In The News 04.23.2026

Here are the headlines shared on Thursday, April 23, 2026.

• Police warn of scam hitting Oklahomans’ phones, emails (KTUL)

• Oklahoma bill shielding oil and gas from climate lawsuits heads to governor (KOKH)

• Heartland Flyer funding remains uncertain as Texas and Oklahoma reach stalemate (KWTV)

• Paxton shifts ‘TSET reset,’ Hilbert meets with frustrated Freedom Caucus senators (Nondoc)

• OK Senate struggles to secure votes for Aug. ballot state questions (The Journal Record)

• Oklahoma lawmakers unveil plan to tap $1B in voter-restricted fund (Oklahoma Voice)

• Sports betting in Oklahoma fails in the Senate (KFOR)

• Bill hiking state employee longevity pay heads to Oklahoma governor (Oklahoma Voice)

• Oklahoma bill would require districts to share more teacher records in hiring (KTUL)

• Oklahoma Legislature sends governor measure allowing mail tracking of driver’s licenses (Oklahoma Voice)

• Oklahoma’s high-speed Internet plan approved by feds (KOSU)

• Former party leaders call for Oklahoma Republican chair to remain neutral in primary or resign (KOSU)

• Divorcing from usual process, Oklahoma Board of Education rewrites dozens of social studies standards (KGOU)

• ‘Establish a baseline of impact’: Piedmont residents raise questions about possible data center (Nondoc)

• Osage Nation Attorney General Clint Patterson resigns (KOSU)

• Stillwater Rare Earth plant years behind schedule as questions grow over production (KOKH)

• Cherokee chief won’t be allowed to speak on Oklahoma House floor again, chamber leader says (Oklahoma Voice)

• Oklahoma City leaders approve data center moratorium (KGOU)

• Nearly 200 racehorses banned from Oklahoma events after suspected abuse (KOCO)

• ‘The laws are broken’: Plea ends 3-year cockfighting-related criminal case (Nondoc)

• Police investigate hidden camera arrest at local TV station (KFOR)

• Toxic Pressure: A documentary screening on oilfield wastewater threatening Oklahoma communities (The Frontier)

• State Farm Told a Retired Judge His Adjuster Report Was a Corporate Secret; He Lawyered Up (Oklahoma Watch)

• Comanche Nation opens pediatric clinic in Lawton (KSWO)

• Stitt signs bill to double Oklahoma elementary school recess time (KGOU)

• Jackson County Courthouse remodel uncovers 115-year-old history (KSWO)

Heavy rainfall has brought substantial relief to central and eastern Oklahoma, with totals reaching 150% to 400% of normal for the week. This moisture was enough to significantly improve or even remove drought conditions in the wettest areas. However, the relief was not statewide; the Oklahoma Panhandle missed out on these rains and remains quite dry. Additionally, while temperatures in neighboring Texas dropped below normal, Oklahoma’s northern and eastern counties saw temperatures remain 2–6°F above average, keeping evaporation rates high in areas that didn’t receive the heaviest downpours.

Oklahoma summary of the National Drought Summary for April 21, 2026.

Register To Vote!

The deadline to register to vote in the Oklahoma Primary Election on June 16, 2026, is May 22, 2026. If you haven’t yet, please register to vote. For more details on voting in Oklahoma, please visit the Oklahoma State Elections Board’s website at oklahoma.gov/elections.

State Questions

There is one State Question scheduled for the June primary ballot: SQ 832, Minimum wage increase.

We’re still watching for the legislature to schedule any State Questions for the August run-off election.

You can view the list of State Questions and their status on the Oklahoma Secretary of State’s website at www.sos.ok.gov/gov/questions.aspx

Pete Takes Questions, Live from Tulsa (Pete Buttigieg)

The $10B Plan to Move (Then Bury) an Interstate (Road Guy Rob)

Why is it called Welsh Rabbit (Rarebit)? (Tasting History with Max Miller)

Yoko Kanno & SEATBELTS - TANK! Extended [Official Music Video] (Yoko Kanno)

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Until next time.

– K. @}-;--

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