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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
Opinion: The problem with Oklahoma’s property tax ‘fixes’: It looks like SQ 847 is the result of one of two things: Legislative masterminds who don’t understand how the property tax system works and what it pays for. Or schemers hoping to hoodwink voters into thinking their elected leaders are providing tax relief when they’re not. And may even be making things worse. [Arnold Hamilton / The Journal Record]
- From OK Policy: SQ 847 Fact Sheet | What’s on the ballot for the November 3, 2026 elections in Oklahoma?
- Register for OK Policy’s Oct. 20 town hall on SQ 845, SQ 847
State Government News
Lawmakers, candidates for state office delve into data center issues: The controversial rise of massive data centers needed to fuel the speed and performance of the internet captured much attention at the Capitol this year, as lawmakers passed three new laws intended to check their effects on the utility bills of Oklahomans. [Tulsa World]
- State, local leaders advised to do their homework on data centers [Tulsa World]
- Oklahoma lawmaker’s interim study examines myths about data centers [News on 6]
Opinion: Sexual harassment gets you fired from most jobs. But the Oklahoma House prefers a softer approach.: If anyone in the private sector had sexual harassment claims substantiated by human resources they’d be out. Fired. Whatever terminology you prefer. But not in the Oklahoma House, where a committee stopped short of recommending expulsion for state Rep. Danny Williams. [Janelle Stecklein / Oklahoma Voice]
Federal Government News
Deep disposal won’t shake Oklahoma, nuclear proponents say: The people behind Oklahoma’s bid for a federal nuclear energy project want everyone to know that drilling miles-deep holes to bury canisters of radioactive waste is not anything like drilling miles-deep holes to inject fluids under high pressure. [Tulsa World]
Oklahoma religious leaders back Lankford’s theology student aid bill: Introduced on Sept. 29 by Lankford, R-Oklahoma, and the bill’s co-sponsor, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, the proposed legislation aims to protect programs classified as theology and religious vocations or philosophy and religious studies at eligible educational institutions from the Working Families Tax Cut Act’s “Do No Harm” provision, which puts federal student aid at risk based on graduates’ earnings. [The Oklahoman]
After states sue, Trump administration walks away from disability rights enforcement: A court battle that began when conservative-led states sued to block protections for transgender people has ended in a rollback of protections for people with disabilities — a result disability advocates have feared for months. [Oklahoma Voice]
Tribal Nations News
Osage Congress to vote on data centers, immersion school funding Monday: Osage Nation Congress will vote on bills Monday that could reopen the tribe’s private immersion school and give the legislature a say in ongoing data center discussions. [KOSU]
Cherokee Nation to increase childcare subsidy: The Cherokee Nation is increasing its childcare subsidy rate and eyeing additional expansion of its early childhood supports. [Tulsa World]
Tribal roundup: Peoria, Muscogee nations mourn former chiefs; Kiowa special election challenged: Several sovereign tribal nations in Oklahoma have been mourning losses in recent weeks, from the deaths of two former chiefs who spent decades in public service to the loss of dozens of bison from a tribally-owned herd. [NonDoc]
Voting and Election News
Trump Puts on a Midterms Show for an Audience That’s Already Sold: President Trump spent the day preaching to his most fervent fans, not the voters he will need to help elect or re-elect a slate of Republicans fighting in states from Alaska to Maine. [The New York Times]
- Trump rally in Oklahoma draws supporters — and vocal critics of his agenda [The Oklahoman]
- Trump hits Texas, Oklahoma as Republicans fight to hold Senate [Reuters]
- At Trump’s Rallies, a Familiar Mix of Rituals and a Plea to ‘Please Pretend’ [The New York Times]
- Oklahoma Chronicle: President Donald Trump urges voters to head to the polls during midterms [KOCO]
- As Trump boasts about economy, an Oklahoma Main Street trudges on [The Oklahoman]
- Opinion: ‘Better mean a lot’: Trump talks midterm in Durant rally [Derrick James / NonDoc]
In OETA debate, Mazzei, Munson face ‘the elephant in the room’: Former Sen. Mike Mazzei (R-Tulsa) and Democrat Cyndi Munson (D-OKC) discussed health care, education and cost of living issues for nearly an hour. Munson called for a “different way forward,” while Mazzei emphasized economic messages he rode to the Republican nomination in August. [NonDoc]
- Oklahoma gubernatorial candidates debate education, healthcare and artificial intelligence [KOCO]
- Capitol Insider: Gubernatorial candidates square off in OETA debate (podcast) [KGOU]
Election Roundup
- SD 18: Yukon-area candidates Tyler Herring, Meredith McGinnis download on data centers [NonDoc]
- HD 47: Indigo Oliver, Toby Thompson face off in fast-growing Mustang district [NonDoc]
Independent candidates hope to shake up status quo, give Oklahoma voters alternative option: Frustration with mainstream political parties prompted a number of independents to file for office. A little over a dozen candidates, many of whom are fed up with partisan divides, will appear as independents on Oklahoma’s general election ballot in November. [Oklahoma Voice]
Prediction markets spend millions to influence state, federal governments: Kalshi, Polymarket and the Coalition for Prediction Markets have spent at least $3 million this year on lobbying and campaign contributions across the federal and state levels, according to a new report from the government watchdog group OpenSecrets. [Oklahoma Voice]
Education News
“Building the Airplane While It’s Flying”: Oklahoma Schools Set Guardrails for AI in the Classroom: Oklahoma is one of 13 states with a law regulating AI in education, and it requires every district to enact an AI policy by next school year. Some already have. Meanwhile, the technology is in students’ hands, powering reading tutors and chatbots ready to help with homework — or do it for them. [Oklahoma Watch]
