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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
Where did $3 million for Bibles in education budget come from? Walters isn’t saying: State schools Superintendent Ryan Walters said he would ask lawmakers for $3 million next year to purchase Bibles for classrooms, on top of the $3 million that he’s already set aside for the purchases. But there was no specific line item for spending on Bibles in this year’s agency budget approved by the Legislature. His remarks left state Rep. Mark McBride, a top watchdog of the agency’s spending under Walters, flummoxed. [The Oklahoman]
- First Watch: Stuff You Should Know [Oklahoma Watch]
State Government News
Legal battle between Hiett, Anthony continues as OCC considers electricity rate cases: As the Oklahoma Corporation Commission holds a public hearing today on a $218 million rate hike proposed by Public Service Company of Oklahoma, two of its three elected members remain engaged in a legal battle before the state Supreme Court that has drawn three state lawmakers into the fray. [NonDoc]
- Embattled corporation commissioner responds to petition calling for disqualification [Tulsa World]
Oklahoma tourism director Shelley Zumwalt retiring, months after AG calls on her to resign: The executive director of the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department announced her retirement this week, five months after the state’s attorney general called on her to resign in the wake of a scathing state audit. [The Oklahoman]
Capitol Update: Market signs are good for state but workforce hinders Oklahoma economy: Dr. Robert Dauffenbach, professor emeritus at the Price College of Business at the University of Oklahoma, discusses the economy and concerns that workforce and education issues are hindering the state’s economic progress. [KOSU]
Opinion: Oklahoma GOP leaders continue to banish their constituents to education board ‘loser lounges’: The latest drama surrounding state Board of Education meeting access hinges around who should be seated in an overflow room that I’ve secretly nicknamed the “loser lounge” or “reject room” depending on the occasion. Why? Because in case you’ve forgotten, this illustrious board has chosen to meet in the equivalent of a matchbox while dozens of their constituents camp out overnight to try to enter that room and witness what their government is doing. [Janelle Stecklein / Oklahoma Voice]
Opinion: Fines alone aren’t enough to stop Illinois River water pollution: Since 2000, Tyson Foods and its subsidiaries have been fined a total of almost $300 million by the federal government for violations ranging from price fixing and anti-competitive practices to unfair wages, lax safety oversight, and environmental damage. However, Tyson is not an outlier. It simply has the most recognizable name among a group of large corporations together known as Big Ag, and it is representative of what has gone wrong with the U.S. food system. [Mike Altshuler / The Oklahoman]
Federal Government News
D.C. Digest: Hern touts renewal of tax cuts: Aside from re-election, 1st District Congressman Kevin Hern’s first priority in the coming year is renewing the 2017 tax cuts and reforms before they expire at the end of 2025. [Tulsa World]
Opinion, Rep. Suzanne Schreiber: Loss of federal child care support next month is a threat to Oklahoma’s economy: During the pandemic and our recovery period, the federal government invested billions of dollars in industries that help keep our economy afloat. Rightfully, Oklahoma’s child care industry was one of the sectors considered critical. But the more than $1 billion in funds provided over the last three years runs out at the end of this month. These dollars expiring brings us to a pivotal moment as a state in which we either fully embrace the importance of child care to the growth of our economy or we take a big step backwards and stall out. [Rep. Suzanne Schreiber / The Oklahoman]
Tribal Nations News
Wichita Nation able to lay boarding school student to rest after 142 years: The remains of a 15-year-old girl who died at Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, among many Native boarding school students who never made it home, have been returned to her tribe’s homeland in Oklahoma. Leaders from the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes recently traveled to Pennsylvania to retrieve the remains of Kate Ross, as well as another Wichita child who died at the school, Alfred Charko. [Tulsa World]
‘Kill the Indian, Save the Man’: The U.S. Wrestles With Its Role in Native Boarding Schools: Investigative reports on federal Indian boarding schools released by the Department of the Interior are designed to confront the legacy of the Native American Boarding School era, a period marked today, Sept. 30, on what some Indigenous communities and their supporters are calling the National Day of Remembrance for U.S. Indian Boarding Schools, or Orange Shirt Day. [U.S. News & World Report via MSN]
Tulsa secures $3.6M grant for Dream Keepers Park revival: Tulsa Parks, in partnership with the Greater Tulsa Area Indian Affairs Commission and the City of Tulsa, made progress toward the $9 million plan to revitalize Dream Keepers Park. The park, which hosts Tulsa’s annual Native American Day celebration, received a newly funded grant through the Department of Interior and the National Park Service. [Journal Record]
Opinion, Cherokee Nation Chief: Power Play Threatens Cherokee Nation’s Compact, Oklahoma’s Public Safety: Cherokee Nation’s car tag compact with the state of Oklahoma has been by all reasonable accounts a huge success. The agreement has enabled the Cherokee Nation to issue vehicle tags to our citizens across the state, collect the revenue, and share it with local governments and schools. Since 2002, this compact has generated $258 million in funding for vital services like public schools, roads and law enforcement for all Oklahomans — Cherokee and non-Cherokee alike. However, Governor Kevin Stitt is threatening this longstanding agreement. He is demanding that the Cherokee Nation turn control of its tag process over to the state, like agreements in place with the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations. [Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. / Native News Online]
Voting and Election News
Changing demographics and the political calculus of anti-immigrant rhetoric in swing states: Immigration is a far more complex topic than border security alone, and strategists may be miscalculating by failing to consider some key voters and their nuanced perspectives, recent polling shows. [Oklahoma Voice]
Tulsa city council candidate’s posts demean US soldiers, promote confederate flag: Eddie Huff, a candidate for Tulsa City Council, made a series of Facebook posts in 2015 seemingly defending the Confederate flag and demeaning soldiers captured during war. These public posts, made over several months, come to light weeks before the election. [The Black Wall Street Times]
