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 […]
Chicken-Fried News
Chicken-Fried News
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Senate punts
After state schools Superintendent Ryan Walters slipped in new social studies standards that raise doubts about the 2020 presidential election, some lawmakers said it was a move too far. Even the governor criticized Waters for trying to teach kids that Trump beat Biden. But despite that criticism, the state Senate declined to take up a […]
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Church school?
Sometime next month, the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decide whether the Catholic church should be allowed to open its own public charter school in Oklahoma and receive state tax dollars to do so. For many, the idea of a religious public school seems to be a clear violation of the separation of church […]
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Lunch insecurity
For the second year in a row, Oklahoma will not participate in a federal summer food program. Gov. Kevin Stitt has proclaimed that Oklahoma doesn’t have a childhood hunger issue. At least that should be the takeaway after he again declined to participate in the federal summer food program meant to feed kids who rely […]
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Real ID
In a state where lawmakers have long argued more background checks are needed for voter registrations, many of the same lawmakers resisted efforts more than a decade ago to strengthen the security of IDs, such as driver’s licenses. After the federal government introduced the REAL ID program following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Oklahoma Legislature […]
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School board elections
If there’s one thing education doesn’t need more of, it’s partisan politics. But in an era when Oklahoma’s top education official is pushing school-sanctioned religion and fealty to President Trump, state lawmakers want to see local school board elections injected with that same kind of right-wing pandering. Senate Bill 6, which was advanced last month […]
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Shopping carts
Oklahoma’s House of Representatives recently advanced a bill that would increase the penalty for stealing a shopping cart. A person could end up in jail for a year and pay a $1,000 fine if House Bill 1689 were to become law. Oklahoma has a special connection to the shopping cart. It was invented here in […]
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Power from the people
There’s nothing that scares Republican lawmakers more than giving more power to the people. Oklahoma is a politically conservative state, but when given the chance, voters have supported some fairly progressive issues in statewide votes, including Medicaid expansion and medical marijuana. That’s why the initiative petition process that puts issues on a statewide ballot has […]
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Cockfighting returns?
Oklahoma voters banned the sport of cockfighting more than 20 years ago, but efforts to legalize or lessen penalties have resurfaced in recent years. A political action committee largely made up of cockfighters began pumping thousands of dollars into lawmaker coffers a few years ago, which helped allow some bills to receive a hearing and […]
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Fra-gee-lay
For the last two years, the town of Chickasha has attracted visitors to see its 40-foot replica of the Leg Lamp from the movie A Christmas Story. But like the mom in the movie who was determined to bring the lamp down, Warner Bros., the studio behind the movie, has ordered that the lamp be […]