StateImpact Oklahoma: Recent Episodes
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StateImpact Oklahoma reports on education, health, criminal justice, and the intersection of government and everyday Oklahomans. StateImpact Oklahoma is a collaboration of KGOU, KOSU, KWGS and KCCU.
Oklahoma passed a law last year allowing energy-hungry facilities to build their own power. But as data center announcements sprout up across Oklahoma, most include plans to work with local utilities.
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Ascension St. John is seeking federal approval to turn its Nowata hospital into a rural emergency facility, which would mean ending acute inpatient and swing-bed services. The model provides enhanced support to hospitals to maintain local access to emergency and outpatient services.
The nonprofit health system said the move would support the long-term viability of local health care. But many residents oppose the change, arguing that inpatient care is essential for Nowata County.
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The Oklahoma City metro is growing at a rapid pace. But public transportation is lacking. ONE Transit aims to transform how residents move around the city.
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An out-of-state anti-abortion group successfully lobbied to change Oklahoma law after it was rejected for public funding from a program to encourage women to keep their unplanned pregnancies.
The Texas-based nonprofit Human Coalition lobbies for anti-abortion programs and gets millions of dollars in funding from other states.
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As the country celebrates its 250th anniversary, Oklahoma musicians of all ages took to the stage in commemoration.
Inside a performing arts center at scenic Quartz Mountain State Park in late June, the 145th Army Band warmed up before a concert. Outside, students with the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute played frisbee, caught up with friends or awaited their turn to hit the stage later that night.
It is OSAI’s 50th anniversary, which also coincides with America’s 250th.
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Tribal nations in Oklahoma are navigating an influx of corporate interest in Indian Country. Thomas Pablo reports on their leaders’ responses to an A-I data center development boom.
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A new law is restricting gender-affirming care for Oklahoma adultsif those services were covered by Medicaid and public funds, or provided on state property. Transgender Oklahomans and the already-limited providers offering gender-affirming care in the state are now being forced to adapt to the new policy with little time to prepare.
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Oklahoma's natural world is the subject of a new book from author Priscilla Crawford.
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Childcare costs are soaring. Infant care at childcare centers rose 27% from 2023 to 2025, according to the Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness.
As daycare prices skyrocket to all-time highs, state lawmakers are deploying a patchwork of measures to change the industry. But some Oklahomans say the state should do more to prioritize affordability for families.
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Scientists use long-term monitoring of natural areas to help them understand environmental changes. Oklahoma surveyors are keeping track of local species, including a rare salamander that could offer clues into the well-being of its environment.
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The 2026 legislative session has come to end. Logan Layden talked with StateImpact Oklahoma reporters about their takeaways on legislation impacting education, health, science and the environment.
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Three years ago, a new federal designation for rural hospitals went into effect, allowing facilities to receive enhanced support for outpatient and emergency services if they gave up their more expensive inpatient care.
The rural emergency hospital provider type is meant to support small rural facilities amid challenges like lower volume, aging populations and rising costs.
As the designation gains traction in Oklahoma, some providers said it has become a lifeline for their facilities, which would otherwise close. But critics argue there is a need for other solutions.
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Oklahoma is again ground zero for a battle over publicly funded religious education as a proposed Jewish charter school looks to the courts for vindication. That’s despite members of the state’s Jewish community saying they weren’t consulted and are “deeply concerned” about the threat to the separation of church and state.
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Oklahoma Republicans want to send Medicaid expansion back to voters so lawmakers can have more control in addressing spending. But medical and policy experts worry the effort is shortsighted.
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Incarcerated people at four correctional facilities are planting native gardens with the help of a nonprofit conservation organization.
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Some educators are raising concerns about content in the newly approved, proposed 2026 academic standards for social studies — and the process by which the standards were revised.
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Following a much dryer and warmer than normal winter in Oklahoma, the possibility of a so-called super El Niño is in the forecast for later this year. StateImpact’s Logan Layden talks with State Climatologist Gary McManus about what that could mean for the state.
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An increasing number of providers and patients are participating in direct primary care. It’s not insurance, but rather a business model where patients can purchase a membership, allowing them unlimited access to certain primary care services.
Dr. Kyle Rickner is the co-founder of Primary Health Partners, which is Oklahoma’s largest direct primary care provider. StateImpact’s Jillian Taylor spoke with him about the growing model, which also benefited from President Donald Trump’s 2025 megabill.
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A fluid leak has created a months-long dispute between a family and regulators over what the state can do to remediate what the family says is oil seeping into their home.
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Nearly 2,000 Oklahomans die from stroke-related complications annually. That burden is felt more in rural communities, where access to specialized care is limited. Oklahoma officials are working to change that by investing in telemedicine for stroke care.
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Proposed Oklahoma legislation would authorize companies to convert abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal and energy storage use.
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The Oklahoma legislature is considering measures to push back against the rising tide of ed tech.
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The federally threatened plant commonly known as Tiny Tim was discovered in Oklahoma within the past few years. Now it’s on the road to being removed from a federal list of endangered species.
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Enhanced premium tax credits for the ACA Marketplace expired last year, leaving people to pay a larger share of — or full price for — their health coverage.
This year, nearly 50,000 fewer Oklahomans selected a plan, and even more are expected to drop out amid higher costs. Consumers are now navigating the consequences of this expiration with limited choices.
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Electricity demand is up nationwide and in Oklahoma, partly because of large load customers like data centers. Several initiatives are addressing concerns of rising residential rates.
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The Oklahoma Legislature is back in session for 2026, with thousands of bills up for consideration. StateImpact Oklahoma focuses on health, education, science and the environment. Logan Layden talked with the team about what they’ll be watching.Mentioned in this episode:
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Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt kicked off the 2026 legislative session with his eighth and final State of the State address on Monday. After boasting about his accomplishments over the past seven years, the governor laid out his policy priorities for the session. Those include bolstering school choice by removing the cap on the Parental Choice Tax Credit, as well as eliminating the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA), which organizes and regulates secondary school athletics and activity competitions in the state. Stitt expressed his desire for the governor to appoint a superintendent of public education rather than the voters electing one, saying it is better for leadership alignment. It’s important to note that Stitt appointed Ryan Walters as his Secretary of Education before endorsing Walters in his race for Superintendent. Then, Stitt found himself at odds with Walters during his brief tenure in office. Stitt also called for the creation of three state questions: one to cap recurring spending growth, specifically making adjustments to Medicaid expansion. Another proposed state question would freeze property tax growth and a third would overturn State Question 788, which made medical marijuana legal in Oklahoma. The governor’s policy priorities are essentially his wish list. He still has to get lawmakers on board to accomplish these, but his priorities and those of state lawmakers don’t always align. Thank you to OETA for providing the audio feed of the speech. We’ll have more coverage and offer context on the radio, on this podcast, and online at KOSU.org.
After overhauling literacy policy in 2013, Mississippi went from 49th to a top 10 state in fourth-grade reading. It’s been dubbed the “Mississippi Miracle,” but those involved say it was more of a marathon. State lawmakers are now hoping to perform that same miracle in Oklahoma this legislative session.
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2026 starts with drought across much of southern Oklahoma and La Niña still in place. What does that mean for the rest of the year? StateImpact’s Logan Layden talks to state climatologist Gary McManus about what to expect.
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Traditional Medicare rarely requires providers to seek approval before delivering care. That is changing this month in six states, including Oklahoma. A federal pilot is using private companies with AI tools to process prior authorizations and reduce spending on certain treatments.
Oklahoma providers and patients are concerned about how the program could impact access to care for the nation’s growing aging population.
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One of the longest-running citizen science projects wrapped its annual event Monday. Birders across Oklahoma had eyes to the skies to find out which species are living in or visiting the state during early winter. StateImpact’s Chloe Bennett-Steele joined some of them earlier this week.
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2025 is coming to a close, and StateImpact Oklahoma’s Logan Layden sat down with StateImpact’s reporters to talk about some of the issues they’ve covered this year and how they’ll evolve in 2026.Mentioned in this episode:
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The federal government has a trust responsibility to fund Indigenous health care. But the Indian Health Service (IHS) has long been underfunded by it.
June Zhao, an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma Hudson College of Public Health, said she learned about this issue in conversation with leadership at an IHS clinic in the state. They shared how limited financial resources result in challenges with hiring staff and maintaining facilities. This has impacted their ability to provide health care.
She decided she wanted to help address this fundamental problem.
StateImpact’s Jillian Taylor and KOSU’s Sarah Liese spoke with Zhao about her recent research, which explores a solution that could help increase and sustain IHS funding.
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Oklahoma ranks high nationally for its pricey home insurance premiums. As climate change brings more extreme weather and inflation affects purchasing power, some look to policy changes to settle escalating insurance costs.
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StateImpact’s Logan Layden sat down with Oklahoma Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell, who also serves as chairman of the Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial Commission, to discuss the significance of America’s Main Street and plans to celebrate its 100 year anniversary in 2026.
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America’s opioid epidemic has been a prolonged public health crisis, resulting in countless overdose deaths and billions in settlement funds from opioid manufacturers, distributors and retailers.
But another crisis is afoot. That’s what investigative reporter Shoshana Walter from The Marshall Project presents in her first book, “Rehab: An American Scandal.” StateImpact’s Jillian Taylor spoke with Walter about her findings on the treatment industry and how it chased profits over patients.
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Alongside the passage of billions of dollars in Medicaid spending reductions over a decade, Oklahoma is also vying for an opportunity available to all 50 states to fund sustainable rural health care initiatives.
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Flying mammals of the night have been under threat of white-nose syndrome in the U.S. for years. Oklahoma researchers are tracking their populations and finding positive results.Mentioned in this episode:
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The ground-dwelling bird’s preferred grassland habitat overlaps with agricultural and energy-rich regions, putting the species’ future in the hands of private landowners. In the second installment of a two-part series, StateImpact’s Chloe Bennett-Steele reports on continued conservation efforts for the species.
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Inflation compounds an already tough situation for Oklahoma’s highway infrastructure.Mentioned in this episode:
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Intergenerational programs are working throughout the state in small numbers to bring different age groups together through ongoing, mutually beneficial activities. As Oklahoma’s aging population grows, officials are looking to expand the model to accomodate them.
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The beloved orange butterfly is imperiled due to habitat loss, insecticides and climate change. Growing certain plants along their route can help.
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Elected state officials voted to require the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to investigate whether the Sooner State could generate nuclear energy or hold off on welcoming the industry.Mentioned in this episode:
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Crossroads Mall – a once dominant shopping destination in South Oklahoma City – has sat relatively empty for years.
A new faith-based nonprofit is hoping to change that and serve an entire community with a resource hub.
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The Oklahoma State Fair officially starts Thursday. But for young 4-H members from across Oklahoma, Wednesday was the most important day of the year.Mentioned in this episode:
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Federal incentives to lessen the financial burden of solar panel installations are ending earlier than originally planned after the July 4 passage of the tax and spending law.
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More Oklahoma children are entering kindergarten with exemptions from vaccines. This data comes as preventable diseases like measles and whooping cough have seen record spreads nationally.
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As schools across the state are starting classes, students and parents may notice some changes this year, thanks to the legislature. StateImpact’s Logan Layden and Beth Wallis discuss what’s new for Oklahoma students this school year.
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The Threatt Filling Station along Route 66 near Luther was an oasis for people of color traveling through Oklahoma during the Jim Crow era. A monument dedicated to preserving that history was unveiled last week.
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This summer saw immense river flooding that resulted in more than 130 deaths in Texas and heavy rainfall that blocked roadways in Oklahoma. Disaster preparedness and hazard mitigation are becoming more important as climate change causes more severe and unpredictable weather, scientists say.
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Pending federal approval, Oklahoma schools could recoup more Medicaid dollars from providing school-based services to eligible students, like occupational and physical therapy, and behavioral health supports.
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Every state saw a decline in its fertility rate in 2023, according to a new report from the Pew Charitable Trusts. Oklahoma saw a nearly 12% drop from justa decade prior.
