StateImpact Oklahoma
309 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 days ago - ★★★★★ - 12 ratingsStateImpact Oklahoma reports on education, health, environment, and the intersection of government and everyday Oklahomans. StateImpact Oklahoma is a collaboration of KGOU, KOSU, KWGS and KCCU.
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Episodes
'A learner of learners': Staving off the "deprofessionalization' of Oklahoma's teachers
January 12, 2023 09:00 - 4 minutes - 6.52 MBOklahoma’s teacher shortage led to a record-breaking 3,780 emergency teaching certifications issued in 2022. From 2001-2018, Oklahoma’s enrollment in university education programs dropped by 80%. As the state's schools struggle to fill classrooms with teachers holding standard teaching certificates, provisionally certified teachers have had to step in to fill the gap. But do students lose out when hiring traditionally certified teachers becomes a luxury this teacher-strapped state can’t af...
State data paints a dire picture of Oklahoma teenagers' mental health
December 22, 2022 21:22 - 4 minutes - 5.65 MBState data released this year showed half of the teens who participated in an annual survey checked yes on the traditional depression symptom of feeling so sad or hopeless for two weeks in a row that they lost interest in usual activities. It found that in 2021, nearly one in four respondents had contemplated suicide in the past year. Among girls, that rate was closer to one in three.
Methamphetamine may not be the center of attention, but it's killing more Oklahomans than any other drug.
December 15, 2022 16:09 - 4 minutes - 5.99 MBBillion-dollar lawsuits and prestige television shows have made the opioid epidemic impossible to overlook. But it is far from the only drug epidemic the country — and Oklahoma — are facing. Overdose deaths from opioids, including prescription drugs as well as illicit forms of fentanyl, have increased over the past few years, likely because of struggles amid the pandemic. But one drug in particular is killing Oklahomans at an even higher rate: methamphetamine.
Pt. 2: ‘Disasters that define us’: Examining Northeast Oklahoma’s patchwork of flood protections
December 09, 2022 10:00 - 4 minutes - 6.41 MBHeavy rains in May 2019 revealed major disparities in flood protections across Oklahoma. While residents in Tulsa benefitted from decades of flood preparations, smaller communities lack the infrastructure and resources to keep the waters at bay. In the second of a two-part series with OPMX’s Graycen Wheeler, StateImpact’s Beth Wallis reports on how one riverside community came together to take care of each other.
Pt. 1: ‘Disasters that define us’: Examining Northeast Oklahoma’s patchwork of flood protections
December 08, 2022 10:00 - 4 minutes - 6.06 MBAs climate change continues to raise the stakes of severe flooding events, some Oklahoma communities are prepared to weather the storm, and some aren’t. During the extreme flooding of May 2019, communities were put to the test. In the first of a two-part series in partnership with StateImpact’s Beth Wallis, OPMX’s Graycen Wheeler reports on how two neighboring cities responded to disaster.
How social media affects the ways two Tulsa teenagers get their news
December 01, 2022 10:00 - 4 minutes - 8.28 MBNathalie Valero and Elodie Musungayi are Tulsa teenagers who spoke about how social media is amplifying youth voices and how it impacts mental health for them and their peers. KOSU reporter Kateleigh Mills went to Tulsa to speak with them.
'It had to be more than just teachers and their families voting': Oklahoma educator responds to election outcome
November 17, 2022 09:00 - 4 minutes - 5.73 MBLeading up to the midterms, throngs of teachers and education advocates rallied around democratic candidates for governor and superintendent. But after the ticket went to Gov. Kevin Stitt and Education Secretary Ryan Walters, some of those teachers are thinking about leaving the state altogether. Jami Jackson-Cole is a fifth grade teacher at Duncan Public Schools and manages the Oklahoma Edvocates Facebook page, which is a community of thousands of teachers and parents around the state. St...
StateImpact Oklahoma reporters react to midterm election results
November 10, 2022 10:00 - 4 minutes - 5.93 MBUnlike some other states, Oklahoma’s midterm election results are in the books. The results have big implications for education, health, and the environment in our state. Managing editor Logan Layden discussed what the outcome means with the StateImpact Oklahoma reporters.
The Adderall shortage has made its way to Oklahoma.
November 02, 2022 22:14 - 4 minutes - 5.89 MBWorkforce problems, federal regulations and an increase in demand are creating a shortage of ADD and ADHD medications. Local medical providers started seeing an issue this summer. There are ways around the shortage, but they involve jumping through hoops.
