But that momentum has hit a pause.

City leaders have unanimously approved a temporary moratorium on new data center development, stepping back amid growing concerns about what these massive projects could mean for Tulsa’s power grid, water supply and long-term growth.

At the same time, data centers promise jobs, investment, infrastructure and a foothold in a rapidly expanding industry. But they also come with enormous demands.

So where does Tulsa go from here?

On this episode of Listen Frontier, we’re talking with Tulsa City Councilors Phil Lakin and Laura Bellis about why they supported the moratorium, what questions still need answers, and what it would take for them to feel comfortable moving forward with data center development in Tulsa.

Tulsa District 4 City Councilor Laura Bellis

Dylan: What does the moratorium actually do and what does it not stop?

Laura Bellis: Project Anthem’s Phase One is still moving forward, and potentially Phase Two depending on future approvals. What the moratorium does is create a nine-month pause so our planning office can update how data centers are handled in our zoning code.

Right now, our code treats them like light industrial uses, which assumes they won’t have off-site impacts like noise or vibration. But that’s not what we’re seeing with large-scale, hyperscale data centers. So this pause gives us time to study best practices and update our policies.

During the moratorium, no new permits can be pulled for data centers. The goal is that when it ends, we’ll have clearer rules about where they can go and whether our community has the capacity to support them.

Dylan: Are there limits to what this moratorium can accomplish?

Laura Bellis: This is a good first step, but it’s not a complete solution. Technology, especially AI and data centers, is evolving faster than regulation.

At the city level, we can address land use and zoning, but we really need broader policy at the state and federal levels as well. My hope is that during this time, we can learn from other communities, see what works elsewhere, and start building a more comprehensive approach.

Dylan: What does success look like when the moratorium ends?

Laura Bellis: Success would mean we have clear definitions in our zoning code for different types and sizes of data centers, along with requirements to mitigate impacts.

Ideally, we’d limit where hyperscale data centers can go and have a better understanding of how many our region can realistically support, especially when it comes to water and power. We’ll also have more information from things like the Cherokee Nation’s upcoming study and potential state legislation.

Right now, we just don’t capture the nuance. By the end of this process, we should.

Tulsa District 8 City Councilor Phil Lakin

Dylan: What led you to support the moratorium?

Phil Lakin: I supported it, but really as a way to take time and get policy right. The final version was the result of compromises, and that’s why it passed unanimously.

Our zoning code wasn’t written with data centers in mind, and right now they could potentially be built next to neighborhoods or existing businesses. This gives us time — about 270 days — to fix that.

It also allows projects already in the pipeline to continue, which was an important consideration.

Dylan: How did you balance economic opportunity with community concerns?

Phil Lakin: That was a big part of the discussion. On one hand, data centers bring investment, property tax revenue and franchise fees from electricity use. Those can be meaningful for the city.

On the other hand, there are concerns about water use, power demand and proximity to neighborhoods. For me, the key was balance.

We want to remain open for business, but we also want to be thoughtful about where these projects go. A moratorium gives us time to get that planning right instead of reacting after the fact.

Dylan: What does success look like after the moratorium?

Phil Lakin: The most important thing is getting the zoning code right, clearly defining where data centers can and can’t go.

Beyond that, I think success is having a better public understanding of both the benefits and the downsides. A lot of people focus on one side or the other, but we need to look at the full picture.

We all use data centers every day, whether it’s cloud storage, Google searches or AI. So part of this is helping people understand both the impact and the role they play in our daily lives.

Noem was abruptly pushed out of her role leading the Department of Homeland Security by President Donald Trump, setting off a scramble over who would take over one of the federal government’s most powerful agencies — responsible for border security, immigration enforcement, disaster response and counterterrorism.

Trump’s pick of Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin stunned many. If confirmed, Mullin would leave what is often considered one of the most secure jobs in American politics — a U.S. Senate seat — to take on a Cabinet position in an administration known for frequent turnover.

To help us break down what happened, why Mullin might take the job, and what it could mean for Oklahoma politics, I’m joined by Reese Gorman.

Reese is a national political reporter for NOTUS covering Congress and the Trump administration. Before that, he worked here in Oklahoma as a reporter for The Frontier.

Dylan Goforth: When you first heard about the Boarmans’ situation, what made you think this wasn’t just a private well problem but a story about the state’s oil and gas regulator? What was the moment where the story “clicked” for you?

Nick Bowlin: After my initial conversations with Tammy and Chris, I sent in an open records request with the state. Once I got the files and began to read, the click happened pretty fast. I saw that officials at the OCC had found strong signs of oil and gas pollution using a number of different metrics and tests. And this was for a house that sits in the middle of a legacy oilfield, drilled in the 1940s. Old wells plugged with mud – a common practice at the time – surround their house. But all this evidence didn’t seem to lead to urgent action. The agency slow-walked testing nearby oil and gas operations and water sampling for heavy metals. And when they finally ran those tests, they found problems. People all over the state are dealing with pollution threats from historic and current oil and gas. Tammy and Chris were unusually proactive in pushing the state to help them and trying to learn all they could about their situation. If this is how the state handled the Boarmans’ case, it didn’t bode well for other Oklahomans coming to the OCC for help.

Dylan: A huge part of this story relies on internal emails, test results and agency reports. How did you go about getting those records, and what was the most surprising or revealing document you found?

Nick: I relied primarily on open records requests to the OCC. My first one took a while, since my request covered over a year of agency work on the Boarmans’. But after that, I could submit requests covering only a few months at a time and the agency tended to return these promptly. To my mind, the most revealing set of emails come from September 2024, after the Boarmans’ state senator got involved. His arrival seemed to spur the state to finally order long-delayed tests. I was also struck by the electromagnetic survey images: For the most part, oil and gas reporters don’t get to see the pollution we report on. Leaks happen deep below our feet, while CO2 emissions are invisible. But those images taken by the agency offered a rare and disturbing picture of the pollution plume contaminating the Boarmans’ drinking water.

Dylan: There are several points in the story where agency staff appear to know more than the Boarmans do about what’s happening to their water. How did you piece together that timeline of who knew what, and when?

Nick: I built out a detailed chronology, based on the records I received and interviews with the Boarmans’. It wasn’t hard to do that with the agency emails. But I also built a timeline of the evidence. There isn’t a single test that definitively proves oil and gas contamination. Instead, the state relied on an accumulation of data, evaluating things like salts, the presence of certain metals, chemical ratios and the belowground electromagnetic maps. That was a useful exercise: to see the growing pile of evidence pointing to oil and gas, compared to the agency’s handling of the Boarmans’ pollution case.