StateImpact’s Jillian Taylor spoke with Dave Hamby, the Oklahoma Policy Institute's communications director, about what Oklahomans can learn from the report.
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Foresters are using parasitoids to reduce the spread of the emerald ash borer beetle, following the lead of many states to the east.Mentioned in this episode:
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A program promising much-needed mental health professionals for rural Oklahoma schools is on the chopping block of funding cuts from the Trump Administration.
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A program reimbursing nonprofits with state money to support abortion alternatives has expanded, despite past challenges with dollars reaching the women it hopes to serve. Meet the new organization that plans to distribute funds to pregnancy resource centers and churches.
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The 2025 legislative session is over. Our StateImpact Oklahoma reporters were following several bills and issues related to education, healthcare and energy policy. StateImpact managing editor Logan Layden looks back with them as they discuss the highlights.
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Lawmakers attempted to secure more financial support for Oklahoma foster parents this legislative session. While they weren't successful, other resources are available.Mentioned in this episode:
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In south central Oklahoma, a rural school is having to consider what more than a hundred Oklahoma districts have before it when enrollment drops below sustainability: annexation.
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More than a fifth of Indigenous Oklahomans are counted by the U.S. Census Bureau as uninsured – including those who solely use the Indian Health Service as health care coverage.
For some, having no insurance can be costly.
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Legislative efforts to reform the judicial selection process in Oklahoma have gone on for the better part of the last decade. And this year, just like in years past, they’ve failed, even with the support of the governor.
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Norman is a nexus of national weather and climate science. But swift layoffs and deep budget cuts could disband it and other organizations nationwide.Mentioned in this episode:
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The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond case next week.
The case will decide whether the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School can be a state-funded public school. The lawsuit was brought by Oklahoma’s attorney general against the state charter school board that approved St. Isidore’s application.
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As the 30th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing approaches, a group of young musicians is connecting with the tragedy through performing themes of resilience.
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April 19, 2025 marks 30 years since a bomb destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City. 168 people were killed — including 19 children — and hundreds more were injured. It forever shaped our community.
"That April Morning: The Oklahoma City Bombing" is a production of KOSU, KGOU, StateImpact Oklahoma and our partners with the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange.
Since Oklahoma’s near-total abortion ban went into effect, providers and thousands of people who have left the state to receive care have experienced its impacts.
A new group hopes to educate Oklahomans on those continued effects by bringing people from all walks of life together to have conversations about reproductive health care.
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Thanks to a new law, schools across the state are now required to allow off-campus religious instruction during elective courses. Those courses are currently operational or in the final stages of development in at least six Oklahoma schools.
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A report released this month states at least a third of the nation’s birds are in peril. Local community scientists are contributing information critical to understanding the decline.Mentioned in this episode:
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Last week, wildfires raged across Oklahoma, claiming thousands of acres of land and hundreds of buildings. KOSU’s Sarah Liese reports for StateImpact that the flames also destroyed a historic church in Kiowa County, leaving a congregation to rebuild.
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New Oklahoma Human Services rules approved this year require non-accredited five-star child care programs to provide proof of an accreditation application submission by April 10 and get nationally accredited by Sept. 1 — or face a star reduction tied to their reimbursements.
Providers said the timeframe to comply with a process that typically takes one to two years is too short and could cost them thousands.
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A book coming out next month argues the way states perform executions is inhumane. KOSU's Sierra Pfeifer talks to University of Richmond Professor Corinna Barrett Lain about her new book Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal Injection, and Oklahoma's role in how the condemned are executed for StateImpact.
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Over the next four years, the Well Done Foundation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife will plug more than 100 orphan wells on public land.Mentioned in this episode:
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The state expected millions of dollars to plug wells abandoned by their owners. But the funds are in limbo under a new federal administration.Mentioned in this episode:
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ECU debuted its first-ever doctoral program this January, which focuses on administrative issues in rural education.
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None of Oklahoma’s rural counties have enough primary and mental health care providers. A federal grant is training University of Oklahoma physician assistant students to serve rural communities in both areas.
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Oklahomans are using more and more electricity. But as energy companies meet with landowners to build the needed infrastructure, opposition is growing. KOSU’sAnna Pope reports for StateImpact on one transmission project troubling Oklahomans.
This story was co-reported by KOSU’s Graycen Wheeler.
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Nationally, college enrollment has declined over the last 15 years. But Oklahoma’s land-grant institutions managed to avoid the post-COVID fallout and are now at all-time highs.
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Change and uncertainty abound as 2025 begins. But you have the StateImpact Oklahoma team to guide you through and keep you informed about the seismic shifts coming in education policy, healthcare and the climate crisis. StateImpact managing editor Logan Layden and the StateImpact reporters to preview what’s to come.Mentioned in this episode:
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More students with disabilities than ever before are spending at least 80 percent of their school day in general education classrooms. Federal data show that share of students has more than doubled in the last 35 years.
But how are teacher prep programs at universities changing to meet the needs of more inclusive classrooms?
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The federal government is increasing funding for a program that offers families free, voluntary home visits by health professionals from pregnancy to kindergarten. The state hopes to use those dollars to fill maternal and infant health care gaps.
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StateImpact managing editor Logan Layden introduces us to new science and environment reporter Chloe Bennett-Steele.
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Four years ago, lawmakers passed a bill requiring all Oklahoma public schools to offer at least four Advanced Placement courses. It went into effect this fall. But, according to data analyzed by StateImpact, most schools still aren’t teaching four AP courses — and rural schools say the law has had little impact.
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Oklahoma nursing homes are working to meet federal staffing rules, which require them to have a registered nurse on site 24/7 and employees to spend a minimum amount of time with each resident every day.
Facilities say the unfunded mandate asks them to find staff they can’t afford and that doesn’t exist. Oklahoma is one of about 20 states that recently joined a lawsuit against the federal government over it.
StateImpact’s Jillian Taylor spoke with Claire Dowers-Nichols, the CEO of LeadingAge Oklahoma, which represents 58 nonprofit nursing homes.
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Oklahomans took to the polls Wednesday for the first day of early voting. Oklahoma has four early voting days this year — that's two more than in the 2020 Presidential general election.
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A growing list of Oklahoma colleges and universities are offering their workers paid parental leave. But it’s still a minority. The momentum comes after Oklahoma mandated maternity leave for state employees and teachers last year. Lawmakers say it's time for the state to intervene for higher education workers.
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Oklahoma schools use technology apps to manage everything from attendance to grades to parent communications. And now, a growing number of districts are updating hall passes to the digital age. They say the new tech is helping them curb behavioral issues that have spiked since the pandemic.
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He was 15 when he killed his sister’s abuser. Even after years of good conduct, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board has rejected recommending him for release.
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As the war between Russia and Ukraine rages on, Ukrainian physicians are tending to a historic volume of patients with complex head and neck injuries from missile attacks and rocket blasts. OU Health is teaching some of these surgeons reconstructive techniques they can take back home.
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Many Southeast Oklahomans are gearing up to fight a proposed hydropower project that could displace hundreds of people. For this week's StateImpact Oklahoma in-depth, KOSU's Graycen Wheeler has more on the project and the response from residents and officials."
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Oklahoma CareerTech oversees 29 technology centers across 60 campuses statewide. It takes about 500,000 yearly enrollments and offers courses to students in about 400 school districts and adults.
And about 7,500 students are sitting on a waitlist to get in.
To tackle the waitlist, the Oklahoma Legislature allocated $26.7 million in new one-time funds for the agency this year. The money was recently disbursed to schools and is now being used across the state for facility upgrades, expanded programming and more.
CareerTech Director Brent Haken is grateful for the boost, but he cautions against considering it a windfall that would fully eliminate the waitlist. He plans to return to the legislature next year with the same pitch — that increasing base funding is the only way to fully reach the thousands of Oklahomans hoping for a spot in a CareerTech program.
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Recruiting long-term care CNAs can be challenging, and fighting consistent turnover is costly. But groups in Oklahoma are finding ways to invest in these workers’ education and futures.
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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.
Because of the efforts of educators and nonprofits, communities are finding solutions to help young people in Oklahoma City avoid violence and turn their lives around.
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The farther a woman has to travel to receive maternity care, the greater risk they have of maternal morbidity and adverse infant outcomes.Mentioned in this episode:
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“Summer slide” is the phenomenon of students losing ground academically during the summer break. It usually refers to learning loss in reading and math, though other areas of child development can be affected, like behavior.
On average, students lose about 20% of their school-year gains in reading and 27% in math.
StateImpact visited two Oklahoma schools that provide free, multi-week summer programming to see how districts hope to make a dent in learning loss.
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Oklahoma nursing homes are preparing for staffing rules finalized in April by the Biden administration, meant to improve safety and quality of care in long-term care facilities.Mentioned in this episode:
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Far out in the Pacific Ocean, the latest El Niño cycle is at an end, and La Niña is expected in the coming months. But what does that mean for Oklahoma’s weather?Mentioned in this episode:
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After a TikTok video went viral about water pollution in East Cache Creek, City of Lawton officials have explained their plan to restore water levels.Mentioned in this episode:
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StateImpact education reporter Beth Wallis and health reporter Jillian Taylor talk with managing editor Logan Layden about some of this year's legislative highlights.Mentioned in this episode:
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More than 600,000 Oklahomans on Medicaid are now seeing their care coordinated by private insurance companies. Proponents say the change incentivizes preventative care, and its rollout has been going well. But, it has caused problems for some Oklahomans on Medicaid and smaller providers.
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Keeping kids active and healthy can be an uphill battle, especially in the age of smartphones, video games and other distractions. A new volunteer initiative in Edmond is getting kids’ hearts pumping — and their wheels turning.
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Statewide, Oklahoma public schools are experiencing a shortage of bus drivers — and they’re struggling to adapt.
StateImpact analyzed every public school district in Oklahoma and found that of the 400-plus schools with hiring listings accessible on their websites or that answered a superintendent survey, over 40% showed open driver positions. About a quarter of the 80 surveyed superintendents said they or other school administrators drive a bus.
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Most of Oklahoma’s Medicaid population is transitioning to managed care. This means that instead of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority paying providers directly, it’s paying private companies to coordinate some enrollees’ care. Proponents say the new system incentivizes better preventative care, which could cost the state less in the long run.
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As a crisis continues on the U.S. Southern Border, Oklahoma lawmakers are among counterparts from about a dozen states taking things into their own hands. For StateImpact, Lionel Ramos reports on their efforts and the backlash they face from immigrant communities.
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In Tulsa, there are about 450 after-school programs at risk of shrinking to just 75 once ESSER funds are gone.
One of those programs is an after-school gardening club at Tulsa Public Schools' Eugene Field Elementary. There, each participant gets a garden box to plan, decorate, plant and harvest from throughout the school year.
Schools across the country may be on the brink of making tough calls once these "pennies from heaven" run out.
Opill, which was approved by the FDA last July, is the nation’s first over-the-counter birth control pill, and it’s hitting pharmacy shelves now.Mentioned in this episode:
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Any point on the globe can expect to see a total solar eclipse about once every 400 years. This Monday, it’s far southeast Oklahoma’s turn.
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Lawmakers are at the halfway point in this year’s legislative session, and just a fraction of the education bills filed at the top of the session have survived big legislative deadlines. StateImpact’s Beth Wallis spoke with Oklahoma Voice education reporter Nuria Martinez-Keel about the bills that still remain on the legislature’s radar.
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This legislative session, lawmakers are working with faculty from OU’s School of Social Work and Oklahoma Healthy Minds Policy Initiative, advocating for Oklahoma’s requirements to be reduced to 3,000 hours.
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School support staff received a statewide pay raise after the 2018 Oklahoma Teacher Walkout, but while teacher pay remains a major legislative priority, support staff pay hasn’t. StateImpact’s Beth Wallis reports many paraprofessionals, who often provide critical support to students with disabilities, live paycheck to paycheck.
An Oklahoma Watch investigation last year revealed a pervasive culture of harassment at an elite Oklahoma high school. StateImpact’s Beth Wallis spoke with Jennifer Palmer, the reporter behind the story, about a recent update: the agency responsible for addressing those issues failed to perform required inspections for 16 years.
