OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Two former employees at the State Department of Education filed separate federal lawsuits Tuesday against Republican State Superintendent Ryan Walters and his top aide, alleging they were wrongfully fired last week.
Supreme Court blocks Richard Glossip’s execution in Oklahoma
May 5, 2023 GMTThe Supreme Court has blocked Oklahoma from executing death row inmate Richard Glossip after the state’s attorney general agreed Glossip’s life should be spared.
Oklahoma county worried about fallout from racist recording
April 22, 2023 GMTIDABEL, Okla. (AP) — So many residents of northern Texas cross the border into McCurtain County in far southeast Oklahoma each week that the area has earned the nickname of the “Dallas-Fort Worth Hamptons.”
GOP states targeting diversity, equity efforts in higher ed
April 17, 2023 GMTFrustrated by college diversity initiatives he says are “fomenting radical and toxic divisions,” Texas state Rep. Carl Tepper set out to put an end to diversity, equity and inclusion offices in higher education.
Oklahoma AG to drop charges against GOP Rep. and his wife
April 6, 2023 GMTOKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Criminal charges against a Republican state lawmaker in Oklahoma that accused him of abusing his power by changing state law so his wife could become a tag agent are being dropped, Attorney General Gentner Drummond said on Thursday.
Judge extends agreement date for Oklahoma poultry lawsuit
March 18, 2023 GMTA federal judge is giving Oklahoma and nearly a dozen poultry companies, including the world’s largest poultry producer, Tyson Foods, an additional 90 days to reach an agreement on plans to clean a watershed polluted by chicken litter.
Arkansas lawmakers send Gov. Sanders school bathroom bill
March 15, 2023 GMTLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Transgender people at Arkansas public schools would not be able to use restrooms that correspond with their gender identity under a bill lawmakers sent to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Wednesday.
Nonbinary Oklahoma lawmaker censured after protest arrest
March 8, 2023 GMTOKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma Republicans formally censured their nonbinary Democratic colleague Tuesday after state troopers said the lawmaker blocked them from questioning a transgender rights activist accused of assaulting a police officer during a protest over anti-trans legislation.
Oklahoma: What to expect as voters consider legal weed
March 4, 2023 GMTVoters in Oklahoma will decide Tuesday whether it should be legal to possess and grow recreational marijuana in the state, having already signed off on a now-popular medical marijuana program in 2018 by a wide margin.
Pot vote has Oklahoma hungry to rake in green from Texas
March 4, 2023 GMTOKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Tens of thousands of Texans from the bustling Dallas-Fort Worth area routinely drive across the Red River to gamble in glitzy, Las Vegas-style tribal casinos or to relax at cabins or swim and ski in lakes that dot southern Oklahoma.
Flush with cash, Oklahoma governor pushes for more tax cuts
February 6, 2023 GMTOKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — With state savings accounts and revenue collections at all-time highs, tax cuts will be a top priority for Gov. Kevin Stitt and the Republican-controlled Legislature for the 2023 session that began on Monday.
Spiritual advisers offering final comfort in execution rooms
February 6, 2023 GMTST. LOUIS (AP) — For decades, Missouri executions played out in similar fashion: An inmate was strapped to a gurney in a drab room, alone except for the eyes of witnesses staring through thick, soundproof glass as unidentified executioners administered the lethal chemical from behind a cinderblock wall.
Judge: Banning guns for marijuana users unconstitutional
February 5, 2023 GMTOKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A federal judge in Oklahoma has ruled that a federal law prohibiting people who use marijuana from owning firearms is unconstitutional, the latest challenge to firearms regulations after the U.S.
Oklahoma AG apologizes for cabinet secretary’s indictment
February 2, 2023 GMTOKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma’s new attorney general has apologized to one of Gov. Kevin Stitt’s former cabinet secretaries for his criminal indictment in 2020 by a previous attorney general, saying he believes the secretary “committed no wrongdoing.”
Arkansas House passes school bathroom bill, heads to Senate
February 1, 2023 GMTLITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The Arkansas House on Wednesday approved legislation preventing transgender people at public schools from using bathrooms that match their gender identity, while a legislative panel endorsed a measure restricting drag performances in the state.
Oklahoma State hires Bryan Nardo as defensive coordinator
January 24, 2023 GMTSTILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma State announced Tuesday it has hired Bryan Nardo as defensive coordinator.
Nardo was defensive coordinator at Division II Gannon University this past season. In his only season at the school in Erie, Pennsylvania, Gannon saw its total defense improve from 393.3 yards allowed per game in 2021 to 287.4 — the school's lowest total surrendered in 20 seasons.
New Oklahoma AG takes over probe of agency’s barbecue deal
January 23, 2023 GMTOKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The office of Oklahoma's new attorney general confirmed Monday that it will take over two separate criminal investigations into alleged misuse of public funds at state agencies, including the tourism department's contract with a barbecue restaurant.
Tyson, others, lose Oklahoma lawsuit over poultry pollution
January 19, 2023 GMTThe world's largest poultry producer, Tyson Foods, is among nearly a dozen poultry companies that have less than two months to reach agreement with the state of Oklahoma on how to clean a watershed polluted by chicken litter.
States target transgender health care in first bills of 2023
January 7, 2023 GMTAfter a midterm election and record flow of anti-transgender legislation last year, Republican state lawmakers this year are zeroing in on questions of bodily autonomy with new proposals to limit gender-affirming health care and abortion access.
Oklahoma AG announces 4 new opioid settlements worth $226M
January 4, 2023 GMTOKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma entered settlement agreements with three major pharmacy chains and an opioid manufacturer totaling more than $226 million, Attorney General John O'Connor announced Wednesday.
Judge allows Mississippi execution amid inmates’ lawsuit
December 8, 2022 GMTJACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that he will not block Mississippi from carrying out with next week’s scheduled execution of an inmate who is suing the state over its use of three drugs for lethal injections.