This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for June 26, 2024.

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for June 25, 2024.

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for June 24, 2024.

The lawmaker set to become the next state Senate President Pro Tempore lost in his bid for re-election, sending the Oklahoma Senate into unprecedented territory.By Dick Pryor

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for June 21, 2024.

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for June 20, 2024.

Far out in the Pacific Ocean, the latest El Niño cycle is at an end, and La Niña is expected in the coming months. But what does that mean for Oklahoma’s weather? Mentioned in this episode: Social Media tagsBy OPMX

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for Wednesday, June 19th, 2024.

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for June 18, 2024.

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for June 17, 2024.

Governor Kevin Stitt has called the State Senate back to the Capitol for a special session to consider the appointment of Mike Holder to the OSU Board of Regents.By Dick Pryor

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for June 14, 2024.

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for June 13, 2024.

After a TikTok video went viral about water pollution in East Cache Creek, City of Lawton officials have explained their plan to restore water levels. Mentioned in this episode: Social Media tagsBy OPMX

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for June 12, 2024.

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for June 11, 2024.

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for June 10, 2024.

Governor Kevin Stitt has until June 14th to sign bills passed in the final week of the Oklahoma legislative session. He quickly signed the "Women's Bill of Rights."By Dick Pryor

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for June 7, 2024.

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for June 6, 2024.

StateImpact education reporter Beth Wallis and health reporter Jillian Taylor talk with managing editor Logan Layden about some of this year's legislative highlights. Mentioned in this episode: Social Media tagsBy OPMX

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for June 5, 2024.

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for June 4, 2024.

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for June 3, 2024.

The 2024 Oklahoma legislative session is over, concluding one day ahead of the legally-mandated deadline.By Dick Pryor

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for May 31, 2024.

This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for May 30, 2024.

More than 600,000 Oklahomans on Medicaid are now seeing their care coordinated by private insurance companies. Proponents say the change incentivizes preventative care, and its rollout has been going well. But, it has caused problems for some Oklahomans on Medicaid and smaller providers. Mentioned in this episode: Social Media tags…

It took until the final two weeks of the session, but the governor and legislative leaders reached agreement on the fiscal year 2025 budget. Now, it's crunch time.By Dick Pryor

Keeping kids active and healthy can be an uphill battle, especially in the age of smartphones, video games and other distractions. A new volunteer initiative in Edmond is getting kids’ hearts pumping — and their wheels turning. Mentioned in this episode: Social Media tagsBy OPMX

Budget summit meetings have been moving the state budget and appropriation process forward, but lawmakers have yet to reach an agreement on the fiscal year 2025 budget.By Dick Pryor

Statewide, Oklahoma public schools are experiencing a shortage of bus drivers — and they’re struggling to adapt. StateImpact analyzed every public school district in Oklahoma and found that of the 400-plus schools with hiring listings accessible on their websites or that answered a superintendent survey, over 40% showed open driver positions. About…

Oklahoma legislators continue to work through a variety of issues as they craft the fiscal year 2025 state budget...and time is running short.By Dick Pryor

It appeared legislative leaders were making progress on the budget for fiscal year 2025, but now the process is starting over with less than a month left in the session.By Dick Pryor

Most of Oklahoma’s Medicaid population is transitioning to managed care. This means that instead of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority paying providers directly, it’s paying private companies to coordinate some enrollees’ care. Proponents say the new system incentivizes better preventative care, which could cost the state less in the long run. Ment…

A critical state audit report and the effect of a little known legislative procedure known as "shucking" highlights a hectic week at the state Capitol.By Dick Pryor

As a crisis continues on the U.S. Southern Border, Oklahoma lawmakers are among counterparts from about a dozen states taking things into their own hands. For StateImpact, Lionel Ramos reports on their efforts and the backlash they face from immigrant communities. Mentioned in this episode: Social Media tags…

The state House and Senate are starting to see areas of agreement as they restart the process to craft a state budget for fiscal year 2025.By Dick Pryor

In Tulsa, there are about 450 after-school programs at risk of shrinking to just 75 once ESSER funds are gone. One of those programs is an after-school gardening club at Tulsa Public Schools' Eugene Field Elementary. There, each participant gets a garden box to plan, decorate, plant and harvest from throughout the school year. Schools across the co…

Lawmakers still have heavy lifting to do on significant legislation as they head toward Sine Die Adjournment at the end of May.By Dick Pryor

Opill, which was approved by the FDA last July, is the nation’s first over-the-counter birth control pill, and it’s hitting pharmacy shelves now. Mentioned in this episode: Social Media tagsBy OPMX

Oklahoma legislative leaders disagree over the path forward toward developing the state budget for the next fiscal year.By Dick Pryor

Any point on the globe can expect to see a total solar eclipse about once every 400 years. This Monday, it’s far southeast Oklahoma’s turn. Mentioned in this episode: Social Media tagsBy OPMX

Democratic lawmakers have again called on Speaker of the House Charles McCall to form a bipartisan committee to investigate State Superintendent Ryan Walters.By Dick Pryor

Lawmakers are at the halfway point in this year’s legislative session, and just a fraction of the education bills filed at the top of the session have survived big legislative deadlines. StateImpact’s Beth Wallis spoke with Oklahoma Voice education reporter Nuria Martinez-Keel about the bills that still remain on the legislature’s radar. Mentioned …

This legislative session, lawmakers are working with faculty from OU’s School of Social Work and Oklahoma Healthy Minds Policy Initiative, advocating for Oklahoma’s requirements to be reduced to 3,000 hours. Mentioned in this episode: Social Media tagsBy OPMX

As legislators return to work following spring break, the stage is set for budget talks to gain momentum.By Dick Pryor

The middle of March is spring break time for lawmakers. We look ahead at the work to be done in the tumultuous final weeks of the 2024 legislative session.By Dick Pryor

A legal opinion from Attorney General Gentner Drummond forced a member of Governor Stitt's cabinet to resign. Now, the governor is seeking legal action against the AG.By Dick Pryor

School support staff received a statewide pay raise after the 2018 Oklahoma Teacher Walkout, but while teacher pay remains a major legislative priority, support staff pay hasn’t. StateImpact’s Beth Wallis reports many paraprofessionals, who often provide critical support to students with disabilities, live paycheck to paycheck.…