Dylan: The McCoon injection well becomes central to the story. How did you figure out it might be a key suspect, and what did you have to learn about injection wells and groundwater science to understand what was going on?

Nick: I looked into the McCoon simply because the state flagged it as a problem well. Internal emails noted its checkered operational history and proximity to the Boarman house. And a report commissioned by the state about the Boarman case offered a number of recommendations; the McCoon was the only nearby well singled out for further testing. But near the McCoon are a number of poorly plugged wells, all of them potential pollution threats. It’s not hard to envision these wells working together, with wastewater rising up the poorly plugged wellbores. The report I mentioned just now talks about the pollution possibly spreading through“complex pathways.” That’s the thing about these oil and gas pollution cases: they’re incredibly complex and definitively proving a culprit is an enormous challenge. The state ultimately told Tammy and Chris that it could not find where the pollution originated and closed their case.

Dylan: Tammy herself becomes almost an investigator in this story, combing through records late at night. How did your reporting overlap with her own digging, and how did you verify what she was finding?

Nick: Tammy has a second career as a reporter if she wants one. She probably filed more records requests than I did, and she spent many hours learning about oil and gas operations and the pollution threats they pose. In many cases, we had the same sets of documents, since I obtained her case files independently of her. So, after our interviews, it was easy to fact-check things she’d told me, and pull up the relevant documents to get to the primary source. She was also good about taking pictures of signs of the pollution around her house, helping me verify anecdotes before I began speaking to her.

Dylan: You tie this one family’s ordeal to a much larger problem — tens of thousands of unplugged wells and weak oversight statewide. How did you balance telling such a personal story while also showing readers the systemic picture?

Nick: This story is one in a series about oilfield pollution, produced by The Frontier and ProPublica, so I have the benefit of being able to do different types of stories about different facets of this issue. The first story in this series took an expansive, statewide view of the oilfield wastewater blowouts called purges, so, for this one, I was interested in doing a zoomed-in look at the toll of pollution on a single family. Those are the stakes of bad regulation: everyday people are harmed. But I wanted to make clear that Tammy’s story isn’t just an outlier, so we made sure to talk about the issues with legacy oilfield pollution elsewhere in the Edmond area. The West Edmond Field was one of the state’s most important oil plays in the 1940s, and now, new homes are being built on land littered with orphan and mud-plugged wells, especially in the Deer Creek neighborhood. And no one knows how much old contamination there is beneath the surface.

Dylan: After months of reporting, what part of this story surprised or frustrated you the most as a reporter?

Nick: I definitely felt anger at the uncertainty of it all, a lesser version of the frustration that’s been eating at Tammy and Chris for years: there’s an obvious problem with their water, the state didn’t do everything it could to investigate it and now we will likely never know the source of the contamination. And now they just have to live with it – until they can get on rural water. In that sense, the Boarmans’ are lucky. I’ve interviewed other homeowners dealing with industry pollution on their properties who have no hope of cleanup or are too far out in the country to hook up to a water system. It’s hard to witness people forced to resign themselves to such hopeless circumstances.

Hart Brown: You bet. Coming out of school, I was doing a lot of work in what we now refer to as predictive analysis, so algorithmic based decision making, using math to help understand what's likely to happen and then make the best decisions you possibly can.

I had a number of people come to me and say Hart, can you build an artificial intelligence system that can do what you do on paper in real time? I answered. I said let's find out. It sounds really interesting. At that time, there was really only one system that anybody could really use, and that was IBM Watson. And so I built an artificial intelligence system on top of IBM Watson to be able to leverage this algorithm in real time. And got very good success.

Frontier: So let's talk about the governor's report a little bit. The document calls itself a forward thinking approach, which is right means, in a lot of ways, that some of it is aspirational in a sense that we're at a point where we don't exactly know where we're going to end up with AI. What are some of the concrete things that Oklahoma could do in the next six months, 12 months that are realistic to embrace AI better or better understand how it’s shaping Oklahoma?

Hart Brown: It’s really important to understand that we're really talking about a longer timeline. So some elements of that are going to happen closer to a two year time frame. Some may be a little bit further out now. We're transitioning from a period of time where artificial intelligence really kind of felt like a toy. It was interesting, it was fun. We all started to use it. We downloaded the apps. We were making pictures and lots of different things. Oklahoma is in a relatively low unemployment environment, meaning it's hard for Oklahoma employers to find good people to hire, and so with that, let's use the technology. Let's grow the businesses as quickly as we can by leveraging that in a responsible and reasonable way.

Frontier: Is it even possible at this point to have guardrails, or to know what the guardrails would even be? At some point, it will start to affect people's jobs. You mentioned low unemployment, people having difficulty filling some of these positions that maybe AI could replace, but at some point people's jobs will be what's being replaced. And so are there guardrails to protect workers? Or how should people approach that part of the discussion?

Hart Brown: From an economic productivity perspective, I need everybody working and I need everybody using the technology. If the technology replaces people in this ecosystem, I don't get the economic value out of the system at the end of the day. And really what we're seeing in the next two to three years, whichever country maximizes its potential related to artificial intelligence, is likely to be the dominant economic country for the next 75 to 100 years. So first and foremost, I need everybody in the ecosystem being productive.

It doesn't make sense for us to have a broad based disruption of the employment environment, because we don't win at the end of the day. We won't be the dominant economic country. So I'm very optimistic that if we do see that turbulence, that we have enough opportunities to resolve that before it really becomes a problem.

Frontier: Looking at the strategy and at this report, if we revisit it in five or 10 years, what would success look like in Oklahoma, and what would count as a failure that Oklahoma should be willing to try to avoid?

Hart Brown: Five years is a great horizon. What I would love to be able to say is that Oklahoma is at the forefront of artificial intelligence and advanced technology for the country and the world, which absolutely we have that that opportunity, I would say, from an economic perspective, that we've grown our economy by 40% here in the state overall by being able to do This, and that is a benefit to every single individual here in the state. So those two things, I think, are incredibly important for us moving forward, and we can accomplish that in a five year window.

In recent months, immigrants who’ve lived in the U.S. for years — some for decades — have been jailed for months without bond hearings, even when they have no criminal convictions and deep ties to their communities. Their only path to release has been through habeas corpus petitions filed in federal court.