Oklahoma lawmakers tried to limit four day school weeks, but they’re hanging on in rural communities
October 27, 2022 09:30 - 4 minutes - 6.17 MBFour day school weeks have become more common across Oklahoma over the last decade. Lawmakers have tried to limit the practice. But as StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports, the rural districts that use them are fighting to keep them.
When Oklahoma voters choose a governor in November, they'll be voting on the future of SoonerCare.
October 20, 2022 16:18 - 4 minutes - 6.4 MBThe governor's race has had plenty of hyper-partisan debates, but one major issue falls away from party politics. Gov. Kevin Stitt wants to fundamentally alter the state's Medicaid program. His plan would bring in private-sector insurance companies to manage the no-cost health insurance that covers 1.3 million Oklahomans. The gubernatorial election will determine whether he gets to. Democratic challenger Joy Hofmeister argues that Stitt's plan to partially privatize SoonerCare simply funnels...
What more can be done to save the Lesser Prairie-Chicken?
October 13, 2022 10:00 - 4 minutes - 6.45 MBIn June 2021, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to list the Lesser Prairie-Chicken on the Endangered Species List — a move that would’ve triggered significant federal protections for the imperiled grouse. However, the Service has yet to finalize its proposal to do so, despite its June 2022 deadline. If the bird does get listed, industries will be required to mitigate their development impacts through conservation measures. But if the delay continues or the bird is never listed, a...
Alumni gather at Oklahoma City's old Northeast High School to honor 1970 student activism
October 10, 2022 09:30 - 2 minutes - 3.56 MBA group of alumni from the former Northeast High School in Oklahoma City returned to their alma mater this weekend to remember their old school and activism many engaged in more than 50 years ago. StateImpact’s Robby Korth tagged along. Listen to his story below.
How important is education in Oklahoma’s race for governor?
October 06, 2022 10:30 - 4 minutes - 6.09 MBAs Governor Kevin Stitt gears up for his challenge from State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister in November, StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports on what effects education policy could have on the race.
As pandemic response wanes, Oklahoma schools adapt to the end of universal free lunch
September 29, 2022 17:15 - 4 minutes - 5.75 MBOver the past year, pandemic relief efforts have been winding down. One of the first to go: universal free lunch for public school students. For more than two years during the pandemic, the waivers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture meant all kids qualified for free breakfasts and lunches. It saved families with one child hundreds of dollars per year, and for families with multiple kids, it saved thousands. It meant families who might qualify for free or reduced lunches didn’t have to ...
Where should we put our country's nuclear waste? StateImpact Oklahoma goes underground to find out
September 15, 2022 10:00 - 4 minutes - 6.48 MBMore than 2,000 feet underground in Carlsbad, New Mexico, sits the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). WIPP is the country’s only deep geological repository for nuclear waste of any kind — the U.S. doesn’t have a permanent repository for high level waste like spent nuclear fuel . But its other claim to fame is it’s also a case study in “consent-based siting,” which is the practice of getting community buy-in for nuclear storage sites. Now, a $3 million research project led by the Univers...
Plaintiff: challenging Oklahoma's transgender bathroom ban 'just the right thing to do'
September 09, 2022 11:00 - 4 minutes - 5.51 MBThree Oklahoma students are suing the state over its law that bars transgender students from using the bathroom corresponding with their gender identity. Andy Bridge is the lead plaintiff. The suit argues Senate Bill 615 is unconstitutional and should be overturned. Bridge and his parents, Aysha Prather and Eli Bridge, sat down with StateImpact Oklahoma reporter Robby Korth to share why they think it was an important step to take.
StateImpact answers some common questions about HB 1775
September 08, 2022 11:00 - 4 minutes - 6.3 MBStateImpact has gotten many questions about House Bill 1775, Oklahoma’s so-called critical race theory ban. So education reporter Robby Korth tried to address the most common ones. Here he is talking with Logan Layden about answering those frequently asked questions.
Sharing Indigenous Oklahoma stories at Field Museum exhibit ‘really inspiring’ for Stilwell students
September 01, 2022 11:00 - 4 minutes - 6.36 MBStateimpact is on a tour around Oklahoma to gather voices, stories and more from youth. Education reporter Robby Korth and KOSU engagement reporter Kateleigh Mills talked with two Stilwell High School students about their art and how they fit in as Cherokee in Oklahoma.
A new wastewater monitoring program means Oklahoma doesn't have to rely solely on testing to find COVID and monkeypox.
August 25, 2022 15:31 - 4 minutes - 6.2 MBResearchers at the University of Oklahoma started developing a monitoring program in 2020. Now, they're working with state health officials to scan for about a dozen pathogens — including COVID, monkeypox and West Nile Virus.
