Oklahoma Watch

Oklahoma Watch is a nonprofit organization recognized as a 501(c)(3) that focuses on thorough and investigative journalism related to public policy and quality-of-life challenges in Oklahoma. Our aim is to explore important issues in depth, offering thoughtful analysis while uncovering significant trends, facts, and underlying causes, along with potential solutions. As a non-partisan entity, we are committed to being fair, accurate, and comprehensive in our reporting. We seek to encourage and enrich public and private discussions that can positively impact the lives of those in Oklahoma. We produce original content that is shared with various media partners across the state and made available on our website and social media platforms. Our emphasis is on data-driven journalism and innovative reporting that adds to the coverage provided by other local and regional news sources. We work in partnership with other news organizations on various topics, particularly focusing on issues like poverty, education at all levels, healthcare, children's welfare, mental health, financial accountability, and support for the elderly and disadvantaged. We advocate strongly for First Amendment rights and government transparency while upholding the crucial watchdog role of the news media.

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First Watch: Stuff You Should Know

3 days ago | oklahomawatch.org | Ted Streuli

A federal magistrate judge recommended that four Oklahoma prisoners who were confined in 3-by-3-foot shower stalls for extended periods in August 2023 have a valid claim that their constitutional rights were violated. Should U.S. District Judge Patrick Wyrick adopt Erwin’s recommendation, claims that several prison staff members willfully neglected the prisoners’ Eighth and Fourteenth Amendment rights will continue.
First Watch: Stuff You Should Know

4 days ago | oklahomawatch.org | Ted Streuli

Rep. Tom Cole, a Republican from Oklahoma’s 4th District, is navigating a complex political landscape as he balances his longstanding bipartisan reputation with the increasingly partisan environment of Washington under President Donald Trump. As chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Cole has played a pivotal role in shaping spending legislation, often finding himself at the intersection of party loyalty and cross-party collaboration.
First Watch: Stuff You Should Know

1 week ago | oklahomawatch.org | Ted Streuli

The Parental Choice Tax Credit was touted as way for Oklahomans to use public money allocated for their children’s education to pay for private school tuition. Families earning less than $75,000 per year were tapped to go to the front of the line. But the tax credit didn’t send tens of thousands of disenfranchised public school families with moderate incomes to sign their kids up for elite private educations.
First Watch: Stuff You Should Know

1 week ago | oklahomawatch.org | Ted Streuli

Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoed House Bill 1137, which would continue Oklahoma’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Office beyond its initial three-year term. The office, created in 2021 with bipartisan support, has been instrumental in coordinating efforts among tribal, local, state, and federal authorities to address the disproportionate number of Indigenous people who go missing or are murdered in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma Agencies Publish Private School Tax Credit Recipients Under Transparency Law

1 week ago | oklahomawatch.org | Paul Monies

Oklahoma officials have released the names of the thousands of taxpayers who received the new Parental Choice Tax Credit for tuition and expenses at private schools. After repeated requests by Oklahoma Watch dating back to December, the Oklahoma Tax Commission sent the tax credit recipient data to the state’s open data website. The information is limited to just the name of the taxpayer and the amount of private school tax credits they received in 2024.
First Watch: Stuff You Should Know

1 week ago | oklahomawatch.org | Ted Streuli

Oklahoma Republicans convened Saturday at Crossroads Church in Oklahoma City for the state GOP convention, where delegates overwhelmingly voted to censure outgoing Chairman Nathan Dahm. Though Dahm is not seeking another term, concerns over his continuing role as State Director of the State Freedom Caucus Network motivated the action.
Mental Health Agency Warns of Payroll Issues Amid Cash Crunch

2 weeks ago | oklahomawatch.org | Paul Monies

Leaders at Oklahoma’s mental health agency have told lawmakers the cash crunch is so severe, the agency may have trouble meeting its payroll obligations this month. The Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, which is under four legislative or executive investigations or audits, said on Thursday afternoon its latest budget shortfall for the current fiscal year has now reached $23 million.
Divided Court Hears Oklahoma Religious Charter School Case

2 weeks ago | oklahomawatch.org | Jennifer Palmer

Oklahoma was in the national spotlight Wednesday as the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case over the state’s desire to create the nation’s first publicly funded religious charter school. The justices seemed split along predictable ideological lines, with Republican-appointed justices sympathetic to the school and Democratic-appointed ones skeptical.
First Watch: Stuff You Should Know

2 weeks ago | oklahomawatch.org | Ted Streuli

Never underestimate the power of perseverance. Channen Smith was convicted of first-degree murder for a 2010 Tulsa homicide. As Keaton Ross reported, Tulsa Police Department detective Vic Regalado, now the Tulsa County Sheriff, didn’t buy Smith’s alibi. Neither did the jury, nor the judge who sentenced him to life in prison. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals twice upheld Smith’s conviction.
Oklahoma Prisoner Perseveres in Pro Se Wrongful Detention Lawsuit

2 weeks ago | oklahomawatch.org | Keaton Ross

Channen Smith claims he was watching a movie with his then-girlfriend in Claremore when two people were shot, one fatally, outside a north Tulsa home in 2010. Tulsa Police Department detective Vic Regalado, now the Tulsa County Sheriff, didn’t buy his alibi. Neither did the jury that found him guilty of first-degree murder nor the judge that sentenced him to life in prison. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals twice upheld Smith’s conviction.