OKPOLICY.ORG
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
Policy Matters: All children have right to education: It’s long settled law that every child in the United States has a right to a free, public education. But Oklahoma’s state superintendent of schools has begun machinations to undermine this basic right. It’s important to understand some historical context. In Plyler v Doe (1982), the Supreme Court ruled every child in this country, regardless of immigration status, has a right to receive a free, public education.[Shiloh Kantz / Journal Record]
State Government News
Todd Hiett steps down as chair of Corporation Commission as new accusation emerges: Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett stepped down as chairman Wednesday as a new drinking accusation emerged. The new accusation involves a party in Oklahoma City last year. Hiett drove drunk from the party after refusing offers of help, according to two eyewitness accounts. Both witnesses are employees of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. [The Oklahoman]
- Todd Hiett steps down as chairman of Oklahoma Corporation Commission [Tulsa World]
- Oklahoma Corporation Commission chairman Todd Hiett steps down amid allegations [KGOU]
- ‘Makes no sense’: Uncertainty over Hiett investigation revealed as OCC gets new chairperson [NonDoc]
Former Oklahoma mental health department leader charged with embezzlement: Heath Hayes, 40, of Oklahoma City, was charged in Oklahoma County on Monday with one felony count of embezzlement in excess of $1,000, according to court records. Hayes, the former director of communications and deputy commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, is accused of embezzling $17,500 from Healthy Minds Healthy Lives while serving as a board member of the foundation that works to promote mental health in Oklahoma, according to an affidavit released by the mental health department. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Former Oklahoma Mental Health Department employee charged with embezzlement [KOSU]
Oklahoma revenues surpass official estimates; state savings accounts remain healthy: Oklahoma’s finances are doing better than expected, as state revenues this year exceed estimates and state savings accounts swell thanks to hefty deposits. While projections look good, Oklahomans can expect state sales tax revenues to drop by about $370 million this time next year as a result of the state’s portion of the tax on groceries being cut. [KOSU]
Opinion: Constitutionally, State Superintendent Ryan Walters isn’t the boss: Does the superintendent really have the power to act like he’s the boss of everyone? Quite apart from his policies, the language used by State Superintendent Ryan Walters seems out of place for an elected official in Oklahoma or anyplace in the U.S. “We will not allow it,” “We are not going to tolerate it,” and “Don’t test me” are phrases regularly directed by Walters toward local school districts, teachers and superintendents. Most people recognize, in adult relationships, the issuance of threats is not the most effective way to get the results you want. One must wonder where this bravado comes from. [Steve Lewis / Tulsa World]
Federal Government News
Oklahoma seeks Supreme Court order that Biden administration stop blocking health grants amid abortion referral dispute: Oklahoma is asking the Supreme Court to stop the Biden administration from denying federal family planning funding to the state amid a dispute over abortion counseling. As a condition of receiving $4.5 million in family planning grants under Title X, the US Department of Health and Human Services is requiring that Oklahoma’s programs provide the call-in number to a national hotline that provides information about family planning options, including abortion. [CNN]
Tribal Nations News
Cherokee class becomes first Native American language course at Duke University: Trinity College, now known as Duke University, ran the Cherokee Industrial Indian Boarding School in North Carolina. Now, more than 140 years later, Duke University is bringing back one of the languages they attempted to erase. [KOSU]
Voting and Election News
Beaver County sheriff race: Undersheriff, 911 coordinator compete in runoff: Beaver County’s sheriff candidates Shawn Campbell and Scott Mitchell came out ahead in the June primary election that eliminated two other candidates. Mitchell received 41.76 percent of the vote, and Campbell obtained 35.21 percent in the primary. Now, they appear on the Aug. 27 runoff ballot to succeed retiring Sheriff Reuben Parker, who has worked since 1996 at the sheriff’s office in Beaver County, a 5,000-person county that makes up the eastern portion of the Oklahoma Panhandle. [NonDoc]
Health News
Video shows dog chewing on a lithium-ion battery and sparking house fire in Oklahoma: A dog chomping on a lithium-ion battery sparked a serious house fire in Oklahoma, and video of the moment the sparks began to fly has been enlisted by a fire department to show the potential dangers of those batteries. [AP via NEWS7]
Oklahoma Health Department says West Nile Virus is now “widespread”: Over the last month, evidence of WNV activity has increased across the state and is now considered widespread. Positive mosquito pools have been identified in many regions of Oklahoma. [Sapulpa Times]
Criminal Justice News
Death row inmate Emmanuel Littlejohn recommended for clemency: A death row inmate was recommended for clemency Wednesday after he again said he did not shoot the owner of an Oklahoma City convenience store in 1992. The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-2 to recommend Gov. Kevin Stitt commute his sentence to life without the possibility of parole. [The Oklahoman]
- Fate of Oklahoma County killer in the hands of governor after state board recommends clemency [Oklahoma Voice]
