OSU Investment for Veterinary Medicine

By Saff Report

In a gathering filled with gratitude and excitement, the Cowboy family came together Tuesday to recognize and celebrate the historic $250 million state funding appropriation for Oklahoma State University’s new veterinary teaching hospital.

Hosted at the ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center, the event drew state leaders, alumni, faculty, staff, students and supporters who helped make the project a reality.

“This is a day many of us have long envisioned — and your advocacy, support and persistence made it happen,” OSU President Jim Hess said. “Now, we go to work.”

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President Trump Addresses D.C. Crime

By David Arnett

In an official memorandum for the Secretary of Defense, President Donald J. Trump Monday August 11, declared restoring law and order in the District of Columbia a national priority. It begins:

“As President of the United States and Commander in Chief of the District of Columbia National Guard, it is my solemn duty to protect law-abiding citizens from the destructive forces of criminal activity.  That obligation applies with special force in our Nation’s capital, where, as Commander in Chief of the District of Columbia National Guard, I must also ensure that all citizens can avail themselves of the right to interact with their elected representatives, and that the Federal Government can properly function, without fear of being subjected to violent, menacing street crime.

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Illinois’ Chronic Tardiness

By Truth in Accounting

Illinois’ chronic delay in publishing its annual financial reports is more than just a bureaucratic hiccup. It’s a breakdown in fiscal accountability. The state’s fiscal year 2023 ended over two years ago, and yet that report has never been released. Fiscal year 2024’s report isn’t available either. In the corporate world, “timely” generally means publishing audited financial statements within 90 days. The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) standard for governments is more lenient—180 days—but Illinois has blown far past even that generous benchmark. This level of delay would be unacceptable in nearly any other context where stakeholders rely on financial transparency.

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Lawmakers Must Confront Reading Crisis

By Jonathan Small, OCPA

Opinion: “There is no reason a child cannot read before they are in third grade,” former State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister said in 2019. “But our teachers have to teach based on the science of reading, and that is not happening across this state. It is happening in pockets.”

While I disagreed with Hofmeister on many issues, I give her credit where credit is due: She spoke a hard truth about the severity of Oklahoma’s reading crisis.

The problem persists. And it is unacceptable.

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Improving Oversight of Federal Grants

By David Arnett

In the stunning flow of President Donald J. Trump’s necessary governmental reforms, it is hard to keep up with what media has called the “fire hose of news.” Your local robust conservative outlet, Tulsa Today, is therefore glad to highlight a Presidential Executive Order we hope becomes a part of future legislation. It is focused on Federal Grantmaking “while ending offensive waste of tax dollars.”

The Executive Order is reproduced below and should be in every grant writers’ top drawer.

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