Matt McCabe

Oklahoma City

Reporter at KOMU-TV (Columbia, MO)

Storyteller @News9, @NPPA board member, @IRE_NICAR member and Adjunct Professor @OTripleC.

Articles

Guthrie Job Corps Center part of nationwide Department of Labor cuts

3 weeks ago | news9.com | Matt McCabe

Operations at the privately contracted Job Corps center in Guthrie must be paused by June 30, according to a news release from the Department of Labor. The site is one of 99 locations across the country impacted. Cherokee Nation Chief, Chuck Hoskin Jr., also released a statement identifying the location it operates in Tahlequah as also being part of the list of shuttered locations.
Oklahoma City Police presents proposed budget to City Council

1 month ago | news9.com | Matt McCabe

Oklahoma City is nearing an upcoming deadline for the next fiscal year. Citywide, departments were instructed to propose reductions. The police department has proposed a budget representing an increase from the prior year of 4.19%. The overall proposed budget for the next fiscal year for the Oklahoma City Police is $297,951,282. The portion that comes from the city’s general fund is projected to increase by 2.41%. Yet, the proposed budget includes the freezing of 20 vacant officer positions.
OSU lobbying invoices part of larger Innovation Foundation financial problems

1 month ago | news9.com | Matt McCabe

Newly released open records reveal a small example of the financial issues that led to an investigation of how Oklahoma State University spent state-appropriated funds. Previous OSU president Kayse Shrum resigned from the position effective February 3 during the early stages of an investigation.
Oklahoma City Police Chief responds to mass arrests in ‘street takeover’ operation

1 month ago | news9.com | Matt McCabe

Community groups have jumped into growing conversations about an illegal ‘street takeover’ last weekend, resulting in 154 arrests. Early Friday morning, opponents held a news conference criticizing the operation as heavy-handed. Oklahoma City’s police chief, Ron Bacy, called a late-in-the-day news conference on Friday to respond on behalf of the department. Why did the department respond in force to this takeover?
US Homeland Security prepares new budget; Oklahoma tries to advance own law for immigration policy

1 month ago | news9.com | Matt McCabe

Oklahoma state leaders are pushing toward another chance to enforce HB 4156, despite a second legal challenge keeping the law on hold until June 3. If the legal challenge fails, the law will take effect. Practically, it would establish a state-level immigration policy. Opponents argue that immigration policy is strictly the responsibility of the federal government.
Norman Council advances Entertainment District, with ‘conditions’

1 month ago | news9.com | Matt McCabe

Norman’s City Council has approved a phasing plan for the $1.2 billion Rock Creek Entertainment District, which has sought $600 million in TIF dollars. Council’s approval has specific conditions tied to the ongoing litigation, now in the hands of Oklahoma’s Supreme Court. First announced in September of 2023, the project has stalled in a series of lawsuits and legal challenges.
Governor releases new report on mental health funding struggle

1 month ago | news9.com | Matt McCabe

Governor Kevin Stitt has released an initial report from the accounting expert he tapped to review the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse’s finances, his office announced on Monday. Stitt committed to bringing in an independent financial expert on May 2, later naming Greenwell to that role. Greenwell is currently a professor at Oklahoma Baptist University and previously served on the Oklahoma City Council. Greenwell’s findings suggest 52 areas the department can improve.
Tecumseh family still stranded after huge washout during historic floods

1 month ago | news9.com | Matt McCabe

Two weeks after historic flooding across Oklahoma, warmer weather reveals lasting scars in badly damaged communities. In one part of Tecumseh, a family remains stranded after a portion of the private road washed out, leading up to their house. Now, a roughly 10-foot hole separates their home from the community. “When we moved out here, we didn't know what it was,” said Jeff Welchel, who has now lived in the home for 30 years.
Donahue Behavioral Health Hospital takes new shape amid funding struggles

1 month ago | news9.com | Matt McCabe

In March of 2024, Oklahoma leaders ceremonially broke ground on what was forecasted to be a state-of-the-art mental health hospital and campus located at OSU-OKC, costing $150 million. But construction never began; in fact, lawmakers on Monday explained, the land had not even been sold to the state. “At least one site in Oklahoma City has been identified, which can be renovated to meet the needs to replace the beds at Griffin Memorial Hospital,” Sen.
Norman nearing next deadline for Entertainment District project, Supreme Court appeal ongoing

1 month ago | news9.com | Matt McCabe

Norman’s City Council is approaching another deadline in the city’s quest to build the $1.2 billion dollar Rock Creek Entertainment District, which would be anchored by a new arena for OU Athletics. Approving a phasing plan During an April 22 meeting, the City Council was presented with a phasing plan prepared by developers. It outlined the timelines, order, and cost of the expected stages of development.