Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt was recently honored with the prestigious Howard Baker Award, recognizing his exceptional public service and dedication to civic engagement. Named after the late U.S. Senator and former White House Chief of Staff Howard Baker, the award celebrates leaders who embody his spirit of bipartisanship and community service. The ceremony, held […]
Chicken-Fried News
Chicken-Fried News
Sculpture booted
The city’s progressive wing gave the boot to a proposed sculpture. A planned sculpture titled “Kicks 66” by local artist Cameron Eagle was set to be placed along a stretch of Classen Boulevard in the middle of the city’s Asian District. The 35-foot-tall neon red boot was meant to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Route […]
Weeding out ‘woke’
Oklahoma can use all of the teachers it can get, but Superintendent Ryan Walters aims to increase pressure on individuals potentially coming from New York and California by introducing an “America First” test. Walters said it will weed out “woke” teachers, but in a state that gives out thousands of emergency certifications to seemingly anyone […]
Plug it
This summer, the Trump administration ruled that states no longer have to measure methane leaks before and after plugging up unused oil wells. But the absence of checking for a leak doesn’t mean there isn’t one. In fact, it’s a big problem in Oklahoma, which has more than 20,000 “abandoned wells.” Thankfully, the state is […]
Internet blocked
The Stitt administration is so dedicated to reducing federal government spending that it is returning $225 million that was given to the state to expand broadband internet access. However, officials who have been working on broadband expansion for years say it will simply mean that money earmarked for Oklahomans will be diverted to other states. […]
Walters’ woe
Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters and his former spokesman are appealing a federal judge’s order to pay $170,000 in legal fees to KFOR. Walters, who was sued for blocking journalists from public meetings, settled the case but refused to admit he did anything wrong. Walters has long been adversarial with the press and […]
Pollution politics
With Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond running for governor, his seat will become open next year, ensuring that Oklahoma will have its fifth attorney general in five years. That’s a lot of inconsistency for the state’s highest law enforcement officer, especially for a state in love with the death penalty, the failed war on drugs […]
Paycom exit
Oklahoma City is set to get a new arena, and it’s starting with a clean slate — literally. Paycom, one of the city’s corporate giants, has decided to end its naming rights when the new arena opens in 2028. One wouldn’t think finding a new naming sponsor would be hard, especially after the Thunder recently […]
Ethics breach
Shelley Zumwalt, the former director of the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission, has agreed to a settlement with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission after an audit found she approved agency contracts with a company where her husband was a vice president. The audit found she checked “no” on annual forms that asked about conflict of interest. As […]
Thunder move
The Oklahoma City Thunder just completed a historic season in a building that will soon become history itself. OKC voters approved a new arena to be opened by 2028, meaning Paycom Center, the only home the Thunder has known, has just three years left. No doubt, the new arena will include more bells and whistles […]
