This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for May 16, 2025.

With just a couple of weeks remaining in the legislative session, budget negotiators have reached agreement on a deal to fund state government in Fiscal Year 2026.By Dick Pryor

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for May 15, 2025.

More than a fifth of Indigenous Oklahomans are counted by the U.S. Census Bureau as uninsured – including those who solely use the Indian Health Service as health care coverage. For some, having no insurance can be costly. Mentioned in this episode: Social Media tagsBy OPMX

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for May 14, 2025.

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for May 13, 2025.

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for May 12, 2025.

Just three weeks remain in the 2025 legislative session, and time is running short to negotiate, write and pass the state budget for Fiscal Year 2026.By Dick Pryor

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for May 9, 2025.

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for May 8, 2025.

Legislative efforts to reform the judicial selection process in Oklahoma have gone on for the better part of the last decade. And this year, just like in years past, they’ve failed, even with the support of the governor. Mentioned in this episode: Social Media tagsBy OPMX

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for May 7, 2025.

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for May 6, 2025.

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for May 5, 2025.

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for May 2, 2025.

Legislators are now sending bills to Governor Kevin Stitt for his consideration. We discuss how that process works as the legislative session moves into its final month.By Dick Pryor

Norman is a nexus of national weather and climate science. But swift layoffs and deep budget cuts could disband it and other organizations nationwide. Mentioned in this episode: Social Media tagsBy OPMX

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for May 1, 2025.

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for April 30, 2025.

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for April 29, 2025.

In this month’s How Curious, host Rachel Hopkin looks into how, when, and why the parking meter was invented here in Oklahoma City back in the 1930s. In the course of her investigation she learns about the polymath behind it, inventive reactions to its installation such as tying a horse to the meter post and paying for the metered spot for a game o…

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for April 28, 2025.

New state social studies standards are being reviewed by members of the Oklahoma legislature, many of whom are critical of the process and the content.By Dick Pryor

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for April 25, 2025.

It was a busy week at the legislature as the first bill of the session made it to the governor’s desk and a lot of bills moved forward.By Logan Layden, Dick Pryor

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for April 24, 2025.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond case next week. The case will decide whether the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School can be a state-funded public school. The lawsuit was brought by Oklahoma’s attorney general against the state charter school board that approved St…

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for April 23, 2025.

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for April 22, 2025.

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for April 21, 2025.

As the 30th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing approaches, a group of young musicians is connecting with the tragedy through performing themes of resilience. Mentioned in this episode: Social Media tagsBy OPMX

April 19, 2025 marks 30 years since a bomb destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City. 168 people were killed — including 19 children — and hundreds more were injured. It forever shaped our community. "That April Morning: The Oklahoma City Bombing" is a production of KOSU, KGOU, StateImpact Oklahoma and our partners w…

The Senate has sent to the House of Representatives a bill that would ratchet down the state's individual income tax rate over a period of years.By Dick Pryor

Since Oklahoma’s near-total abortion ban went into effect, providers and thousands of people who have left the state to receive care have experienced its impacts. A new group hopes to educate Oklahomans on those continued effects by bringing people from all walks of life together to have conversations about reproductive health care. Mentioned in th…

Governor Kevin Stitt questions the need for a state forestry division after a serious wildfire outbreak swept through Oklahoma in March.By Dick Pryor

Thanks to a new law, schools across the state are now required to allow off-campus religious instruction during elective courses. Those courses are currently operational or in the final stages of development in at least six Oklahoma schools. Mentioned in this episode: Social Media tagsBy OPMX

At roughly the halfway point of the legislative session, Oklahoma lawmakers have more than 700 bills and the state budget left to consider.By Dick Pryor

A report released this month states at least a third of the nation’s birds are in peril. Local community scientists are contributing information critical to understanding the decline. Mentioned in this episode: Social Media tagsBy OPMX

Every year, the Asthma and Allergies Foundation of America puts out an Allergy Capital report which ranks the top 100 large US cities if you suffer from pollen-based seasonal allergies. Oklahoma City and Tulsa regularly make the top ten. In this episode, Rachel Hopkin looks into what makes the Sooner State so challenging for the seasonal allergy af…

Dr. Robert Dauffenbach sees a strong Oklahoma economy for the year ahead, but uncertainty and the large federal deficit cloud the national economic outlook.By Dick Pryor

Last week, wildfires raged across Oklahoma, claiming thousands of acres of land and hundreds of buildings. KOSU’s Sarah Liese reports for StateImpact that the flames also destroyed a historic church in Kiowa County, leaving a congregation to rebuild. Mentioned in this episode: Social Media tagsBy OPMX

Bills regarding chemical castration of sex offenders and enhanced criminal penalties for undocumented immigrants have sparked heated debate over constitutionality.By Dick Pryor

New Oklahoma Human Services rules approved this year require non-accredited five-star child care programs to provide proof of an accreditation application submission by April 10 and get nationally accredited by Sept. 1 — or face a star reduction tied to their reimbursements. Providers said the timeframe to comply with a process that typically takes…

State agency draws fire for a shortfall in its budget for the current fiscal year.By Dick Pryor

A book coming out next month argues the way states perform executions is inhumane. KOSU's Sierra Pfeifer talks to University of Richmond Professor Corinna Barrett Lain about her new book Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal Injection, and Oklahoma's role in how the condemned are executed for StateImpact. Mentioned in this episod…

Updated state school social studies standards, with significant increase in references to religion, are approved by State Board of Education and sent to the legislature.By Dick Pryor

Over the next four years, the Well Done Foundation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife will plug more than 100 orphan wells on public land. Mentioned in this episode: Social Media tagsBy OPMX

The state expected millions of dollars to plug wells abandoned by their owners. But the funds are in limbo under a new federal administration. Mentioned in this episode: Social Media tagsBy OPMX

Nestled in the heart of Bricktown is a remarkable tribute to some of the most innovative and influential figures -- and instruments -- in music history. Join How Curious host and producer Rachel Hopkin in her exploration of the world-class American Banjo Museum.By Rachel Hopkin

A state representative has filed a lawsuit seeking to block compliance with Governor Kevin Stitt's executive order requiring state employees to work from the office.By Dick Pryor