Lionel Ramos
State Government ReporterLionel Ramos covers state government for a consortium of Oklahoma’s public radio stations.
Previously, Ramos has reported for investigative news site Oklahoma Watch covering race and equity, reporting on the rising political capital of Latinos in Oklahoma, the resettlement of Afghan refugees, the stakes for Indigenous Oklahomans in the Supreme Court's 2023 Brackeen v. Haaland decision, unemployment, housing, and veterans’ issues.
Born into the circus, Ramos traveled across the country in an RV with his family for the first half of his life. He eventually landed in San Antonio, Texas, where he attended high school and community college before transferring to Texas State University in San Marcos. He holds a bachelor's degree in English with a focus on creative writing. While a student at Texas State, he covered local and student government for the college newspaper, The University Star.
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Rep. Andy Fugate, D-Del City, is questioning whether the State Capitol Preservation Commission can decide to build a new governor's mansion all on its own, regardless of how it's been funded. And he wants the state attorney general to weigh in. -
Oklahoma lawmakers are spending the rest of their fall in and out of the state capitol, publicly studying issues relevant to their constituents. The idea is to gain insight ahead of the legislative session early next year. -
A federal judge quickly and quietly cut off in-state college tuition for Oklahoma students without legal immigration status on Aug. 29. -
The Oklahoma Capitol Preservation Commission unanimously approved a new Governor's Mansion this week. It's going up on the same grounds as the current, nearly 100-year-old, original mansion, sometime in 2026. -
Oklahoma state auditor flags nearly $100 million in mismanaged pandemic relief dollars in new reportOklahoma State Auditor and Inspector Cyndi Byrd says state agencies mismanaged or questionably spent almost $100 million in pandemic relief funds during the 2023 fiscal year. The most in a single year so far, by a long shot. -
Oklahoma Highway Patrol can not legally decide to shift the bulk of its patrols away from Oklahoma City and Tulsa, according to a binding Attorney General opinion released Wednesday. -
Even though midterm elections are more than a year away, races for statewide office in Oklahoma are starting to get crowded. Here are the 30 candidates who have filed paperwork so far. -
Democrats in the Oklahoma legislature are inviting the public to participate in conversations with lawmakers about key policy initiatives. Here are some details about the multi-day series of discussions and the planned topics. -
Google announced Wednesday it's making a new $9 billion dollar investment in Oklahoma within the next two years. The money will create state and academic and workforce incentives around cloud tech, artificial intelligence and data center expansions. -
Oklahoma lawmakers are trying to figure out what to do about unoccupied and dilapidated private properties across the state. About a dozen representatives of small towns visited the State Capitol on Tuesday to make the case for a swift solution.
