News

The Environmental Protection Agency recently awarded grants to Oklahoma City and Tulsa for the cleanup and redevelopment of brownfield sites. Journal Record editor Russell Ray discusses how the EPA defines a brownfield site, the history of the program in OKC and how communities across the nation are benefiting from the grants. 

This is the Manager’s Minute.

KGOU is on a July through June fiscal year, so now’s the time when we make plans for the year ahead.

That means looking at our programming schedule and deciding how to deliver the news, information, entertainment and discussion programs you count on every day, while mixing in a few new things to keep our schedule fresh and within our budget.

If you have thoughts about KGOU’s programs, and new programming ideas you’d like for us to explore, let us know by emailing programming@kgou.org.

Gov. Stitt has decided to replace the head of the Dept. of Human Services, one of Oklahoma's largest state agencies, with Justin Brown, the CEO of a company that owns assisted living facilities in Oklahoma and neighboring states. In this episode, KGOU's Dick Pryor and eCapitol's Shawn Ashley discuss this and more. 

Oklahoma has slashed funding for higher education by over 25 percent since 2008. In response, each public university has raised tuition, but the cuts have had a disproportionate effect on the state’s 11 regional institutions and the students they serve.

Recent flooding and dam releases are affecting businesses and key industries in Oklahoma. Journal Record editor Russell Ray discusses how the flooding has effectively shut down the Port of Catoosa, impacted the state's agriculture industry and postponed the reopening of the River Spirit Casino Resort in Tulsa.

June is Black Music History Month, and each Sunday this month KGOU has special programming to celebrate Black gospel music’s profound influence on early rock and soul music.

This month, KGOU will bring you the special series, Gospel Roots of Rock and Soul, hosted by Grammy award-winning gospel singer Cece Winans. The series includes three one-hour documentary programs and a fourth hour of original music highlighting the power and influence of gospel.

In this episode of Capitol Insider, KGOU's Dick Pryor speaks with Dr. Robert Dauffenbach about his recent analysis of Oklahoma tax collections dating back to 1990. After adjusting for inflation and population growth, Dauffenbach found that per-capita tax collections remain below their pre-Great Recession peak.

Multiple polls show the majority of Oklahoma voters support criminal justice reforms.

Survey data commissioned by Oklahoma Public Radio stations for the Oklahoma Engaged Project also suggest a majority of voters believe the state’s sentencing laws need to be reworked.

Oklahoma is now the number one incarcerator in the country, but only one bill targeting prison population control reached the governor’s desk this session.

NextEra Energy Resources has withdrawn plans to construct two wind farms in western Oklahoma. The decision follows Governor Kevin Stitt signing a law that ensures wind turbine construction doesn't interfere with low-level military training routes.

This is the Manager’s Minute.

KGOU and StateImpact Oklahoma reporters were big winners when the names were announced in the latest Oklahoma journalism awards competition – the Society of Professional Journalists.

All told, KGOU and StateImpact reporters captured 15 of the 24 radio awards.

StateImpact earned six awards, including firsts won by Quinton Chandler, Jackie Fortier, Emily Wendler and Joe Wertz, for Government and Criminal Justice Reporting, Feature Reporting, Diversity Reporting and Special Program.

In this episode of Capitol Insider, KGOU's Dick Pryor and eCapitol's Shawn Ashley discuss the final week of the 2019 legislative session. After approving a budget, lawmakers passed several criminal justice reforms, but they left one on the table: bail reform. 

The Oklahoma City City Council passed a 180-day moratorium to combat what some council members have called a 'food desert' in the city’s northeast side. Journal Record reporter Molly Fleming discusses the city’s next step in making fresh meat and produce more accessible to the area's residents.