Category Archives: State

Enid Area Lawmakers: Tornado Damage

By David Arnett

Updated: Governor Kevin Stitt signed Friday afternoon Executive Order 2026-17 declaring a disaster emergency for Garfield and Kay counties following last night’s dangerous severe weather, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flooding that caused major damage.

State lawmakers who represent the Enid area this morning issued the following statement after a powerful tornado struck Enid and Vance Air Force Base. Reports show at least 10 injured and homes destroyed in a neighborhood on the south side of Enid.

Continue reading →

ODOC Deploys Full-body Scanners

By Staff Report

The Oklahoma Department of Corrections is introducing new full-body scanning technology at five correctional facilities as part of an ongoing effort to reduce contraband and enhance safety for staff and inmates.

The CLEARPASS full-body scanner system is currently being installed at Great Plains Correctional Center, with staff receiving training on the equipment. The advanced technology is designed to detect contraband hidden both externally and internally, including drugs, cellphones and other prohibited items.

*Great Plains Correctional Center: Full Body Scanner*

Continue reading →

Rep. Hildebrant: Service Above Self

By: Representative Derrick Hildebrant

We are now in Week 11 of the Second Session of the 60th Legislature, and the House has passed 211 measures out of policy committees, along with 44 Senate bills and joint resolutions off the House floor. The governor has also signed the state budget, a significant step to reach this early in the session. On April 14, the House and Senate came together for our annual military appreciation joint session, and it was a distinct honor for me to lead the address. Moments like that carry a weight that is hard to put into words.

Continue reading →

Oklahoma’s Taxing Devil Details

By Mike Mazzei, Candidate for Oklahoma Governor

Editor’s Note: It is a refreshing change when a candidate for office actually covers details of governance rather than just glittering generalities. Today, Mike Mazzei released his latest “Mazzei Minute: April 16, 2026” a column we have carried on Tulsa Today long before he declared for Oklahoma’s top government job. We invite other candidates to provide byline columns for publication, but this piece is especially timely.

After analyzing the budget agreement that recently passed through the Oklahoma legislature there are a few things for taxpayers to like and a lot to loathe.

Continue reading →

Nearly Imposed Anarchy on Oklahoma

By Governor Kevin Stitt

As published by The Wall Street Journal on April 10, 2026:

It was an anticlimactic end to a legal and political horror story: On Monday the U.S. Supreme Court said it wouldn’t review Stroble v. Oklahoma Tax Commission, a state Supreme Court decision that upheld Oklahoma’s authority to tax residents regardless of their race. Why would that even be an issue? It’s a long and complicated historical tale.

Before Oklahoma gained statehood in 1907, its eastern part was known as Indian Country—an area consisting largely of the historical reservations of the Five Tribes that were forcibly relocated from Southeastern states along the Trail of Tears between 1830 and 1850. After the Civil War, Congress dissolved the reservations and land was allotted to the individuals who lived there as federal law weakened or abolished tribal governments.

Continue reading →