Chicken-Fried News

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

After a mere two decades, a federal judge has finally confirmed what many residents in Eastern Oklahoma already know: the Illinois River Watershed is still getting a generous, phosphorus-rich “spa treatment” from poultry litter. Federal Judge Gregory K. Frizzell ruled last month that despite the claims of major poultry producers like Tyson Foods, the vibrant […]

The use of virtual school during the pandemic brought an end to snow days, as schools quickly realized they could close their buildings during inclement weather while still counting it as a school day if students logged on to their laptops at home. That won’t be as much of an option moving forward. Beginning in […]

Tuition at the University of Oklahoma (OU) is going up. Hey, university president salaries don’t pay for themselves. The OU Board of Regents has voted to raise tuition for the fifth consecutive year. It’s practically a tradition now, like tailgating before a Sooners football game. Most undergrads and grad students will see a 3% increase.  […]

The Heartland Flyer, Oklahoma’s only passenger train service, is chugging toward its final stop, thanks to budget cuts in Texas. While the train, which connects Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, averages just a couple hundred passengers a day, ending the route will be a blow for a city that has been trying to increase rail […]

Congress is eyeing over $880 billion in Medicaid budget cuts as part of President Trump’s grand budget and tax plan. Apparently, making America great again includes making rural hospitals poor again. The loss of these funds could be devastating for some rural hospitals in Oklahoma, where roughly 1 million Oklahomans rely on Medicaid (SoonerCare). “For […]

State Supt. Ryan Walters has long championed more parental choice in Oklahoma schools. Well, he’s finally getting his wish! It turns out many parents are opting their children out of social studies lessons that would teach skepticism about the 2020 presidential election results. Walters, who slyly snuck “conspiracy theory 101” into the state’s curriculum, has […]

Democrats rarely manage to pass a bill these days, but Oklahoma City Democrat Sen. Julia Kirt nearly pulled off a miracle by securing bipartisan support for Senate Bill 128. This bill would’ve extended eviction wait times, giving renters a much-needed breather. Despite getting a thumbs-up from the Oklahoma Legislature, a feat in itself, Gov. Kevin […]