Abortion restrictions, the ongoing opioid crisis and access to mental healthcare are in focus this legislative session. Jillian Taylor is StateImpact Oklahoma’s health reporter, and spoke with managing editor Logan Layden about what to expect from lawmakers in 2024.
The state legislature is back in session, and there’s no hotter topic than education policy. StateImpact education reporter Beth Wallis talked with StateImpact managing editor Logan Layden about what to expect from lawmakers in 2024.
The Department of Education overpaid at least $290,000 in teacher bonuses and is working to claw back the money mere months after it was distributed. Nine teachers have been issued demands for repayment, and five additional teachers are under review.
At least 150 of Shawnee's 30,000 residents are homeless. And because of an ordinance enacted this month, life might be getting a little more difficult for some of the community’s most vulnerable residents.
No district in Oklahoma is under the State Board of Education’s microscope quite like Tulsa Public Schools. StateImpact’s Beth Wallis and OPMX’s Max Bryan have this update on how TPS’ state-mandated improvement plan is going so far and the work that lies ahead.
2023 is coming to a close, and it’s been an eventful year for StateImpact Oklahoma’s reporters. Managing editor Logan Layden talks with the team about highlights of this year and what to expect in 2024.
Over 300-thousand Oklahomans have lost SoonerCare coverage as state agencies remove ineligible people after a pandemic pause. StateImpact’s Jillian Taylor has more on how confusion around the Medicaid unwinding process is affecting members.
Severe weather damaged thousands of trees in the Tulsa area earlier this year. A million cubic yards of green waste was collected, and many trees were bent or broken. StateImpact’s Britny Cordera reports on how the community is coming together to regow the city’s uban tree canopy.
The new Killers of the Flower Moon movie is sparking a conversation about Oklahoma’s difficult history. But those conversations in schools are complicated by Oklahoma’s law limiting lessons that make students feel uncomfortable about their race or sex.
The science of reading is returning to the limelight, and Oklahoma schools and universities are using those techniques to teach literacy to the next generation.
Some Oklahoma churches are providing comprehensive sex ed to fill gaps in a state that doesn’t require it in schools.
A local non-profit is hosting rap battles and other events to advocate for mental health awareness in Oklahoma. The organization called SoulBody Cyphers is working to destigmatize conversations around mental health and cultivate a community of MC’s.
This month, millions of Americans will have to make student loan payments after a three-year pandemic era pause. But since 2020, there have been some big changes made to the repayment system, and StateImpact’s Beth Wallis is here to break it down.
After its recent FDA approval, the CDC recommended everyone six months and older get an updated COVID vaccine. But getting it hasn’t been easy for some Oklahomans, with appointments canceled day of due to insurance snags and issues finding a place that carries it.
Monarch butterflies, like many insects and birds, migrate twice a year, in the spring and in the fall.
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, before the weather gets cold, monarchs travel over two thousand miles from North America to central Mexico to hibernate.
Earlier this month, State Superintendent Ryan Walters announced a partnership with conservative nonprofit media group, PragerU.
Existing PragerU Kids content now populates the state’s social studies website, and Walters says PragerU and the State Department of Education are collaborating on an Oklahoma-specific curriculum.
So what is PragerU? StateImpact spoke with parents, teachers, legislators and Walters to find out.
A bill in Oklahoma banning all forms of gender-affirming care for trans youth was paused by Oklahoma’s attorney general amid litigation from the ACLU of Oklahoma. Now, trans youth and providers are coping with all the uncertainty.
More than 250 volunteers collected temperature and air quality data around Oklahoma City through a community science project in August to study urban heat islands. StateImpact’s Britny Cordera reports the NOAA funded project could help the city prepare for extreme heat.
Faced with the dangers of excessive heat, educators around the state are getting creative to keep kids safe and cool while still providing recreational opportunities.
StateImpact Oklahoma’s health coverage informed listeners through the COVID-19 pandemic, the state’s voter-mandated expansion of Medicaid, and the opioid epidemic. StateImpact managing editor Logan Layden introduces us to Jillian Taylor, the new reporter continuing the work to tell health stories that impact you, your community and the entire state.
Tulsa’s North Peoria Church of Christ used to call Greenwood home. That was before I-244 displaced it and cut through historic Black Wall Street.
StateImpact’s Britny Cordera talked with State Rep. Regina Goodwin, who represents the area and attends the church, about its legacy and a planning grant to study the removal of the expressway.
Next Thursday, the State Board of Education will consider changing the accreditation status of the state’s largest school district, Tulsa Public Schools. This comes after over a year of remarks from State Superintendent Ryan Walters targeting the district. StateImpact’s Beth Wallis and Public Radio Tulsa's Max Bryan break down what’s behind the battle for TPS.
Rebecca Jim owns a mile and a half acreage just north of Vinita, Oklahoma, at the northern edge of the Cherokee Nation. She inherited this land from her family who used to ranch cattle here. She said her land is longer than it is wide, perfect for bringing back prairie chickens. She is turning two fields on the land into prairies to bring back prairie chickens.
Signing bonuses of as much as $50,000 are what Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters said is needed to attract new and retired teachers to the classroom.That’s also what makes his new bonus plan a risky policy. StateImpact's Beth Wallis teamed up with Oklahoma Watch education reporter Jennifer Palmer for this story.
StateImpact’s Logan Layden sat down with education reporter Beth Wallis for a breakdown of what education measures Oklahomans are going to get for their money after a contentious 2023 legislative session.
Walters repeatedly emphasized his focus on open communication with superintendents around the state. But when StateImpact sent out a survey to those superintendents, a much more complex picture emerged.
The Oklahoma legislature has been deadlocked for weeks as it hashes out a plan for education funding. StateImpact’s Beth Wallis sat down with Oklahoman newspaper education reporter Nuria Martinez-Keel to talk about the events at the Capitol that led up to this moment.
The governor and the Legislature have been at odds over the state’s Medicaid agency, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority. That fight came to a head last week, when the Senate booted the agency director from his Secretary of Health position. StateImpact’s Catherine Sweeney talks with Tres Savage, the editor of nonprofit outlet NonDoc, about what led lawmakers to reject Secretary Kevin Corbett's re-instatement.
Run. Hide. Fight.
Those were the words that ended the first of several text updates from OU’s emergency alert system on the night of April 7.
The Norman Police Department had received calls that appeared to be coming from OU’s campus. The caller told police there was a shooting at the Bizzell Memorial Library and that one of the caller’s friends had been shot. And in secondary calls to Norman dispatch, gunshots can be heard.
But as it turns out, it was a swatting incident — that is, a big hoax.
The state ranks 46th in the nation for nurses per capita, and of course, the pandemic has only made that worse.
But all along, one of the major contributing factors to that shortage has been nursing school. There are a finite number of slots offered, and Oklahoma hasn’t had enough. Why? It’s complicated.
Even though funding measures advocated for by 2018 Oklahoma Teacher Walkout participants were stymied largely by Republican lawmakers, Oklahoma’s GOP is now authoring record-level education funding measures that include teacher raises, along with a slew of labor rights bills for educators. But the funding bills are far from a done deal — in fact, due to a disagreement in how those bills should operate, there could be no deal at all.
Oklahoma offers pregnant residents special Medicaid coverage. That coverage used to last only 60 days after delivery, but under a new policy, that coverage will run for a full year instead. StateImpact’s Logan Layden and Catherine Sweeney discuss how the policy will affect thousands of new parents in Oklahoma.
House Bill 2177 is making its way through the statehouse. It purports to ban gender-affirming care for children and teens in Oklahoma. Supporters say children and teens aren’t equipped to make life-altering health decisions for themselves. One provision says no health facility receiving state funds can administer gender-affirming care to anyone of any age. Another provision would ban insurance companies from covering gender-affirming care, again, for all Oklahomans, no matter how old they are.
Recent pushes from the Oklahoma legislature to target queer issues in schools and medicine have mobilized some Oklahomans to fight back. The Transgender Action Choir is one group lifting their voices to speak up.
Biomarker testing is a tool that doctors use to get a clearer picture of a medical problem — often cancer. Providers and patients say it can be difficult to get insurance companies to cover it. Oklahoma lawmakers are working to change that.
Voters are just days away from deciding whether Oklahoma will legalize recreational marijuana. But results of similar ballot initiatives in Arkansas and Missouri could help predict the fate of State Question 820. KOSU's Xcaret Nuñez reports for StateImpact Oklahoma.
At the end of January, Oklahoma's new Attorney General, Gentner Drummond, announced he would change course on a high profile debacle involving Secretary of Education and now State Superintendent Ryan Walters — and lots of federal money.
Due to the state’s handling of its previous round of funding, Oklahoma now has nearly $18 million of federal education funding sitting untouched — and time is running out to spend it. StateImpact’s Beth Wallis sat down with Oklahoma Watch education reporter Jennifer Palmer for a recap of just what happened with the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund.
During the pandemic, the federal government started giving extra help to families who use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — often called SNAP or food stamps. Officials were trying to make sure families could still put food on the table during the sudden economic downturn. But when Congress passed its big omnibus bill in December, they nixed the extra help, putting a sudden expiration date on three years of emergency payments. The roughly 700,000 Oklahomans who have benefitted from SNAP monthly are set to see a big decrease in their food aid.
Karli Myers is a first-time parent and an English teacher at Sapulpa High School. And without any sick leave left to take, Myers had to return to her classroom the previous day, cutting short her time at home with Luke.
That’s because public schools in Oklahoma aren’t mandated by the state to offer paid maternity leave to school faculty and staff — even though three out of four teachers in Oklahoma are women.
In a push to combat the state’s record teacher shortage by attracting and retaining more educators, one bill unveiled by Oklahoma Senate Republicans in January seeks to give moms like Myers some relief.
Oklahoma’s Medicaid program, SoonerCare, is on its way to profound change. StateImpact’s Catherine Sweeney talked with its director, Secretary of Health Kevin Corbett, this week about the transition to managed care.
As more news emerges about embezzlement schemes at Epic Charter Schools, it might be difficult to keep up with the saga. That’s why StateImpact’s Beth Wallis asked Oklahoman newspaper reporter Nuria Martinez-Keel to get us up-to-speed on the last decade of Epic’s scandals. Martinez-Keel covers education at The Oklahoman and has been with the publication for four years.
In 2013, Tulsans accounted for only about 13 percent of the state’s methamphetamine treatment admissions. In 2020, that figure climbed to one-third of the state’s admissions. That year, local nonprofits, treatment centers, law enforcement and government officials announced a collaborative, community-based initiative to help Tulsans find access to recovery services.
Oklahoma’s teacher shortage led to a record-breaking 3,780 emergency teaching certifications issued in 2022. From 2001-2018, Oklahoma’s enrollment in university education programs dropped by 80%.
As the state's schools struggle to fill classrooms with teachers holding standard teaching certificates, provisionally certified teachers have had to step in to fill the gap. But do students lose out when hiring traditionally certified teachers becomes a luxury this teacher-strapped state can’t afford?
State data released this year showed half of the teens who participated in an annual survey checked yes on the traditional depression symptom of feeling so sad or hopeless for two weeks in a row that they lost interest in usual activities. It found that in 2021, nearly one in four respondents had contemplated suicide in the past year. Among girls, that rate was closer to one in three.
Billion-dollar lawsuits and prestige television shows have made the opioid epidemic impossible to overlook. But it is far from the only drug epidemic the country — and Oklahoma — are facing. Overdose deaths from opioids, including prescription drugs as well as illicit forms of fentanyl, have increased over the past few years, likely because of struggles amid the pandemic. But one drug in particular is killing Oklahomans at an even higher rate: methamphetamine.
Heavy rains in May 2019 revealed major disparities in flood protections across Oklahoma. While residents in Tulsa benefitted from decades of flood preparations, smaller communities lack the infrastructure and resources to keep the waters at bay. In the second of a two-part series with OPMX’s Graycen Wheeler, StateImpact’s Beth Wallis reports on how one riverside community came together to take care of each other.
