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Capitol Insider Delivers Depth And Insight

By • Aug 3, 2020
KGOU

This is the Manager’s Minute.

An essential element of our work at KGOU involves delivering news and information to help each person become a better educated citizen. That’s especially important now – an election year when the global pandemic and economic turmoil are affecting all of us. 

 

More Oklahoma School Districts Opt To Start New Year Online

By Robby Korth & StateImpact Oklahoma • Aug 3, 2020
student in a classroom using a laptop computer
Jacob McCleland / KGOU

As the first day of school approaches, and COVID-19 cases continue to climb, more Oklahoma districts are deciding to start the year offline.

Oklahoma To Spend $10 Million On PPE For Schools

By & StateImpact Oklahoma • Aug 2, 2020
Gov. Kevin Stitt at podium crowded with microphones

With cases of the coronavirus continuing to climb and Oklahoma schools slated to begin next month, Governor Kevin Stitt says he wants kids back in the classroom.

Oklahoma Moves Toward Phasing Out Private Prisons. What A Path Forward Looks Like

By Keaton Ross & Oklahoma Watch • Aug 2, 2020
Oklahoma is in the process of moving all of its inmates out of the Cimarron Correctional Facility in Cushing.
Provided

As Oklahoma’s incarceration rate soared throughout the 1990s, the private prison industry saw a business opportunity.

Capitol Insider: State Superintendent Hofmeister Discusses Oklahoma Back-To-School Plans

By • Jul 31, 2020
official state portrait
State Department of Education

Oklahoma school districts are nearing time to welcome students back for classes. The pressure is building for students to return to the classroom, but the COVID-19 pandemic has forced a reevaluation of teaching methods and how to keep students, staff and teachers safe. State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister discussed the critical issues involved and how Oklahoma schools are planning to operate during the fall with KGOU's Dick Pryor and eCapitol news director Shawn Ashley.

Kiowa Chairman’s Impeachment Hearing Delayed

By Nancy Spears & Gaylord News • Jul 30, 2020
A screenshot from the Kiowa Tribe's impeachment trial for Matthew Komalty
The Kiowa Tribe / Facebook

The impeachment trial for Matthew Komalty, chairman of the 14,000 member Kiowa Tribe was halted Thursday after the Court of Indian Offenses ordered a delay.

OSU Took His Name Off A Building, But Alfalfa Bill Murray Can Still Be Found Across The State

By Robby Korth & StateImpact Oklahoma • Jul 30, 2020
"Alfalfa" Bill Murray
Oklahoma Historical Society

When Oklahoma A&M officials told Alfalfa Bill Murray they wanted to put his name on a university building in 1935, he wasn’t sure it was a good idea.

State Question 805 Qualifies For 2020 Ballot

By Quinton Chandler & StateImpact Oklahoma • Jul 30, 2020
Proponents of State Question 805 gathered for a rally in Oklahoma City.
Photo provided.

The state Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that enough voter signatures were collected to put a question regarding sentence enhancements for nonviolent offenders on the Nov. 3 ballot.

OCCC Moves All Classes Online For Fall 2020

By Robby Korth & StateImpact Oklahoma • Jul 29, 2020
Oklahoma City Community College
Twitter / OCCC

Citing rising COVID-19 numbers, Oklahoma City Community College announced Wednesday it is moving all its classes this fall online. It's the first public college in Oklahoma to announce such a move.

Protest Held Against Possible Dangers of Reopening OU Campus In The Fall

By • Jul 29, 2020
The “Die-In and Drive Up Protest” attracted University of Oklahoma faculty and staff, alumni and students to protest at Headington Hall the possible dangers of reopening the campus for in person instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Katelyn Howard

A protest against the possible dangers of reopening the University of Oklahoma’s campus for in person instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic took place Tuesday outside of the OU Board of Regents meeting. 