At the same time, Oklahoma is becoming a growing hub for immigration detention as private prison companies expand their footprint.

Our reporter, Ari Fie, has been digging into these cases to understand who’s being detained, why this is happening now, and what it means for due process. I spoke with her about what she found.

In this week’s Q&A, Clifton walks us through how he pieced this story together: from tracking down hard-to-find utility filings to decoding dense regulatory documents and uncovering data center projects that weren’t publicly disclosed. He also talks about the challenges of explaining highly technical issues in a way readers can understand, and what surprised him most as he followed the money, energy, and incentives behind Oklahoma’s data-center boom.

Read the story: Oklahoma’s data center boom is about to hit the grid — and your power bill

Seifried: It’s been in effect for almost two months in Oklahoma, and the results and the feedback have just been amazing. I heard from schools and administrators early on, talking about the lunchrooms being louder and the hallways being more crowded. My favorite recent anecdote is library books are being checked out at a higher frequency than at this point last year, so a lot of really positive feedback.

Frontier: That kind of leads us into what we're talking about today, which is you have an interim study about technology in schools. So tell us a little bit about that study and what you hope to learn from it.

Seifried: Yeah, this study sort of really dovetails off of my work on removing cell phones, because as I went around the state and talked about it over the last two years, I would meet with parents who were concerned about the use of screens and laptops in their child's classrooms. And they would question if learning was happening, or how much students are using screens. And at first, I sort of didn't want to become the anti-screens girl. But I think it's a good conversation to have. 

This study got to be a little bit more academic. We got into the neuroscience of how we learn and or how we don't learn. I also serve as chair of the technology committee, so I sort of get to wear these two really fascinating hats. As we're trying so desperately to increase our academic achievement, I want us to make sure that we're doing the right things. And maybe the right thing isn't the new and shiny technology or the new and shiny software, or this platform that promises the moon.

Frontier: That’s not only a conversation that's taking place as it relates to schools. Right now, what's the main conversation we’re having in the state? It's AI, it's about data centers, the impact of this technology and this industry. And there is that discussion among adults, too, about the use of AI as a tool. Is it productive to give your creative juices to a computer as opposed to just doing this yourself? How much of our brain power are we giving over to computers? And does that, in a sense, make us less human? You have mentioned technology and how it should be used, with caution, as a teaching tool. And I just kind of wondered at this point in this process,  what evidence would you want to see before deciding if a specific type of technological platform or in-class technology is truly improving learning outcomes?

Seifried: One of the main things that we really took away was there are a lot of things that can improve educational outcomes. Like the air conditioning, or just a little bit of extra tutoring that kind of moves the needle. But what we should be asking, really, is not, does this move the needle, but does this move the needle better than something else. So for example, if we spend $10 million on this software across the state of Oklahoma, is that going to move the needle for our students more than taking that $10 million and investing it into our teachers or our reading specialists or giving stipends to teachers who are just crushing it in the classroom?

AI is an amazing tool. But you have to master those foundational educational blocks, right? You have to be able to do the hard thing first. One of our speakers likened it to learning how to drive. If you learn to drive a stick shift, and then you go to automatic, no problem. But if you start with an automatic and you go stick, you have so much more difficulty going backwards and mastering those topics. And so I just wondered, do these softwares and platforms and AI chat bots really help us learn more than a quality teacher sitting down and working with your student?

Frontier: You're essentially talking about opportunity cost here. If you’ve got $10 million to add some technology to classrooms, could that $10 million get you better results in another way? You’ve mentioned investing in some proven supports, like reading specialists,or upping teacher pay, instead of this theoretical technology that might possibly make something in the classroom better. Do you think that maybe there's too much focus or too much spending on tech for classrooms, and not enough focus and not enough spending on more traditional support systems for students?

Seifried: That's a really hard question. But that was my point – I want to start talking about it, because I want to start framing these discussions and investments. I've been on the Appropriations Committee, and everyone has the best shiny thing, that this will be the silver bullet, and this will be the unicorn. And I think sometimes just the old fashioned way (is best.) And so I started to take that same principle into spending. Sometimes just hard work, or doing it the old fashioned way, is actually the right way. 

Frontier: I think that's probably a good lesson for everyone in every walk of life. Change is not necessarily always synonymous with progress. So being willing to take a critical look, even backwards, is always helpful. And you mentioned AI in your last response, and I want to talk about that a little bit, because when it comes to AI in classrooms,  the toothpaste is sort of out of the tube at this point. But do you see the potential for AI to enhance teaching and learning? Or at this point, are you more concerned about its risks and limitations?

Seifried: Can I answer yes to both of those? We had people at this study who didn't all agree on policy or on their approach to technology. But we had one teacher talk about her previous district, that software where she was able to monitor what each student was doing on their laptop in their class, in her classroom. And I thought to myself, we are experiencing a severe teacher shortage. We know that teachers are getting burned out at a higher frequency. So I said how can you possibly teach a classroom and teach a lesson plan and watch each student and observe and see look in their eyes and figure out, okay, this student's getting the lesson. And then also observe some software that's making sure that they're doing what they're supposed to be doing? It's so nuanced, but I think this will be a topic of conversation we'll be talking about for many years.

Frontier: We talked about that a little bit with your cell phone ban bill, that if everyone continues to kick this can down the road, eventually it becomes too late to untie that knot. 

Seifried: There absolutely is a place (for technology and AI,) but it can't replace a teacher. And so we talked a little bit also about how learning should be cognitively demanding. It should be a challenge. And if you put students on computers where it's challenging, and that same computer offers that kind of dopamine hit of like, oh, I can also go and do this application, or I can check my phone … they can kind of just zone out for a little bit and sort of back away from the challenge. That means they’re not progressing and moving forward. There's just sort of that human element that you can't replicate in computers. It just sort of solidified for me that the number one factor in a student's education and their success is the teacher. And we're asking teachers to do more and I totally understand why they're like, this is too much

Frontier: We're preparing these kids for the future, and they are going to get into a job market where they have to be comfortable and familiar with technology, but you’re saying it does them no good to be familiar with technology but not have learned the things necessary to actually be productive as an adult.

Even in journalism, people get left behind if they can’t keep up with technology. So it is about finding a balance.