As climate change continues to raise the stakes of severe flooding events, some Oklahoma communities are prepared to weather the storm, and some aren’t. During the extreme flooding of May 2019, communities were put to the test. In the first of a two-part series in partnership with StateImpact’s Beth Wallis, OPMX’s Graycen Wheeler reports on how two neighboring cities responded to disaster.
Nathalie Valero and Elodie Musungayi are Tulsa teenagers who spoke about how social media is amplifying youth voices and how it impacts mental health for them and their peers. KOSU reporter Kateleigh Mills went to Tulsa to speak with them.
Leading up to the midterms, throngs of teachers and education advocates rallied around democratic candidates for governor and superintendent. But after the ticket went to Gov. Kevin Stitt and Education Secretary Ryan Walters, some of those teachers are thinking about leaving the state altogether.
Jami Jackson-Cole is a fifth grade teacher at Duncan Public Schools and manages the Oklahoma Edvocates Facebook page, which is a community of thousands of teachers and parents around the state. StateImpact’s Beth Wallis spoke to her about how Oklahoma teachers are looking at the road ahead.
Unlike some other states, Oklahoma’s midterm election results are in the books. The results have big implications for education, health, and the environment in our state. Managing editor Logan Layden discussed what the outcome means with the StateImpact Oklahoma reporters.
Workforce problems, federal regulations and an increase in demand are creating a shortage of ADD and ADHD medications. Local medical providers started seeing an issue this summer. There are ways around the shortage, but they involve jumping through hoops.
Four day school weeks have become more common across Oklahoma over the last decade. Lawmakers have tried to limit the practice. But as StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports, the rural districts that use them are fighting to keep them.
The governor's race has had plenty of hyper-partisan debates, but one major issue falls away from party politics. Gov. Kevin Stitt wants to fundamentally alter the state's Medicaid program. His plan would bring in private-sector insurance companies to manage the no-cost health insurance that covers 1.3 million Oklahomans. The gubernatorial election will determine whether he gets to. Democratic challenger Joy Hofmeister argues that Stitt's plan to partially privatize SoonerCare simply funnels money into insurance companies' profits, and that the state should instead invest in health infrastructure directly.
In June 2021, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to list the Lesser Prairie-Chicken on the Endangered Species List — a move that would’ve triggered significant federal protections for the imperiled grouse. However, the Service has yet to finalize its proposal to do so, despite its June 2022 deadline. If the bird does get listed, industries will be required to mitigate their development impacts through conservation measures. But if the delay continues or the bird is never listed, advocates say this rare, dancing bird is running out of time.
In June 2021, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to list the Lesser Prairie-Chicken on the Endangered Species List — a move that would’ve triggered significant federal protections for the imperiled grouse. However, the Service has yet to finalize its proposal to do so, despite its June 2022 deadline. If the bird does get listed, industries will be required to mitigate their development impacts through conservation measures. But if the delay continues or the bird is never listed, advocates say this rare, dancing bird is running out of time.
A group of alumni from the former Northeast High School in Oklahoma City returned to their alma mater this weekend to remember their old school and activism many engaged in more than 50 years ago. StateImpact’s Robby Korth tagged along. Listen to his story below.
As Governor Kevin Stitt gears up for his challenge from State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister in November, StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports on what effects education policy could have on the race.
Over the past year, pandemic relief efforts have been winding down. One of the first to go: universal free lunch for public school students. For more than two years during the pandemic, the waivers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture meant all kids qualified for free breakfasts and lunches. It saved families with one child hundreds of dollars per year, and for families with multiple kids, it saved thousands. It meant families who might qualify for free or reduced lunches didn’t have to handle paperwork, and no students had to navigate lunch debt. But Congress decided to let the program lapse. Across Oklahoma, schools are figuring out how to help families weather the change.
Over the past year, pandemic relief efforts have been winding down. One of the first to go: universal free lunch for public school students. For more than two years during the pandemic, the waivers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture meant all kids qualified for free breakfasts and lunches. It saved families with one child hundreds of dollars per year, and for families with multiple kids, it saved thousands. It meant families who might qualify for free or reduced lunches didn’t have to handle paperwork, and no students had to navigate lunch debt. But Congress decided to let the program lapse. Across Oklahoma, schools are figuring out how to help families weather the change.
More than 2,000 feet underground in Carlsbad, New Mexico, sits the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). WIPP is the country’s only deep geological repository for nuclear waste of any kind — the U.S. doesn’t have a permanent repository for high level waste like spent nuclear fuel . But its other claim to fame is it’s also a case study in “consent-based siting,” which is the practice of getting community buy-in for nuclear storage sites. Now, a $3 million research project led by the University of Oklahoma’s Institute for Public Policy Research is aiming to develop a new framework for consent-based interim siting of spent nuclear fuel. As the nation’s nuclear waste storage crisis becomes increasingly more imminent, researchers hope they can craft policy that will incentivize communities to volunteer themselves as interim storage sites.
Three Oklahoma students are https://drive.google.com/file/d/17r_BojenWkGu6bOKIYAm5fiMLh1xPKnd/view?usp=sharing (suing the state) over its law that bars transgender students from using the bathroom corresponding with their gender identity. Andy Bridge is the lead plaintiff. The suit argues http://www.oklegislature.gov/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=SB615&Session=2200 (Senate Bill 615) is unconstitutional and should be overturned. Bridge and his parents, Aysha Prather and Eli Bridge, sat down with StateImpact Oklahoma reporter Robby Korth to share why they think it was an important step to take.
StateImpact has gotten many questions about House Bill 1775, Oklahoma’s so-called critical race theory ban. So education reporter Robby Korth tried to address the most common ones. Here he is talking with Logan Layden about answering those frequently asked questions.
Stateimpact is on a tour around Oklahoma to gather voices, stories and more from youth. Education reporter Robby Korth and KOSU engagement reporter Kateleigh Mills talked with two Stilwell High School students about their art and how they fit in as Cherokee in Oklahoma.
Researchers at the University of Oklahoma started developing a monitoring program in 2020. Now, they're working with state health officials to scan for about a dozen pathogens — including COVID, monkeypox and West Nile Virus.
The ACCESS Oklahoma Turnpike project from the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority is a 15-year, $5 billion project to build several turnpike routes in central, southern and northeastern Oklahoma. Residents in the paths of these turnpike extensions who regularly see deer grazing in their yards and eagles soaring overhead are wondering, what’s going to happen to all the wildlife and the facility that takes care of them? And how far does the law go to protect them?
As Oklahoma colleges struggle to maintain enrollment, they’re increasingly turning to other places to recruit new students. StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports the top target is the Sooner state’s neighbors to the south.
StateImpact is on a listening tour with Oklahoma’s youth. And we’ve brought along our microphones. StateImpact’s Robby Korth and KOSU’s Kateleigh Mills talked to a couple of Tulsa high school students about race, gender and how they interact with their peers at school.
Several states that banned abortion created exceptions for medical emergencies, but the laws fail to make clear which conditions qualify for the exception. That leaves room for interpretation, which has already caused delays in life-saving care.
As lawmakers, parents and school boards debate what kids should or shouldn’t learn in the classroom, teachers are still trying to find ways to lead tough conversations. StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports on a day a couple dozen educators at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum spent figuring out just that.
One Oklahoman is taking it on herself to chip away at the mountains of packaging waste left by the booming industry. Taylor Davis, a 28-year-old Edmond resident, drives hundreds of miles every week to pick up tubs full of pop-top drams, glass jars, tiny cardboard boxes and Mylar bags from dispensaries around the state. Since February, she’s held these recycling drives at dispensaries all over Oklahoma, which she advertises on her Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/recycleyourempties/?hl=en (@RecycleYourEmpties). She said everywhere she goes, she meets people who just can’t bring themselves to toss piles of packaging into a landfill.
With Oklahoma’s medical marijuana scene growing rapidly, industry professionals and cannabis patients are feeling the weight of packaging waste. But a lack of recycling infrastructure and an unwillingness to raise prices for sustainable packaging have left Oklahoma unprepared to handle the growing mountains of plastic packing the state’s landfills.
StateImpact is on a listening tour with Oklahoma’s youth. And we’ve brought along our microphones. KOSU’s Kateleigh Mills and StateImpact’s Robby Korth talked to a couple of Tulsa teenagers about being allies for their friends, following the news and about their own roles as Oklahomans.
The health department confirmed that two new variants account for about 40 percent of new cases. And according to state data, the number of officially reported cases per week doubled in June. StateImpact's Catherine Sweeney talked with Dr. David Holden, the president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association, about how contagious these variants are and what risk factors Oklahomans should be considering.
In the recent Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision, Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey were struck down. In his opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote three previous rulings that used the same constitutional mechanism as Roe and Casey had been decided erroneously and should be reexamined. StateImpact Oklahoma reporter Beth Wallis interviewed Kathleen Tipler — an OU political science professor who specializes in gender, sexuality and the law — to understand how the Dobbs decision could impact other precedents related to contraception, sexual privacy and marriage equality.
And they say the pandemic has made it worse. One national survey of nurses found 44 percent of them experienced physical abuse at work in early 2020.
StateImpact is on a listening tour with Oklahoma’s youth. And we’ve brought along our microphones. Two recent high school graduates from Oklahoma City - Aspen Harrod and Ahmari Sango - talk about their comfort levels in the classroom, how they fit in society and representation. StateImpact’s Robby Korth talked with them in late May.
On the afternoon of June 1, a man walked into a local gun store and bought an AR-style rifle. A few hours later, he used that rifle and a handgun he’d purchased two days before to kill four people at a Tulsa medical center before turning the gun on himself. This came just a week after an 18-year-old bought an AR-style rifle and days later massacred 19 children and 2 teachers in Uvalde, Texas. And that came a little over a week after an 18-year-old, who had previously threatened a murder-suicide at his high school, purchased a semiautomatic rifle and killed 10 people in Buffalo. As mass shootings continue to make headlines around the country, advocates for gun reform in Oklahoma have a long and uncertain road ahead.
Under the state's new abortion bans, are Oklahomans allowed to donate to abortion funds? Are they allowed to advise patients on their options in other states? The slew of contradictory bills passed this year weren't explicit. Vague laws leave residents wondering what’s legal and what isn’t. Opponents argue that is by design.
Governor Kevin Stitt on Wednesday signed a bill to bar transgender students from using the bathroom corresponding with their identity. StateImpact's Robby Korth and KOSU's Kateleigh Mills went to Tulsa the day the bill was sent to the governor for a conversation with three trans high schoolers. The teenagers talked about identity and how political conversations surrounding the bathrooms they use affect them.
Earlier this year a teacher shortage in Oklahoma forced hundreds of school districts to close their doors because of a lack of substitutes to fill in for educators out with the coronavirus. But StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports even though it’s no longer in the headlines, the substitute teacher shortage persists.
On February 22, Governor Kevin Stitt announced plans for the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority to embark on a $5 billion, 15-year project to expand Oklahoma’s turnpike network. Two families facing displacement from the turnpike project told their stories to StateImpact’s Beth Wallis. In Part 2, you’ll hear the story of Darla and Cedric LeBlanc, a Norman family whose home and horticulture business sits in the path of the proposed South Extension route. Beth Wallis visited the family’s home, where they were hosting an Easter egg hunt.
On February 22, Governor Kevin Stitt announced plans for the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority to embark on a $5 billion, 15-year project to expand Oklahoma’s turnpike network. The effort to expand the turnpike loop around Oklahoma City south and west, through the Moore and Norman areas is raising concerns about water quality, the preservation of wildlife, property rights and even the rare rose rock. But for some, it’s personal. In Part 1 of this 2-part piece, you’ll hear the story of Lisa Meyer, a Norman resident whose home sits by the path of the proposed South Extension route. The home was built by her husband Paul to accommodate their late son Clinton, who lived with disabilities until his death in 2008. Lisa is also active in the newly formed turnpike opposition group, Pike Off OTA.
