He thinks the trooper he killed is still alive — Oklahoma can’t execute him unless he understands his crime.

Police credit Flock cameras with reducing violent crime. But after millions spent, the data tells a murkier story — and the system may violate the law.

Tribal nations, including the Cherokee, Choctaw, Muscogee and Seminole are deploying funds to ensure their citizens don’t go hungry — and urging state leaders to do the same.

A lot of hard work goes into making sure our reporting is accurate and fair. We spend weeks and sometimes months digging up records and convincing people to talk. Then there’s writing, rounds of edits and fact-checking. Your donations help fund this work. And every dollar counts.

At one point, a local resident sent state regulators photos of animals that the resident said had wandered onto his land, covered in oil. But the smell from the out-of-state waste was “above and beyond anything that was imaginable,” he said.

Join nonprofit newsrooms The Frontier and ProPublica to discuss how oil and gas extraction is contaminating Oklahoma’s groundwater. The event is free - sign up at the link below.

Salt water laced with cancer-causing chemicals, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling, is spewing from old wells. Experts warn of a pollution crisis spreading underground and threatening Oklahoma’s drinking water.

“A handshake instead of a hammer.” Toxic Wastewater From Oil Fields Keeps Pouring Out of the Ground. Oklahoma Regulators Failed to Stop It. @nickbowlin.bsky.social @readfrontier.bsky.social

Most youth who lack permanent housing in the state don’t fit the federal housing department’s definitions of homelessness and often don’t qualify for services.

A deal between the City of Tulsa and the Muscogee Nation doesn’t apply to Freedmen descendants who don’t have documentation of a degree of Indian blood. @cliftonhowze.bsky.social and Allison Herrera find out why. www.readfrontier.org/stories/desp...

Two legislators behind a controversial bill that would have limited the locations of homeless shelters will hold a hearing at the Oklahoma Capitol on creating new regulations.

Our newsletter brings Frontier journalism straight to your inbox. From behind the scenes interviews with our reporters, to interviews with newsmakers you won't find anywhere else, our newsletter will help you be a better informed Oklahoman.

New story from Kayla Branch: A federal policy allows employers to pay workers with disabilities below minimum wage. Some states have already moved away from the practice.

There’s no competitive bidding process through the state for pregnancy resource centers, faith-based groups and other nonprofits to get public money if they go through an organization like the Oklahoma Life Foundation.

The state is asking the court to cap the application of bird waste, penalize poultry companies for violating the state’s anti-pollution law and order them to pay for cleanup.

The nonprofits that get funding through the Oklahoma Life Foundation aren’t required to apply in a competitive process through the State Department of Health like groups the state funds directly.

For decades, funding for a state scholarship program memorializing the 1921 burning of Black Wall Street was limited, and students related to massacre victims weren’t prioritized in the selection process.

Reporter Nick Bowlin will join The Frontier as part of ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network’s 50 State Initiative

ICYMI: "Russ’ involvement with the shareholder resolutions marks a new front in an effort by conservative groups to ally with GOP elected officials to pressure public companies over their corporate policies." oklahomawatch.org/2025/06/20/f... (via @oklahomawatch.bsky.social) #okgov #okleg #DEI #ESG

A Tulsa political operative used his grandmother’s name to set up political action committees

Each week, you’ll hear directly from the journalists breaking the news, as well as from the people making it. These insights and interviews with newsmakers aren’t published anywhere else — only newsletter subscribers get the full picture.

The grandmother was named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by a candidate who was criticized in campaign mailers from one of the groups during the Democratic primary for Tulsa County Commissioner in 2024. Her name surfaced in campaign filings for a shadowy network of political groups.

Awards recognized our reporting on Oklahoma’s marijuana industry, deaths at a private prison and the collapse of a sports media startup.

Congrats to @cliftonhowze.bsky.social and Garrett Yalch!

Guest appearances here from @benfelder.bsky.social @cliftonhowze.bsky.social @briokc.bsky.social @kassiemcclung.bsky.social and even Scott Pruitt! thepickup.com/an-oral-hist...

I spoke with Sen. Ally Seifried this week about her "bell to bell" bill that would remove cell phones from Oklahoma schools. player.captivate.fm/episode/68c6...

