The Republican nomination for Oklahoma state superintendent will go to one of two longtime educators — either an experienced school administrator who decries political partisanship or a high school teacher and Christian minister who says his insight from the classroom could benefit schools statewide. Robert Franklin and James Taylor advanced to the Aug. 25 runoff election as […]
News
Posted inNews
City seeks public input on Downtown OKC Strategic Plan
Oklahoma City officials are asking residents, business owners and visitors to help shape the future of downtown by participating in a public survey for the Downtown Oklahoma City Strategic Plan. The long-range planning effort will guide future decisions involving Downtown and Bricktown, including land use, transportation, housing, public spaces, infrastructure and private development. City planners […]
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Inola Smelter Questions Surface Ahead of Tonight’s GOP Governor Debate
Oklahoma First (@OKFirst2026) raised questions about the timeline surrounding Mike Mazzei’s position on the proposed Inola smelter project. According to the post: On April 9, Mike Mazzei attended the Freedom Caucus debate, where he expressed opposition to the Inola smelter. This was after Wallace Design, where Mazzei’s brother Dan Mazzei is a principal, was reportedly […]
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Phil Bacharach: Why I’m Voting for Gentner Drummond for Governor
I try to keep away from politics on social media, since I think these algorithms keep us all in our own echo chambers, anyway—and, well, it’s so freaking polarizing these days. But the stakes in Oklahoma’s gubernatorial election are too high not to weigh in on the Republican runoff, on the offhand chance my opinion […]
Posted inChicken-Fried News
Shades of dismay
Shades of dismay OKC United, our (sort of) new USL team, unveiled the name and colors in July, and while those colors were chosen for their resonance with the Oklahoma sky and weather, thus pink, blue and white, predictably, the self-described alpha male community was not pleased. While the gender reveal jokes are admittedly funny, […]
Posted inNon Profit
Relationships First
When RestoreOKC leaders arrived at Harvard University in mid-July for the Success Planning Community of Practice, they joined educators, researchers and practitioners from across the country—all exploring the same question: How can communities better support children and families? The initiative, led by the Institute for Success Planning at the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s EdRedesign […]
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Candidates Talk Tax Policy
With the August primary runoffs on the horizon, one high-priority issue for Oklahoma voters is tax relief. Here is a summary of the plans leading Republican candidates for governor have, if they win. Both Gentner Drummond and Mike Mazzei say they want to lower taxes. The pair support eliminating state income taxes in phases and […]
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“It’s Defunding Schools”
Oklahoma voters will decide Aug. 25 whether to allow the state to opt out of paying for one of its longest-running economic development programs — and school leaders in some of the state’s fastest-growing local economies say the change could end up reducing funding for schools statewide. State Question 844 would amend the Oklahoma Constitution […]
Posted inOp-Ed
Mazzei Math
My first real encounter with Mike Mazzei was when a friend sent me a white paper he had authored in late 2022 about economic incentives being offered in the Filmed in Oklahoma Rebate Program and how they ultimately benefited the Oklahoma economy. It was flawed and misleading, claiming the state’s $30 million annual rebate to […]
Posted inSports
2026 Thunder Offseason: The Tough Choices Begin
MVP-level player? Check. Good defense? Check. Strong offense? Check. This is a complete team that can contend at the highest level, including for a championship. But coming off a Western Conference Finals loss to the Spurs and facing a rising payroll, 2026 is the first offseason of tough choices for this iteration of the Thunder. […]