The newest round of CDC numbers sound bad. No. 11 for chlamydia. No. 5 for gonorrhea. No. 4 for syphilis. these high rates — revealed in the CDC’s STI data for 2020 — aren’t new for Oklahoma. But local experts believe the pandemic worsened STI rates in much the same way that it worsened other health outcomes.
A joint investigation by nonprofit news outlets Oklahoma Watch and The Frontier found that Governor Kevin Stitt and his now-Secretary of Education Ryan Walters pushed $18 million to a Florida company called Class Wallet to distribute CARES Act funds. StateImpact’s Robby Korth spoke with one of the authors of that article, Clifton Adcock, about his work on the story. Read the full story here: https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/stitt-gave-families-8-million-for-school-supplies-in-the-pandemic-they-bought-christmas-trees-gaming-consoles-and-tvs/
In Oklahoma, culture wars can feel exhausting to marginalized youth. So StateImpact’s Robby Korth and KOSU’s Kateleigh Mills are embarking on a listening tour and they’re bringing microphones. Now, they need your help.
StateImpact is on a listening tour with Oklahoma’s youth. And we’ve brought along our microphones. In the first session, two transgender high school juniors from Tulsa share how they feel about their education and their place in the state. Their names are MJ and Dominik, and they sat with StateImpact’s Robby Korth earlier this month. StateImpact’s Robby Korth and KOSU’s Kateleigh Mills produced this story as part of the America Amplified initiative using community engagement to inform and strengthen local, regional and national journalism. America Amplified is a public media initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. If you are an organization that works with youth and would like to schedule a listening session with StateImpact and KOSU call 405-896-4327. That’s 405-896-4327.
The economic impact of Oklahoma’s blossoming industry reaches far beyond cannabis business owners — from packaging and banking partners to storefront landlords and thousands of employees. But as for state and local revenue from cannabis taxes, officials hesitate to characterize the industry as a silver bullet to the state’s economic woes. Hear the story of one entrepreneur who struck gold in Oklahoma's green rush.
Oklahoma schools have an $80 million problem. That’s how much money county assessors say local governments are owed in taxes but are currently held in escrow amid protests. StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports on a property tax fight that’s hurting schools.
Oklahoma lawmakers are in a mad dash to eradicate abortion in Oklahoma, passing a slew of bills to restrict — and in some cases, even criminalize — the procedure. These laws now stand a better chance of going into effect, and that if they do, will have a major impact on the region, not just Oklahoma.
Even though cases are down, thousands of Oklahomans are still dealing with COVID symptoms. As many as one in three who are infected with the virus will continue to have symptoms for weeks — or even months — after recovery.StateImpact talked with more than a dozen Oklahomans about their experiences with long-term COVID symptoms. What did those symptoms look like? To be honest, the experiences were all over the map, but there were a few things that came up time and again: lung issues, heart issues, brain fog — and frustration.
Listen for more.
The rare American Burying Beetle could hold the key to new medical treatments and novel meat preservation methods. But these beetles are facing threats that could wipe them out of Oklahoma — and perhaps most of the country. And some conservationists say the government hasn’t done enough to protect the dwindling population of ABBs.
Oklahoma Republicans are split on Senate Bill 1647. The measure would give private school families vouchers to pay for tuition. But many rural state lawmakers say school choice in their towns is different. So, StateImpact’s Robby Korth went to one small town to see. What does school choice look like in rural Oklahoma?
Research into how psychedelic mushrooms could help patients with mental health conditions is gaining momentum, even in Oklahoma. Some state lawmakers are interested in the idea — if it helps veterans.
This new frontier of electric vehicles in Oklahoma isn’t without its challenges — accessibility, range anxiety, infrastructure and competing in a state with a historic reliance on oil and gas production. But Oklahoma is paving the road ahead by building out its charging network and rethinking its motor fuel tax structure.
Oklahoma secrecy laws allow the state to obscure where it gets lethal injection drugs. Given the state's track record, the critics say, that shouldn't be the case. StateImpact Editor Logan Layden talks with health reporter Catherine Sweeney about the state's controversial protocol, the drugs it uses to execute Oklahomans, and the secrecy laws that obscure where officials buy them.
For the last year Oklahoma Republicans have derided Critical Race Theory as a racist way of teaching that discriminates against white students. StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports it’s been a difficult debate to watch for at least one Black father and scholar of the subject.
Residents have been missing out on cancer screenings, diabetes management and other services that prevent and detect disease.
For the last two decades, the grasshoppers of the Konza Prairie Biological Station in Manhattan, Kansas, have been declining significantly — even as their main food source, grass, has nearly doubled in abundance. Researchers analyzed decades of grass samples and found that increased CO2 and climate change have caused these plants to become less nutritious. And this process — nutrient dilution — is happening all over the world.
The books in Oklahoma school libraries don’t end up on the shelves by accident. A few parent groups and legislators are trying to limit what appears in school libraries. StateImpact's Robby Korth reports on how librarians decide which books are available to kids.
The Oklahoma Legislature is back in session on February 7th. Managing editor Logan Layden led a discussion with the StateImpact Oklahoma reporters on what they'll be covering, including how to deal with Medicaid expansion, new regulations on the marijuana industry, and the influence of state government on what's taught and read in schools.
When Gov. Kevin Stitt announced in October 2020 that his administration would soon move the state’s Public Health Laboratory from Oklahoma City to Stillwater, opposition came quickly. The Frontier’s Kassie McClung and Kayla Brand partnered with StateImpact and spent more than a year requesting emails, invoices and other documents related to the public health lab and the state’s newly Pandemic Center for Innovation and Excellence.
Oklahoma recorded some of its highest daily case counts of the pandemic in the past week. You wouldn’t think so, just looking around. Virtually no mask mandates in businesses or cities. Many employers requiring in-person work. Schools and universities welcoming all of their students back to the physical classroom. But health officials say new issues have cropped up this time: more dire work shortages, new causes for vaccine hesitancy and hospitals already strained by other viruses.
Drug treatment courts help those charged with drug and alcohol offenses straighten out their lives, with documented success, such as with former Oklahoma Sen. Cal Hobson. But efforts to reform the state’s criminal justice system are causing unintended consequences for the program.
Fewer Oklahoma schools are requiring masks in their classrooms than at any point during the pandemic. In a conversation with StateImpact Managing Editor Logan Layden, education reporter Robby Korth says going into the spring 2022 semester that already dwindling number could get even smaller.
Population growth, short housing supply and slow wage growth are threatening the city's affordability. Artists, who suffered lost gigs and fewer opportunities throughout the pandemic, are feeling the strain.
Federal relief money for the coronavirus has injected more than $1 billion into Oklahoma’s public schools. StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports that in many places, it’s giving schools a chance to catch up on much needed infrastructure improvements.
School board meetings used to be pretty boring. But now they’ve become a battleground over big political topics like the coronavirus and race. StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports with The Oklahoman’s Nuria Martinez-Keel on what’s happening at these meetings in Oklahoma.
A national food shortage means lunchrooms across Oklahoma are short on much of what they need to serve students. StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports on the efforts child nutrition employees make to ensure kids are fed.
As thousands of Oklahomans battled COVID-19 in ICUs earlier this year, hospitals’ demand for liquid oxygen skyrocketed. The strain highlighted supply chain and infrastructure challenges inside and outside the medical system.
Earlier this week, the ACLU announced it would lead a coalition of civil rights and educational groups suing Oklahoma over its controversial critical race theory ban in federal court. StateImpact’s Robby Korth talked with ACLU of Oklahoma legal director and attorney Megan Lambert about the legal action.
Host: Earlier this month Oklahoma School for the Deaf unveiled a fresh logo featuring their new Bison mascot. StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports the Bison name flips a new page in the storied history of Oklahoma’s school for deaf students. NEWSPAPER CLIPPING PAGE FLIP RK: John Reinenger is thumbing through a book of old newspaper clippings. The pages are from his days as a student at Oklahoma School for the Deaf here in Sulphur, a school that competed under the name Indians in his time. He’s speaking here through an interpreter. REINENGER (through interpreter): It brings back a lot of memories. Definitely nostalgic. So yeah. I feel very, very closely connected to OSD. It’s like my second home, really. (11) RK: The Midwest City man has a son here. His parents met here. He is a 2000 graduate. But there was one thing his mother Sylvia told him not to do at school. REINENGER: My mother told me never to dress like in costume as an Indian, like any kind of Indian costumes. (06) RK: John and his mother are both citizens of the Muscogee Nation. And people did dress up in costume regularly at football games and pep rallies. REINENGER: I mean, I didn't honestly really think much about it. And then as life went on and I've gotten older, then I've looked at it and realized, Ooh. [air sucking grimace] Yikes. OK. (08) RK: There’s been a community-wide realization here as well. The Indians mascot was officially retired this year and replaced with the Bison. Superintendent Chris Dvorak. DVORAK: It really kind of came to a head where there were some serious conversations within the administration that had links to alumni. And we just got the sense that the time is now, you know, we can we really need to have a serious conversation. The writing is on the wall. (18) RK: So he tasked OSD alum and director of student life Trudy Mitchell with creating a task force and leading the charge toward a new mascot. She spoke to StateImpact through an interpreter. MITCHELL: The change is needed. I'm excited that it's going to be something new, it's going to be a new vision for our school. (08) RK: Mitchell met and spoke with dozens of alumni about the potential for change. It wasn’t well received at first, but she says, after several discussions many in the community have come around to the idea. MITCHELL: Oh we had lots of options. We had painted horse, a T. Rex, a Tasmanian Devil. There was an eagle. RK: But more than two-thirds ended up voting for Bison. Oklahoma School for the Deaf was hardly alone in its use of an Indigenous-themed mascot in Oklahoma. A StateImpact review of school nicknames found at least 75 public school districts - almost 15 percent - use Indigenous themed mascots. Corey Bunch, Education Services executive director for Cherokee Nation, says that can be hurtful. BUNCH: The chants from opposing teams and the slogans that kind of are associated with the mascots and the imagery they can quickly get carried away. And they just don't represent Native people. (14) RK: The movement to change offensive names is gaining momentum in western states. Laws in Washington and Colorado passed this year are compelling schools to stop using Indigenous-themed mascots. Such a bill has not even been introduced in Oklahoma - the state with the highest proportion of Native Americans in the lower 48. BUNCH: Certainly, Cherokee Nation nor other tribal nations are out twisting anybody's arm, telling them that they ought to change their mascots. But when we are asked we are certainly happy to participate. (13) RK: Individual districts are considering changes. Tulsa Union recently announced it would change its nickname. Tulsa Public Schools is looking at changing mascots at some sites as well. Bunch served as an advisory member for the review boards at both districts. And he says he always wants to advocate for Native students. BUNCH: We don't want them to be ashamed for any reason to just be the people that...
In a weekly update to state agencies, the Oklahoma State Department of Health warned that strain has led to cutbacks. It reads, in part, "Urgent care centers are reporting decreased hours or are shutting down due to inability to serve patient volume or redirect staff to other facilities to support increase in patients." Like all other health providers, the centers are experiencing staff shortages, high demand and burnout.
Dr. Cameron Webb is the senior policy adviser on COVID-19 equity on the White House’s response team. After federal regulators approved Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for booster doses, Webb talked with StateImpact about who should get the third dose and why.
A growing number of schools around Oklahoma are starting to mandate masks in their hallways, with opt out provisions. StateImpact’s Robby Korth takes us inside the first public school in Oklahoma to require masks this semester.
Dr. Mary Clarke says there's an age-old problem: doctors don't talk about their own problems. She is the president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association. That group saw trouble coming. Doctors, who already tend to struggle with mental health, started dealing with something plaguing all of us for the past 18 months: the pandemic. Financial struggles, family separation and more created even more risk factors for the state's physicians.
Early childhood education is something Oklahoma has traditionally done well. But as parents fear the effects of COVID-19 on their youngest children, the state is seeing a steep drop in the number of students enrolled in Pre-K and kindergarten programs. StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports on the decline.
