Paul Monies of Oklahoma Watch
Paul Monies has been a reporter with Oklahoma Watch since 2017 and covers state agencies and public health. Contact him at (571) 319-3289 or [email protected].
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After pushing remote work before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt now wants state employees to come back to the office full-time in early 2025.
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Oklahoma’s Donahue Behavioral Health Center faces a $125 million funding shortfall due to underestimated costs, inflation and design changes. Delays may push its opening to 2028.
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The law is on hold, multiple exemptions have been taken and lawmakers failed to make changes in the latest legislative session. But Oklahoma’s Republican lawmakers and elected officials remain bullish about the state’s anti-ESG law targeting banks perceived as hostile to the oil and gas industry
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No appellate court justice has ever lost a retention election, and it’s rare for the races to attract much attention, let alone campaign ads on TV. But People for Opportunity is banking on the low name recognition of the Oklahoma Supreme Court justices to make its case to voters that three justices appointed by Democratic governors should not remain on the court.
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Oklahoma lawmakers significantly boosted funding for crisis pregnancy centers two years after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. It’s part of a wave of new funding for the mostly religious-affiliated nonprofits in states that have outlawed abortion.
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Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoed limits on spending on public relations by State Superintendent Ryan Walters but instead issued a broader executive order stopping state agencies from sole-source contracts for public relations. It’s unclear if that executive order would not apply to any contracts the state Education Department has for public relations that were under scrutiny by lawmakers.
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The Oklahoma oil and gas industry secured $50 million under a tax rebate program for methane-reduction equipment upgrades in a budget agreement struck last week by Republican legislative leaders.
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As campuses across the country see protests over the Israel-Hamas War, Oklahoma’s Free Speech Committee wants to ensure Oklahoma colleges and universities can be centers of robust discussion and peaceful protests without trampling on individual rights.
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One in five Oklahomans has medical debt in collections, among the highest rates in the country. A bipartisan bill would tackle one part of the process once those debts reach civil court.
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The Oklahoma State Election Board on Friday appointed two new Republican members to the Oklahoma County Election Board, just days after removing two GOP members in that county for failing to certify recent elections and spreading misinformation about the election process.