Alex Milan Tracy for Underscore
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The dozens of independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan news organizations that make up the Rural News Network are developing the broadest news alliance reporting on rural America. These newsrooms are pursuing coverage that provides a more complete picture of what it means to live and work in these communities.
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LATEST NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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SD 8 election: Bryan Logan wins eastern Oklahoma seat
May 13, 2025
Logan will become the 40th member of a Senate Republican Caucus that is nearly split between a more hardline conservative faction and a more moderate faction.
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In fiery testimony, Friesen says ODMHSAS has ‘likely’ been plagued by ‘corruption’
May 05, 2025
Testifying for the second time in front of a House investigative committee examining the agency she leads, Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Commissioner Allie Friesen went on the attack.
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Departing Biden commutes Leonard Peltier sentence
January 22, 2025
Oklahoma’s Congressional delegation did not sign the letter, nor did members release statements following Biden’s decision to commute Peltier’s sentence.
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As 30 legislators seek reelection, harassment case resurfaces in HD 83
November 04, 2024
An overview of all races for the Oklahoma Legislature, including one that has drawn controversy for a candidate’s termination by a state agency.
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Langston students, faculty frustrated as infrastructure issues push classes online
September 09, 2024
Broken air-conditioning units, newly-found asbestos and water outages in Langston University have forced the school in the tiny town north of Oklahoma City to revert to Zoom.
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War in Ukraine hurting Oklahoma wheat farmers
April 13, 2024
Russia has reopened ports out of the Black Sea, and Ukraine is exporting low-priced wheat, which means American farmers are struggling to match those prices and still make a profit. Some Oklahoma farmers are looking toward alternate crops.
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‘Not a drill’: Vian High School scare reminds rural Oklahoma of gun violence
December 15, 2023
The Vian Police Department has implemented more regulations in local schools as students and parents in the small town of 1,300 people in eastern Oklahoma deal with the aftermath of a gun violence threat in their community.
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Two western Oklahoma cities work to preserve their hospitals
August 24, 2023
Keeping each hospital open is vital for both communities, as losing one could create a domino effect of diminished health care services with physicians leaving a community and clinics and pharmacies closing. Rural hospitals in Oklahoma also stand as key economic engines and often are leading employers in their communities.
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‘Frustrated as hell’: Blackwell teacher quits after trying to take maternity leave
July 14, 2023
The district said it was simply following its policies, a claim that highlights the significance of a new state law that took effect July 1 mandating paid maternity leave for full-time employees of school districts.
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As Broadband Board chairman, Mike Fina pushed $20 million Motorola project with college roommate
July 06, 2023
Fina is the second appointee Stitt has removed from the Oklahoma Broadband Governing Board, which is poised to disburse as much as $1.6 billion to internet service providers to establish high-speed internet for underserved areas of Oklahoma.
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Two long-awaited SCOTUS decisions underscore fight for tribal rights
June 24, 2023
This month, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down two decisions concerning tribal sovereignty and the federal government’s obligations to tribal nations.
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EPS lawsuits: Vape search, bathroom fight, COVID-19 quarantine policy
June 20, 2023
Edmond Public Schools is the defendant in three lawsuits that have garnered substantial media attention.
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New law lets Oklahoma property owners repudiate racist language in land records
June 05, 2023
Although a 1948 U.S. Supreme Court decision declared such language unconstitutional and unenforceable, many land documents created under segregation still state that only Caucasians are allowed to own certain property.
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Oklahoma broadband upgrade efforts are gaining speed
May 25, 2023
The Oklahoma Broadband Office, which is poised to disburse as much as $1.6 billion to internet service providers to establish high-speed internet for underserved areas of Oklahoma, seems to be moving from a dial-up pace to one more closely fitting to its name.
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State board requests special DEI report from Oklahoma school districts
April 27, 2023
In a 90-minute meeting that was relatively short by State Board of Education standards, members requested a special report of school districts regarding their diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Arguing that a “more accurate” term for the programs would be “divide, exclude and indoctrinate,” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters said that although most […]
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