As the school year started in August, cases of COVID-19 among teachers and students grew across Oklahoma. StateImpact's Robby Korth and KOSU's Kateleigh Mills spoke with an Oklahoma City metro teacher named Anna about her experience catching the coronavirus and missing more than a week of classes.
About every other person in Oklahoma can't get dental insurance. Nonprofits scramble to fill in the gaps, caring for people who come in with broken teeth, painful abscesses and worse. State officials took a major step in ramping up access this year, opening preventative coverage to adults enrolled in SoonerCare.
The Biden administration lashed out at Oklahoma’s policies limiting mask wearing in a letter to Gov. Kevin Stitt and state schools superintendent Joy Hofmeister Wednesday. StateImpact’s Robby Korth sat down with Hofmeister to discuss its contents and Oklahoma City Public Schools’ masking requirement rules, Thursday. In a statement sent by a spokesman, Gov. Stitt says Oklahomans want to make their own decisions about whether their children should wear masks in school. "The fact that President Biden is focused on telling Oklahomans how to parent their kids while he turns his back on the American citizens trapped by terrorists in Afghanistan is another example in his pattern of poor judgment.”
School is in session across Oklahoma, even as the pandemic continues to rage and the Delta variant impacts more and more children. Managing editor Logan Layden sat down with StateImpact reporters Robby Korth and Catherine Sweeney for a discussion on the disruptions already occurring.
People who are personally affected when justice is denied will never think about the state's courts and law enforcement in the same way. StateImpact’s Quinton Chandler reports wrongful convictions can do long lasting harm and change how individual Oklahomans view the criminal justice system.
As the school year draws nearer, COVID-19 is not the only disease putting pressure on Oklahoma’s children’s hospitals. Across the state, kids are being admitted amid an unseasonable surge in respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. With demand already high, a back-to-school spike in COVID-19 could create a strain on pediatric beds.
Oklahoma is making a big bet on helping students in the wake of a year interrupted by the coronavirus with mental health supports. StateImpact’s Robby Korth travels to Poteau to report how the district is leveraging a $35 million program to hire hundreds of counselors in schools across the state.
An advisory group hired consultants to find structural solutions to some of the Oklahoma County's Detention Center's longest running problems.
More than 100,000 Oklahomans have already enrolled in the program, which provides health coverage to low-income adults.
House Bill 1775 was supposed to do a lot of things: Ban critical race theory, ensure white students aren’t shamed for actions of their ancestors and limit difficult conversations in the classroom. But the actual effects are unclear. StateImpact’s Robby Korth sat down with Oklahoma State School Boards Association attorney Brandon Carey to discuss what the new law means for educators and students.
An Oklahoma lawmaker's belief that an innocent man is on death row inspired him to call for the creation of a special unit to review death penalty convictions.
A school year like no other has now led to a summer like no other for Oklahoma students. StateImpact’s Robby Korth traveled to Stillwater to see how schools are incorporating fun and going back to basics to get students ready for a more typical fall.
When a constituent first came came in to advocate for needle exchange programming, Oklahoma State Rep. Carol Bush wasn't sure what to think. That didn't sound like the kind of policy likely to succeed in Oklahoma's deeply conservative statehouse. She and other supporters focused on the policy's public safety benefits and leaned on famous Republicans who have supported similar legislation, including former Vice President Mike Pence.
Oklahoma continues to rank top three in the nation for Hepatitis C deaths, but health officials are hopeful recent policy changes will help reverse the trend. Hepatitis C — a viral liver infection — is a problem nationwide. It’s the most prominent chronic blood-borne infection and leading cause of liver transplants. It can cause many complications, including cancer.
The state partnered with substance abuse treatment providers to eliminate a counter productive wait time people struggling with addiction had to bear to get into treatment. Providers say the change is giving people a better chance to live.
As the academic year winds down, schools are already looking toward the next one. It’s bound to be more normal. But as StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports there’s also bound to be thousands of new teachers in Oklahoma’s classrooms.
Oklahoma has administered nearly 3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Like all other states, it has done so free of charge to residents. That is possible largely because thousands of volunteers pitched into the effort.
A nonprofit helped women in two state prisons connect with strangers during the coronavirus pandemic. The women recounted their struggles and offered advice.
StateImpact’s Robby Korth didn’t get a haircut for over a year because of the coronavirus pandemic. But, more than two weeks after getting fully vaccinated, he takes us inside Carwin's Shave Shop for his much needed trim.
Attending school remotely has been an inconvenience for students and parents, and a major burden for many. For children experiencing homelessness, it’s all but impossible. 25-thousand Oklahoma children didn’t have a permanent home - before the pandemic. StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports how the state’s only school tailored specifically for homeless students is handling the crisis.
Over half of Oklahoma’s state prisoners are at least partially vaccinated against the coronavirus. Prisoner advocates say incarcerated people needed access sooner than the state authorized.
The people who are willing and able to travel out to mass vaccinations sites have already done it. The vaccine program is entering a new chapter: reaching Oklahomans who are either vaccine hesitant or facing barriers.
A lawsuit settlement between Oklahoma’s State Board of Education and The Oklahoma Public Charter School Association will greatly change the way public schools are funded. StateImpact’s Robby Korth spoke to Chris Brewster, President of the charter school organization and superintendent of Santa Fe South in Oklahoma City about the genesis of the lawsuit and school funding.
The two companies surpassed a year of negotiations and never reached an agreement. Come July, the two could be out of network.
Spring assessment tests are an annual spring tradition in Oklahoma. But this year, they'll look quite a bit different. StateImpact's Robby Korth goes to Calumet to see how a school that normally thrives is prepping.
The proposed abortion policies don’t vary much from past versions, but they could have a better shot at implementation because of shifts on the U.S. and Oklahoma supreme courts.
In part two of a story about what in-person school looks like in Oklahoma, StateImpact’s Robby Korth takes us to Hillcrest Elementary School in El Reno. The district has gone to great lengths to make in-person schooling work. This story was produced by KOSU’s Kateleigh Mills.
The vast majority of Oklahoma students are attending school in person. But what does that look like? StateImpact’s Robby Korth visited El Reno High School to find out.
Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform’s main goal this session is to bring Oklahoma’s prison sentences more in line with the national average.
SoonerSelect — otherwise known as managed care — will shift $2 billion in Medicaid funding to four private health insurance companies, tasking them with coordinating care for about 700,000 Oklahomans. Opponents are concerned the program was designed hastily, that it will reduce health access for low-income Oklahomans instead of improving it, that the $2 billion in contracts faced no legislative oversight, and that Oklahoma’s past attempts to implement full managed care failed miserably.
In Kevin Stitt’s State of the State Address, the governor brought a new definition for the term “ghost students” to the mainstream. StateImpact’s Robby Korth and The Oklahoman's Nuria Martinez-Keel explain Stitt’s new definition and its effects on education funding policy.
The Tulsa Race Massacre was famously forgotten in Oklahoma history classes for decades. But as the 100 year anniversary of the tragedy approaches, StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports keeping that memory alive is as important as ever in the state’s schools.
The state Legislature’s session was badly disrupted last year by the pandemic . It’s back starting Monday, and faces a long list of pressing issues and unfinished work from 2020. StateImpact health reporter Chatherine Sweeney, education reporter Robby Korth, and criminal justice reporter Quinton Chandler met with Republican Oklahoma Senate President Pro Temp Greg Treat to talk about his priorities before the gavel drops next week, and share their thoughts on where lawmakers are focusing their attention.
Federal prisoners threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic complain they and other prisoners weren’t quarantined after having contact with infected people. They also say staff often don’t wear masks.
Immersion learning works like this: students come to school and they learn in two languages, usually English and something else. But COVID-19 has made teaching at these schools difficult. StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports with Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton.
Deputy Commissioner of Health Keith Reed says it allows for quicker vaccinations, which fights community transmission and paves the way for larger vaccine supply shipments.
Throughout the pandemic, long-term care facilities have had to implement lockdowns. For Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, the isolation used to protect their physical health can further damage their brain health.
Black Lives Matter protesters urged Oklahomans to go to the polls after Minnesota police killed George Floyd. Did the energy felt in street protests translate into Oklahomans' polling places?
Syphilis seemed all but eradicated in Oklahoma. Then, until about six years ago, it was reported only in men having sex with men. Cases among women grew more than eight fold from 2014 to 2018. Now, cases detected in babies are on the rise, too.
Members of the Healthier Oklahoma Coalition want to communicate with the public directly on hospital and ICU capacity, worker shortages and more.
StateImpact's Robby Korth reports on how masking rules are applied unevenly in Oklahoma's schools. A survey conducted by the State Department of Education last month found about 80 percent have some rules requiring masks in place. However, only about half of the state’s schools require masks in the classroom. Many policies simply apply to buses or hallways during passing periods.
Oklahoma state schools superintendent Joy Hofmeister says it’s impossible to know what school will look like in the near and distant future. But, she tells StateImpact’s Robby Korth wearing masks and taking the virus seriously are critical to getting to a place where safe in person schooling is again the norm.
The state prison population is projected to grow an additional 3.6% in two years because the state Department of Corrections eliminated a method of shortening prisoners’ sentences.
Oklahoma has been using federal coronavirus relief funding to ensure everyone can get tested for free without requirements, such as symptoms or a known exposure. That helps public health agencies track and fight spread. That funding expires Dec. 31, and officials are urging Congress to replace it.
As Oklahoma's coronavirus figures continue their upward trend, public health officials say statewide mask mandates are not on the list of potential mitigation efforts.
Oklahoma voters rejected State Question 814. It would have taken payments away from the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, which funds public health measures like tobacco cessation and cancer research, and put them toward Medicaid expansion. The state is expected to see a $1 billion infusion of federal health funding, but has to put in about $150 million first. Without that TSET funding, lawmakers will have to find another source.
Most high school students in Oklahoma can’t vote, yet the presidential election will have a tremendous impact on them. So, Oklahoma Engaged, with the help of youth civic engagement non-profit Generation Citizen, decided to talk directly to them. StateImpact’s Robby Korth guides listeners through their conversation.
Two years after Oklahoma educators walked out of their classrooms and stormed the state Capitol, fewer teachers are running for state legislative seats. This year, more than 50 education candidates launched campaigns for legislative seats, down from 112 candidates who ran in 2018, according to figures from the Oklahoma Education Association. In an Oklahoma Media Center story supported by Oklahoma Engaged and The Walton Family Foundation, StateImpact's Robby Korth and The Oklahoman's Carmen Forman talk about why those numbers have shifted.
Turmoil has swirled around Epic Virtual Charter Schools for years. But StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports a state audit has intensified calls to take action against the school and its for profit management company. And that’s clouded the future for the more than 60,000 students who attend Oklahoma’s largest school district. This COVID-19/education reporting is made possible by a grant from the Walton Family Foundation.
State Question 814 would route money away from a public health and tobacco cessation program, using it to pay for Oklahoma's Medicaid expansion. This pitch isn't new, nor is the attempt to divert money out of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust, otherwise known as TSET.
Oklahoma City Police are trying new ways to help people in crisis cope with their illness' and potentially get faster access to care.
In the midst of a historic pandemic and the onset of flu season, Oklahoma public health workers have another emergency to address. Statewide, syphilis cases among women have grown by more than 850 percent in four years. In south-central Oklahoma's Carter County, the case rate has grown by 900 percent since last year. Public health specialists tackle everything from raising awareness, preparing care providers and containing the spread.
The Department of Corrections is drawing heavy criticism for its steep rise in COVID-19 cases. Most of the 3,175 total cases recorded as of Sept. 23. were first reported in the past month.
Mental health calls have nearly doubled for Oklahoma City’s police force in six years. Police and policy makers say officers shouldn’t be involved in most of the calls at all.
A September surge of COVID-19 cases in Oklahoma is largely a result of the coronavirus’ spread on college campuses. StateImpact’s Catherine Sweeney and Robby Korth report on how cases have spread in college towns.
