Oklahoma State University’s president has put the state’s largest community college system on notice that he has a vision for a merger that would create a simpler path to a bachelor’s degree in Tulsa.
Tag: Oklahoma Watch
Posted inGovernment
Outside groups have spent $5.5 million on Oklahoma’s midterm races. Almost half has no traceable donor.
Outside groups have poured more than $5.5 million into Oklahoma midterm races as state regulators consider stricter disclosure requirements.
Posted inGovernment
Sand Springs explosion brings inspection quality into question
Oklahoma state fire marshals, low on staff, spread thin and juggling compliance in every industry, aren’t required to return to marijuana processing facilities after they issue a certificate of occupancy.
Posted inSchools & Families
An Oklahoma scholarship program has oversight gaps; Now it’s the model for a federal program
A new federal tax credit program opens scholarship funding to public schools for the first time, but public districts face an uphill battle against private school organizations with years of head start and an existing state infrastructure with oversight gaps. Oklahoma is one of 30 states that have opted in.
Posted inYour Money
Here’s why Oklahoma electric bills are going up and it’s not just data centers
Oklahomans are reporting sticker shock at the mailbox when opening their electric bills this summer. While artificial intelligence and the data centers needed to support them have become major subjects of public discourse, state lawmakers and regulators say they are only one part of a much larger explanation.
Posted inBusiness
Vesta Realty’s collapse has left tenants unsure who gets the rent — and scared of what comes next
Competing bankruptcy proceedings in two states, a court-ordered management transfer and a cast of characters including a former arms dealer have created what one attorney called the most complicated landlord-tenant situation she has ever seen.
Posted inNews
Marijuana testing hampered by lack of consistency, lab shopping
Oklahoma’s medical marijuana testing system faces questions about inconsistent laboratory results, lab shopping for favorable potency numbers and whether the state’s pesticide screening panel tests for enough compounds to protect patients. A state quality assurance laboratory authorized in 2023 is still not fully accredited three years later.
Posted inBusiness
‘Where you want to put your data center is not a trade secret.’ Oklahoma’s NDA debate, explained.
For decades, state agencies and municipalities have quietly signed NDAs while competing to attract new employers. But as data center proposals have spread across the state, those contracts have become the subject of legislative proposals, citizen protests and growing questions about where business confidentiality ends and the public’s right to know begins.
Posted inNews
When landlords don’t pay the bills, it’s the tenants who struggle
When Cassandra Rhodes arrived home to her Drexel Flats apartment, a notice from Oklahoma City greeted her, stating her water would soon be shut off.
Posted inNews
Candidates running for office can use campaign funds to cover childcare, but few do
The Oklahoma Ethics Commission in 2024 approved allowing candidates and officeholders to use campaign funds to cover the cost of dependent care.
Posted inNews
Left behind: Oklahomans deported by ICE leave behind families of citizens and lasting trauma
Families share stories of life after their loved ones were deported amid a surge of ICE arrests across the country.
Posted inGovernment
Oklahoma media outlets partner to challenge how Tulsa charges for public records
The City of Tulsa charges between $50 to $85 an hour for public records that require more than a single hour of labor. Media outlets are challenging that rule.