Just weeks after a majority of Oklahoma voters approved State Question 788, a bizarre bit of news broke. Julie Ezell, a lawyer for Oklahoma State Department of Health, had been charged with sending herself threats. On July 17, 2018, Ezell was charged in Oklahoma County District Court with counts of using a computer to violate […]
Mike Hunter
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PRESS RELEASE Attorney General Hunter clarifies governor’s executive order regarding law enforcement action for non-compliance
Attorney General Mike Hunter today released the following information regarding law enforcement action relating to individuals or business owners that do not comply with the governor’s March 24 executive order. “The guidelines in the governor’s executive order call for Oklahomans to act in the best interest of their fellow citizens,” Attorney General Hunter said. “What […]
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Cover: Governor’s fight
Seven months ago, Gov. Kevin Stitt announced his plans to negotiate a new tribal gaming compact through an op-ed in Tulsa World. Since then, despite being a widely unpopular move even with his Republican allies, Stitt has continued fighting for an increase in the fees that the tribes pay to operate their casinos. But tribal […]
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Cover: 2019 review
To the ballot Oklahomans have filed four statewide initiative petitions and one referendum in 2019. The referendum, filed in August, was to let voters decide whether or not they wanted “permitless carry,” the first bill signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt to go into effect. The referendum did not gain enough signatures. Ultimately, the law, which […]
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Chicken-Fried News: Gambling problem
Last year, the tribal nations operating Oklahoma’s more than 100 casinos paid $139 million to the state in “exclusivity fees,” according to Associated Press, but Gov. Kevin “Never Count Your Money When You’re Sitting at the Table” Stitt wants to raise the stakes. The fees — currently 4-10 percent of the casinos’ net revenue paid […]
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Chicken-Fried News: Church in state
Fresh off his, uh, “win” in the historic opioid trial, Oklahoma attorney general Mike Hunter is now leading a fight against the Montana Supreme Court. Along with a coalition of state attorney generals and governors from 18 other states, Hunter wants U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a Montana Supreme Court decision that required the state […]
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Abortion ruling
An Oklahoma judge made history by upholding a law banning a second-trimester abortion procedure. District judge Cindy Truong’s ruling affects a 2015 bill that bans dilation and evacuation (D&E) abortions in the second trimester. Reproductive rights activists are calling the decision “rogue” because other states — including Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky and Texas — passed similar […]
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Cover: Planting prosperity
Medicinal cannabis has been legal in Oklahoma for just over half a year, and this train has no brakes. Based on computations stemming from the amount of gross state tax collections of 7 percent, the industry has raked in over $18.1 million in April alone. That means a total of more than $43 million since […]
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Chicken-Fried News: Poor execution
Oklahoma is still struggling with killing its people — quickly and intentionally, at least. If you recall the last two executions in Oklahoma, which were definitely cruel and highly unusual, you might remember that the lethal injections did not go according to plan. Clayton Lockett and Charles Warner were supposed to go numb and become […]
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Commentary: Getting clean
Purdue Pharmaceuticals, the company currently paying dues for the severity and scale of the current nationwide opioid epidemic, recently settled a lawsuit with the state of Oklahoma. The terms of the settlement include Purdue’s payment of $270 million to be used for research on addiction, particularly concerning opioids. This case is the first of its […]