Chad Smith, John Smith, Wayne Wells, Lee Roy Smith & Danny Hodge Credit: Mark Hancock While the U.S. has been at political odds with a number of these countries, wrestling has brought together representatives from across the world for a common goal: reinstating the sport as an Olympic event for the 2020 Summer Games.Two-time Olympic […]
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Exhausted exams
Repeated server outages from online testing vendor CTB/McGraw-Hill resulted in disruptions of exams administered April 29-30. High school students had been taking high-stakes, taking end-of-instruction (EOI) exams required to earn a high school diploma. Tests taken by the middle schoolers are factored into the state Department of Education’s A-F grading of schools. In the wake […]
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Making schools safe
For many years, I’ve been concerned about this issue. I was privileged to work with 22 other Oklahomans appointed to the OCSS to analyze our current school security climate. The panel consisted of professionals from diverse fields such as local education, homeland security, mental health, local law enforcement, parents and operational planning. When tragedies strike, […]
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Whole lotta crazy going on
How about this simple analogy: Republicans, with super majorities in the House and Senate, are like children who suddenly find themselves in a free candy store. They’re gorging. “Will it eventually make them sick?” ask hopeful progressives. Democrats call it a whole lot of crazy going on. “Excuse us,” argue Republicans. “Aren’t we simply fulfilling […]
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Is that a chart in your pocket?
Credit: Brad Gregg On Jan. 30, The Hill reported that Coburn had to get unanimous consent from the Senate to bring in some oversized charts. While it is customary for U.S. senators to use charts during presentations on the Senate floor, Senate rules prohibit sizes in excess of 36 inches by 48 inches. Any larger […]
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Rice returns
Andrew Rice Credit: Mark Hancock Rice resigned from his legislative seat when his wife, Apple, a physician, accepted a position in Nashville. The family headed east. Now the Rice family is back in Oklahoma City. “The job opportunity for my wife that took us there was not an ideal situation for her or for us, […]
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Clear and ‘present’ changer
That’s the impression you’d have after Coburn told The Oklahoman it was “stupid” for Senate Republicans to block a vote to confirm federal Magistrate Robert Bacharach to the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. But then Coburn and Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, both of whom have strongly endorsed Bacharach, stepped aside and left the judicial […]
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Shining light on the legislative process
With the legislative session over, it’s a good time to think about ways to make the next one better. Specifically, I’m concerned with making the legislative process more transparent. Much has improved over the five years since I’ve been covering the state Capitol, but much more can — and should — be done. For starters, […]
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Larry, Moe and Curly
They have finally proven that Republicans in this state are even dumber and more useless than the Democrats. According to The Oklahoman, 40 percent of taxpayers making under $25,000 a year would have seen their taxes go up under the Fallin scheme (typical class-warfare by the GOP) but the real “WTF?” head-shaker was that many […]
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Qualifications be damned
Brad Gregg Back in September, Gov. Mary Fallin appointed five members to the state Election Board. State law requires the governor appoint two members and one alternate from one political party, with the third member and second alternate from the other party. Fallin’s appointees must be confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate before the legislative session […]