Oklahoma voters approved Medicaid expansion via State Question 802 in June. Six of Oklahoma's 77 counties approved the measure, and those counties were largely the state's most urban. Soon, conventional wisdom attributed the vote breakdown to the urban-rural divide.. However, The Oklahoma Policy Institute dug into the data and found there was more to it than that. Here, StateImpact's Catherine Sweeney interviews Oklahoma Policy's Carly Putnam.
More than half of the Oklahomans who have died from COVID-19 complications had an underlying heart condition. Health experts said that the state's high rate of heart disease is not the only factor.
Since classes started this semester StateImpact’s Robby Korth has been tracking COVID-19 cases in schools across Oklahoma. So far he’s identified almost 200 school districts where a case has been publicly announced. Korth spoke with StateImpact Managing Editor Logan Layden about the tracking project.
A nonprofit leader hoped Oklahoma County would use some of its $47 million CARES Act grant to help people facing eviction. But the state’s most populous county is planning to spend the bulk of that relief package on its problematic jail.
The United States entered a nationwide nursing shortage in 2001, and Oklahoma has been in one since. There aren't enough slots in nursing programs, many graduates take jobs out of state, and retention is difficult. Then the U.S. entered the worst pandemic in a century.
The Oklahoma State Board of Education refused to pass a plan that featured a masking mandate and required pivot to distance learning amid rising case numbers of the coronavirus. Instead, they opted to make a thorough plan simply a recommendation. The result, few school districts are following the state's guidelines as they reopen for school.
The pandemic threatens former prisoners’ access to resources they need to build stable lives. Offices that issue legal identification have closed for part or the majority of the pandemic.
A growing number of school districts across Oklahoma are already pivoting to distance learning because of the continued spread of the coronavirus. The decisions aren’t made easily, as evidenced by hours long meetings and narrow votes by local school boards. More could - and if cases don’t fall will - move online. So how did that move go last spring and what lessons can schools learn?
Few people have had a bigger impact on Oklahoma than early governor and framer of the state’s constitution Alfalfa Bill Murray. But StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports Murray’s racist beliefs are now sparking conversations to change the way Oklahomans remember him today.
Data analyzed by a Johns Hopkins University researcher suggests people incarcerated in state and federal prisons are at higher risk of catching Covid-19 and of dying from the disease.
Norman is the only one of Oklahoma’s three largest cities where leaders were swayed to redirect funding after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
In the wake of Black Lives Matter activism across the country, teachers are re-emphasizing their role in leading discussions about racial justice. StateImpact’s Robby Korth spoke with Tulsa Public Schools Manager of Equity Content Denita White and Hawthorne Elementary School third grade teacher Katherine Maloney about how to talk to children about race.
Covid-19 made it harder for some domestic violence victims to find safety from their abusers. Victim advocates also fear they may experience more severe violence in their isolation.
The NPR student podcast challenge had 2,000 entrants from across the country. But one project from high school seniors in Stilwell, a Northeastern Oklahoma town with 4,000 people, stood out as one of only a dozen finalists. StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports on the podcast that was a finalist for a prize.
Each summer hundreds of the state’s elite arts students travel to Quartz Mountain, on the picturesque outskirts of the Wichita Mountains in southwest Oklahoma for the Oklahoma Arts Institute. But this year the normally two week arts program was moved online and shortened because of the coronavirus. StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports on how the selective arts program made the move.
Residents of Oklahoma City often don't hear the details surrounding complaints against police and the investigations they prompt. Black Lives Matter activists are calling for independent probes of police investigations.
Thousands of Oklahomans demanded change after an unarmed black man was killed by police in Minneapolis. Protesters in Oklahoma City especially criticized its police department's relatively high number of killings of black residents. City leaders are considering some of the protesters' demands.
The call from the health department still sticks in Gabrielle Moon’s mind. There was a positive case of the coronavirus at St. Luke’s Children’s Center. Moon, the center's executive director, and other childcare leaders share what they've learned from handling this case and others.
The coronavirus will change school next semester. StateImpact Managing Editor Logan Layden spoke to education reporter Robby Korth about a school year that will likely look a little more normal, but will still be unfamiliar.
An outbreak of Covid-19 in the Comanche County jail underscores how vulnerable jail populations are to the disease. Officials in the state's two largest counties are considering increasing testing in their jails to make sure they don't have their own outbreak.
The novel coronavirus has changed a lot of graduation plans throughout Oklahoma. Normally, a community’s staple spring event, the global pandemic has altered plans. Districts across Oklahoma are taking a wide range of approaches to honor graduates.
Thousands of prisoners across the country are infected with Covid-19. The more states test, the more cases they find. Some question whether Oklahoma's Covid-19 testing policies have revealed the true number of state prisoners carrying the disease.
The Oklahoma Department of Corrections decides which prisoners to test for Covid-19 on a cases by case basis. So far, two prisoners have tested positive for Covid-19.
Monday was a new kind of first day of school in Oklahoma: the first one back since schools shuttered after spring break to combat the spread of COVID-19. Many school districts are turning to the internet to conduct instruction. But for 167,000 Oklahoma students that isn't an option. So, school districts are getting creative to deliver the instruction to kids.
Oklahoma drug courts are adapting to reduce physical contact during the coronavirus pandemic, but they say they're paying a price. Social distancing is disrupting and routines human connections that give stability to people fighting addiction.
Oklahoma schools and county jails are looking for ways to keep the coronavirus pandemic at bay.
Because nobody with the state is keeping track, it’s difficult to know how many school districts across Oklahoma have armed teachers. Despite that, state lawmakers want to loosen regulations on training requirements for teachers armed in schools. They hope, ushered in by a piece of legislation currently under consideration, fewer regulations will lead to more guns in schools.
State officials want to help hundreds of corrections employees who didn't get a raise last year. It's unclear if a bill that could fix the problem will be approved.
With 80 percent of college students reporting anxiety or depression, schools have to find a way to help students. StateImpact's Robby Korth spends time in Stillwater and Norman to see how Oklahoma's two biggest universities are approaching mental wellness for their students.
Oklahoma has reduced it’s imprisonment rate but the criminal justice experts say they expect the prison population to continue growing in the next six years.
Compacted tribes are sending their gaming money to the state of Oklahoma, where it will be held while courts decide on tribal-gaming compacts. StateImpact’s Robby Korth and KOSU’s Kateleigh Mills talk about what will happen to the money and who might be affected.
Minority students are far less likely to be recognized and included in gifted and talented programs across the country. But in Oklahoma, Native American students are recognized in the same numbers as white students. StateImpact’s Robby Korth visits a program in Tahlequah to ask why getting into gifted and talented classes is so important.
StateImpact reporters combed through 4,500 pieces of legislation. Here are some trends they found.
Stable housing options are limited for people leaving Oklahoma prisons. People running transitional housing options that offer a temporary residence where people can get on their feet say they can't completely meet the demand.
Oklahoma is entitled to $829 million from settlements with drug companies or court orders. But so far, none of the money has been spent on opioid addiction treatment. Here’s where the money stands for each company or group.
Following the nation's largest commutation, the state and community nonprofits are preparing to help several hundred people released from prison in the same day.
Four-day school weeks have become a popular recruiting tool for cash-strapped rural school districts across Oklahoma. But new rules created because of changing state law mean that the shortened school weeks could end. Parent and teacher activists are taking a fight to the capitol to try to save the four-day school week across the state.
In the classroom, no matter the support, living with dyslexia is simply a challenge. Oklahoma teachers are often blind to dyslexic students because of a lack of resources and direction for educating young people with the neurological learning disability. People with dyslexia often have trouble with word recognition, spelling and phonics.
Researchers from two universities asked Tulsa police for help understanding how U.S. police officers decide to use force on civilians. The university researchers believe their findings can help Tulsa police in their encounters with the public.
After being released in the nation's largest commutation on record, one man is picking up the pieces of his life. Warren Rawls wants to give up criminal life, find a job and be a father to his children. It's his sixth time leaving prison and he's determined it will be his last.
At the beginning of November, hundreds of new laws took effect in Oklahoma, including a big change to short-term health policies and new locations for eye clinics.
Despite experiencing some of the most severe weather events in the nation, there are no state laws requiring storm shelters in Oklahoma. Public shelters have largely been closed - leaving people with disabilities without a safe option during storms.
Some Oklahomans are afraid a new law that allows most adults to carry guns in public will be a public safety disaster. But, one sheriff from Oklahoma's northern neighbor Kansas, says a similar law hasn't been a problem for his state.
Expanding Medicaid in Oklahoma would extend health insurance to thousands of people - and an estimated $100 million dollar price tag.
A pretrial release program helped Rogers County decrease its jail population, but the program had to shutdown after disagreements over who to release led its staff to quit.
https://khn.org/news/author/lauren-weber/ (An interview with Lauren Weber), the Midwest correspondent for Kaiser Health News, regarding her reporting on a pattern of controversial businesses practices that lead to big profits for hospital management companies - and the closure or bankruptcy of eighteen rural hospitals.
Oklahoma County government officials and civic leaders want change at the Oklahoma County Jail. Now, a group given oversight of the jail plans to change its management.
http://www.oscn.net/applications/oscn/DeliverDocument.asp?CiteID=455505 ( State law requires children taken into state custody )in cases of neglect and abuse be given their own attorneys to advocate for their needs and protect their rights in court. Parents have a right to a separate attorney. But, it’s often hard to pair children with qualified attorneys. So the Oklahoma Supreme Court created a new task force to look for ways to improve the system.
Sovereign Community School is new charter school in Oklahoma City with a focus on Native American culture and identity. It’s also part of a movement of tribes and tribal citizens using publicly funded, privately run schools to take control over the education of Native children.
A controversial proposal in the Oklahoma state legislature would delay the age kids would be eligible to start kindergarten and put Oklahoma on-trend with dozens of other states. But some childhood experts say the trend may not serve Oklahoma kids well.
The ongoing court case against opioid manufacturer Johnson & Johnson highlighted the role that doctors, and the medical boards who regulate them, have played in the continuing public health crisis.
Epic Charter Schools is being probed by state and federal law enforcement for manipulating student and embezzling state funds. Will regulators be able to close the loophole Epic appears to be exploiting?
The first lawsuit in the country seeking to hold a pharmaceutical company responsible for the opioid crisis is currently awaiting a verdict in Oklahoma state court.
As Oklahoma reconsiders what students should learn in science class, climate change is top of mind for some. But requiring public schools to teach kids about the subject could prompt pushback from legislators, school administrators and parents.
The federal government is seeking its slice of Oklahoma's recent $270 million settlement with Purdue Pharmaceuticals, and the bill could be millions of dollars.
Oklahoma has more than 4,700 dams. At least 30 percent of these flood control structures are at the end of their 50-year design life. With climate change expected to bring more heavy precipitation, can they hold up?
The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that the Legislature has the authority to block lawsuits against local and state governments operating jails and detention centers. The ruling follows legal actions the spawned after an Oklahoma man was badly beaten in a county jail.
The first civil trial that could hold a pharmaceutical company accountable for the opioid crisis is in its third week in a Norman courtroom. The state is accusing drug giant Johnson & Johnson of downplaying opioids addiction risk, leading to the deaths of thousands of Oklahomans.
As the state has cut funding for universities, they have responded by raising tuition. Regional universities and the students they serve have been uniquely affected.
Despite voter support for criminal justice reforms, lawmakers only passed one bill that could affect prison population growth frustrating Department of Corrections employees and agency budgets.
StateImpact Oklahoma reporters followed legislators actions on education, criminal justice reform, Medicaid expansion and abortion.
A case that could signal the outcome of a flood of litigation against opioid drug manufacturers begins May 28th in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma lawmakers are facing a deadline to finish their work in the next three weeks. The most important duty before the 2019 legislature ends is crafting a budget for the 2020 fiscal year, which starts on July 1. But, so far, nothing has been released.
The Oklahoma Department of Health and the State Fire Marshal inspect local jails every year. Oklahoma law requires local jails to pass state inspections, but the inspections are only as effective as the rules they’re based on. Just because a jail passes inspection -- doesn’t mean it’s completely safe.
