State Legislative Leader Joins 2026 Oklahoma Governor’s Race
State Representative Cyndi Munson is now a candidate for Oklahoma Governor in the 2026 General Election.
The house minority leader made her official announcement just outside the Oklahoma State Capitol Tuesday.
Munson is the only Democrat so far to announce candidacy for governor or any other statewide office in 2026.
First elected in 2016, she represents northern Oklahoma City’s House District 85.
Surrounded by her close family and a few supporters in front of the statehouse, Munson made her case as to why Oklahomans should vote for her.
“I know I'm not what you would call a typical candidate for governor. I work for a living. I pay my student loans. I rent my house,” Munson said.
“I'm not beholden to any political party. I'm not an extremist. I have a proven track record of working across the aisle to get things done and won't pander to Washington, D.C. politicians who only want to continue deepening our political divide.”
Among her promises are cutting taxes for middle-class families, revamping public school funding, and repealing state abortion bans.
So far, Munson is up against former House Speaker Charles McCall, Attorney General Gentner Drummond, and two other Republicans.
NOAA Research Programs At University of Oklahoma At Risk For Elimination
A new document from the Trump administration proposes deep budget cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the removal of its research office.
Multiple reports say the nation’s preeminent weather and climate agency could see its budget slashed from about $6.1 billion to $4.5 billion.
The document also suggests eliminating NOAA’s research arm and all cooperative institutes.
That would include OU's Cooperative Institute for Severe and High-Impact Weather Research and Operations, which employs 227 workers.
Other programs operating in Norman could also be terminated.
The Southern Climate Impacts Planning Program helps communities draft hazard mitigation plans and assisted in Oklahoma City’s 2023 heat mapping project.
OU said it’s in contact with its federal partners about its shared research goals.
The office of Oklahoma U.S. Representative Tom Cole - who chairs the House Appropriations Committee - did not respond to a request for comment.
Oklahoma House Launches 4th Investigation Into State Mental Health Department's Finances
The Oklahoma House of Representatives is forming a select committee to review the state’s Department of Mental Health and its finances. It’s the fourth ongoing probe into the agency’s spending.
A special state audit, an independent legislative study and a review by a special investigator are all in progress.
The House’s select committee is just the latest effort by Oklahoma’s leaders to get a closer look at what is going on inside the state’s department of mental health.
Internal criticism about financial decisions of the previous commissioner and her staff plus cancelled contracts and a federal lawsuit, have created a storm of mass confusion.
In front of the committee, current department leader Allie Friesen will be tasked with answering questions about her request for more money for the department, how funds are being spent and what the legislature can expect moving forward.
The select committee will meet on Thursday, April 17 at the Capitol.
Verbatim Theater Brings OKC Bombing Stories to Life for a New Generation
For high school students, the Oklahoma City bombing could seem like an event that happened in the distant past. But a touring theatrical production hopes to bring the stories of those impacted by the tragedy to the next generation.
At Putnam City West High School, students gather to watch an abbreviated performance of In the Middle of the West — a play of testimonies from survivors, family members and others affected by the bombing.
Oklahoma City University junior Kevin Alvarado portrays Chris Fields, a firefighter captured in an iconic photo holding a baby who had died in the blast.
"Once that first kind of wave hit, we just, we were waiting, and we waited, and we waited. I was just, you know, that was tough. That was the toughest part, just waiting for people to come in, and they were all gone," said Alvarado.
The actors, all students at OCU, are practicing “verbatim theater.” Not only are they performing interview transcripts word for word, but they also each have an earpiece with interview recordings so they exactly mimic inflections.
Junior Maddy Grimes portrays Aren Almon, the mother of a baby who died in the blast. That baby was carried by a firefighter — a moment immortalized in an iconic photo.
"The more I look at that picture, it’s just. I don’t think it memorializes her — it memorializes everybody who died that day. ‘Cause everybody is somebody’s child. That wasn’t who Baylee was — she wasn’t the baby in the fireman’s arms. She was… she was my child," said Almon.
Putnam City West senior Orion Bruins says seeing the performance gave substance to something that to him, always felt intangible.
"Being able to hear that commonality between these different perspectives of people, it really made me think about how I might have reacted or how I may have handled something like that in that moment. And really just, makes me think a lot," said Bruins.
The cast tours at four Oklahoma high schools and will perform selections from the play at Arts and Culture Day on Thursday at the State Capitol.
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