News

Gov. Stitt opposes revised definition of Waters of the United States

February 9, 2023

Governor Kevin Stitt joined 24 governors in sending a letter to President Biden expressing opposition to a rule regarding the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the revised definition of “Waters of the United States” (WOTUS). The governors signed and sent the following letter. Dear President Biden, We write in opposition to your rule regarding the…

Blood donor honor his wife by donating during National Blood Donor Month

February 9, 2023

Tulsa, OK (February 2, 2023)— National Blood Donor Month ended with Tulsa local Dale Watts, 78, reaching the 10-gallons of blood donations milestone. Watts is no stranger to the Red Cross Blood Services, his late white Mary Watts had been a medical technician at St. Francis Hospital for 25 years and later served as an…

Critics claim $330 million increase ‘cuts’ school spending

February 2, 2023 Ray Carter

This week, new State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters unveiled a budget plan for Oklahoma schools that would increase state school spending by $330 million. Under Walters’ proposal, the state appropriation for schools would increase from $3.18 billion this year to $3.51 billion next year. Walters’ critics responded by claiming the $330 million increase…

Municipal Candidate Filings Begin Feb. 6

February 2, 2023

Candidates for municipal offices in the Cities of Bixby, Broken Arrow, Glenpool, Jenks, Skiatook and the Town of Sperry may file Declarations of Candidacy beginning at 8 a.m. Monday, February 6. Gwen Freeman, Secretary of the County Election Board, said the filing period ends at 5 p.m. Wednesday, February 8. Declarations of Candidacy will be…

Gas prices rise for 5th straight week to $2.94

February 2, 2023

Average gasoline prices in Tulsa have risen 14.0 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.12/g today, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 321 stations in Tulsa.. Prices in Tulsa are 30.7 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand 9.1 cents per gallon higher than a year ago. The national average price…

Bill to amend Parents’ Bill of Rights

February 2, 2023

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Cody Rogers, R-Tulsa, has filed Senate Bill 131, which amends the Parents’ Bill of Rights. SB 131 authorizes parents to file a civil action against a person or governmental entity for a violation of the Parents’ Bill of Rights. “Updating this measure furthers parents’ involvement in their child’s education and requires…

Bill to eliminate squatter’s rights

February 2, 2023

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. George Burns, R-Pollard, has filed Senate Bill 456, which would eliminate the ability to claim any portion of a landowner’s property by adverse possession or “squatting”. “While squatting has always been an issue, we saw a huge uptick in recent years as buildings were vacated during the pandemic,” Burns said. “This…

Trio of measures related to Oklahoma state parks

February 2, 2023

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. George Burns, R-Pollard, has filed three pieces of legislation related to state parks and their operations. Under Senate Bill 673, entrance fees could only be charged for travel trailers and recreational vehicles and could not exceed $8. Those fees would be used by the state parks where they are collected. “The…

Legislation to require mental health wellness training for first responders

February 2, 2023

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Julie Daniels has filed Senate Bill 379 to require eight hours of mental and behavioral health wellness training as part of peace officer certification. Daniels, R-Bartlesville, also proposes including such training as part of an officer’s annual continuing education requirement. “Municipal, county and state taxpayers invest significant resources in our first…

Bill to Prohibit Abuse of Non-Disclosure Agreements

February 2, 2023

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Tom Gann, R-Inola, this week filed a bill to prohibit the abuse of non-disclosure agreements, providing greater transparency in government. House Bill 1378 would require businesses of any kind seeking state or local incentives to fully disclose who they are and what they do and also would prevent government officials from…