OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Kevin Wallace, R-Wellston, today announced that the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) would begin an investigation into spending concerns regarding the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE). This investigation, approved by Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, and spearheaded by Wallace in his capacity as Chairman of LOFT, will focus on issues…
Early Voting for the Special Election will be at the Tulsa County Election Board at 555 North Denver. Early Voting: August 22 & 23 (8 a.m. – 6 p.m.) and August 24 (8 a.m. – 2 p.m.) Any registered voter in Tulsa County eligible to vote in the upcoming election can vote at early voting…
When the Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit was created in 2023, it gave Oklahoma something it has rarely enjoyed in competitions with border-state rival Texas: A clear advantage on a high-profile education issue. Oklahoma has robust school choice options for families. Texas does not. When he signed the school-choice program into law in May 2023,…
The University of Oklahoma is being paid millions in federal funds to tout climate-change theories in a race-based context, according to a recent announcement from the university. Researchers at the University of Oklahoma, in partnership with the Chickasaw Nation and the University of New Mexico, have received a $4 million grant from the National Science…
Due to the opposition of state Senate lawmakers, Oklahoma’s 2024 legislative session ended without passage of pro-growth income-tax cuts, despite the best efforts of Gov. Kevin Stitt and House Republicans leaders. But Stitt isn’t giving up, and he renewed his call for tax cuts this week after recent data showed the state government is in…
August 27 will be election day for the City of Tulsa mayor and council races and two city charter propositions as well as the runoff races from the June primaries for two Tulsa area legislative races and for the Tulsa County District 2 Republican and Democrat candidates. The two City of Tulsa questions that are…
Following weeks of delays, the Statewide Charter School Board on Monday rescinded its contract with a Catholic online school to comply with an order by the Oklahoma Supreme Court. The board voted 8-0 to rescind the contract, which authorized oversight and public funding of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School. Board member Ben Lepak…
In December 2023, Gov. Kevin Stitt issued an executive order seeking to downsize or eliminate “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) offices and bureaucracy at Oklahoma colleges and prevent colleges from engaging in illegal discrimination. “In Oklahoma, we’re going to encourage equal opportunity, rather than promising equal outcomes,” Stitt said at the time. “Encouraging our workforce,…
The Tulsa Mayoral race is an open seat with seven candidates vying for the position. Mayor G. T. Bynum decided not to run and the field is wide open. The race is a non-partisan race with just the candidate names appearing on the ballot. The candidates that filed in June are Brent L. VanNorman (64),…
Does some of my Social Security payment include repayment of my contributions? Dear Rusty: I have a question about my Social Security benefits. Would I be correct to assume that part of the monthly Social Security income I get is a repayment of what I contributed to the fund while I was working? If so,…
My mother would make a point to send out thank-you letters to people on a regular basis and taught her children to do the same. My wife is fantastic at thank-you notes, but it seems to have become outdated for most folks. I would love to highlight my mother and wife’s lessons of gratitude and…
[Looking at history and our area’s unique political and religious attitudes.] Civics was in the day. Until recent years, the education process included Civics as a required course on entering high school. As youngsters were getting older, it was assumed they needed to know how to live and function within the society and within the…
I used to hate the summer heat. For the first 30 years of my professional life, I wore a coat and tie to work. In the late 1970s, former President Jimmy Carter tried to get professional men to dress less formally to save money on energy. (He also mandated a 55-mph speed limit and neither…
[Looking at history and our area’s unique political and religious attitudes.] Silence never wins. Both sides of the political spectrum argue that society is in turmoil and more divided than ever. History bears out that turmoil is inevitable when the differences have a philosophical root. Let’s go back to the most ancient history commonly available….
What makes you unique? How can I find my identity and get rid of the baggage we are carrying around to become the beautiful masterpiece God created. When we were children, we were around all kinds of people and places that prepared us with a wealth of knowledge, helping us to know what we did…
The following elections/propositions will be voted on August 27 in the Tulsa municipal elections and runoffs from the June primary elections. Not every race will have an endorsement. If this is the case there will be a discussion of the candidates to help you in your decisions. TULSA MAYOR The Tulsa Beacon endorses Brent Van…
If Dogs could vote they would most certainly be Republicans. (1) Dogs are very protective of their offspring. So they would not support abortion, or allow strangers to brainwash their pups with perverted Ideology. (2) Dogs Love meat too much to be vegans. (3) Dogs are very defensive when it comes to their belongings (such…
As I reflect on the Republican Platform for 2024 and the ongoing national concerns about abortion and marriage which were omitted from the platform, I have noticed that the platform is being criticized for abandoning Christian values as well as for having Christian values. I approve of the platform because it is agreeable with sound…
From an economic standpoint, the minimum wage is terrible public policy. It hurts those its advocates claim to be trying to help, creating unemployment by making certain employment agreements a crime. We would be better off without it, and we certainly should not vote to increase it. Those of us who understand what an economic…
This week we will cover several bits of news and notes from the local sports scene. Tulsa’s newest ice center, WeStreet Ice Center, is featured in the July-August issue of Rink Magazine, published by the United States’ Rink Association. The article is entitled “Striking Oil.” The article goes into detail about how the ice center…
The OU Sooner Football team has eight players on watchlists for the 2024 season before any games have been played. Announced starting quarterback Jackson Arnold and LS Ben Anderson, punter Luke Elzinga and wide receiver Nic Anderson have each been named to one watch list. Arnold, a sophomore, has been named to the Maxwell Trophy…
TULSA, Okla. –– The University of Tulsa is excited to a new premium seating option for the 2024 football season as Suites and Club Seats at H.A. Chapman Stadium are sold out for the upcoming season with a waiting list forming for future years. For the first time ever, TU is excited to announce Field…
The Sooners joining the SEC this season were ranked 16th in the AP preseason poll and eighth in the SEC preseason media poll. This is their third season with Brent Venables as their head coach. OU has been in the AP preseason Top 25 poll 25 straight years, 66 times over all. Their overall ranking…
BRANSON, Missouri – It would be difficult for a stage play to have more impact than the production of Jesus here at Sight & Sound Theatre. The public ministry of Jesus Christ, His miracles, His relationships, His sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection are dramatically portrayed as only Sight & Sound can. Even though…
Vacation plans are on hold and Tulsans’ best options for entertainment due to the coronavirus outbreak are in their own living rooms. Movie theaters closed All the movie theaters in Tulsa – even the Admiral Twin Drive-in – are closed due to the pandemic. Entertainment venues, which tend to draw big crowds, are deemed “non-essential”…
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nineties country-music hitmaker Joe Diffie died March 29th due to complications related to COVID-19. In all, Diffie charted 18 Top 10 singles, with the majority reaching the top five, including 1993 radio essentials Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (If I Die) and iconic song, John Deere Green. Diffie’s popular hits also…