Seifried: I want to teach our Oklahoma students how to think, not what to think, right? They'll be able to intuitively adjust with technology as it advances. I'm don’t think we need to introduce technology earlier and earlier, or that they need to be using it earlier and earlier, because they need to be prepared for something that's going to happen in 10 and 15 years. That isn’t quite as compelling to me as focusing on getting the foundations of learning down. 

Frontier: I’ve seen that in my son. He’s 6 years old and if you know any 6-year-old boys, you know what they're like with technology. Even when he was younger I would have to watch him, because I would think my 4-year-old doesn't need to be on the phone watching YouTube. And somehow, if he got my phone, he knew how to find YouTube and to find a video he wanted to watch. But as good as he is with technology, the biggest change I've seen in him in the last six months is that he learned how to read. And I saw how the world sort of opened up to him because of that ability to read in a way that dwarfed the way that world opened up to him through technology.

Seifried: We talked about how computers are a production tool. They're not a learning tool, but they're also an extremely narrow learning environment, because you're staring at a screen? Whereas, if you're up and you're talking, you're listening to the teacher, you're kind of observing the classroom. Maybe you're writing notes, depending on your age, maybe you're doing something else. And so there's a little bit more of a tactile learning environment when you're doing that. If you're a thoughtful person who has the foundations, who can problem solve, you'll be successful in life. But if you don't have that etched into you, then it will be a struggle.

Frontier: At this point are there any policy changes or any legislative ideas for the future on this topic that you came out of that study with?

Seifried: No, I think this topic is just still so new. My personal next steps will be to...]]>Frontier: We spoke back in the spring about the cellphone bill you ran that would remove cell phones from classrooms. Catch our listeners up on where that stands today. 

Seifried: It’s been in effect for almost two months in Oklahoma, and the results and the feedback have just been amazing. I heard from schools and administrators early on, talking about the lunchrooms being louder and the hallways being more crowded. My favorite recent anecdote is library books are being checked out at a higher frequency than at this point last year, so a lot of really positive feedback.

Frontier: That kind of leads us into what we're talking about today, which is you have an interim study about technology in schools. So tell us a little bit about that study and what you hope to learn from it.

Seifried: Yeah, this study sort of really dovetails off of my work on removing cell phones, because as I went around the state and talked about it over the last two years, I would meet with parents who were concerned about the use of screens and laptops in their child's classrooms. And they would question if learning was happening, or how much students are using screens. And at first, I sort of didn't want to become the anti-screens girl. But I think it's a good conversation to have. 

This study got to be a little bit more academic. We got into the neuroscience of how we learn and or how we don't learn. I also serve as chair of the technology committee, so I sort of get to wear these two really fascinating hats. As we're trying so desperately to increase our academic achievement, I want us to make sure that we're doing the right things. And maybe the right thing isn't the new and shiny technology or the new and shiny software, or this platform that promises the moon.

Frontier: That’s not only a conversation that's taking place as it relates to schools. Right now, what's the main conversation we’re having in the state? It's AI, it's about data centers, the impact of this technology and this industry. And there is that discussion among adults, too, about the use of AI as a tool. Is it productive to give your creative juices to a computer as opposed to just doing this yourself? How much of our brain power are we giving over to computers? And does that, in a sense, make us less human? You have mentioned technology and how it should be used, with caution, as a teaching tool. And I just kind of wondered at this point in this process,  what evidence would you want to see before deciding if a specific type of technological platform or in-class technology is truly improving learning outcomes?

Seifried: One of the main things that we really took away was there are a lot of things that can improve educational outcomes. Like the air conditioning, or just a little bit of extra tutoring that kind of moves the needle. But what we should be asking, really, is not, does this move the needle, but does this move the needle better than something else. So for example, if we spend $10 million on this software across the state of Oklahoma, is that going to move the needle for our students more than taking that $10 million and investing it into our teachers or our reading specialists or giving stipends to teachers who are just crushing it in the classroom?

AI is an amazing tool. But you have to master those foundational educational blocks, right? You have to be able to do the hard thing first. One of our speakers likened it to learning how to drive. If you learn to drive a stick shift, and then you go to automatic, no problem. But if you start with an automatic and you go stick, you have so much more difficulty going backwards and mastering those topics. And so I just wondered, do these softwares and platforms and AI chat bots really help us learn more than a quality teacher sitting down and working with your student?

Frontier: You're essentially talking about opportunity cost here. If you’ve got $10 million to add some technology to classrooms, could that $10 million get you better results in another way? You’ve mentioned investing in some proven supports, like reading specialists,or upping teacher pay, instead of this theoretical technology that might possibly make something in the classroom better. Do you think that maybe there's too much focus or too much spending on tech for classrooms, and not enough focus and not enough spending on more traditional support systems for students?

Seifried: That's a really hard question. But that was my point – I want to start talking about it, because I want to start framing these discussions and investments. I've been on the Appropriations Committee, and everyone has the best shiny thing, that this will be the silver bullet, and this will be the unicorn. And I think sometimes just the old fashioned way (is best.) And so I started to take that same principle into spending. Sometimes just hard work, or doing it the old fashioned way, is actually the right way. 

Frontier: I think that's probably a good lesson for everyone in every walk of life. Change is not necessarily always synonymous with progress. So being willing to take a critical look, even backwards, is always helpful. And you mentioned AI in your last response, and I want to talk about that a little bit, because when it comes to AI in classrooms,  the toothpaste is sort of out of the tube at this point. But do you see the potential for AI to enhance teaching and learning? Or at this point, are you more concerned about its risks and limitations?

Seifried: Can I answer yes to both of those? We had people at this study who didn't all agree on policy or on their approach to technology. But we had one teacher talk about her previous district, that software where she was able to monitor what each student was doing on their laptop in their class, in her classroom. And I thought to myself, we are experiencing a severe teacher shortage. We know that teachers are getting burned out at a higher frequency. So I said how can you possibly teach a classroom and teach a lesson plan and watch each student and observe and see look in their eyes and figure out, okay, this student's getting the lesson. And then also observe some software that's making sure that they're doing what they're supposed to be doing? It's so nuanced, but I think this will be a topic of conversation we'll be talking about for many years.

Frontier: We talked about that a little bit with your cell phone ban bill, that if everyone continues to kick this can down the road, eventually it becomes too late to untie that knot. 