Today Texas, lawmakers are debating a bill to significantly change standards for who can legally receive abortion care. The bill was prompted by @propublica.org reporting on three Texas women who died after they miscarried and doctors delayed or denied care. www.propublica.org/article/texa...

Good reminder to follow @readfrontier.bsky.social please!

Had an old "In the Heat of the Night" episode playing in the background, when I look up and notice that there's a fresh-faced Walton Goggins on screen.

Robert Bates went to prison. Sheriff Stanley Glanz was indicted and ended a storied career in disgrace. The scandal that rocked Tulsa and the country. | via @dmgoforth.bsky.social

The #Oklahoma Ethics Commission voted today to pursue prosecution against State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters over alleged campaign finance law violations. nondoc.com/2025/03/13/e...

Records show one Oklahoma women’s prison rarely substantiated abuse allegations or forwarded cases for criminal prosecution. Victims sometimes fear reprisal from other prisoners and staff.

Ahh, the memories (from 2022) www.readfrontier.org/stories/reco...

Oklahoma, thank god, has many dedicated, hard-working reporters who care about you and the state, and want you to be informed. Here's the ones I know of on Bluesky (tag the ones I'm missing and I'll add them.)

One judge told Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office officials that there were “serious constitutional concerns” about conditions at the jail including lack of access to attorneys, health care and clean clothing.

@cliftonhowze.bsky.social took another look at the "Innocent Man" case out of Ada. Almost everyone agrees these guys are innocent of the murder they were convicted of, so why is the case moving so slow? www.readfrontier.org/stories/okla...

@cliftonhowze.bsky.social and Garrett were named semifinalists for a prestigious national investigative reporting award for their series on Chinese government influence in Oklahoma's medical marijuana market. www.readfrontier.org/stories/impa...

Our "Fields of Green" investigation into Oklahoma's medical marijuana black market and the outside government influences impacting it has been named a semi-finalist for the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting. goldsmithawards.org/announcing-t...

These cases highlight how six years after legalization, powerful Chinese mafias continue to thrive in Oklahoma’s marijuana industry, exploiting legal loopholes and quietly outmaneuvering the state’s efforts to crackdown. www.readfrontier.org/stories/crim...

Proposed laws target organized crime in Oklahoma's marijuana industry. Are they enough? www.readfrontier.org/stories/crim...

Samantha Butler isn’t smiling in her wedding photos. She was 15 and pregnant when she says family members pressured her to marry the 25-year-old father of her child in 2010. www.readfrontier.org/stories/wed-...

I sat down with @cliftonhowze.bsky.social to talk about his story on the fate of the two defendants in the "Innocent Man" murder case out of Ada. www.readfrontier.org/stories/list...

Your outtie loves investigative journalism and donates to several outlets

Hey guys, im looking for some loyal, dedicated @readfrontier.bsky.social readers/donors/supporters to help me out with a little project. If you're interested reply here or send me a message please.

This is kind of ironic. The Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce was a major funder of an independent expenditure campaign through the primary, runoff and general election in 2022 that helped get Walters elected to the State Superintendent position in the first place. www.oklahoman.com/story/busine...

State lawmakers are trying for a second year to require commercial users to more accurately track water usage. Farmers have opposed previous efforts to create stricter water monitoring. www.readfrontier.org/stories/as-o...

I did not watch the Super Bowl last night. My social media feeds this morn are not even showing me who won, only people whining/rage posting about whatever happened during the halftime show and crowd reactions to celebrities who attended. Maybe we truly do deserve what's coming.

BILLIONAIRE: Ive done it all. This world has nothing for me ???: I can give you the mind & soul of Dylan Klebold BILLIONAIRE: Hm. Jack me in

Frontier podcast: Gentner Drummond is running for Oklahoma Governor. Who might join him? www.readfrontier.org/stories/list...

The only Doge I recognize is Doge Dandolo, who was blind and in his 80s (possibly 90s) when he led the sack of Constantinople in 1204. Notably, he was NOT a flighty little creep desperate to fill the gaping hole in his soul created by lack of a father's love and approval.