CFN
Gazette staff
We’ll say this for Big Tobacco: Even a widely vilified industry that makes its profit from killing people knows how to wield power. That much was evident last week when the Senate General Government Committee killed a bill that would have let cities craft stronger antismoking ordinances than what’s allowed by state law.

Commentary
Mary Ellen Jones

In her State of the State address, Gov. Mary Fallin is to be commended for the inclusion of mental health when talking about health and for proposing increased funding for mental health programs. Mental illness is a medical condition of the brain, an organ of the body, and should be treated like any other organrelated malady.

Letters to the Editor
Terri L. Miller-Simms
Reluctantly, I listened to the majority of Gov. Mary Fallin’s opening State of the State address to both houses of the Oklahoma Legislature. It was not easy, but I tried very hard to hear something to “hang my hat on” — nada, zip.

Letters to the Editor
Jo Davis
Ohio’s Republican governor, John Kasich, recently surprised most political pundits by changing his mind about expanding Medicaid. “I, as all of you know, am not a supporter of Obamacare,” Kasich explained at a press conference. “But I think this makes great sense for the state of Ohio.”

News
Jerry Bohnen
Just as Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater vowed, he has filed misdemeanor charges against the five members of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole board, accusing them of violating Oklahoma’s Open Meeting Act.

News
Rachel Curtis
Hundreds of thousands of middle- and lower-income Oklahomans this tax season will claim credits that the state Legislature considered eliminating only last year. With 17 percent of Oklahoma City’s residents living below the poverty level of $15,510 for a family of two, losing the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Sales Tax Relief Credit and Child Tax Credit would impact a significant portion of the metro’s most vulnerable families.

CFN
Gazette staff
It's rock ’n’ roll chaos in Oklahoma. The state no longer has an official rock song.

News
Tim Farley
Once considered structural jewels, some of Oklahoma City’s most iconic buildings, including the state Capitol, are falling apart.

News
Rachael Cervenka
After a 100-year wait, Oklahoma City got a glimpse into the life of its ancestors by means of a time capsule containing an assortment of historical memorabilia.

News
Tim Farley
Gov. Mary Fallin and the Republican-controlled Legislature appear poised to cut taxes, implement a new workers’ compensation system and restore the deteriorating state Capitol building.