Several dozen House Republicans joined Democrats on Tuesday to reject a measure seeking sweeping changes to Oklahoma’s judicial nomination system.  By a vote of 36-60, representatives rejected Senate Joint Resolution 34, which proposed allowing the governor to nominate judicial officers and send names to the Legislature for final confirmation. Because the resolution sought to change the state constitution, it would have required final approval from voters via a state question.  Voters established the Judicial Nominating Commission by state question in 1967, in the aftermath of a bri ..read more

Oklahoma Watch · Family Member’s Eviction Attempt Ends In Flames Heather Warlick recently covered a tragic eviction case in Oklahoma City that made nationwide news. Paul Monies on developments involving the Oklahoma attorney general suit regarding Winter Storm Uri. Keaton Ross on why most state legislative races won’t appear on November’s general election ballot. The post Long Story Short: Family Member’s Eviction Attempt Ends In FlamesLong Story Short: appeared first on Oklahoma Watch ..read more

Oklahoma House Bill 3217, which passed committee, would specifically prohibit government agencies from displaying flags representing LGBTQ identities on state-owned property, including public schools. However, the proposed law does not prohibit display of pride flags by private individuals or businesses in public or private spaces. Oklahoma HB 3217, known as the “Patriotism Not Pride Act”, would also ban government agencies from utilizing state or privately donated funds to promote Pride Month. HB 3217 was not heard by the House before the deadline to hear bills in their chamber of origin ..read more

Shay Swindall lives in a tent, under a busy Oklahoma City overpass, in a sprawling homeless encampment. When she needed a new albuterol inhaler recently, she tried to ration the last few puffs she had left. Her health had been fairly good before last winter, though, even at age 64, health care was not something she prioritized. There were times she was taken to emergency rooms for problems that could have been managed at health clinics, she said. But finding a ride to providers can be a real challenge.  Last winter, she became desperately sick with double pneumonia and a supervirus. She ..read more

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond filed a pair of lawsuits Wednesday against natural gas pipeline firms, alleging the companies helped bid up the price of natural gas to the highest levels in history during a winter storm in February 2021.  Gentner Drummond Drummond filed the lawsuits in Osage County on behalf of the Grand River Dam Authority. The lawsuits, prepared with the help of Oklahoma City law firm Foshee & Yaffe, allege Enable subsidiaries and Symmetry Energy Solutions LLC separately manipulated their parts of the natural gas pipeline systems in the state to boost p ..read more

Oklahoma Watch · State Supreme Court Hears St. Isidore Arguments Jennifer Palmer reports on the oral arguments in front of the Oklahoma Supreme Court that will shape the next step for what could be the nation’s first religious public school. Keaton Ross talks about a gubernatorial task force’s report on dark money campaign contributions and Paul Monies discusses the Legislature’s budgetary impasse. Ted Streuli hosts. The post Long Story Short: State Supreme Court Hears St. Isidore Arguments appeared first on Oklahoma Watch ..read more

For the third consecutive general election cycle, most Oklahoma voters won’t elect their state lawmakers in November.  Fifty of the 127 State and House seats up for re-election were decided at 5 p.m. Friday, April 5,  when just one candidate filed for office. Thirty-five races will be settled in the June 18 primary or Aug. 27 runoff election. The Oklahoma Democratic Party has opened its 2024 primaries to independents while the Republican and Libertarian parties will hold closed contests. Former Rep. Avery Frix, who vacated his House seat in 2022 to run for Congress, won the Senate ..read more

According to the latest 2022 violent crime data reported to the FBI, Oklahoma was ranked 16th in highest violent crime rates among the 50 states and DC. Oklahoma’s rank has risen since the FBI began collecting data in 1979. Analysis of 2022 data found that Oklahoma experienced 420 violent crime incidents per 100,000 Oklahomans. The highest rate was found in DC, with 812 per 100,000; the overall U.S. average was 380 per 100,000. Violent crime is defined by the FBI as including aggravated assault, robbery, intentional or accidental homicide, and rape. This fact brief is responsive to conversa ..read more

A family member evicted an elderly Oklahoma City couple from their home, and instead of leaving peacefully, the geriatric man living there set himself and the home on fire.  He and the family dog died in the blaze. His wife was pulled to safety by sheriff’s deputies.  On April 1, two Oklahoma City deputies arrived at the home of Mary Goulding, 77, and Anthony Goulding, 82, at 10602 Flamingo Ave., to forcibly remove the couple. The Gouldings had been married for 25 years. A bodycam video from one of the deputies shows the deputy approaching a bedroom and shouting to Anthony Goulding ..read more

In anticipation of a significant influx of tourists for the 2024 eclipse, Oklahoma’s National Guard will be deployed to assist communities in McCurtain County. Parts of southeast Oklahoma lie in the solar eclipse’s rare path of totality, where tourists will flock to watch the moon completely block the sun. National Guard troops are trained in a range of specialized duties such as search and rescue, industrial fires, and maintaining communications during high-traffic occasions. Support was requested by towns of fewer than 10,000 residents to handle a predicted 100,000 visitor load. The Natio ..read more