New charter school announced for downtown OKC amid lower enrollment at Oklahoma City Public Schools: The John Rex Polytechnic High School will be a public charter school scheduled to open in the fall of 2027. It will serve ninth grade students its first year and add a grade each year after. It will be located about a block west of the Oklahoma City National Memorial. [StateImpact Oklahoma via KGOU]
- With new high school, educational choices return to downtown OKC [The Oklahoman]
Proposed Tulsa Public Sschools closures continue to draw community pushback: Thursday evening’s forum at Tulsa Tech’s Lemley Memorial Campus was hosted by City Council representative Karen Gilbert in response to constituent feedback about a proposal from Superintendent Ebony Johnson to potentially close 17 schools at the end of the 2026-27 school year to offset an anticipated $12 million budget shortfall. [Tulsa World]
- Education notebook: TPS HVAC update, more listening sessions and notable Ropers [Tulsa World]
New round of opioid abatement funding opens for Oklahoma schools: The Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office is encouraging public schools, technology centers and state higher education institutions to apply for its latest round of grants supported by opioid settlement funds. [KOSU]
Health News
Oklahoma wildlife officials find Chronic Wasting Disease case in Panhandle: Oklahoma wildlife officials have confirmed another case of Chronic Wasting Disease in the state. It’s the sixth confirmed case in an Oklahoma deer since the first case was found in June 2023. [KOSU]
Justice System News
ACLU condemns ‘deplorable’ conditions at Oklahoma immigration detention center: Immigrants’ rights advocates are condemning the conditions of a detention center in Watonga. A letter to DHS cites medical neglect, insufficient food and severe social deprivation. [OPMX via KGOU]
- From OK Policy: Oklahoma shouldn’t allow private prisons to reopen as immigration detention centers. Here are 6 reasons why.
Oklahoma drunk driver at center of ‘political favoritism’ scandal back in prison: Admitted drunk driver Sara Polston, whose case has spurred protest and policy changes around Oklahoma’s GPS ankle monitoring program, is back in prison and facing charges of illegal voting. [KOSU]
Oklahoma County jail inmate dies after being found unresponsive: An Oklahoma County jail inmate died on Saturday, Oct. 3, after being found unresponsive, officials announced early Sunday morning. Lloyd Woodson Smith, 47, was booked into the Oklahoma County jail by the Oklahoma City Police Department on Sept. 2, according to the news release. [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma jail diversion programs lower recidivism. Stakeholders say rural communities lack access: Occasionally, when she is in court, Kaleda Battle crosses paths with people she’s helped navigate the criminal legal system. Battle is one of four state-employed resource navigators for indigent defendants — people accused of a crime who do not have the money to pay for a defense lawyer. [KOSU]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Event showcases permanent supportive housing village for the homeless: Sarah Grounds spent part of her Saturday partying. The partying took place on the porches of the newly constructed cottage homes at City Lights Village in north Tulsa, which will soon be home to dozens of the city’s chronically homeless. The public was invited to the party, as well, because without them, Grounds would tell you, none of this would be happening. [Tulsa World]
Economy & Business News
Can holiday spending lift Oklahoma’s economy? What the Fed is watching: Oklahomans are pulling back on spending heading into the final months of the year, but economists say a strong holiday shopping season could still help lift the economy, much like it did a year ago. [The Oklahoman]
Hiring slows in September with job growth of 29K: Jobs across the United States rose by 29,000 in September, a disappointing result as recent growth was also revised down in Friday’s monthly jobs report, the last one before midterm elections. [Oklahoma Voice]
Community News
September 2026 was the hottest one on record in Oklahoma: No, the September heat was not normal. Oklahoma just had its hottest September on record, smashing the old one set in 1931. The record is nearly 10 degrees above the state’s normal temperatures. [OPMX via KGOU]
Local Headlines
- Edmond Council unanimously denies Brakes Plus after neighbors revolt [The Oklahoman]
- Stillwater’s monthly tax collections increase in almost every category [Stillwater News Press]
- North Tulsa community celebrates reopening of Rudisill Regional Library [Tulsa Flyer]
- Opinion: Tulsa Chamber’s Intercity Visit helps start planning conversations [Jonathan Long / Tulsa World]
Quote of the Day
“Public safety starts with helping people access the resources. There is a strong return on investment when we meet people where they’re at and we help build a pathway for them out of the system, out of chronic homelessness, out of addiction.”
— Meagan Taylor, CEO of Diversion Hub in Oklahoma City, on the value of helping people find housing, treatment and support, rather than cycling back through the justice system. Diversion programs operate in only 25 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties, leaving many rural communities with few options. [KOSU]
Number of the Day
$87 million
The estimated annual savings Oklahoma could realize by diverting 19,378 eligible people from traditional prosecution to alternative court programs that provide treatment. [Healthy Minds Policy Initiative]
Policy Note
Closing the revolving door: How a treatment diversion program can help end the cycle of substance use and crime: Diversion programs, which refer people with substance use disorders to treatment instead of prison, have become increasingly widespread. However, due to the limitations of previous evaluations of such programs, it is unclear how effective they are. This study used a rigorous design to determine the impact of an alcohol and drug diversion program on health and legal outcomes among a sample of justice-involved individuals. [Recovery Research Institute]
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