Articles
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Education, Culture & the Family
Some Oklahoma officials echo Biden on statewide mask mandate
Following the lead of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, some state officials are demanding that Oklahoma institute a statewide mask mandate—including for school children.Ray Carter | November 10, 2020
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Education, Culture & the Family
Broken Arrow High School closes despite few COVID-19 cases
The Broken Arrow school district is shutting down in-person learning at its high school and transitioning to a fully online platform due to COVID-19 concerns. But the district’s own data shows very little COVID-19 infection exists at its schools.Ray Carter | November 6, 2020
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Culture & the Family
Moore schools' COVID-19 numbers defy doomsday predictions
Starting the 2020-2021 school year amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, many of Oklahoma’s largest districts decided to shutter all in-person learning and go fully online.Ray Carter | November 3, 2020
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Culture & the Family
Fears Fellows already making an impact
When OCPA envisioned the J. Rufus Fears Fellowship, our aim was to prepare young leaders for Oklahoma’s future. As it turns out, that future is now. Already, Fears Fellows are doing great things.Rick Farmer, Ph.D. | October 15, 2020
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Culture & the Family
County COVID ‘threat’ levels not so threatening
Counties with fewer than 14.5 cases per 100,000 population are placed in the yellow, or “low risk,” category, while those exceeding that rate are in the orange, or “moderate risk,” category.Ray Carter | September 29, 2020
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Culture & the Family
Lawmakers review challenges of open-meeting changes
As the COVID-19 pandemic hit Oklahoma last spring, state lawmakers responded by authorizing temporary changes to state open-meetings laws and allowed government bodies to meet entirely by video or teleconference.Ray Carter | September 24, 2020
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Culture & the Family
State reopening not harming citizen health
Oklahoma’s economy has been fully reopened for months and, although more Oklahomans have contracted COVID-19, the number of those being hospitalized for the virus has declined.Ray Carter | September 17, 2020
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Economy, Culture & the Family
Review of state’s pandemic response includes warnings
To better prepare for future pandemics, state lawmakers conducted a review this week of state and local government responses to COVID-19. Among the takeaways: Many challenges early in the pandemic were the result of the government itself.Ray Carter | September 16, 2020
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Criminal Justice, Culture & the Family
Sober living through community
Tucked away in south Tulsa, on a street where residential homes have mostly been converted to commercial businesses, sits Sangha (pronounced SAHN-guh, Sanskrit for “community”). Sangha is a sober-living house that typically houses around six men working to kick addiction.Ryan Haynie & Kaitlyn Finley | September 15, 2020
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Education, Culture & the Family
Why don’t schools mandate masks? No COVID
Thirty-five percent of OK schools do not mandate mask-wearing. Why not? Because there is little or no COVID-19 in many of those communities, most are small districts able to socially distance students, and the absence of a mandate does not mean the absence of masks.Ray Carter | August 31, 2020