Kevin Stitt

The mayors of Oklahoma's two largest cities say they will allow their orders to slow the spread of coronavirus to expire on April 30.

Two tribes signed new agreements this week that would begin sports betting and table games. That led to criticism from the state legislature and the state attorney general. Both argue the Governor doesn’t have the authority from the legislature to authorize these new forms of gaming. 

Governor Kevin Stitt and Oklahoma's Attorney General Mike Hunter tussled over compact signed with the Comanche Nation and the Otoe-Missouria Tribe on Tuesday to begin sports betting and banked table gaming, such as blackjack, craps and roulette.

State Superintendent for Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister says she wants to use federal stimulus funds earmarked for education to boost internet connectivity for Oklahoma students.

"Our primary focus is on connectivity and our ability to close the digital divide," Hofmeister said Thursday.

The issue has been highlighted by the challenges districts face as they close out the school year conducting distance learning. Almost a quarter of the state’s students don’t have access to home internet.

Governor Kevin Stitt says Oklahoma's COVID-19 infections peaked on March 30 with 530 hospitalizations and have been on a steady decline during the month of April.

In a press conference Wednesday, he said this meets the first requirement set forth by the White House to start reopening the state’s economy and that he will change his executive order to allow some non-essential businesses to start offering services on April 24.

On Tuesday, Governor Kevin Stitt signed new gaming compacts with two of the tribes that were suing him in federal court — The Comanche Nation and The Otoe-Missouria Tribe.

But the dispute continues with ten other tribes over whether the pact tribes have been operating casinos under automatically renewed at the start of the year.

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has drawn the ire of the state’s school leaders after floating an idea to use $40 million in block grants from the federal CARES Act to pay for private school scholarships.

With Oklahoma's state budget facing billions of dollars in shortfalls over the next two years, education cuts are likely.

Governor Kevin Stitt said Monday that if the state's education system is held harmless, it will exacerbate cuts for other agencies statewide. So, lawmakers will have to yet again look at slashing education budgets.

Cuts have long plagued the state's education system, which still hasn't returned to pre-2008 recession funding.

The state panel that sets the amount the Oklahoma Legislature can spend on the state budget met as oil futures spiraled into negative territory for the first time ever.