Purman Wilson Collection / Oklahoma Historical Society

'Born Sober,' But Always Plentiful: How Oklahoma Got Its Liquor Laws

Oklahomans are considering some of the biggest changes to the state’s liquor laws since the end of prohibition. If approved,State Question 792 would amend the state constitution and alter a system with roots planted during the days of Indian Territory. Learn more about what’s on November’s ballot Oklahoma’s liquor laws can make outsiders do a double-take. Low-point beer. No refrigeration at liquor stores, which are closed on Sundays. Looking for wine at a grocery store? Forget it. It started...
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State Question Could Bring Wine And Cold Beer To More Places, Change Oklahoma’s Alcohol Distribution
Josh Robinson

Why Is Oklahoma's Voter Turnout So Low?

'Born Sober,' But Always Plentiful: How Oklahoma Got Its Liquor Laws

By • 1 hour ago
Purman Wilson Collection / Oklahoma Historical Society

Oklahomans are considering some of the biggest changes to the state’s liquor laws since the end of prohibition. If approved,State Question 792 would amend the state constitution and alter a system with roots planted during the days of Indian Territory.

Headlines: OK Secession Talks, Boycotting a Boycott & Horse Trail Money

By Michael Cross • 5 hours ago

Headlines for Thursday, September 29, 2016:

  • Poll shows 1 in 4 OK voters would approve secession from US if Hillary Clinton is elected. (NewsOK)

  • Tulsa city counselors table a resolution opposing “Right to Farm”. (Tulsa World)

Celebrating Recovery from Substance Abuse

By • Sep 28, 2016

Local treatment center Valley Hope is hosting an event on Thursday known as "Hope for Recovery" at downtown Oklahoma City's Bicentenial Park to recognize September as National Recovery Month.

KOSU's Michael Cross spoke with Marketing Development Manager Ashley Barcum about the event taking place from 11:00am to 1:00pm

While this is the first time Valley Hope has done this, Barcum hopes to make it a yearly event.

Headlines: Tulsa Rally, Norman LGBT History Month & Thunder Scrimmage

By Michael Cross • Sep 28, 2016

Headlines for Wednesday, September 28, 2016:

  • Several Hundred people gather to call for justice in Tulsa. (Tulsa World)

  • The price to ride Oklahoma’s toll roads could be increasing. (NewsOK)

State Question Could Bring Wine And Cold Beer To More Places, Change Oklahoma’s Alcohol Distribution

By • Sep 28, 2016

“There he is!” Bryan Kerr said with a laugh, as he greeted a customer at his liquor store in Moore. ”You’re always showing up at exactly the right time.”

The customer navigated through rows of bottles at Moore Liquor, while Kerr slipped outside. He took a few steps to an adjoining storefront to another business he owns: Party Moore.

“A lot of people mistake it for like a Party Galaxy or Party City. It is not that,” Kerr said as he cracked open the store’s door. “It is a party store that is exclusively built for parties that have alcohol in them.”

'There Wasn't None Of Us': Jean Shepard, Country Music Trailblazer, Dies At 82

By • Sep 27, 2016

Jean Shepard, one of the first women to find success in country music as a solo act, died Sunday at age 82. Shepard was a feisty, straight-shooting singer who created a career in an industry where she had few female role models.

U.S. Government To Pay $492 Million To 17 American Indian Tribes

By • Sep 27, 2016

The U.S. government has agreed to pay a total of $492 million to 17 American Indian tribes for mismanaging natural resources and other tribal assets, according to an attorney who filed most of the suits.

School for the Blind Students Cowboy Up

By • Sep 27, 2016

Students from the Oklahoma School for the Blind get to become cowboys for a day in Haskell.

Volunteer Linda Graber says about 60 students from grade school and middle school are taking part in the ninth Western Heritage Day at the Silver Spur Western Lodge today.

"They have horseback rides, hayrides and stage coach. The kids get to go fishing, hiking. There's a mechanical bull"

Graber, who has a granddaughter in the school, says today’s event allows them to play in a social environment, but also get an education on animals and the outdoors.

Headlines: Tulsa Rally, Falling Pump Prices & Princess Leia in OKC

By Michael Cross • Sep 27, 2016

Headlines for Tuesday, September 27, 2016:

  • The Reverend Al Sharpton is attending a Tulsa protest today. (Tulsa World)

  • The attorney for the family of Terrance Crutcher wants more details in the police shooting. (Tulsa World)

Why Is Oklahoma's Voter Turnout So Low?

By • Sep 27, 2016
Josh Robinson

43 states had a higher voter turnout than Oklahoma in the last presidential election in 2012. We wanted to know more about why the state’s voter turnout is so low.

With support from the Kirkpatrick Foundation, KOSU and KGOU are collaborating on a series called Oklahoma Engaged. In the first of several stories, we focus on the state’s changing electorate.

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Join us in our collaborative series with KGOU focusing on election issues in Oklahoma.

This Week in Oklahoma Politics
KOSU's Michael Cross talks about political news in Oklahoma with ACLU Oklahoma Executive Director Ryan Kiesel and Republican political consultant Neva Hill.

Education News

How Native Students Can Succeed In College: 'Be As Tough As The Land That Made You'

By • Sep 26, 2016

The hurdles Native American teenagers face in and out of school are daunting. College Horizons, a small organization based in New Mexico, has proven they're not insurmountable.

Every year, the group sponsors week-long retreats on college campuses for teenagers from some of the more than 500 federally-recognized tribes in the U.S.

One of those retreats was at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis., where 85 students gathered along with dozens of admissions officers from some of the nation's most selective universities.

Oklahoma Student Test Scores Are Slight Improvement Over Last Year's

By • Sep 22, 2016
ok.gov/sde/superintendent

The Department of Education released statewide student assessment scores at Thursday’s State Board of Education meeting and the results show an overall upward trend of improvement. But a slight one. 

Overall, Oklahoma students are performing better at reading than they are in math. On average, 70 percent of third through eighth-grade students are proficient in reading, and 65 percent of students are scoring proficient in math.

Frustration. Burnout. Attrition. It's Time To Address The National Teacher Shortage

By • Sep 15, 2016

The good news: There's an uptick in the hiring of new teachers since the pink-slip frenzy in the wake of the Great Recession.

The bad news: The new hiring hasn't made up for the teacher shortfall. Attrition is high, and enrollment in teacher preparation programs has fallen some 35 percent over the past five years — a decrease of nearly 240,000 teachers in all.

Parts of most every state in America face troubling teacher shortages: the most frequent shortage areas are math, science, bilingual education and special education.

More Education News