Former OSU Medical Center employee sentenced in $8.2 million fraud scheme: An ex-employee of Oklahoma State University Medical Center was sentenced to more than four years in prison Tuesday after she admitted earlier to embezzling $8.2 million in electronic equipment from the hospital over a nine-year period. U.S. District Judge Gregory Frizzell ordered Leslie Ann Ameen, 63, of Broken Arrow to serve a 49-month prison term followed by three years of supervised release. [Tulsa World]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Opinion: Legislative efforts to stabilize Oklahoma homeowners insurance rates: Most Oklahoma homeowners have noticed their insurance premiums have increased significantly over the past several years. Oklahoma now has the highest homeowner rates in the country, leading many to wonder what is the Legislature doing to lower premiums. I am frequently asked about two proposed remedies for our property insurance market. [Rep. Mark Tedford / Tulsa World]
Education News
How US public schools became a new religious battleground: It is a foundational democratic tenet taught in every basic U.S. history course: the Constitution bars the government from endorsing an official religion or favoring one over others. But moves by two Republican-governed states – Louisiana’s requirement that public schools display the biblical Ten Commandments and Oklahoma’s mandate that public schools teach the Bible – take aim at the Constitution’s “establishment clause,” long understood by courts as separating church and state. [Reuters]
Oklahoma City schools issue guidance on Bible teaching: New guidance from Oklahoma City Public Schools regarding a state mandate to teach the Bible requires teachers to reference the text’s historical and literary aspects only in the “specific instances” that state academic standards allow. [Oklahoma Voice]
OU president says education ‘drama’ makes it harder to recruit students, faculty, staff: Not enough Oklahoma adults who hold at least a bachelor’s degree is holding the state back economically, and part of the issue is the quality of students coming out of the state’s common education system, University of Oklahoma President Joseph Harroz said Wednesday. [The Oklahoman]
State of the Schools: OKC leaders call for stronger educational investment: The critical need to invest in education and grow the workforce was the message Wednesday at the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber’s 2024 State of the Schools event. [Journal Record]
Painting brighter futures: OKC schools partner with community for mediation, mentorship: Oklahoma students face many barriers to high school graduation, even more so since the pandemic. But educators at two Oklahoma City area high schools have teamed up with a new community organization to tackle root causes of student behavioral issues. [KGOU]
Editorial: Oklahomans ought to stand with courageous leaders like Bixby’s Rob Miller: Bixby Superintendent Rob Miller isn’t shy about speaking truth to power, and we join the social media chorus who are saying they “Stand with Rob.” Miller, a Persian Gulf War veteran and 27-year educator, recently called out State Superintendent Ryan Walters for another failure in basic governance of the Oklahoma State Department of Education. [Editorial Staff / Tulsa World]
Community News
Census categories misrepresent the ‘street race’ of Latinos, Afro Latinos, report says: For many Latinos filling out forms that ask for racial and ethnic identification can be daunting and confusing, especially when there is not a box that reflects their identity. Analysis by the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute showed that the methods used by the U.S. Census and Office of Management and Budget to collect racial and ethnic data does not reflect the lived experiences of Latinos, especially Afro-Latinos. The report also provides some suggestions on how to generally improve collection of racial and ethnic data. [KFOR]
E.L. Goodwin: A Southern black version of a Horatio Alger story | Only in Oklahoma: The grandson of a slave, Edward Lawrence Goodwin moved at age 10 to Tulsa, where he operated a clothing store, published a newspaper, practiced law and finally started a catfish farm after he retired from his other occupations. [Tulsa World]
Local Headlines
- A new TIF could be proposed for OKC’s Adventure District. What could it mean to the area? [The Oklahoman]
- Next week’s opening of outlet mall prompts Jenks police to ask for drivers’ patience [Tulsa World]
Quote of the Day
“As far as gun violence, or somebody in the family being killed by gun violence, you really don’t have a lot of resources.”
– Lynn Hall, the mental health specialist at Douglass High, said while discussing the need for violence intervention resources. LiveFree, a new violence intervention organization in Oklahoma City, has filled that gap in resources for her students. She said its staff provides a safe way for certain students to express themselves and feel understood for the first time. Support from LiveFree OKC contributed to an 86% reduction in suspensions at another Oklahoma City Public School, Star Spencer High School. [KGOU]
Number of the Day
3.7%
Approximately 3.7% of athletes competing on Team USA in this year’s Olympic games are foreign-born. [The Guardian] | [Full Report from the Institute for Immigration Research]
Policy Note
How the origins of America’s immigrants have changed since 1850: The United States is the top destination in the world for people moving from one country to another. Over 70 million immigrants have arrived in the U.S. since 1965, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data. These immigrants trace their roots to virtually all countries around the world. In recent years, the largest numbers hail from Mexico and India. That’s different from a century ago: In 1920, the largest immigrant populations were from Germany and Italy. [Pew Research Center]
You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail.