Seifried: There absolutely is a place (for technology and AI,) but it can't replace a teacher. And so we talked a little bit also about how learning should be cognitively demanding. It should be a challenge. And if you put students on computers where it's challenging, and that same computer offers that kind of dopamine hit of like, oh, I can also go and do this application, or I can check my phone … they can kind of just zone out for a little bit and sort of back away from the challenge. That means they’re not progressing and moving forward. There's just sort of that human element that you can't replicate in computers. It just sort of solidified for me that the number one factor in a student's education and their success is the teacher. And we're asking teachers to do more and I totally understand why they're like, this is too much

Frontier: We're preparing these kids for the future, and they are going to get into a job market where they have to be comfortable and familiar with technology, but you’re saying it does them no good to be familiar with technology but not have learned the things necessary to actually be productive as an adult.

Even in journalism, people get left behind if they can’t keep up with technology. So it is about finding a balance.

Seifried: I want to teach our Oklahoma students how to think, not what to think, right? They'll be able to intuitively adjust with technology as it advances. I'm don’t think we need to introduce technology earlier and earlier, or that they need to be using it earlier and earlier, because they need to be prepared for something that's going to happen in 10 and 15 years. That isn’t quite as compelling to me as focusing on getting the foundations of learning down. 

Frontier: I’ve seen that in my son. He’s 6 years old and if you know any 6-year-old boys, you know what they're like with technology. Even when he was younger I would have to watch him, because I would think my 4-year-old doesn't need to be on the phone watching YouTube. And somehow, if he got my phone, he knew how to find YouTube and to find a video he wanted to watch. But as good as he is with technology, the biggest change I've seen in him in the last six months is that he learned how to read. And I saw how the world sort of opened up to him because of that ability to read in a way that dwarfed the way that world opened up to him through technology.

Seifried: We talked about how computers are a production tool. They're not a learning tool, but they're also an extremely narrow learning environment, because you're staring at a screen? Whereas, if you're up and you're talking, you're listening to the teacher, you're kind of observing the classroom. Maybe you're writing notes, depending on your age, maybe you're doing something else. And so there's a little bit more of a tactile learning environment when you're doing that. If you're a thoughtful person who has the foundations, who can problem solve, you'll be successful in life. But if you don't have that etched into you, then it will be a struggle.

Frontier: At this point are there any policy changes or any legislative ideas for the future on this topic that you came out of that study with?

Seifried: No, I think this topic is just still so new. My personal next steps will be to check in with my local superintendents and teachers and kind of get feedback. What's hard is that I represent the whole state. So that means you have to put something in statute that is applicable to everyone. It took me two years to pass something as easy as removing cell phones from classrooms. So I think this will be a long term project.

The survey, conducted September 23–25, found Attorney General Gentner Drummond leading with 35% support, closely followed by House Speaker Charles McCall at 33%, while 32% of respondents remained undecided.

The Frontier spoke with pollster Chris Wilson about his recent survey for the McCall campaign and Matthew Parker, Drummond’s campaign chairman, about how the candidates are positioning themselves to voters. The following is a condensed transcript of the conversation. For the full interview, listen to our podcast. The margin of error is 3.5%.

The Frontier sat down with Gov. Stitt, who told me the operation isn’t about solving homelessness, but about enforcing the law. He said Oklahomans are experiencing “compassion fatigue,” and that many of the people removed from encampments “didn’t want help.”

We also spoke with Steven Whitaker, CEO of Tulsa’s John 3:16 Mission, who offered a different view. Whitaker acknowledged the risks of being too compassionate, but stressed that the people living on Tulsa’s streets are our neighbors, and most of them are in desperate need of empathy, shelter, and support.

Together, their perspectives paint a complicated picture of homelessness in Tulsa, and the deep divide over how the state and city should respond.

Governor Kevin Stitt has touted them as a cornerstone of economic growth, but as more projects roll into communities, residents and lawmakers are asking questions: How much water and electricity will these centers consume, and why is so much of that information kept under wraps?

Cities and companies often sign nondisclosure agreements, meaning details about utility use and long-term costs are hidden from the public. That lack of transparency has fueled concern from those who worry about higher bills, strained resources, and the environmental impact of these projects. At the same time, state leaders see them as a chance to make Oklahoma a national hub for tech investment.

Today on Listen Frontier, we’re joined by Representative Amanda Clinton, a Tulsa Democrat hosting an interim study on data centers, and Frontier reporter Kayla Branch, who’s been covering the issue. We’ll talk about what’s known, what’s still secret, and why the fight over data centers is really a debate about policy, accountability, and public trust.

Councilor Phil Lakin, who spoke to The Frontier on Monday about the ordinance, said it was about public safety. Many medians in Tulsa are narrow, and in zones where the speed limit is above 25 miles per hour, he believes standing in the median is a safety hazard. The ordinance would also potentially apply to sidewalks that are within 18 inches of the street as well.

But when it comes to enforcement, some, including City Councilor Laura Bellis, fear the ordinance will only be applied to those panhandling, and she fears fines associated with the ordinance could prove too costly.

On this episode of Listen Frontier, we hear from Bellis, Lakin, and Deputy Council Administrator Sarah Davis ahead of Wednesday’s meeting.

This is Listen Frontier, a podcast exploring the investigative journalism of the Frontier and featuring conversations with those on the frontlines of Oklahoma’s most important stories. Listen to us Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

To donate to The Frontier and help support our efforts to grow investigative journalism in Oklahoma, click here.

The conversation looks into the tension between local governments and tribal nations, the burden on everyday citizens caught in the middle, and the patchwork of settlements and agreements reshaping law enforcement. We also explore whether tribal courts and police departments have the resources to handle the cases being shifted their way, and what models of cooperation might point the way toward a lasting solution.

This is Listen Frontier, a podcast exploring the investigative journalism of the Frontier and featuring conversations with those on the frontlines of Oklahoma’s most important stories. Listen to us Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

To donate to The Frontier and help support our efforts to grow investigative journalism in Oklahoma, click here.

At the center of much of it is McGirt v. Oklahoma, the landmark 2020 U.S. Supreme Court decision that affirmed much of eastern Oklahoma remains reservation land. That ruling reshaped how justice is administered in Indian Country and how tribal sovereignty is understood and exercised today.

On this episode of Listen Frontier, Hoskin pushed back on critics who claim the McGirt decision led to “legal chaos.” He also reflected on the strained relationship between tribal nations and Gov. Kevin Stitt, discussed how he hopes the next governor will mend that relationship, and talked about how the Cherokee Nation is working to lift up long-neglected communities while simultaneously facing the challenges that come with increased jurisdictional authority.