‘Vote for Change’: Nonpartisan registration drive held for Oklahomans at Diversion Hub: Encouraging Oklahomans to do their civic duty. A nonprofit called “Vote for Change” is heading to communities across the Sooner State with that goal in mind. For the first time Friday afternoon, the group held a registration drive for Oklahomans experiencing homelessness and those who are re-entering society. [Fox 25]
When does early voting start in Oklahoma? Key dates for 2024 presidential election: In just under 40 days, the United States general election will happen. Early voting in Oklahoma will begin Oct. 30, but Pennsylvania and Minnesota kicked off the election last week. Here’s everything you need to know to be prepared to vote this November. [The Oklahoman]
- Oct. 11 is Oklahoma’s deadline to register for the November primary. Check your registration status or learn how to register in your county. [OK Voter Portal]
Education News
Bixby High School principal suspended after arrest for public intoxication during fall dance: Tulsa police arrested Bixby High School Principal Mickey Replogle for public intoxication during the school’s fall dance. Superintendent Rob Miller says he immediately suspended the principal from all duties until an investigation is complete. [News on 6]
Opinion: Ryan Walters’ school Bible mandate undermines freedom and faith: In June, state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters issued a memo requiring the Bible be taught in Oklahoma public schools, citing its value for historical context and moral virtue. As a Christian and conservative, I believe this approach is misguided for three reasons: It uses state power to promote religious texts, mislabels Christianity’s byproduct as its core value and seeks secular power for Christian ends. [Clay Lightfoot / The Oklahoman]
Health News
Tulsa philanthropist a major funder of Florida abortion rights initiative: Tulsa philanthropist Lynn Schusterman contributed at least $4.25 million to last year’s successful abortion rights ballot initiative in Ohio and is also one of the largest donors to a similar undertaking in Florida, according to campaign finance reports. [Tulsa World]
Criminal Justice News
Tulsa’s Public Safety Tax aimed to add 160 police officers. Seven years later, has it?: The permanent Public Safety Tax that city officials designed to add more police officers and firefighters hasn’t panned out specifically as intended in a certain respect: Many fewer officers are in service than was pitched to voters. [Tulsa World]
- Tulsa Police layoffs in 2009 illustrate value of permanent Public Safety Tax: [Tulsa World]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
$500K in grant funding will bring a community center to Will Rogers Courts. What’s the plan?: A neighborhood that has long struggled with poverty and crime in southwest Oklahoma City is receiving a $500,000 grant that organizers hope will transform the community. [The Oklahoman]
Economy & Business News
Officials celebrate film industry growth but push for Oklahoma ‘to up our game’: Movies like “Killers of the Flower Moon” and television shows like “Reservation Dogs” filmed in Oklahoma have added significant momentum to an industry that in recent years has pumped millions of dollars into the economy and positively impacted the state in multiple other ways, speakers at a recent entertainment industry forum said. [Tulsa World]
Oklahoma leaders see economic promise in space: Members of the Senate Aeronautics and Transportation Committee of the state Legislature, chaired by Sen. John Haste, R-Tulsa, met at the Capitol on Tuesday to explore ways to best position Oklahoma to benefit from investment by space-focused companies around the world, which are expected to have a combined valuation of $10 trillion by 2030. [Tulsa World]
Community News
Oklahoma Main Street announces award winners: The Oklahoma Main Street Center announced the winners of its annual statewide awards during the 34th Main Street Awards Banquet held on September 24 in Oklahoma City. Programs from across the state competed in 24 award categories representing the “Four Points” of the Main Street Approach: Organization, Promotion, Economic Vitality, and Design. [Journal Record]
Local Headlines
- Edmond GO bond proposal gets chilly reception at Mitch Park meeting [NonDoc]
- Here’s what Oklahoma drivers can do to stay safe as deer activity ramps up for fall [KOSU]
- OKC Council to consider using $4.75 million in tax increment financing for navy memorial [The Oklahoman]
- How much do Oklahoma County elected officials get paid? Here’s a look at their salaries [The Oklahoman]
- Here’s a rundown of nearly $1 billion in Tulsa metro development projects coming soon [Tulsa World]
- Opinion: Edmond City Council, EPS Board should avoid overlapping meetings [Blake Douglas / NonDoc]
Quote of the Day
“My boarding school experience at Seneca – the most traumatic thing for me was being separated from my family, from my siblings. And the years that you’re separated, you never get back. The days that you’re separated they don’t return, but you learn to live. You learn to become part of the trauma. You don’t understand it. I know many days, even now, I don’t understand why I had to go through what I went through. And healing is a long entire life process.”
– A participant who shared how their Indian boarding school experience impacted them during an Oklahoma event designed to provided survivors of the Federal Indian boarding school system the opportunity to share their experiences, help connect communities with trauma-informed support, and facilitate collection of an oral history. [U.S. Department of Interior Report]
Number of the Day
87
The Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Investigative Report lists Oklahoma with the most Indian boarding schools with 87. Sixty-three other institutions in Oklahoma that didn’t meet all four investigation criteria were also listed as having policies that sought to erase Native American culture through assimilation. [Tulsa World]
Policy Note
The Symbolism of Orange: From Work to Awareness: Every year on September 30th, the color orange carries profound symbolism as it becomes part of Orange Shirt Day’s narrative. This day stirs sorrow and resilience within us as we confront the enduring impacts of residential schools on Indigenous peoples across North America. [Native News Online]
- NOTE: September 30 is recognized as National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools
- Indian Boarding Schools: The Search for Truth and Healing [Native News Online]
- Department of the Interior Releases Volume II of The Federal Boarding School Investigative Report [National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition]
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