Large parts of the state lack access to high-speed broadband. A state office tasked with fixing the problem has diverted some federal relief money for upgrades to public safety communications systems.
Administrators say staff are frequently working 12-hour shifts, and though they try to avoid them, 16-hour shifts are sometimes necessary. Forty-eight out of 115 front-line positions are currently open.
Some officials blame a combination of a lack of qualified workers, infrastructure and incentives that haven’t kept pace with other states. Others say Oklahoma’s conservative politics are holding the state back. A new committee will look for answers.
House Speaker Charles McCall has vowed to kill any Senate education bills over changes.
The railroad company involved in the toxic crash was in the process of hauling contaminated soil to a storage facility in western Oklahoma.
Kintsel, who challenged Stitt in the 2022 Republican Primary, maintains that members of the commission are illegitimate.
House Speaker Charles McCall gave a stern warning to the Senate on Thursday: Hear the House’s education package “as is,” or any Senate education bills will be dead on arrival when they come to the House.
Despite lower turnout, data shows rural and urban parts of the state shifted dramatically from the state’s 2018 vote on medical cannabis. A proposal to legalize recreational use failed in every county.