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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
Lawmakers study state’s felony murder statute (Capitol Update): The lengthy study on Oklahoma’s felony murder statute showed that our felony murder statute is not an outlier among the states. But, as witnesses pointed out in the hearing, it is fertile ground for what many would consider entirely legal but horribly unjust results. [Steve Lewis / Capitol Update]
Oklahoma News
Oklahoma City man faces charges related to planned Election Day terrorist attack, authorities say: Authorities allege that Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 27, and an unnamed juvenile obtained AK-47 assault rifles and ammunition and conspired to provide support to ISIS to conduct an attack, according to a press release. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Afghan national in OKC charged in ISIS-related Election Day terrorist plot [The Oklahoman]
- First Watch: Stuff You Should Know [Oklahoma Watch]
- FBI foils alleged Election Day terrorist attack in Oklahoma [KGOU]
- The FBI arrests Afghan man in Oklahoma City who allegedly planned Election Day attack [AP via KOSU]
- Afghan Man Arrested on Charges of Plotting Election Day Attack [New York Times]
- Lawmakers React To Arrest Of Afghanistan Citizen In Oklahoma Accused Of Planning Election Day Attack [News 9]
State Government News
‘Reckless conclusions’: Legal drama sizzles as consent decree rejected by state board: Saying she would resign before agreeing to elements of a proposed consent decree that would settle a lawsuit alleging unconstitutional delays of mental health competency restoration services in Oklahoma, Mental Health Commissioner Allie Friesen told Gov. Kevin Stitt and legislative leaders today that Attorney General Gentner Drummond “has not represented our department” and that she has terminated him as her legal representative in the federal litigation. [NonDoc]
- Review board rejects Oklahoma mental health settlement amid Attorney General, Governor spat [KOSU]
- Mental health competency settlement rejected, attorney general fired as counsel [Oklahoma Voice]
- Drummond again urges delay for review of proposed lawsuit settlement [Journal Record]
- Stitt-led board rejects consent decree to settle inmate mental health lawsuit [Tulsa World]
Opinion: A Supreme Court scandal humiliated Oklahoma before. A new one is brewing.: For more than a half century since the implementation of the retention system, there has been no hint of scandal in the appellate courts of Oklahoma. Said plainly, a new scandal is brewing. [Bob Burke / The Oklahoman]
Tribal Nations News
Cherokee Nation Steps to Aid Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in Aftermath of Hurricane Helene: After Hurricane Helene ravaged parts of the southeastern U.S., the Cherokee Nation has stepped up to assist recovery efforts for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) in North Carolina. Cherokee Nation Emergency Management, along with students and staff from the Cherokee Nation Immersion School, traveled to the area to provide essential aid. [Native News Online]
Three New Princesses Crowned During Chickasaw Annual Meeting & Festival: The princesses will serve the remainder of 2024 and into 2025 as ambassadors of goodwill on behalf of the Chickasaw Nation. [Native News Online]
Voting and Election News
Oklahomans urged to register to vote before Friday’s deadline: Friday, October 11th is the final day to register to vote in Oklahoma before the November 5th general election. Voters will decide the fate of critical ballot initiatives, and choose who will hold key offices across the state and nation. Oklahoma voters can register for the first time or update an existing registration quickly, easily, and completely online. [The Black Wall Street Times]
Opinion: I have some questions about the state questions that will appear on Oklahoma’s Nov. 5 ballot: There will be two state questions on your November 5 ballot. They are both legislative referendums, in other words, put on the ballot by the Legislature. [Cindy Alexander / Oklahoma Voice]
- OK Policy Fact Sheets: SQ 833: Public Infrastructure Districts | SQ834: Citizenship Requirement for Voting Amendment
Education News
Oklahoma changes criteria for Bible bids: The Oklahoma State Department of Education’s request for bids from Bible suppliers, which many speculated would result in the purchase of Bibles affiliated with former president Donald Trump, has been changed at the urging of another state agency. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Education Department Updates Bible Plan After Concerns By State Purchasing Agency [Oklahoma Watch]
- Requirements adjusted for bids to supply Bibles to Oklahoma classrooms [Tulsa World]
In Oklahoma, the search for an effective bullying response continues: The author of Oklahoma’s anti-school bullying law says she doesn’t think the legislation is working. Lawmakers hope to expand laws to protect students. [The Frontier]
