The Frontier has hired Kayla Branch to cover the Oklahoma State Capitol, a hire that brings its staff to six reporters.

Branch, who most recently worked at The Oklahoman newspaper and covered homelessness, as well as county and state government, graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2019. 

Branch’s hiring comes as The Frontier begins to shift more of its coverage to reporting on the state Capitol. Oklahoma’s legislative session begins in February and Branch and Frontier reporter Ben Felder will spend much of 2021 focused on what happens inside the newly renovated Capitol building. 

“Coverage of the state Capitol has decreased over the years as newspapers have been hit with budget cuts and layoffs,” Frontier publisher Bobby Lorton said. “What happens in the state Capitol impacts all Oklahomans and we look forward to Kayla helping us keep an eye on what happens there, especially with the next legislative session set to begin soon.”

Branch is The Frontier’s third reporter to be based in the Oklahoma City area, joining Felder, and Brianna Bailey. Editor Dylan Goforth and reporters Clifton Adcock and Kassie McClung are based in Tulsa. 

To contact Branch for a story, email her at kayla@readfrontier.com. Follow her on Twitter at @kayla_branch

About The Frontier
The Frontier is a nonprofit investigative journalism outlet based in Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Its reporters cover a variety of topics, but are mainly focused on politics, health, education, criminal justice and environmental reporting. To contact The Frontier, email info@readfrontier.com. Donations to The Frontier are tax-deductible. To donate to The Frontier, click here.