This is Listen Frontier, a podcast exploring the investigative journalism of the Frontier and featuring conversations with those on the frontlines of Oklahoma’s most important stories. Listen to us Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

To donate to The Frontier and help support our efforts to grow investigative journalism in Oklahoma, click here.

Despite the lack of evidence supporting claims of widespread voter fraud, the state’s new standards embed references that educators and parents fear could mislead students and turn classrooms into ideological battlegrounds.

The standards, approved earlier this year by the Oklahoma State Department of Education, include mandates criticized for their similarity to talking points from conservative media outlets rather than academically sound instruction. Teachers, parents, and education experts worry the inclusion of partisan narratives threatens the integrity of education and places pressure on educators.

On this episode of Listen Frontier, we speak with Aaron Baker, an Oklahoma-based U.S. History teacher, Sandra Valentine, whose daughter is entering high school and will soon be taught these concepts, and Heather Goodenough, President of the Oklahoma Council for the Social Studies.

Holt reflects on what this unforgettable Finals series meant not just for basketball fans, but for the city itself. We talk about the energy in the arena, the grit of the team, and how the Thunder's run became something bigger than sports — a symbol of how far Oklahoma City has come.

We also dive into the deeper story behind the celebration. Holt opens up about how this moment of triumph connects to Oklahoma City’s long journey since the bombing 30 years ago — and why he sees the Thunder’s win as a powerful chapter in that story of resilience.

A year out from the 2026 primary elections, those three names have emerged as leaders to be Oklahoma’s next Republican candidate for governor. The catch? Only one of them has officially declared their candidacy.

Drummond, Oklahoma’s Attorney General, has a large -— though not insurmountable lead — according to polling released Wednesday by Sooner Survey, which asked 500 registered Republican voters in Oklahoma about their thoughts on likely GOP candidates for governor. Walters, Oklahoma’s state schools superintendent, and Pinnell, the lieutenant governor, lag behind Drummond.

This is Listen Frontier, a podcast exploring the investigative journalism of the Frontier and featuring conversations with those on the frontlines of Oklahoma’s most important stories. Listen to us Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

To donate to The Frontier and help support our efforts to grow investigative journalism in Oklahoma, click here.

But that’s not slowing down Munson, who said she hopes to provide an alternative to the conservative candidates currently duking it out ahead of next summer’s primary elections.

This is Listen Frontier, a podcast exploring the investigative journalism of the Frontier and featuring conversations with those on the frontlines of Oklahoma’s most important stories. Listen to us Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

To donate to The Frontier and help support our efforts to grow investigative journalism in Oklahoma, click here.

This is Listen Frontier, a podcast exploring the investigative journalism of the Frontier and featuring conversations with those on the frontlines of Oklahoma’s most important stories. Listen to us Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

To donate to The Frontier and help support our efforts to grow investigative journalism in Oklahoma, click here.

Paxton told The Frontier that recent Board of Equalization figures, which show Oklahoma’s budget to be short of expectations following last year’s grocery tax cut, make him wary of the possibility of a return to the state’s budget woes of last decade. 

“I can easily say I’m 100% in favor of an income tax cut,” Paxton told The Frontier.

But he also remembers when the state was facing a more than $1 billion budget deficit in 2016.   Stitt has pushed for “half and a path,” his term for a half-percent cut  and a path toward eventually eliminating personal income taxes. Recent Board of Equalization figures show Oklahoma’s revenue projections are less than anticipated, though the state has about $4.6 billion in reserves. Those figures come after the state eliminated its portion of the grocery tax last year, which resulted in a loss of more than $400 million in tax revenue. Stitt, while urging a cut to personal income taxes, has also called for state agencies to have flat budgets for this fiscal year.

On this episode of Listen Frontier, I talk to Paxton about what an income tax cut might mean - both good and bad - for Oklahomans.

This is Listen Frontier, a podcast exploring the investigative journalism of the Frontier and featuring conversations with those on the frontlines of Oklahoma’s most important stories. Listen to us Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

To donate to The Frontier and help support our efforts to grow investigative journalism in Oklahoma, click here.

“Glossip is entitled to a new trial,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in the majority opinion for five justices. She was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts, and Justices Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh, Kentaji Brown and Amy Comey Barrett, who dissented in part. 

Glossip has spent 26 years on death row, had two trials, nine execution dates and three last meals. Tuesday’s ruling came as Oklahoma prepares to execute its first inmate of the year in March, the 16th since the state resumed executions in 2021.

On today's podcast, I'm joined by former Republican lawmaker Kevin McDugle. In his time in the Legislature, McDugle advocated for Glossip, as well as for various reforms to Oklahoma's use of the death penalty.

This is Listen Frontier, a podcast exploring the investigative journalism of the Frontier and featuring conversations with those on the frontlines of Oklahoma’s most important stories. Listen to us Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

To donate to The Frontier and help support our efforts to grow investigative journalism in Oklahoma, click here.

The confession is one of the few remaining pieces of evidence the state has against Karl Fontenot in the abduction and killing of Donna Denise Haraway. Fontenot, 60, and Tommy Ward, 64, were twice-convicted of the kidnapping and murder of Haraway, who went missing from McAnally’s convenience store in Ada on April 28, 1984. The two men were arrested for the crime in months later after both allegedly confessed to investigators that they had kidnapped, raped and murdered Haraway. The case was the subject of the 2006 John Grisham book and a popular 2018 Netflix documentary The Innocent Man.

In their Dec. 20, 2024 briefing to the state appeals court, Fontenot’s attorneys pointed out that more than two and a half years have passed since the state’s attempt to have the federal appeals court’s decision overturned was denied, opening the door to refiling charges against Fontenot.

“Now, 926 days later, the State has not retried Mr. Fontenot, or set a trial date for Mr. Fontenot, or uncovered any new evidence that implicates Mr. Fontenot in the abduction of Denise Haraway,” the brief states. “In fact, the State of Oklahoma has stipulated to the absence of any new evidence on February 23, 2024, and admitted that the loss of evidence admitted at the previous trial, and the unavailability of many witnesses has compromised both side’s ability to move forward with the case.”

Today on the podcast we're joined by Frontier reporter Clifton Adcock, to update us on the cases against Fontenot and Ward.

This is Listen Frontier, a podcast exploring the investigative journalism of the Frontier and featuring conversations with those on the frontlines of Oklahoma’s most important stories. Listen to us Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

To donate to The Frontier and help support our efforts to grow investigative journalism in Oklahoma, click here.

