State Budget Includes One-Time Payment To Help ... - Oklahoma …
WEBMay 17, 2022 · The proposed budget includes nearly $700 million in funding for a new economic development incentive package reportedly meant to attract a battery manufacturing plant planned by Panasonic. Another $250 million in incentives would go to rural areas to help retrofit industrial parks. The budget also eliminates the state sales tax on vehicles, which was implemented in 2017 during a budget shortfall.
With Its Private Prison Empty, Western Oklahoma Town Faces An …
WEBJul 14, 2021 · But a presidential order has residents fearing the future. (Lionel Ramos/ Oklahoma Watch) HINTON—When the price of crude oil nosedived in the mid-1980s, this rural community halfway between El Reno and Weatherford was in trouble. Oil rig workers, once flush with cash and eager to spend it at downtown shops and cafés, started leaving in …
After Setting Record, Should Oklahoma End Straight-Ticket Voting?
WEBJan 26, 2021 · Oklahoma State Election Board data shows that more than 710,200 — or 45.5% of all voters — chose the straight-party voting option during last year’s general election. That is the most number of straight-party ballots, as well as the highest share of voters choosing this option, in at least the last three presidential elections. In 2016 ...
Oklahoma Moves Toward Phasing Out Private Prisons. What A …
WEBJul 31, 2020 · Nevada housed just 575 inmates in private facilities in 2017. Five months later, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill barring the state’s corrections department from entering into a new contract with any private corrections company. The law will phase out all private prisons in the state by 2028. Though legislation aimed at phasing out ...
Nursing Home Worker Shortage Puts Aging Oklahomans at Risk
WEBOct 12, 2022 · Whitney Bryen is an investigative reporter at Oklahoma Watch covering vulnerable populations. Her recent investigations focus on mental health and substance abuse, criminal justice, domestic violence and nursing homes. Contact her at (405) 201-6057 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @SoonerReporter.
Oklahoma Domestic Violence Reports Reach Highest Level in 20 …
WEBSep 17, 2021 · That suggests more incidents of violence are responsible for the climbing numbers, advocates said. Nearly 7 out of every 1,000 Oklahomans experienced domestic violence last year. Tulsa County saw the highest rate of abuse with nearly 13 out of every 1,000 residents reporting domestic abuse. 2020 domestic violence rates by county.
Why Are You Running? Oklahoma Candidates Say Why They’re in …
WEBApr 19, 2022 · Nick Archer. Running for: State House District 55 (Elk City, Sayre, Cheyenne) . Party: Republican. Why they’re running: “I’ve been the mayor of Elk City for the last two terms and District 55 has an open seat this year, so it felt like the right time to take that step.I think rural health care is important, especially to our smaller communities in western Oklahoma.
How Oklahoma Lawmakers Have Loosened Gun Regulations the …
WEBJun 3, 2022 · As lawmakers moved to loosen gun regulations, Oklahoma’s firearms mortality rate increased 31.8% between 2014 and 2020, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics. Gun deaths from homicides, suicides and accidental discharges are included in the firearms mortality rate. At 20.7 deaths per 100,000 residents, Oklahoma ...
Oklahoma Restores Voting Rights For Felons, But Not So Fast
WEBNov 1, 2020 · An Oklahoma Watch analysis of Department of Corrections data found 427, or 81% of the commutation recipients, are not in prison or on parole. An analysis of voter registration data found just 25 of these 427 people, or 5.9%, are registered to vote. Many of the 427 are in the same situation as Alexander — under no state supervision but still ...
As State Prison Staffing Shortage Persists, Advocates Fear Violence
WEBJun 21, 2021 · Oklahoma is facing a significant shortage of corrections officers, an ongoing problem advocates warn is causing widespread burnout among existing workers and is putting everyone who lives and works in state prisons at risk. The corrections department spent $19.4 million on overtime pay in fiscal year 2020, up 46% from fiscal year 2017.
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