Roshioru / The Black Wall Street Times]
Opinion: We’re a Republican and a Democrat. After Charlie Kirk’s death, we agree on this: By now, we know all too well that murderous radicals of any political stripe can be a threat to anyone in the public sphere, as well as the innocent people around them. [Gabby Giffords and Jeff Flake / The Oklahoman]
- Blame game after acts of political violence can lead to further attacks, experts warn [AP via Tulsa World]
Opinion: Sabbath is a day for Christians to instigate good trouble. It’s what Jesus would do: Life was never at risk when Jesus healed on the sabbath. Each time, it could have waited another day, but Jesus was deliberately provocative. This is our model for sabbath. Not a rules-based approach, but a time of intentionally picking fights with injustice, exclusion and distress in order to bring relief. [The Rev. Lori Allen Walke / The Oklahoman]
Local Headlines
- Archbishop Emeritus Eusebius Beltran, longtime OKC Catholic leader, dies at 91 [The Oklahoman]
- Design underway for reconstruction of I-40 bridges over Meridian Ave., MacArthur Blvd. [The Oklahoman]
- OKC police officer, on leave since arrest, convicted of child abuse [The Oklahoman]
- OKC veterinarian draws protest over post saying Charlie Kirk murder ‘only the first’ [The Oklahoman]
- Tulsa World partner the Tulsa Flyer joins the city’s media world [Tulsa World]
Quote of the Day
“This moment marks a new era for Tulsa, and one that’s promising. Aside from Stitt using this moment to paint Tulsa as a crime-ridden hellscape, perhaps there’s an opportunity now that residents are hyper-focused on this issue. But we have to do a better job at setting aside the politics and pre-conceived notions to find a way forward. That means civil, open discussion based on facts, not hunches or hearsay. This means getting at solutions to homelessness, not shuffling people around.”
-Tulsa World columnist Ginnie Graham, writing about the governor’s unilateral decision to clear homeless encampments in Tulsa without coordinating with local officials and service providers. She writes that the governor’s decision to go it alone and without expertise won’t provide long-term solutions, only broken pieces. [Tulsa World]
Number of the Day
88%
Evidence from a systematic review of 26 studies indicates that Housing First programs decreased homelessness by 88% and improved housing stability by 41%. When compared to treatment first programs, clients in stable housing experienced better quality of life and showed reduced hospitalization and emergency department use. [National Low Income Housing Coalition]
Policy Note
The Trouble With Trump’s Homelessness Plan: A new executive order seeks to shift homelessness policy toward mandated civil commitment and institutional treatment, reducing support for “Housing First” programs that prioritize getting people into housing without preconditions. The order encourages using federal incentives to promote stricter enforcement of laws against urban camping, loitering, and public drug use, and supports expanding involuntary mental health treatment — even when community-based alternatives are rare or underfunded. Experts warn that this approach risks violating civil rights, is costly, and fails to address the root causes of homelessness (such as housing unaffordability and lack of supportive services). [The Marshall Project]
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