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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.
Oklahoma News
Detainees contend Oklahoma ICE site is neglecting medical care: At least 16 people detained at Diamondback who have sought temporary restraining orders to get medical care they say they urgently need. One of the largest facilities for ICE detention in the country, Diamondback reopened to accommodate a surge in arrests under a nationwide federal immigration crackdown. [The Oklahoman]
- From OK Policy: Oklahoma shouldn’t allow private prisons to reopen as immigration detention centers. Here are 6 reasons why.
What’s next for Trump’s aluminum smelter project in Oklahoma?: President Trump’s goal of building a large aluminum smelter in Oklahoma passed a major hurdle in late August when Republican voters nominated a candidate for governor who supports its construction after an unusually tough primary battle. The project must now overcome significant opposition in the small rural community of Inola, where many residents are working to block plans to build the $4 billion smelter. [Reuters]
State Question 845: What Oklahoma Voters Need to Know Before November 3: Time magazine called it one of the most shocking judicial scandals in U.S. history. In the mid-1960s, three Oklahoma Supreme Court justices were implicated in a far-reaching bribery and corruption scheme. Two of them resigned. The third was impeached. Hoping to restore public trust in the judicial system, Oklahoma lawmakers proposed an overhaul. Nearly 60 years later, the Legislature is asking voters to consider changing the state Constitution to restructure the Judicial Nominating Commission. [Oklahoma Watch]
- From OK Policy: SQ 845 Fact Sheet | What’s on the ballot for the November 3, 2026 elections in Oklahoma?
- Register for OK Policy’s SQ 845 & SQ 847 Town Hall on Oct. 20
State Government News
Getting an Oklahoma driver’s license is still inefficient, despite legislative changes: A fiscal review board says Service Oklahoma, the agency created to help streamline the process of getting a driver’s license, isn’t really working as it should. [KOSU]
State employees confused as mental health clinics go private: Officials are transferring the operation of Oklahoma’s four state-run outpatient mental health clinics to private providers, and the process has boggled employees and lawmakers. The clinics provide outpatient services to Oklahomans who need psychiatric care. [The Oklahoman]
Resident claims his rights were violated at Oklahoma board meeting: An Oklahoma resident is demanding a state board apologize and consider reconvening after its audio equipment failed to work properly, hampering his ability to participate in a public meeting. [Oklahoma Voice]
Lawmaker plans to seek kratom ban in Oklahoma: An Oklahoma lawmaker wants to ban the sale of the herbal supplement kratom. The “gas station drug” is legal to sell in Oklahoma with few restrictions, but federal officials, health professionals and the state’s narcotics agency have raised the alarm about its addictiveness and negative health effects. [KOSU]
- Behind the Label: Kratom connections in Oklahoma [KFOR]
$3B Toby Keith Expressway pushes east of I-35 with new bids: The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority is set to seek bids totaling $73.6 million over the next six months as construction proceeds on the future Toby Keith Expressway. [The Oklahoman]
Opinion: Oklahoma Voice won an open records case we never should have had to fight. Here’s how it worked.:
State agencies sometimes pick some weird hills to die on when it comes to public access, but the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and its governing board take the cake. [Janelle Stecklein / OK Policy]
Federal Government News
With vote-by-mail court fight settled, attention shifts to protections at the polls: Voting rights groups and Democratic officials are looking to defend against what they see as possible election interference from the Trump administration ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, now that they’ve won a major battle over mail ballots. [Oklahoma Voice]
Trump administration faces second lawsuit to block ICE agents at polls: A coalition of civil rights groups and union organizations Friday sued the Trump administration to prevent the deployment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to polling locations during November’s midterm elections. [Oklahoma Voice]
Tribal Nations News
Staffing Problems Stall Federal Investigations of Missing and Killed Native People: The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Missing and Murdered Unit was created in 2021 to address the crisis of violence against Native Americans and put new resources toward solving cold cases. But a recent federal audit by the Interior Department’s internal watchdog found staffing issues have plagued the unit since its formation during President Joe Biden’s administration, creating a backlog of cases and leaving families without required victim services. [Oklahoma Watch]
Voting and Election News
New questions about State Farm-affiliated Mazzei donors emerge as unsealed documents shed light on claim denial scheme: As internal State Farm documents unsealed this week appear to back up claims, the company systematically denied wind and hail claims across Oklahoma, News 4 has uncovered new questions about campaign donations from State Farm-affiliated donors to Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Mazzei—including one donor who identified himself as a State Farm agent but turns out to be a corporate attorney for the company. [KFOR]
Capitol Insider: AI in political advertising unregulated in Oklahoma: During this election cycle, we’ve seen political ads that clearly use AI-generated images. With campaigns in full swing heading into the November general election, we are likely to see more. [KGOU]
Opinion: I voted for Trump three times. I’m having second thoughts: I’m probably going to say a few things that some Republicans are thinking but don’t particularly want to say out loud. I voted for Donald Trump three times. But voting for somebody doesn’t mean you surrender your right to question them. In fact, I think it gives you a little more responsibility to speak up when something doesn’t seem right. [Mark McBride / The Oklahoman]
