By Nuria Martinez-Keel | Reporter
“The people in Inola are desperate for information. They want to know more about what’s taking place and why it’s taking place.” - Tom Gann of an aluminum smelter planned near the town of Inola
A water level marker at Cedar Lake near Hinton, Okla., Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (Photo by Nate Billings/For Oklahoma Voice)
By Barbara Hoberock
A brown ring of dirt where waters once stood covers white rocks partially encircling Cedar Lake.
It is an emotional reminder to residents of this rustic and blue collar community 45 miles west of Oklahoma City that their way of life and livelihoods are dramatically changing.
Generations of families have celebrated the Fourth of July and other holidays on the beaches of the lake, which has served as a baptismal pool for children and grandchildren.
Rep. Tom Gann, R-Inola, left, pulls out a rule book, as Rep. Rick West, R-Heavener, looks on during the House session on May 22, 2025. (Photo by Janelle Stecklein/Oklahoma Voice)
By Emma Murphy
A House lawmaker said Wednesday that a fellow Republican has blocked his efforts to hold a study at the Capitol to probe a controversial aluminum smelter that the Trump administration wants to build in his hometown.
Oklahoma City Board of Education Chair Paula Lewis speaks during a board work session Nov. 18, 2024, at the Clara Luper Center for Educational Services in Oklahoma City. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice)
By Nuria Martinez-Keel
The longest-serving school board leader in Oklahoma City Public Schools’ history, credited with helping stabilize a once-turbulent district, resigned Monday evening.
ICYMI
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