Oklahoma Watch

Is the minimum wage for tipped restaurant staff in Oklahoma $2.13?

The Fair Labor Standards Act allows employers to pay tipped workers the federal tipped minimum of $2.13 by claiming up to ...
Oklahoma Watch

Oklahoma’s Ballyhooed Naloxone Vending Machine Program is Gone, Leaving Communities Scrambling to Fill the Gap

Naloxone, which reverses opioid overdoses, is seen in a vending machine at the Oklahoma Health Care Authority in Oklahoma City in this 2023 photo. (Paul Monies/Oklahoma Watch) ...
Oklahoma Watch

Education Watch: New AI-Powered Private School Won’t Qualify for Tax Credit Program This Year

This article was originally delivered to subscribers of our Education Watch newsletter. Sign up now to receive Education Watch directly in your inbox. There are quite a few jaw-dropping details in our ...
Oklahoma Watch

Marijuana Testing Hampered by Lack of Consistency, Lab Shopping

Summer Parker and Charles Hrabina, along with their dog Mercedes, pause for a photo at their home in Skiatook. (Rip Stell/Oklahoma Watch) Summer Parker didn’t understand why. She just knew she didn’t ...
Oklahoma Watch

Serial Evictions, Rent-to-Own Deals and $58 Filing Fees: How a Colorado Company Profits From Oklahoma’s Weak Tenant Laws

Westmoor Mobile Home Park in southwest Oklahoma City filed 160 of the 167 evictions in its ZIP code last year, making it Oklahoma City's seventh-highest evictor. One resident has had seven evictions ...
Oklahoma Watch

Have hospital prices increased nearly 300% since 2000, outpacing inflation and wages, as Rep. Hern claimed?

Multiple sources report that hospital prices have risen substantially since 2000, with one citing a 281% increase, outpacing ...
Oklahoma Watch

Oklahoma Gubernatorial Hopeful AWOL From Police Pension Board

Mike Mazzei, who advances to the August governor's runoff, has missed three-fourths of the Oklahoma Police Pension and Retirement Board meetings since Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed him in 2023, attending ...
Oklahoma Watch

Oklahoma’s Most Powerful Local Office Is Going Uncontested. Here’s Why Nobody Is Running.

Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler files for office at the Capitol in Oklahoma City on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (Paul Monies/Oklahoma Watch) Tulsa attorney Colleen McCarty waited for ...
Oklahoma Watch

Education Watch: Epic Receives Poor Marks for Academics, But Finances Improving

This article was originally delivered to subscribers of our Education Watch newsletter. Sign up now to receive Education Watch directly in your inbox. Epic Charter School’s finances may be improving, ...
Oklahoma Watch

First Watch: Stuff You Should Know

Oklahoma’s Most Powerful Local Office Keeps Running Unopposed. Voters Rarely Notice. Colleen McCarty waited for someone to challenge Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler. When no one ...
Oklahoma Watch

Were there zero releases into the United States for a year under Trump, as Secretary Markwayne Mullin claimed?

Though the Department of Homeland Security has self-reported zero releases of non-U.S. nationals since May 2025, immigration ...
Oklahoma Watch

First Watch: Stuff You Should Know

When Marty Quinn filed to run for Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner in April, he signed an oath swearing he had lived in Oklahoma for five years. Records tell a messier story. As J.C. Hallman reported, ...