‘Something that can’t be replaced’: What a turnpike project could mean for Oklahoma wildlife
August 18, 2022 09:00 - 4 minutes - 6.49 MBThe ACCESS Oklahoma Turnpike project from the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority is a 15-year, $5 billion project to build several turnpike routes in central, southern and northeastern Oklahoma. Residents in the paths of these turnpike extensions who regularly see deer grazing in their yards and eagles soaring overhead are wondering, what’s going to happen to all the wildlife and the facility that takes care of them? And how far does the law go to protect them?
Texas students help make up for enrollment losses at Oklahoma colleges
August 11, 2022 10:30 - 4 minutes - 6.12 MBAs Oklahoma colleges struggle to maintain enrollment, they’re increasingly turning to other places to recruit new students. StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports the top target is the Sooner state’s neighbors to the south.
In StateImpact conversation, Tulsa high schoolers ask peers ‘Will you accept me as I am?’
August 04, 2022 10:00 - 4 minutes - 8.82 MBStateImpact is on a listening tour with Oklahoma’s youth. And we’ve brought along our microphones. StateImpact’s Robby Korth and KOSU’s Kateleigh Mills talked to a couple of Tulsa high school students about race, gender and how they interact with their peers at school.
Oklahoma allows abortions in life-threatening situations, but how much danger is enough?
July 28, 2022 11:00 - 4 minutes - 6.33 MBSeveral states that banned abortion created exceptions for medical emergencies, but the laws fail to make clear which conditions qualify for the exception. That leaves room for interpretation, which has already caused delays in life-saving care.
Oklahoma educators don’t shy away from difficult conversations at Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial & Museum event
July 26, 2022 10:00 - 4 minutes - 5.96 MBAs lawmakers, parents and school boards debate what kids should or shouldn’t learn in the classroom, teachers are still trying to find ways to lead tough conversations. StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports on a day a couple dozen educators at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum spent figuring out just that.
Pt. 2, Sustaining sustainability: The waste problem in Oklahoma’s cannabis industry and the innovators at the helm of change
July 22, 2022 09:00 - 4 minutes - 5.95 MBOne Oklahoman is taking it on herself to chip away at the mountains of packaging waste left by the booming industry. Taylor Davis, a 28-year-old Edmond resident, drives hundreds of miles every week to pick up tubs full of pop-top drams, glass jars, tiny cardboard boxes and Mylar bags from dispensaries around the state. Since February, she’s held these recycling drives at dispensaries all over Oklahoma, which she advertises on her Instagram, @RecycleYourEmpties. She said everywhere she goes...
Pt. 1, Sustaining sustainability: The waste problem in Oklahoma’s cannabis industry and the innovators at the helm of change
July 21, 2022 09:00 - 4 minutes - 5.89 MBWith Oklahoma’s medical marijuana scene growing rapidly, industry professionals and cannabis patients are feeling the weight of packaging waste. But a lack of recycling infrastructure and an unwillingness to raise prices for sustainable packaging have left Oklahoma unprepared to handle the growing mountains of plastic packing the state’s landfills.
Tulsa teenagers discuss how to be allies to their friends during uncertain times
July 14, 2022 10:00 - 4 minutes - 5.58 MBStateImpact is on a listening tour with Oklahoma’s youth. And we’ve brought along our microphones. KOSU’s Kateleigh Mills and StateImpact’s Robby Korth talked to a couple of Tulsa teenagers about being allies for their friends, following the news and about their own roles as Oklahomans.
Two more COVID strains have made their way to Oklahoma. Here's what to know.
July 07, 2022 15:55 - 4 minutes - 5.68 MBThe health department confirmed that two new variants account for about 40 percent of new cases. And according to state data, the number of officially reported cases per week doubled in June. StateImpact's Catherine Sweeney talked with Dr. David Holden, the president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association, about how contagious these variants are and what risk factors Oklahomans should be considering.
'When a right is created by the Supreme Court, it can go away': What overturning Roe could mean for contraception access, sexual privacy and marriage equality
June 30, 2022 09:00 - 4 minutes - 6.8 MBIn the recent Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision, Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey were struck down. In his opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote three previous rulings that used the same constitutional mechanism as Roe and Casey had been decided erroneously and should be reexamined. StateImpact Oklahoma reporter Beth Wallis interviewed Kathleen Tipler — an OU political science professor who specializes in gender, sexuality and the law — to understand how the Dobbs decisi...
