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5 days ago | 
tulsaworld.com | Randy Krehbiel
Election reminder: Tuesday is Election Day for Republicans in Tulsa County House Districts 71 and 74, and for all voters in Senate District 8, which includes neighboring Okmulgee County and part of Creek County. Polls are open 7 a.m.-7 p.m.The GOP runoff in HD 71 pits attorney Beverly Atteberry against Tulsa Remote specialist Tania Garza. Atteberry received just under 50% in the three-way April 1 primary; Garza received 29%.
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1 week ago | 
tulsaworld.com | Randy Krehbiel
In "Oklahoma!", the farmer and the cowman decided they should be friends. In 21st century Oklahoma, the solar farmer and the cattle rancher apparently have not. At least, that is the conflict purportedly addressed by Senate Bill 915, by Sen. Grant Green, R-Wellston, which passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives as amended 78-13 on Monday.
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1 week ago | 
tulsaworld.com | Randy Krehbiel
Legislation that would lengthen and perhaps double the time served for certain crimes passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on Thursday. House Republicans sent Senate Bill 631, by Sen. Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, to Gov. Kevin Stitt on a party-line vote, 71-17. SB 631, which has attracted little attention this session, would add shooting into a building to the growing list of crimes for which 85% of a sentence must be served before a person can become eligible for parole or release.
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2 weeks ago | 
tulsaworld.com | Randy Krehbiel
Despite First Amendment concerns and suggestions of mixed messaging, the Oklahoma House of Representatives on Wednesday passed and sent to the governor two measures addressing anti-Semitic behavior. Senate Bills 942 and 991, both by Sen.
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2 weeks ago | 
tulsaworld.com | Randy Krehbiel
The Oklahoma House of Representatives was crankier than usual on Tuesday, with the majority Republicans giving hard "nos" to two Senate GOP bills and barely passing several others. The two losing measures were both related to education. One, Senate Bill 224, would have allowed state departments to share aggregated data on student performance. The other, SB 409, would have added days to the annual school calendars as appropriations to the state funding formula increase.
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2 weeks ago | 
tulsaworld.com | Randy Krehbiel
The latest iteration of Oklahoma's name, image and likeness law is on its way to the governor. Senate Bill 490, by Sen. Todd Gollihare, R-Kellyville, completed its legislative sojourn with a 69-19 vote in the state House of Representatives on Monday. House sponsor Mark Lawson, R-Sapulpa, said the measure is "to try and bring a level playing field to … name, image, likeness as well as put caps on the revenue sharing.
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2 weeks ago | 
tulsaworld.com | Randy Krehbiel
Fun's over: Congress returns this week to a tough job — producing a budget bill that actually makes it into law. Oklahomans are well-placed for the task. Fourth District Congressman Tom Cole is chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, U.S. Sen. James Lankford belongs to the Senate Finance Committee and 1st District Congressman Kevin Hern is on House Ways and Means.
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3 weeks ago | 
tulsaworld.com | Randy Krehbiel
Staying in touch: Congress is out for two weeks, but some members of Oklahoma’s congressional delegation have been busy on social media. U.S. Sen. James Lankford posted photos and videos of himself around the state, including a visit with a school counselor in Stroud and activities surrounding the 30th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing. Probably the most visible, though, has been Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who’s divided his posts between politics and updates on his family’s medical issues.
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3 weeks ago | 
tulsaworld.com | Randy Krehbiel
Ask a lawyer: State Treasurer Todd Russ and Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s rocky relationship hit another bad patch last week as Russ sued Drummond in the Oklahoma Supreme Court and Drummond responded by calling Russ incompetent. The current point of contention, aside from the bigger issue of who can do what with state money, is a contract to invest $100 million from the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust.
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4 weeks ago | 
tulsaworld.com | Randy Krehbiel |Tim Stanley
After hearing from the reporters who covered the bombing, we wanted to catch up with those closest to the tragedy — the people who became known during and after the bombing for the roles they played. We asked each one: What did the bombing teach you? — Jason Collington, editorGov. Frank Keating: ‘The postscript is that the devil does walk the streets’The pain, the trauma, the contradictions and the paradoxes of April 19, 1995, never go away, says former Gov. Frank Keating. So many senseless deaths.
