Oklahoma Watch

“It’s Defunding Schools”: What Oklahoma Superintendents Say About State Question 844

State Question 844, on the August 25 ballot, would allow the Legislature to stop reimbursing local governments and school districts for property tax revenue lost when manufacturers receive five-year ...
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

A $40,000-per-Year AI School With No Teachers Is Opening in Oklahoma This August

Alpha School, a billionaire-backed private school chain that replaces teachers with AI tutors and charges $40,000 a year in tuition, is opening campuses in Edmond and Tulsa in August. The model, which ...
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

Voter ID Measures, Campaign Funds for Parents and the Insurance Wildfire

Support Oklahoma Watch by donating today. Your contribution protects free speech, ensures accountability, and promotes transparency through unbiased reporting. In an era of misinformation, our ...
Oklahoma Watch

Oklahoma’s Insurance Commissioner May Not Even Need to Live in Oklahoma. The Law Is “A Little Bit Goofy.”

Marty Quinn, a candidate for insurance commissioner, is shown speaking to journalists at the Oklahoma Press Association convention in Norman on June 6, 2026. (Ted Streuli/Oklahoma Watch) On April 1, ...
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

Predator Hunters’ Tactics Draw Fans, but Concern Police and Advocates

Russell Goodwin aims to identify and expose dangerous people online through his predator-catching group. His tactics frustrate police efforts and target vulnerable people. (Todd Pendleton/The ...
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 ...