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Bill would give income tax credit for work-related licenses

Tulsa Beacon

Sen. Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, has filed legislation to give Oklahomans an income tax credit to offset the costs of work-related licenses required by the state. “We’ve been studying occupational licensing for years, and the one thing we’ve seen is growth in government where people are required to get a license, often unnecessarily, before they…

Tulsa’s winter weather preparation

Tulsa Beacon

City of Tulsa officials said they are prepared for winter weather conditions. The City of Tulsa is responsible for clearing snow and ice from the Gilcrease Expressway, L.L. Tisdale Expressway and all arterial (main) streets. Other highway segments in Tulsa are the responsibility of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Jerry Ball, Streets and Stormwater Department…

Stitt appoints Scott Crow to ODOC

Tulsa Beacon

Governor Kevin Stitt has appointed Scott Crow as the director for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (ODOC), a position that will require Senate confirmation in the 2020 legislative session. “While interim director, Scott Crow stepped forward as a visionary and strong leader for the Department of Corrections,” Stitt said. “Crow successfully led the agency to…

OSU drone program gets $1.49m

Tulsa Beacon

Oklahoma State University’s soaring drone program is taking off in yet another direction with multimillion-dollar support from the National Science Foundation. The NSF has awarded a $1.49 million grant, part of its National Robotics Initiative 2.0 program, to OSU researchers He Bai, Rushikesh Kamalapurkar, Jamey Jacob and Matt Vance and former faculty member Balaji Jayaraman….

McDaniel encourages college saving

Tulsa Beacon

With holiday shopping underway, State Treasurer Randy McDaniel is encouraging Oklahoma parents and grandparents to consider giving a gift that children won’t outgrow a contribution to an Oklahoma 529 College Savings Plan account. Consumers plan to spend 4 percent more on holiday gifts this season compared to previous years for an average of $1,047.83 per…

Stitt appoints Cawley to OU Board

Tulsa Beacon

Governor Kevin Stitt appointed Michael A. Cawley to The University of Oklahoma  Board of Regents, a position that requires Senate confirmation. “Mr. Cawley is a successful businessman, attorney and OU alumni, with a career dedicated to serving rural Oklahoma,” Stitt said. “Mr. Cawley served for 20 years as president of The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation,…

Democrats to let Independents vote

Tulsa Beacon

Every odd-numbered year, recognized political parties in Oklahoma are required to notify the State Election Board whether or not the party will allow registered Independents to vote in its primary elections. Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax has been notified by the Oklahoma Democrat Party that it will allow Independents to vote in its primaries in…

Gist wants to close four TPS schools

Tulsa Beacon

In January, the Tulsa Public School Board will likely vote on a recommendation by Superintendent Deborah Gist to close or merge three schools due to a $20,000,000.00 budget shortfall. Gist wants to close Jones, Wright and Grimes elementaries in 2020 and possibly merge Mark Twain Elementary into the Wayman Tisdale Fine Arts Academy. Another part…

More education money yet results remain stagnant

Tulsa Beacon

Despite a dramatic increase in school funding and the adoption of what state officials say are higher academic standards, Oklahoma students’ academic performance on state tests mostly remained stagnant in 2019 or lower than in 2017. That has some officials asking how long Oklahomans will have to wait to see promised results. “When do you…

State revenue dips for the 1st time in years

Tulsa Beacon

12-month revenue numbers are up For the first time in more than two and a half years, monthly revenue to the Treasury are less than collections from the same month of the prior year due to a number of key factors, State Treasurer Randy McDaniel announced. November total monthly collections were $989.7 million, down by…