Oklahoma Governor’s Vote Steered $2 Billion Advisory Role to Former Business Partner’s Firm
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt voted to award a multibillion-dollar investment advisory contract to a firm run by his former chief of staff and one-time business partner, without any board discussion of their prior relationship. The contract positions the firm to earn fees from successful investments it brings before the state board.
THE LATEST
From 50 Cases Per Month to 50 Per Week: Oklahoma’s System for Child Sex Abuse Is Being Overwhelmed
Oklahoma’s 21 Child Advocacy Centers are straining under sharply rising caseloads of child sexual abuse, driven by increased reporting and…
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“A Rat’s Nest of Fraud and Deceit”: New Lawsuit Adds to Vesta Realty CEO’s Legal Troubles
Marc Kulick, the CEO of Vesta Realty, is a high-stakes gambler living in a $1.7 million home while his rental…
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Rising from the ashes: Oklahoma families start over despite struggles with obtaining FEMA grants
FEMA still has not approved Oklahoma’s mitigation funding following devastating wildfires in 2025. Those funds are meant to fortify communities…
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Choose Your Own Voters: Republican Lawmakers Send High-Stakes Ballot Initiatives To Low-Turnout Election
Oklahoma Republicans are pushing multiple state questions onto an August primary runoff ballot expected to draw heavily conservative turnout, including…
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Oklahoma Editors Reflect on the Challenges Faced by Small-Town Newspapers
Oklahoma’s small-town newspapers are stretched thin by shrinking staffs and economic pressures, even as vigilante journalists and social media groups…
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National Landlord Left Oklahoma Family in Barely Habitable Home, Then Evicted Them for Withholding Rent
An Edmond family was evicted after withholding rent from a national real estate investment company that failed for months to…
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Homelessness Among Families with Children is Rising and It’s Expected to Get Worse
When Joe Martin became a father, he wanted to give his children the stability he never experienced growing up. For…
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Battle Over Cryptic State Farm Documents Reaches OK Supreme Court
A Supreme Court referee heard the latest arguments in the State Farm hail scheme case that has inspired hundreds of…
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A Crude Ad About a Banana and a Primary That Could Tell Us Where the Republican Party is Headed
Oklahoma’s June Republican gubernatorial primary has become an unexpected test case for the future of GOP politics. Attorney General Gentner…
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Ad Blitz: Parents Targeted in Push for Early Literacy Overhaul
A 95-year-old Tulsa philanthropist is spending nearly $1 million on a statewide ad campaign urging parents to pressure lawmakers to…
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Lawmakers Eye Grand Bargain on Tobacco Taxes As Deadline Looms
Oklahoma lawmakers are struggling to modernize tobacco taxes as competing industry interests and legislative hurdles stall a broader deal. A…
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Still Waiting: Oklahoma’s Mental Health System Leaves Defendants Waiting in Jail Despite Court Order to Fix Delays
Oklahoma is violating a federal consent decree by leaving hundreds of defendants with serious mental illness waiting in county jails…
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NEWSLETTERS
Education Watch: Who’s In the Race for State Schools Chief?
This article was originally delivered to subscribers of our Education Watch newsletter. Sign up now to receive Education Watch directly in your inbox. The race is on for the next state schools…
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First Watch: Stuff You Should Know
A Kansas lawsuit by a former business partner accuses Vesta Realty CEO Marc Kulick of using company funds as a personal piggy bank while concealing financial distress from investors. Multiple…
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First Watch: Stuff You Should Know
The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to hear a case that could have exempted tribal citizens from Oklahoma state income taxes, leaving in place an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling against…
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First Watch: Stuff You Should Know
More than a year after the March 2025 wildfires killed four Oklahomans and burned 170,000 acres, federal mitigation funding remains unapproved — an unprecedented delay that Oklahoma emergency officials say…
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