Articles
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Local Government
Nashville’s commuter rail struggles raise questions about Oklahoma City’s $1.8 billion plan
Nashville’s nearly 20-year-old Music City Star commuter rail line offers a cautionary example for Oklahoma City as metro officials promote a $1.8 billion rail system connecting Edmond, Oklahoma City and Norman.Curtis Shelton | September 16, 2026
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Local Government
ONE Transit’s Texas rail success story doesn’t quite add up
As ONE Transit promotes its proposed $1.8 billion commuter rail system by pointing to Grapevine, Texas, as a model of rail-driven economic development, analysts say the cited numbers do not establish that the train generated significant new economic activity.Ray Carter | September 15, 2026
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Education
Oklahoma schools with sky-high per-student funding are sitting on millions in reserves—and aren’t necessarily producing the highest academic results
Forty-one Oklahoma school districts receive no state aid because of their substantial local revenues. Could some of these districts put more of their available resources toward teacher compensation and/or property-tax rebates?Ray Carter | September 15, 2026
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Law & Principles
Judges and property taxes: What Oklahoma voters should know about SQ 845 and SQ 847
Oklahoma voters will decide on two proposed constitutional amendments on Nov. 3, 2026. State Question 845 would alter the composition and eligibility requirements of the Judicial Nominating Commission. State Question 847 would limit annual increases in property valuations while expanding property-tax protections for seniors.Staff | September 15, 2026
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Education, Higher Education
SPLC challenged Oklahoma’s anti-racism law. Then it faced federal charges over alleged payments to people tied to extremist groups
Oklahoma’s HB 1775 restricts public-school employees from teaching eight specified concepts about race and sex, prompting legal challenges—including one from the Southern Poverty Law Center, which now faces separate federal charges over alleged payments to people associated with extremist groups.Ray Carter | September 15, 2026
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Higher Education
Oklahoma college students lean left despite state’s conservative politics
Oklahoma’s college campuses are considerably more liberal than the state’s electorate, according to new data from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE).Ray Carter | September 14, 2026
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Local Government
OKC commuter-rail plan could spread big-city problems along the tracks
Oklahoma City metro officials are pursuing a $1.8 billion, 39-mile commuter-rail system from Edmond through Oklahoma City to Norman, but taxpayers statewide should consider the problems that have accompanied similar transit projects elsewhere.Jonathan Small | September 14, 2026
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Education
Racists lose in court
Unlike the Southern Poverty Law Center, the ACLU, and the “Black Emergency Response Team” at the University of Oklahoma, most Americans are not obsessed with race. They agree with MLK that people should “not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”Trent England | September 14, 2026
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Education
Federal appeals court clears the way for Oklahoma to enforce anti-racism law
A federal appeals court has cleared the way for Oklahoma to enforce the K-12 provisions of its 2021 law (HB 1775) restricting public-school employees from teaching eight race- and sex-based concepts as truths.Ray Carter | September 10, 2026
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Local Government
Denver transit official warns Oklahoma about the high cost of commuter rail
A Denver transit official is warning Oklahoma against repeating the mistakes of a rail system that has struggled with aging infrastructure, changing commuting patterns, rising costs, and chronic financial pressure.Ray Carter | September 10, 2026