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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
Immigrants power Oklahoma’s economy. State Question 832 can ensure they earn fair wages.: Like all Oklahomans, immigrants face ever-rising costs of living. Yet wages have not kept pace, and unique challenges around immigration status often compound the struggle of making ends meet — all the more difficult for low-wage residents earning at or near the minimum wage. Next year, however, voters will have the opportunity to change that with State Question 832. [Gabriela Ramirez-Perez / OK Policy]
- From OK Policy: SQ 832: Information and Resources
Oklahoma News
State superintendent calls for Turning Point USA chapter at every high school in Oklahoma: Oklahoma’s State Superintendent Ryan Walters is declaring every high school in the state will have a Turning Point USA chapter in the wake of the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. But it’s unclear what impact his declaration will have. [KOSU]
- ‘Don’t like forced anything’: Plan to put Turning Point USA chapters in every school faces pushback [KOCO]
Schools say they didn’t know Ryan Walters was investigating them over Charlie Kirk: Only one of the 12 Oklahoma school districts under investigation by state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters’ for not honoring Charlie Kirk has said it’s received formal notice. [The Oklahoman]
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Opinion: In Ryan Walters’ Oklahoma school system, it’s honor Charlie Kirk — or else [Dion Lefler / The Wichita Eagle]
Teachers concerned about what’s missing from Bibles now in Oklahoma classrooms: Oklahoma teachers are getting a closer look at the God Bless the USA Bible that has been placed in many classrooms across the state. Some were surprised by what they did not see. In the back, the Bibles included the Constitution, but Amendments 11-27 were missing. [KFOR]
State Government News
Controversial Oklahoma turnpike route will shift westward: The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority on Tuesday announced it has decided to move a controversial new turnpike route about two miles to the west. The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority’s top priority when setting the new Norman-area turnpike route was minimizing the impact on people’s homes. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma Turnpike Authority announces change to project that runs through Norman [KGOU]
- New south extension toll road corridor to take out 75 homes, cost more than $1 billion [The Oklahoman]
Two special justices will help decide case challenging Oklahoma social studies standards: Two judges from the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals will serve as special justices as the Oklahoma Supreme Court considers a lawsuit filed over new social studies academic standards being pushed by state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters. [The Oklahoman]
Federal Government News
Tulsa group implores lawmakers to change immigration policy: Church of Saint Mary hosted the one-hour program that gave folks stats and stories to combat immigration misinformation, like that undocumented people commit more crimes than citizens. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Close to 5M could become uninsured if Congress doesn’t extend subsidies, report says: Without congressional action, more than 7 million people who buy their health insurance on Affordable Care Act marketplaces would pay much higher premiums next year. Close to 5 million of them wouldn’t be able to absorb the price hike – nor would they be able to afford to buy coverage anywhere else, according to a new analysis. [Oklahoma Voice]
Some Republican states resist DOJ demand for private voter data: At least four states with Republican chief election officials have offered public data but not the sensitive information — driver’s license and partial Social Security numbers — sought by the Justice Department, even as they take pains not to pick a fight with President Donald Trump. Another has refused to turn over any data. [Oklahoma Voice]
Opinion: Our government is attacking the free speech it’s meant to protect: The problem is that damage is now emanating from the very government that is supposed to protect the right of free expression, and it is being applied unequally. In this instance, the federal government itself is the lawbreaker. [Michael Salem / The Oklahoman]
Tribal Nations News
Bixby set to fly Muscogee Nation flag at city hall: A suburb of Tulsa will fly the Muscogee Nation flag at its headquarters. Broken Arrow is also set to fly the Muscogee Nation flag, according to Tulsa officials, though their public relations department didn’t return inquiries. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Voting and Election News
Opinion: Primary system sidelines many rural Oklahomans. SQ 836 offers path forward: It’s no longer just out-of-state, monied interests slowing progress. Today, many elected officials are appeasing a small minority of voters who use education as a proxy battlefield for larger “culture war” fights that have little to do with actual student outcomes in Oklahoma. [Erika Wright / The Oklahoman]
Education News
Ryan Walters canceled a state education board meeting. Some teachers had to pay: When state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters decided to cancel the August meeting of the Oklahoma State Board of Education, it meant hundreds of classroom teachers had to wait another month to receive the full pay rate for their jobs. [The Oklahoman]
- Are Oklahoma teacher salaries among the lowest? [Oklahoma Watch]
As Edmond Public Schools principal’s resignation draws crowds, attorney decries ‘corrupt administrators’: Blue-clad parents, teachers and staff from Will Rogers Elementary School packed a second-straight meeting of the Edmond Public Schools Board of Education on Monday to sit with and support their former head principal, Anissa Angier-Dunn, who resigned eight days into the school year Aug. 25. [NonDoc]