Election Roundup
- At Munson forum, voters identify education, stressed finances as top concerns [Tulsa World]
- Munson answers questions about Oklahomans biggest issues, stance [Public Radio Tulsa]
- Democracy Watch: Previewing Oklahoma’s Labor Commissioner Race [Oklahoma Watch]
Education News
Oklahoma schools employ thousands of adjunct teachers as lawmakers consider appropriate use: More than 2,700 adjunct teachers are covering public school courses without a related certification, state data shows. However, a majority of those instructors are certified to teach a different grade level or subject area, said Jeff Smith, the program director for teacher certification at the Oklahoma State Department of Education. [Oklahoma Voice]
‘As dangerous as smoking’: Parents push districts, legislators to curb technology in education: On the back of new warnings and a growing body of research, some parents want their local school district — and the Oklahoma Legislature — to set stricter limits on the use of technology in education, teeing it up as a leading topic of conversation among teachers, lawmakers and families. [NonDoc]
Opinion: Oklahoma students want more civics debate but fear peer judgment: This summer the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute surveyed recent graduates about their high school civics classes: what they learned, how disagreement was handled and when they held back. Fifty-eight percent said they had held back from saying what they really thought about a political or civic topic because they were concerned about how others might react. [Liam Julian / The Oklahoman]
Health News
Oklahoma moves out of top 5 states for teen pregnancy: As originally reported by Oklahoma Voice, for the first time in at least a decade, Oklahoma is no longer ranked in the top states for teen birth rates. One Oklahoma organization credits the decrease to access to birth control and having multiple meaningful “talks,” even if it’s dreaded. [KFOR]
Justice System News
Oklahoma County jail rivals state mental health hospitals, administrator says: Jail administrator Tim Kimrey wants it known that the Oklahoma County jail is not a mental health hospital. Statistics presented to the county jail trust paint a different scenario. The jail had 2,824 mental health contacts with 250-plus inmates requiring psychiatric care and monitoring in August. Kimrey said it’s too much. [The Oklahoman]
As candidate for mayor, Nichols supported some form of independent monitoring of police: Mayor Monroe Nichols has yet to take a position on the latest proposal to establish an independent oversight program for the city’s Police Department and other public safety services. During his campaign for mayor, candidate Nichols was clear on his position, telling the Tulsa World twice that he would support some form of oversight of the Police Department. [Tulsa World]
Oklahoma State University event offers safe way to practice traffic stops: Project: Safe Stop will be returning to Stillwater for the second year in a row. This week’s event gives attendees a low-stakes opportunity to interact with law enforcement. [KOSU]
Economy & Business News
Oklahoma ranks top 10 for business bankruptcies despite startup boom: Oklahoma ranks in the top 10 nationally for business bankruptcies due to interest rates and challenges with post-pandemic recovery. But at the same time, the state also is considered to be one of the better options for starting a new venture, according to recent studies. [The Oklahoman]
Community News
OKC police chief, Chickasaw Nation among award winners at Latino awards: The Latino Community Development Agency held their 35th annual awards luncheon with the theme, “Somos Oklahoma,” meaning “We are Oklahoma.” The agency offers offers various services, bilingual child care and mental health care to the Hispanic community. [The Oklahoman]
Local Headlines
- Oklahoma County orders two-stage audit of budget errors [The Oklahoman]
- Governor, local leaders welcome Greenheck Group expansion in Tulsa [Tulsa World]
- Tulsa Public Schools officials restate case for anticipated cuts [Tulsa World]
- Sheriff: Deputies searching for weapons, not immigrants at the Tulsa State Fair [Tulsa Flyer]
- Broken Arrow asks federal court to dismiss lawsuit over rejected mosque proposal [Tulsa Flyer]
- Thousands of volunteers finish much-needed projects at area nonprofits as part of Tulsa Area United Way’s Day of Caring [Tulsa Flyer]
- Edmond City Council closes 72-year-old loophole in parking ordinance [The Oklahoman]
Quote of the Day
“It’s so degrading, You just can’t live – that’s not a sustainable way, that’s not a healthy way to live, and that’s why people are sick.”
-Brenda Lozano, an associate attorney at an immigration law firm, speaking about conditions at the Diamondback Corrections Facility in Watonga, one of the nation’s largest facilities for ICE detention. Advocates for people detained there say as the facility received an influx of detainees from across the region, conditions worsened. Detainees, their families and their attorneys described difficulties receiving timely medical attention and prescribed medications as routine, alongside concerns about nutrition and unsanitary conditions. [The Oklahoman]
Number of the Day
2,450%
The percentage increase in the number of people with no criminal record being held in ICE detention on any given day during President Trump’s first year back in office. The number of “at-large” arrests in American communities has increased by 600%. [American Immigration Council]
Policy Note
Dying in Detention: Rising Deaths in an Expanding US Immigration Detention System: In the 500 days between President Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025 and June 4, 2026, 52 people died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in the United States. The mortality rate of deaths in ICE custody is at its highest level in over a decade and has more than doubled since Trump’s second term began. The rate is nearly four times that of the Biden administration, and more than two and a half times as high as that of the first Trump administration. [Human Rights Watch]
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