For years before the Saint Francis shooting, health workers have experienced on-the-job violence at alarming rates.
June 23, 2022 15:41 - 4 minutes - 5.62 MBAnd they say the pandemic has made it worse. One national survey of nurses found 44 percent of them experienced physical abuse at work in early 2020.
Oklahoma City teenagers ask policymakers not to ‘downplay' their experiences
June 16, 2022 10:45 - 4 minutes - 5.97 MBStateImpact is on a listening tour with Oklahoma’s youth. And we’ve brought along our microphones. Two recent high school graduates from Oklahoma City - Aspen Harrod and Ahmari Sango - talk about their comfort levels in the classroom, how they fit in society and representation. StateImpact’s Robby Korth talked with them in late May.
Tulsa mass shooting reignites gun policy debate in Oklahoma
June 09, 2022 09:00 - 4 minutes - 6.51 MBOn the afternoon of June 1, a man walked into a local gun store and bought an AR-style rifle. A few hours later, he used that rifle and a handgun he’d purchased two days before to kill four people at a Tulsa medical center before turning the gun on himself. This came just a week after an 18-year-old bought an AR-style rifle and days later massacred 19 children and 2 teachers in Uvalde, Texas. And that came a little over a week after an 18-year-old, who had previously threatened a murder-s...
Critics say Oklahoma’s abortion and Critical Race Theory crackdowns rely on fear
June 02, 2022 03:15 - 5 minutes - 7.81 MBUnder the state's new abortion bans, are Oklahomans allowed to donate to abortion funds? Are they allowed to advise patients on their options in other states? The slew of contradictory bills passed this year weren't explicit. Vague laws leave residents wondering what’s legal and what isn’t. Opponents argue that is by design.
‘It’s utterly ridiculous:’ trans Tulsa students react to Oklahoma’s school bathroom ban
May 26, 2022 11:00 - 3 minutes - 5.34 MBGovernor Kevin Stitt on Wednesday signed a bill to bar transgender students from using the bathroom corresponding with their identity. StateImpact's Robby Korth and KOSU's Kateleigh Mills went to Tulsa the day the bill was sent to the governor for a conversation with three trans high schoolers. The teenagers talked about identity and how political conversations surrounding the bathrooms they use affect them.
Substitute shortage persisted even after Oklahoma school closures slowed down
May 19, 2022 10:00 - 4 minutes - 6.07 MBEarlier this year a teacher shortage in Oklahoma forced hundreds of school districts to close their doors because of a lack of substitutes to fill in for educators out with the coronavirus. But StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports even though it’s no longer in the headlines, the substitute teacher shortage persists.
'Oklahoma doesn't want us': Families grapple with looming displacement from turnpike
May 13, 2022 08:00 - 4 minutes - 6.5 MBOn February 22, Governor Kevin Stitt announced plans for the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority to embark on a $5 billion, 15-year project to expand Oklahoma’s turnpike network. Two families facing displacement from the turnpike project told their stories to StateImpact’s Beth Wallis. In Part 2, you’ll hear the story of Darla and Cedric LeBlanc, a Norman family whose home and horticulture business sits in the path of the proposed South Extension route. Beth Wallis visited the family’s home, where...
'That home is sacred to me': Norman woman joins fight against turnpike
May 12, 2022 08:00 - 4 minutes - 6.78 MBOn February 22, Governor Kevin Stitt announced plans for the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority to embark on a $5 billion, 15-year project to expand Oklahoma’s turnpike network. The effort to expand the turnpike loop around Oklahoma City south and west, through the Moore and Norman areas is raising concerns about water quality, the preservation of wildlife, property rights and even the rare rose rock. But for some, it’s personal. In Part 1 of this 2-part piece, you’ll hear the story of Lisa Meyer...
Oklahoma already ranked among the highest in the country for sexually transmitted infections. The pandemic likely made it worse.
May 05, 2022 02:04 - 4 minutes - 6.08 MBThe newest round of CDC numbers sound bad. No. 11 for chlamydia. No. 5 for gonorrhea. No. 4 for syphilis. these high rates — revealed in the CDC’s STI data for 2020 — aren’t new for Oklahoma. But local experts believe the pandemic worsened STI rates in much the same way that it worsened other health outcomes.