Joining us on the podcast today is Aanahita Ervin, fiscal policy analyst for the Oklahoma Policy Institute. Ervin said the state cannot afford even a half-percent income tax cut, and urged the Legislature to look at modernizing tax credits instead.

This is Listen Frontier, a podcast exploring the investigative journalism of the Frontier and featuring conversations with those on the frontlines of Oklahoma’s most important stories. Listen to us Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

To donate to The Frontier and help support our efforts to grow investigative journalism in Oklahoma, click here.

Oklahoma Attorney General Genter Drummond has thrown his hat into the ring, seeking to replace term-limited Kevin Stitt as Oklahoma's Governor in 2026. Drummond is the first candidate to announce, and has been considered a strong contender to replace Stitt since being elected to his AG post in 2022.

On this episode of Listen Frontier, we talk with Republican political strategist A.J. Ferate about Drummond’s announcement, what he needs to do to capitalize on his head start, and who else might enter the race.

State-level races are often decided in Republican primaries in Oklahoma, because there are no Independent or Democratic candidates on the ballot, leaving many voters locked out. 

“Voters are showing up with nothing to vote for and all the meaningful decisions are happening in the primary.” said Jeremy Gruber, an organizer for the group Oklahoma United. “That’s why everyone needs a chance to participate.”

The change would come through Oklahoma’s Initiative Petition process. Gruber said if signature collection goes well, the group hopes to get the measure on the ballot as a State Question in 2026, when Oklahoma will be selecting a new governor.

Independents are the fastest growing voter demographic in the state, according to the Oklahoma State Election Board. There are 481,817 Independent voters registered in the state, a 32.4% increase since 2020. Meanwhile, Democrat voter registration declined  by 12.2% during the same period. Republican voter registration has increased 13.1% in Oklahoma since 2020. 

Oklahoma currently allows political parties to hold closed primary elections. In recent years, the Oklahoma Democratic Party has allowed independents to vote in primaries, but the Republican and Libertarian parties have continued to hold closed primaries. 

Gruber said there are multiple systems of open primaries in use across the country, but the version the group hopes Oklahomans will soon see on a ballot mimics municipal elections most are already familiar with.

“Many of those municipalities across the state, which are arguably some of our more functional forms of government, use a unified primary,” former State Sen. AJ Griffin, who supports open primaries, said.

“Voter participation is a sign of a healthy democracy,” Griffin said. “This isn’t a partisan issue … but it is a way to engage all of the voters in the process and increase civic participation in a state with one of the highest ratings for election integrity in the country.

Gruber said every state that has enacted an open primary system has seen voter turnout increase.

“It's not hard to understand why,” he said. “You let more voters vote, you get higher voter turnout. It's basic math.” 

Only 64% of Oklahoma voters participated in this year’s 2024 general election. 

The Republican mayors of both Oklahoma City and Tulsa favor the switch. 

Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt said in September that he hopes a statewide open primary system would wipe out some of Oklahoma’s partisan divide.

“People say ‘Gosh it sure seems like you’re electing mayors that unify people, that seem competent, that are well-liked across the political spectrum,” Holt said. “It’s not magic … every voter gets to see all the candidates, and all the candidates have to face all of the voters.” 

Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum told The Tulsa World earlier this year that he now supports open primaries, after he campaigned against them  as a city councilor more than a decade ago.

“I think it is important to point out, there is a Republican dominance right now (in Oklahoma), but we have had for a longer period of time in Oklahoma with Democratic dominance, and I think we would have benefited from this under either scenario,” Bynum told the paper.

Griffin said Holt’s political career – he has been elected under a closed primary model to the state Legislature, and an open primary model as Oklahoma City’s mayor – is a prime example of how the system should work.

“When you’re in (an open) system, you are beholden to everybody in your district,” Griffin said. “Which means it’s your responsibility, as it always should be as an elected leader, to meet with, represent and lead everybody.”

Two Democrats - state representative Monroe Nichols and Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith - advanced to the runoff on Nov. 5 by narrowly defeating Republican Brent Van Norman by the slimmest of margins. The result guarantees Tulsa will have a Democrat mayor for the first time since Kathy Taylor left office in 2009.

On this episode of Listen Frontier, we talk with Nichols and Keith about the result, what it means for Tulsa, and how the race changes now that it’s transitioned to a head-to-head battle.

At least 50 people who were under Turn Key’s care died during the past decade, an investigation by The Marshall Project and The Frontier found. Our reporting unearthed company policies and practices that have endangered people in jail — especially those with mental illness.

On this episode of Listen Frontier, Frontier executive editor Dylan Goforth speaks with Frontier managing editor Brianna Bailey and Cary Aspinwall, reporter for The Marshall Project.

This is Listen Frontier, a podcast exploring the investigative journalism of the Frontier and featuring conversations with those on the frontlines of Oklahoma’s most important stories. Listen to us Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

To donate to The Frontier and help support our efforts to grow investigative journalism in Oklahoma, click here.

Today we speak with Frontier reporters Garrett Yalch and Clifton Adcock about their reporting series looking at Oklahoma's medical marijuana black market, as well as their new story about the human and labor trafficking allegedly done at some of these farms.

This is Listen Frontier, a podcast exploring the investigative journalism of the Frontier and featuring conversations with those on the frontlines of Oklahoma’s most important stories. Listen to us Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher. 

To donate to The Frontier and help support our efforts to grow investigative journalism in Oklahoma, click here.

“Today marks the final chapter of justice determined by three separate juries for Richard Rojem’s heinous acts nearly 40 years ago when he stole her away like a monster he was,” Mindy Cummings wrote. 

Rojem, Oklahoma's longest-serving death row inmate, was convicted for the 1984 murder of his 7-year-old stepdaughter Layla Cummings.

This is Listen Frontier, a podcast exploring the investigative journalism of the Frontier and featuring conversations with those on the frontlines of Oklahoma’s most important stories. Listen to us Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher. 

To donate to The Frontier and help support our efforts to grow investigative journalism in Oklahoma, click here.

Leadership in the Oklahoma House of Representatives has indicated they’ll pass the cut, calling it another step toward leading Oklahoma to zero income tax, but the Senate’s leader says Stitt hasn’t shown a detailed plan, and they won’t vote in favor.  Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat told The Frontier that lawmakers could opt to take up the tax cut during the regular session, which starts Feb. 5.