The Oklahoma Energy Resources Board spends millions on science curriculum focused exclusively on fossil fuels. This year, two retired middle school science teachers created a competing curriculum for renewable energy.
The anticipated anti-abortion tilt of the U.S. Supreme Court has inspired state lawmakers to move to outlaw abortion entirely if Roe V. Wade ever falls. But the rush to regulate has exposed divisions among lawmakers who consider themselves staunch abortion opponents.
A county sheriff and her staff quit after refusing a judge's order to bring prisoners back to a jail they called unsafe. The move shined a national spotlight on bleak conditions in the Nowata County Jail. The problems can be traced back to low funding -- a problem many Oklahoma sheriffs can are familiar with.
Robert Redfield, the director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention visited one of two federally funded HIV clinics in Oklahoma last week. It’s part of a new federal initiative to stop the spread of HIV in the U.S. within 10 years. Oklahoma is being targeted because it has some the highest rural HIV rates in the country.
April 2 marks one year since the teacher walkout. A new cohort of educators-turned-lawmakers are in office, and teachers continue to lobby for more school funding. Will it make a difference this year?
To get a medical marijuana license in Oklahoma, patients need a recommendation from their doctor — paperwork attesting that, in their medical opinion, a patient would benefit from the drug. But what happens when there's not a doctor in the area willing to sign off?
With a huge freshman class and a promise for less gridlock, Oklahoma lawmakers filed more than 2,800 bills this legislative session. A third of the legislative session is now over - here's fifteen bills you should watch.
Lawmakers are considering House Bill 1269, which would make State Question 780 retroactive and extend its provisions to people convicted before it took effect. However, it’s unclear how many people currently in prison would be affected. Oklahoma Department of Corrections data from late January suggested at least 2,007 people would qualify for shorter sentences. Of that total, 992 people serving prison sentences for drug possession would be eligible for release without a court hearing.
Health officials and doctors treating patients with HIV in the seven, mainly southern states say any extra funding would be welcome. But they say strategies that work in progressive cities like Seattle won’t necessarily work in rural areas of Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and South Carolina.
Oklahoma City is growing, but student enrollment in district schools is on the decline. The distribution isn’t felt evenly, and some schools are overcrowded while other schools are operating at less than half capacity. The district’s superintendent laid out a trio of possible fixes in January. The three plans all consolidate schools but vary in how many schools would close — and how much money would be available for the remaining schools in the district.
A state agency is preparing to launch a website to keep tabs on forensic evidence collected after a sexual assault. State officials hope to launch the site in March. The new system and newly proposed legislation could help investigators solve sexual assault cases and give victims more peace of mind.
Scientists are getting better and better data on the earth’s changing climate. Now there's a push to take advantage of the information stream to help us cope with the extremes we know are coming. One leader in this is Oklahoma.
Oklahoma has the third highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation and studies have shown that comprehensive sex education can help. But in Oklahoma, the decision to teach is largely left up to local school boards. Two bills filed in the state legislature could widen the optional curriculum, but won't change sex ed.
Drug court participation fell in Oklahoma and Tulsa Counties after voters passed State Question 780 in 2016, records show. The ballot question reclassified drug possession and low-level property crimes as misdemeanors instead of felonies. District attorneys warned https://www.tulsaworld.com/homepagelatest/tulsa-county-da-opposes-state-questions-on-justice-reform/article_53c9ee69-03ab-56d4-b1e7-cbdec74f2fe3.html (the state question )would drive down drug court participation because it would hurt prosecutors’ ability to bring addicted people into the court. DAs say the latest numbers prove they were right. But some Oklahoma court officials disagree and say the drop is actually a result of how defendants are chosen for drug court.
Twenty-nineteen means a new governor for Oklahoma and a fresh class of state legislators — nearly 40 percent of whom have zero political experience. It’s a new year, but the state government’s slate hasn't been wiped clean. Here’s a roundup of some of the biggest policy issues on deck for the upcoming year and legislative session.
This year the Trump Administration said it would support states imposing “community engagement” requirements on Medicaid. That means, for the first time in the program’s history, states can require people to work a certain number of hours to be eligible for the government health program for low-income Americans. Oklahoma submitted its plan — and the state already has some of the strictest Medicaid rules in the nation.
Oklahoma has a shortage of drug treatment programs. People struggling with addiction who can’t afford or access private treatment have limited options — and many turn to unlicensed recovery programs that put them to work for local employers. A new joint investigation by StateImpact and The Frontier found problems at some of these programs — including reports of confiscated disability checks and federal scrutiny for labor practices. This story was co-reported by StateImpact Oklahoma and The Frontier with help from Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting as part of a network of local journalists working to investigate work-based rehab programs across the country. For more information, visit http://stateimpact.npr.org/oklahoma (stateimpact.npr.org/oklahoma) and http://readfrontier.com/ (readfrontier.com)
State funding covers less than half the cost of criminal prosecutions in courts across Oklahoma, state budget data show. District attorneys say this has turned local prosecutors into bill collectors, a strain prosecutors say affects attorney workloads and could lead to mistakes in the courtroom.
Nursing home staff are expected to bathe, dress and completely take care of elderly residents. But dental care is slipping through the cracks.
Officials estimate about half of Oklahoma’s rural and mid-sized hospitals are at risk of closing. As more traditionally Republican-led states with vast rural areas consider Medicaid expansion, supporters in Oklahoma say it’s the best solution make sure rural hospitals survive.
Most defendants who are screened are released into court-ordered supervision and possibly treatment, according to agency officials who said courts that use the screening see fewer prison sentences for nonviolent felonies. They said some counties that have the program reduced the number of days people spend in jail. In Pontotoc County, the screenings are also credited with reducing the amount of time defendants have to wait to get into drug court.
The federal government is once again considering whether to use the Endangered Species Act to protect the Lesser Prairie Chicken, a finicky bird struggling to thrive in increasingly fragile western grasslands. Some landowners and environmentalists say Oklahoma and other states' conservation efforts are off track.
Pawnee County is one of the only counties in Oklahoma without a drug court. Past attempts to set up a drug court in Pawnee County were stalled after a feud between a judge and a district attorney whose recent Republican primary loss may give local officials an opening to create their first drug court.
This November, Oklahomans will decide if big box stores, like Walmart and Target can offer eye exams. But some optometrists say corporate involvement will lead to conveyor-belt eye exams.
This year, Oklahoma became the nation’s top incarcerator — a title that formerly belonged to Louisiana. But officials in the Bayou State said it http://gov.louisiana.gov/assets/docs/JRI/LA_JRI_Annual_Report_FINAL.PDF ( reduced its prison population by 7.6 percent) in less than a year by passing a sweeping package of reforms.
Oklahoma is one of the few states that have no specific diagnosis listed in medical marijuana regulations, leaving it up to doctors to suss out who are serious medical patients and who are thinly disguised recreational consumers.
https://www.sos.ok.gov/documents/questions/794.pdf (State Question 794), which would give crime victims new rights under the state constitution, goes before voters on Nov. 6. Oklahoma already has a bill of rights for crime victims that includes many of the provisions the ballot initiative provides, but advocates like Vierling say the changes will help future crime victims navigate a confusing criminal justice system.
Seven people have walked away from minimum security prisons in 2018, and four of those escapes happened at Jess Dunn. In 2017, the prison had zero escapes.
Doctors in Oklahoma are barred from recommending medical marijuana to women of “childbearing years” without first conducting a pregnancy test.
The 100th Meridian passes through Oklahoma and splits the continent in two. An explorer and geologist in the late-1800s suggested this map line marked the start of the arid American West. Scientists now say he was right — and that climate change is moving it, which could have profound effects on farmers and ranchers.
Mothers struggling with addiction often have a hard time making connections with their children. This can be especially challenging for moms facing criminal charges and the prospect of jail or prison time. Experts say rebuilding these relationships can help mothers overcome their addictions — and even steer their children off the path to prison.
Many educators in Oklahoma say the teacher walkout awakened them to the importance of staying informed, and voting. Now, these teachers, principals and school officials are not only working to educate themselves, but are also organizing into groups with the goal of enacting widespread political change.
Air ambulances take patients to the nearest hospital, which often means crossing state lines. But a legal quirk means paying for a life-saving flight can lead to financial ruin.
Oklahoma police and medical marijuana supporters are arguing over State Question 788 — a question on Tuesday’s primary election ballot that could legalize medical marijuana. Advocates say marijuana can be powerful medicine. Police are worried legalization will threaten public safety.
This past legislative session lawmakers passed a $430 million tax package in order to fund teacher pay raises. Now a group called Oklahoma Taxpayers Unite is working to overturn the tax increases. This has created a lot of uncertainty for school leaders who now wonder if they'll be able to afford the teacher raises they fought so hard for.
Gov. Mary Fallin on May 15 vetoed legislation that local sheriffs hoped would mean more money they say is owed to county jails. The veto is the latest volley in a long dispute over the local cost of the state’s corrections system that dates back to at least 2001.
Babies who start out life with a long hospital stay are especially vulnerable to secondhand smoke. A new program at one children’s hospital in Oklahoma focuses on changing attitudes, not placing blame when they ask parents a simple question: ‘Do you smoke?’
For some Oklahoma educators, the fight for more school funding didn’t stop when the teacher walkout ended. Many of them are now running for office in what’s shaping up to be a very busy election year. A record-breaking 794 people filed for various state offices — including at least 80 teachers that are promising to make school funding a priority.
Unlike some surrounding states, Oklahoma’s inmates can decide whether or not they want to be considered for parole. Roughly two out of three parole-eligible inmates choose not to go to their parole hearings, effectively disqualifying them for early release. State officials say this contributes to prison overcrowding and hurts inmates’ chances to avoid new convictions after they are released.
An Oklahoma science teacher gave his high school students a challenge: Think outside the box and question common knowledge. One student did just that — and made a scientific discovery that changes some of chemistry’s most basic principles.
In June, Oklahomans will vote on medical marijuana, and many people are asking - how has this worked in other states? StateImpact reporters discuss some of the big questions people have about medical cannabis legalization, and what effects it’s had in other states.
The state’s market for engineering and technology jobs is growing, but Oklahoma students lag behind national averages on science and math test scores. Researchers say one way to fix this gap is training science educators to do more than teach the facts — and to think beyond the textbook.
Oklahoma wants to go where no state has gone before: Executing death row inmates with nitrogen gas. Officials say nitrogen will bring quick, painless deaths, but the research is slim — and it has never been used in U.S. executions.
It’s hard to get basic health care like shots and x-rays in rural Oklahoma. The federal government considers all but one of the state’s 77 counties to have a primary care shortage. The problem is driving a legislative effort to allow highly educated nurses to fill that gap — but doctors and nurse practitioners are butting heads on who is qualified to help.
The Oklahoma teacher walkout and educators’ demands for more school funding dominates the news. It's unclear if lawmakers are willing to meet those demands and quell daily protests. One lingering question: If schools get more money, what happens to other state agencies and workers who need funding, too?
After months of gridlock and failed deal-making, the Oklahoma House and Senate have passed a nearly $450 million tax package designed to fund raises for teachers and avoid statewide school closures. Gov. Mary Fallin said she’ll sign the tax package, which fell short of teachers’ demands. Educators still plan to march at the Capitol April 2 to pressure lawmakers to spend more on schools and public employees and continue a debate that has highlighted growing gaps and frustrations over taxes and government.
Oklahoma church members are flocking to training classes led by state security experts and considering carrying guns. At the same time, state lawmakers are considering legislation to extend legal protections to churchgoers who use lethal force.
New research suggests people with intellectual disabilities are being turned down for organ transplants because of their disability. A growing effort to take human bias out of the decision highlights a little-known area of medicine.
Many Oklahoma educators are fed up with state lawmakers who have promised teacher pay raises for years but have failed to actually deliver. At their wits end, these teachers are now planning to walk out of their classrooms to push legislators to act.
For more than a decade, Oklahoma embraced the wind industry with both arms and a suite of incentives and tax breaks. The state is now the country’s No. 2 wind producer but an oil crash and budget crisis has pushed lawmakers to pull back the economic welcome mat.