How Oklahoma Watch and The Frontier teamed up to investigate an $18 million no-bid contract between Oklahoma and a Florida company
May 02, 2022 10:00 - 4 minutes - 6.56 MBA joint investigation by nonprofit news outlets Oklahoma Watch and The Frontier found that Governor Kevin Stitt and his now-Secretary of Education Ryan Walters pushed $18 million to a Florida company called Class Wallet to distribute CARES Act funds. StateImpact’s Robby Korth spoke with one of the authors of that article, Clifton Adcock, about his work on the story. Read the full story here: https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/stitt-gave-families-8-million-for-school-supplies-in-the-pandem...
StateImpact wants to hear from marginalized Oklahoma youth
April 29, 2022 09:30 - 4 minutes - 6.27 MBIn Oklahoma, culture wars can feel exhausting to marginalized youth. So StateImpact’s Robby Korth and KOSU’s Kateleigh Mills are embarking on a listening tour and they’re bringing microphones. Now, they need your help.
‘I love a place that hates me,’ how two transgender Oklahoma teens navigate current events in their home state
April 28, 2022 10:00 - 4 minutes - 5.89 MBStateImpact is on a listening tour with Oklahoma’s youth. And we’ve brought along our microphones. In the first session, two transgender high school juniors from Tulsa share how they feel about their education and their place in the state. Their names are MJ and Dominik, and they sat with StateImpact’s Robby Korth earlier this month. StateImpact’s Robby Korth and KOSU’s Kateleigh Mills produced this story as part of the America Amplified initiative using community engagement to inform and s...
Striking gold in the green rush: entrepreneurs tap into Oklahoma's weed economy
April 21, 2022 08:00 - 4 minutes - 6.24 MBThe economic impact of Oklahoma’s blossoming industry reaches far beyond cannabis business owners — from packaging and banking partners to storefront landlords and thousands of employees. But as for state and local revenue from cannabis taxes, officials hesitate to characterize the industry as a silver bullet to the state’s economic woes. Hear the story of one entrepreneur who struck gold in Oklahoma's green rush.
How property tax protests are hurting Oklahoma schools
April 14, 2022 10:00 - 3 minutes - 5.38 MBOklahoma schools have an $80 million problem. That’s how much money county assessors say local governments are owed in taxes but are currently held in escrow amid protests. StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports on a property tax fight that’s hurting schools.
Oklahoma abortion laws would send providers to prison for up to a decade and further strain on out-of-state clinics
April 06, 2022 23:56 - 4 minutes - 6 MBOklahoma lawmakers are in a mad dash to eradicate abortion in Oklahoma, passing a slew of bills to restrict — and in some cases, even criminalize — the procedure. These laws now stand a better chance of going into effect, and that if they do, will have a major impact on the region, not just Oklahoma.
Memory loss, debilitating fatigue and more: Oklahomans share their experiences with long COVID symptoms
March 31, 2022 01:55 - 4 minutes - 5.93 MBEven though cases are down, thousands of Oklahomans are still dealing with COVID symptoms. As many as one in three who are infected with the virus will continue to have symptoms for weeks — or even months — after recovery.StateImpact talked with more than a dozen Oklahomans about their experiences with long-term COVID symptoms. What did those symptoms look like? To be honest, the experiences were all over the map, but there were a few things that came up time and again: lung issues, heart i...
Long-embattled, rare beetle offers hope of new discoveries
March 24, 2022 15:01 - 4 minutes - 6.46 MBThe rare American Burying Beetle could hold the key to new medical treatments and novel meat preservation methods. But these beetles are facing threats that could wipe them out of Oklahoma — and perhaps most of the country. And some conservationists say the government hasn’t done enough to protect the dwindling population of ABBs.
What does school choice look like in rural Oklahoma?
March 17, 2022 09:45 - 8 minutes - 11.4 MBOklahoma Republicans are split on Senate Bill 1647. The measure would give private school families vouchers to pay for tuition. But many rural state lawmakers say school choice in their towns is different. So, StateImpact’s Robby Korth went to one small town to see. What does school choice look like in rural Oklahoma?
Psychedelic mushroom research could soon be legal in Oklahoma
March 10, 2022 03:11 - 5 minutes - 8.08 MBResearch into how psychedelic mushrooms could help patients with mental health conditions is gaining momentum, even in Oklahoma. Some state lawmakers are interested in the idea — if it helps veterans.
The road to electric: Oklahoma navigates transition to embracing electric vehicles
March 03, 2022 15:00 - 4 minutes - 6.26 MBThis new frontier of electric vehicles in Oklahoma isn’t without its challenges — accessibility, range anxiety, infrastructure and competing in a state with a historic reliance on oil and gas production. But Oklahoma is paving the road ahead by building out its charging network and rethinking its motor fuel tax structure.