Health News
Tulsa DA calls for probe into state mental health services’ spending: In an opinion piece published in the Tulsa World, District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services created a “financial boondoggle” following the launch—and abrupt shuttering—of several vending machines that distributed free naloxone, which can stop opioid overdoses. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Criminal Justice News
True crime drama at Supreme Court pits Oklahoma against its top criminal court: At the Supreme Court Wednesday, a true crime drama that features a man who has been on death row for more than 25 years, always insisting he is innocent, and a conservative state attorney general in Oklahoma who agrees the prisoner got an unfair trial. [NPR via KOSU]
- A ‘last meal’ three times? Oklahoma wants Supreme Court help on death row conviction [USA Today via The Oklahoman]
Why the OK County jail will take over detainee health care using former Turn Key employees: The Oklahoma County jail is about to be a health care provider, with 62 medical staff, as the trust overseeing the problem-laden jail works to replace services provided by Turn Key Health, which quits at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday after giving notice 30 days ago. [The Oklahoman]
Woman convicted in Oklahoma murder case eligible to seek lesser sentence: A woman serving a life sentence is likely the first person in the state convicted of murder who is now eligible to apply for a lesser sentence under the Oklahoma Survivors Act, a new law that allows defendants to provide evidence showing domestic violence was a contributing factor in their crime. [The Oklahoman]
Oklahoma lawmaker warns against AI license plate tech helping criminals: Rep. Tom Gann says certain license plate scanning technology local law enforcement uses could jeopardize viable criminal prosecutions. One Oklahoma District Court’s recent decision highlights the lawmaker’s concern. [KOSU]
- Oklahoma lawmakers hear privacy concerns over automated license plate readers [Tulsa World]
- Court ruling casts doubts on use of license plate readers, lawmaker says [Tulsa World]
Economy & Business News
Oklahoma cattle supply dwindles, driving up prices amid steady demand: The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s most recent inventory report shows Oklahoma’s beef cowherd is at its lowest number since 2015. Cattle prices continue to rise for Oklahoma ranchers because of the lack of supply. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Community News
Mayor of Hochatown wasn’t on her bucket list. But Dian Jordan stepped up to fight for her community: Dian Jordan never planned on being an activist. She didn’t imagine she would wage a multi-year fight against a state agency in an effort to help her community. And it wasn’t on her bucket list to be a member of a municipal body. But all those things happened because Jordan — now the mayor of Hochatown — doesn’t like being told “no.” [The Oklahoman]
Local Headlines
- ‘Okie’ Merle Haggard statue, Music Hall of Fame are hitting the right notes for Muskogee [The Oklahoman]
- OKC Council approves $4.75M TIF for Wiley Post Park improvements [Journal Record]
- Tulsa’s Mayo Hotel owners had a deal to buy the Price Tower in Bartlesville. Now a lawsuit [Tulsa World]
Quote of the Day
“I understand the governor and speaker are afraid of the political optics of remedying this predicament in which ODMHSAS has put Oklahoma. But shirking responsibility is not an option when it will cost taxpayers untold millions of dollars.”
– Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, responding to a vote by the state’s Contingency Review Board, chaired by the governor, where it rejected the settlement in a lawsuit alleging that the mental health department is failing to provide timely court-ordered competency restoration treatment and violating the rights of defendants. [Oklahoma Voice]
Number of the Day
$496.6 million
Immigrants represent a 12.6% share of all entrepreneurs in Oklahoma, generating a total business income of $496.6 million annually. [American Immigration Council]
Policy Note
The U.S. benefits from immigration but policy reforms needed to maximize gains: Immigration has been a source of strength for the U.S. economy and has great potential to boost it even more, but the current U.S. immigration policy regime squanders too many of its potential benefits by depriving immigrants of their full rights as workers and granting employers too much power to manipulate the system. It is crystal clear that immigration expands U.S. gross domestic product and is good for growth. And immigration overall has led to better, not worse, wages and work opportunities for U.S.-born workers. [Economic Policy Institute]
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