These are Oklahoma’s top colleges, according to US News and World Report: Four Oklahoma schools are ranked among the top 301 colleges and universities in the annual rankings produced by U.S. News and World Report. [The Oklahoman]
Long Story Short: How OSSAA’s Latest Legal Loss Extends Basketball Controversy (podcast): J.C. Hallman attended a court hearing in early September when an important ruling was made in an ongoing case that will be of interest to many Oklahoma families regarding OSSAA. Elizabeth Caldwell looked into a social media phenomenon that’s stirring the online dating pot in Oklahoma. [Oklahoma Watch]
Health News
Trump ties autism to Tylenol use in pregnancy despite inconclusive scientific evidence: President Donald Trump announced Monday that his administration believes it’s found one contributing factor of autism and a possible treatment, though experts have said such claims are inconclusive and not backed by scientific evidence. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Trump and RFK Jr. are making claims about autism. What do medical experts say? [Oklahoma Voice]
Criminal Justice News
Tulsa city court limits public access to court records and requests for information can take weeks or months: Court documents are supposed to be easily accessible to the public under Oklahoma’s open records law, but Tulsa Municipal Court has removed computer terminals where people could look up case information. [The Frontier]
Brian Lovell pleads, receives suspended sentence after Drummond accused of politicizing case: Former Garfield County District Judge Brian Lovell, 60, was accused of committing a drive-by shooting of his brother-in-law’s home in Bison in 2023. He faced removal from office for an alleged affair with a bailiff, and he ultimately resigned from the bench, citing a frontotemporal dementia diagnosis. [NonDoc]
Withheld Evidence Emerges in Another Old Murder Case: On July 7, the family of Joshua Christon gathered for a press conference hosted by the NAACP of Oklahoma. The occasion was the filing of an application for post-conviction relief based on revelations of potentially exculpatory evidence having been withheld from the defense at the time of Christon’s 2008 trial. [Oklahoma Watch]
Executive director of Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board resigning Nov. 30: The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board’s executive director, Tom Bates, is resigning after five years in the high-stress position. [The Oklahoman]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
City, county talks on low-barrier homeless shelter back on, Nichols says: Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols said Tuesday that he and County Commission Chairman Lonnie Sims agreed to have their staffs meet after negotiations ground to a halt a few weeks ago. [Tulsa World]
Opinion: In the spirit of the Oklahoma Standard, let’s work together to fight hunger: Each September, the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma joins food banks across the country to raise awareness and inspire action to end hunger in our communities. This year, the call is more urgent than ever. [Stacy Dykstra / The Oklahoman]
Economy & Business News
Commerce down this year on Oklahoma’s McClellan-Kerr river system: Oklahoma is home to one of the country’s farthest inland shipping ports — the Tulsa Port of Catoosa on the Arkansas River. But new numbers show cargo traffic is down on the commercial route that links Oklahoma to international waters. [KOSU]
What’s the average hourly pay in Oklahoma? See how your paycheck compares: The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its total private average hourly earnings by state, along with the average weekly earnings and the average number of hours Americans work per week as of April 2025. Here’s how Oklahoma measures up. [The Oklahoman]
Community News
‘The consummate pastoral leader’: Catholics remember legacy of OKC archbishop emeritus: Oklahoma Catholics are sharing memories of a leader who shepherded the faithful through the tragedy of the Oklahoma City bombing, helped prepare the church to welcome rising numbers of Hispanics, and who began the cause for canonization for an Okarche priest who was martyred for his faith while serving in Guatemala. [The Oklahoman]
Opinion: The death of truth and what we can do to bring it back: In uncertain times people are hungry for explanations. And sometimes that hunger pain is so great that people fall easily for conspiracy theories. They can take comfort in — by empowered empowered by, even — the thought that there is one enemy to blame. [Jason Collington / Tulsa World]
Local Headlines
- New information from crash investigators reveal what forced Minco’s bus off the highway [The Oklahoman]
- Route 66 Eagle’s Nest takes flight at Edmond sculpture park [The Journal Record]
- Edmond hires new city manager [The Journal Record]
Quote of the Day
“Immigrants are overrepresented in low-wage industries, which are essential jobs that all Oklahomans rely on. It is indefensible that people who keep our state running are still paid wages that are far too low to support themselves and their families.”
– Gabriela Ramirez-Perez, immigration policy analyst for OK Policy, in a recent article urging Oklahoma voters to pass SQ 832 to raise state’s minimum wage — a crucial step in helping all workers, including immigrants, build stability and security. [OK Policy]
- From OK Policy: What you need to know about the minimum wage in Oklahoma
Number of the Day
17 %
Immigrants account for 17 percent, or $3.3 trillion, of the U.S. economic output (GDP), even higher than their share of the population. [Immigrant Research Initiative]
Policy Note
Immigrants Pay Taxes But Are Excluded from Many Benefits: There is so much misinformation about the role immigrants are playing in the American economy, let’s lay at least this one issue to rest. Immigrants pay taxes. In fact, only one group of people in this country pays Social Security taxes but will not see any benefit from it: people who are undocumented. Same for Medicare. Same for unemployment insurance. [Immigrant Research Initiative]
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