News

TPS Educators Nominated for National LifeChanger of the Year Award

February 23, 2023

February 21, 2023 –Tulsa, OK– Will Rogers College High School counselor Erica Walker and Eliot Elementary School counselor Charleen McCracken have been nominated for the 2022-23 National LifeChanger of the Year award. Sponsored by the National Life Group Foundation, LifeChanger of the Year recognizes and rewards the very best K-12 educators and school district employees…

State of the State addresses economy, taxes and education

February 16, 2023 Ray Carter

In his fifth State of the State speech, Gov. Kevin Stitt urged lawmakers to enact $655.7 million in tax cuts and provide school choice to all Oklahomans. “Let’s listen to the people we serve,” Stitt said. “Because Oklahomans sent a clear message last November when they overwhelmingly voted for our vision: to shrink the size…

Ban on youth transgender surgery clears committee

February 16, 2023 Ray Carter

Legislation making it illegal to perform sex-change surgeries on children or inject them with cross-sex hormones or puberty blockers has won easy approval in an Oklahoma Senate Committee. Lawmakers also voted to bar state funds from paying for those procedures. Both measures were advanced just days after Gov. Kevin Stitt called for their enactment in…

Oklahoma officials push back on ESG

February 16, 2023 Ray Carter

In recent years, environmental activists have sought to defund U.S. energy development and production by pressuring financial companies to adopt “environmental, social, and governance” (ESG) policies that prioritize political considerations over returns when making investment decisions. But Oklahoma officials, at both the state and federal level, are pushing back, and ESG proponents are expected to…

Hamilton’s bills assigned to Senate committees

February 16, 2023

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain, has authored 14 bills that have been referred to their respective committees and will be up for consideration in the next few weeks. “I’ve filed these bills to protect our constitutional rights, protect Oklahoma children, and make improvements across the state in a variety of areas,” Hamilton said….

Bill would require vote of the people to redirect property taxes to TIF Districts

February 16, 2023

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Tom Gann, R-Inola, has filed House Bill 1379, which would require a vote by citizens to redirect property tax through Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) Districts. Gann explained that in Mayes County, Mid-America Industrial Park (MAIP) officers proposed redirecting county property tax through the implementation of a TIF district to benefit new…

Bill to Repeal LEAD Act

February 16, 2023

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Tom Gann, R-Inola, has filed House Bill 1381 to Repeal the Large-Scale Economic Activity and Development (LEAD) Act of 2022. Last year, the Legislature passed House Bill 4455, the LEAD Act, which promised investment rebates for the cost of qualified capital expenditures for certain establishments based on creation of new direct…

The Great Backyard Bird Count begins this weekend

February 16, 2023 Kelly Bostian

The top Oklahoma birder listed in last year’s Great Backyard Bird Count spotted 95 different species in a single weekend, and he achieved that rank without trying. “Wish I could help, but to be honest, I’m not even sure how the GBBC works,” Brian Marra responded to an email interview request. “Even if I could…

TCCL annual Adult Creative Writing Contest

February 16, 2023

TULSA, Okla. — One thing is missing from the bookshelves of the world: your perspective. Now is the time to be your own author and write your own story. Local wordsmiths are invited to enter the annual Adult Creative Writing Contest from Feb. 1-March 31 for a chance to win cash and have their stories…

Absentee ballots for SQ 820

February 16, 2023

The deadline to request absentee ballots by mail for the March 7, Special Election for State Question 820 is approaching. Applications must be received by the County Election Board no later than 5 p.m. Monday, February 20. Tulsa County Election Board Secretary, Gwen Freeman, says absentee voting is available to all voters and can be…