Category: Oklahoma

Target Stores in Five States Evacuated After Bomb Threats

Several Target locations throughout the country were reportedly threatened after receiving bomb threats. Target stores were briefly evacuated in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area on June 10, after receiving what local law enforcement described as “vague bomb” threats, allegedly over the retail chain’s Pride Month merchandise. Locations in at least five states were also evacuated…


DeSantis Tells Tulsa Rally He Will Turn America Around If Elected President in 2024

TULSA, Okla.—Republican governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis of Florida brought his campaign to Oklahoma this weekend where he picked up fellow Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt’s endorsement and told voters his plan to turn the country around. Stitt compared DeSantis’s administration to his own work in Oklahoma. He said both states resisted mask mandates, both…


ANALYSIS: Oklahoma Gov. Applauds First Religious Charter School as Opponents Threaten Legal Action

Oklahoma’s Republican governor applauded the state’s charter school board for clearing the way for the nation’s first religious charter school. “I applaud the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board’s courage to approve the authorization for St. Isadore of Seville Catholic Virtual School,” Gov. Kevin Stitt said in a statement following the board’s vote. “This is…


Oklahoma Approves the First Religious Charter School in US, Prompting Threats of Litigation

An Oklahoma school board approved the nation’s first publicly funded religious charter school. The Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board voted 3–2 on June 5 to approve an application by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa for a new online school, St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School. The fact…


Oklahoma Eases Restrictions on Abortion

Oklahoma’s Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that two state laws banning abortion are unconstitutional, but the procedure remains illegal in the state in nearly all cases except life-threatening situations. In a 6-3 ruling, the high court said the two bans are unconstitutional because they require a “medical emergency” before a doctor can perform an abortion….


Oklahoma Offers Enel Solar Panel Manufacturing Facility $180 Million Incentive Package

Enel North America, through its affiliate 3Sun USA, LLC, announced on May 22 that it plans to build a solar cell and panel manufacturing facility in Inola, Oklahoma, after the state legislature agreed to a $180 million incentive package. Enel North America, a part of Italian energy company Enel Group, will receive up to $36 million…


2 Employees Injured in Fire at Refinery in Southern Oklahoma

WYNNEWOOD, Okla.—Two people were injured Tuesday at a fire in a refinery in southern Oklahoma, authorities said. The fire began about 8:20 a.m. at the refinery in Wynnewood, about 60 miles south of Oklahoma City, according to a statement from Sugar Land, Texas-based CVR Energy, which owns the refinery. The statement did not disclose the…


Oklahoma Prisons Locked Down Following Inmate Stabbing in Northeastern Oklahoma

HOMINY, Okla.—The Oklahoma Department of Corrections has locked down all prisons statewide and canceled all visitations following a stabbing at a medium security prison in northeastern Oklahoma. “It was inmate on inmate,” department spokesperson Kay Thompson said Saturday. “We’re still trying to sort everything out and we’re going to be on statewide lockdown until at…


Dr. Phil Convinced Oklahoma Death Row Inmate Richard Glossip’s Trial Was Unfair

OKLAHOMA CITY—Talk show host and clinical psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw stood on the steps of the Oklahoma Capitol and said the state planned to execute an innocent man but still had time to correct its error. “The highest law enforcement officer in the state of Oklahoma courageously stood up and said, ‘We blew this.’ You’ve…


Oklahoma Governor Defunds State PBS Station, Citing ‘Over-Sexualization of Our Children’

Oklahoma’s Republican Governor Kevin Stitt is defending his decision to cut funding for the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA), pointing to the “problematic” sexual content broadcasted that targeted children. OETA is the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member station for Oklahoma. Last week, Stitt vetoed a bill that sought to extend funding for OETA through 2026….