Today, Gov. Kevin Stitt issued a Safer at Home order saying all vulnerable Oklahomans should avoid leaving home except to get essentials like groceries and medicine through April 30. Stitt’s order closes nonessential businesses (businesses involving close contact, such as hair salons, spas, gyms and tattoo parlors) in 19 counties by 11:59 Wednesday for 21 […]
Oklahoma County
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Alcoholmanac Sunday spirits
Oklahoma’s liquor laws have come a long way in a matter of years. In October 2018, State Question 792 changed the game for Oklahoma breweries and liquor stores. The alcohol law reform went into effect that month and allowed breweries to sell their full-strength beers in grocery and convenience stores. It also allowed accompanied guests […]
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Chicken-Fried News: Book learnin’
Hey, you. Yeah, you. Thank you for reading. Not just Chicken-Fried News or even Oklahoma Gazette, but just, you know, reading, like, in general. Despite ample opportunities to fill your head with misinformation and garbage in the internet age, reading continues to be an excellent gateway drug to actually knowing stuff, and despite what the […]
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Jail resolutions
A coalition working for human rights started the year off demanding better conditions for those in the Oklahoma County jail. Various organizations came together to host a noise demonstration across the street from the jail on New Year’s Day. Dream Action Oklahoma, Oklahoma Call for Reproductive Justice, Women’s March Oklahoma, Oklahoma City Democratic Socialists, Black […]
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Sunday liquor
Oklahoma County will decide whether or not to approve Sunday liquor store sales early next year. The Board of County Commissioners voted 2-1 to let residents decide at a special election March 3, which will coincide with the state’s presidential primary. Tulsa County commissioners decided in November to let residents vote on the issue. After […]
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Running the jail
(This story was updated Dec. 11 to include new information on the sheriff’s deadline and budget requests.) A jail administrator has been selected to run the Oklahoma County jail. Greg Williams, who has worked at Department of Corrections for nearly four decades, was selected unanimously by the jail trust in early November. However, he has […]
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Trust discussions
Immigration advocates continue pushing for conversations on the roles law enforcement and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) serve locally. Several community members attended the two most recent Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority (jail trust) meetings to request trustees kick ICE out of the county jail. Since 2015, two ICE agents have been stationed at the […]
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Public trust
County commissioners unanimously voted last week to create Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Authority, a trust to oversee the Oklahoma County jail’s operations and finances. They also appointed trustees, including District 3 commissioner Kevin Calvey. While there are still many questions about how the jail trust will work, whether the sheriff’s office will continue operating the […]
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Hate history
Oklahoma residents woke up to find racist, neo-Nazi, white nationalist graffiti twice in the last month. Additionally, posters and stickers of a “white identity” organization have been found — and removed — from various parts of the state, particularly at universities and high-traffic locations. But extreme far-right ideologies are nothing new, and they are actually […]
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Child care
April has been Child Abuse Prevention Month since the ’80s, but state and city leaders are making it a point to support the designation. Mayor David Holt and Gov. Kevin Stitt each issued proclamations about child abuse prevention recently. “Because of all the attention that’s been given to this, not just nationwide but statewide, more […]