Oklahoma’s current top income tax rate is 4.75%. Stitt’s proposed cut would drop the top rate to 4.5%. The Oklahoma Legislature last passed an across-the-board quarter-percent tax cut in 2021. 

On this episode of Listen Frontier, we talk to House Speaker Charles McCall and Treat to get their takes on the upcoming special session.

Frontier reporter Kayla Branch has been covering the story for months, and on this episode of Listen Frontier, she speaks with us about her investigation, what she learned during her reporting, what developments there have been recently, and where the case is headed.

This is Listen Frontier, a podcast exploring the investigative journalism of the Frontier and featuring conversations with those on the frontlines of Oklahoma’s most important stories. Listen to us Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher. 

To donate to The Frontier and help support our efforts to grow investigative journalism in Oklahoma, click here.

It was a chaotic start - TPS, the state's largest school district with more than 30,000 students, was under the threat of takeover by the state board of education, as state Superintendent Ryan Walters targeted Gist and TPS with criticism and ultimatums.

Gist eventually stepped down, Johnson was appointed, and tensions cooled slightly.

"I feel like right now, leadership is needed in a way that it's never been needed before, and I'm honored to do that," Johnson told The Frontier.

Next up? Possibly the most powerful position in local city government.

On this episode of Listen Frontier, Keith talks with us about her past, why she wants to be mayor, and what she thinks she can accomplish.

The election isn't for 12 months, but Nichols declared his candidacy early in order to get a head start campaigning, and, he said, to give him the time to dive more deeply into the issues facing Tulsa. On this edition of Listen Frontier, we speak with Nichols about his time in the Legislature, as well as his plans for Tulsa and his thoughts on the economy and education.

Frontier Managing Editor Brianna Bailey spoke with Garner about her plans to turn things around. 

Drummond was elected in November and sworn in last month, but he truly began preparing for the job last summer after he defeated former AG John O’Connor in the Republican Primary. 

And Republican Ryan Walters, who is attempting to replace Hofmeister as Superintendent, is fighting for votes against Jena Nelson, a public school teacher from Oklahoma City.

On this episode of Listen Frontier, I speak with Ryan Tupps, a partner at Amber Integrated, an Oklahoma City-based polling firm.

On this episode of Listen Frontier, I speak about the final days before the election with our reporter Reese Gorman.

The court’s decision overturns a previous ruling by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals that vacated the Tulsa County conviction of Victor Manuel Castro-Huerta.

Castro-Huerta, a non-Native American, was convicted in 2017 of child neglect after his 5-year-old stepdaughter, who is Native American, was found in terrible conditions. 

On this episode of Listen Frontier, I speak about the decision with KOSU Indigenous Affairs reporter Allison Herrera, as well as Ryan Leonard, who serves as Special Counsel for Native American Affairs to Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt.

Incumbent governor Kevin Stitt won his party’s nomination, as did Democrat Joy Hofmeister, who will face Stitt in November.

Stitt’s attorney general, John O’Connor, was defeated by Tulsa lawyer Genter Drummond, a vote that will likely reshape the relationship between Stitt’s camp and the attorney general’s office. But Stitt’s pick for state superintendent, Ryan Walters, shook off recent controversies enough to reach the run off in August against fellow republican April Grace.

On today’s Listen Frontier, I talk with Frontier reporters Clifton Adcock, Kayla Branch, and Reese Gorman about those elections, as well as the congressional races and the Oklahoma County jail bond vote.

The timing of his announcement is key. Inhofe said he would stay in office until next year, meaning that Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt can’t nominate an interim replacement. Instead, a special election will be held later this year.

The surprise opening of a coveted Senate seat resulted in a number of dominoes falling as candidates started appearing out of thin air. 

Today on Listen Frontier, Frontier reporter Reese Gorman discuss Inhofe’s resignation, how the race is shaping up, and a pending lawsuit that might stop the process just as it’s getting started.

But what did come as a surprise for some was that Hofmeister, a lifelong Republican, was running as a Democrat. Many wondered what that meant … would she govern as a dDemocrat? Was she running as a Democrat merely in order to avoid a costly primary battle with Stitt? And where does she fall on topics like abortion access?

On today’s Listen Frontier podcast, I talk with Hofmeister about these topics and more.

On today's Listen Frontier, host Dylan Goforth discusses the speech with Frontier State Government reporter Kayla Branch.

The plan was met with mixed reactions. While many parents are thankful their kids are able to stay in the classroom, some are worried about the quality of education these “guest educators” can provide on such short notice. And many teachers, already dealing with the effects of risking COVID-19 exposure in the classroom, have said the “guest educator” program made them feel devalued and that it makes it seem like anyone can just step into a classroom and teach.

On today’s Listen Frontier podcast, I talk with Walters about the program, about how it will be judged as a success or failure, his relationship with teachers across the state, and how he weighs his responsibility to both teachers and students.

The variant has the potential to cripple hospitals if health officials are right about its extreme transmissibility, and it is hitting the country right before millions plan to gather for the holidays.

On today’s Listen Frontier Podcast, I talk with Tulsa County Health Department Director Bruce Dart about the Omicron variant – What we know about it and what we don't, and what you can and should do to keep yourselves safe over the holidays.

Recently, five Oklahoma City police officers were charged with first-degree manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Stavian Rodriguez, a 15-year-old robbery suspect who was killed by police after he had placed his gun on the ground outside a convenience store. 

Dylan Goforth, The Frontier’s editor and chief, and Ben Felder discuss the recent charges and whether it represents a turning point.

Recent coverage of Jones' case:

Julius Jones' co-defendant admitted in prison to Paul Howell slaying, inmate says

DA asks Pardon and Parole Board member to recuse from Julius Jones' case over 2019 retweet of Kim Kardashian

Read more about the vaccine in Oklahoma

Republican Steve Russell had lost his reelection bid to Kendra Horn, who took advantage of changing demographics in parts of Oklahoma City and deployed a successful ground game in suburban communities that had long been Republican strongholds.

Today, headed into the 2020 election, Horn is the incumbent with a sizable war chest. But she isn’t abandoning her underdog energy, especially as a slate of Republican candidates have pledged to emerge from their primary and retake the only Democratic seat in the state.

On this episode we speak with Horn and State Sen. Stephanie Bice, one of several Republicans running in the primary. We also speak with JR Day of OkiePolls about which Republican candidate might have the best chance of upsetting Horn.