As Rapid COVID-19 Testing Heads To Nursing Homes, Lack Of Public Tests Threatens Its Effectiveness

By Whitney Bryen & Supriya Sridhar & Oklahoma Watch • Jul 29, 2020
Staff at the Franciscan Villa in Broken Arrow, like all nursing homes, is preparing to receive rapid COVID-19 testing capability.
Provided

Four months after the coronavirus began sweeping through Oklahoma’s nursing homes, the federal government is preparing to ship thousands of tests to residential care facilities for the elderly and disabled nationwide. But even as single shipments are delivered, public access to the tests is dwindling as a result.

Oklahoma’s Unemployment System Remains Riddled With Pitfalls

By Breanna Mitchell & Gaylord News • Jul 28, 2020
Claimants wait for assistance with their unemployment claims outside the OKC Eastside Oklahoma Works Center, 7401 NE 23rd St, Oklahoma City.

Even as employment rates begin to recover in Oklahoma, thousands of residents with unemployment claims remain trapped on a roller coaster of claim issues that can take weeks or months to resolve. 

Epic Charter Schools Becomes Oklahoma's Largest School District

By Robby Korth & StateImpact Oklahoma • Jul 28, 2020
An Epic Charter School administrative office.
Whitney Bryen / Oklahoma Watch

Epic Charter Schools is now the largest district in Oklahoma.

Post McGirt, The Plan Of Action Remains Unsettled

By Wendy Weitzel & Breanna Mitchel & Gaylord News • Jul 27, 2020
Jurisdictional issues are fairly clear-cut after the McGirt decision with no federal legislation, but they become more muddled with the agreement in principle.
Courtesy of Rebecca Nagle, Mary Kathryn Nagle and Carly Griffith Hotvedt.

A small chink has emerged in the united front coming from Oklahoma’s tribes and the state Attorney General’s office. 

AR App Reintroduces Native Ecology To Oklahoma

By • Jul 27, 2020
Tess Elliot, creator of the app nOaks.
Tess Elliot

A new augmented reality app transforms 30 locations around the Oklahoma City metro area into a virtual Cross Timber woodland in an effort to reintroduce native ecology to the region. 

COVID-19 Poses Another Challenge For Schools: Air Quality

By Kathryn McNutt & Oklahoma Watch • Jul 27, 2020
The Tulsa Board of Education voted last week to allocate $300,000 to upgrade HVAC systems at 31 schools to ensure the maximum amount of outside air is circulating throughout buildings like this one at Anderson Elementary School.
Whitney Bryen / Oklahoma Watch

Plans to safely reopen Oklahoma schools are plentiful, but not much can be done to improve air quality in buildings. School officials must rely on existing equipment that is not designed to filter out coronavirus particles. 

KGOU, StateImpact Oklahoma Combine To Capture 14 SPJ Awards And Regional Edward R. Murrow Award

By • Jul 25, 2020
Society of Professional Journalists

This is the Manager’s Minute …

 

Capitol Insider: Health Commissioner Lance Frye On Oklahoma's COVID-19 Plan

By • Jul 24, 2020
Oklahoma State Department of Health

With coronavirus surging across the U.S. and the number of cases growing in Oklahoma, interim Commissioner of Health Colonel Lance Frye discussed the current situation in the state with KGOU's Dick Pryor and eCapitol's Shawn Ashley.

Norman City Councilmember Resigns Amid Recall Effort And Address Change

By • Jul 24, 2020
The City of Norman’s Ward 5 Councilmember Sereta Wilson announced she is resigning.
City of Norman

 

The City of Norman's Ward 5 Councilmember Sereta Wilson announced Thursday night she is resigning. 

Eviction Filings Likely To Increase In Oklahoma As Federal Eviction Moratorium Ends

By • Jul 24, 2020
Signs hang from the windows of an apartment in Washington, D.C., on May 20. Housing advocates and landlords alike say if Congress doesn't extend or replace federal unemployment payments, millions of Americans won't be able to afford to pay their rent.
ANDREW HARNIK / AP

The federal moratorium that has protected some tenants from eviction expires Friday, July 24. As a result, eviction filings in Oklahoma are expected to increase.

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