By Janelle Stecklein | Editor
“The job is to get Republicans elected, not to choose which Republicans get to be on the ballot.” - Ronda Vuillemont-Smith of state party leaders choosing to endorse ahead of the primary runoff
Proud To Partner Leadership Academy, pictured May 19, is now closed, but school and state officials say paper copies of student records remain inside its former building in southwest Oklahoma City. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice)
By Nuria Martinez-Keel
Confidential student records are sitting in a vacated building nearly eight weeks after a charter school permanently closed its doors, officials from the state and the school said, though both sides disagree on who is at fault.
Proud To Partner Leadership Academy, known as PTPLA, ceased operations on July 1 after the Statewide Charter School Board canceled its charter contract over financial, operational and academic quality concerns.
The charter high school’s 100 students have either graduated or transferred elsewhere, but paper copies of their academic transcripts, vaccination records and enrollment documents still remain at PTPLA’s former building in southwest Oklahoma City, raising concerns over privacy protections and potentially racking up thousands of dollars in rental fees, according to email correspondence Oklahoma Voice obtained from the state.
The Dewey F. Bartlett Center houses the state Republican Party headquarters. (Photo by Janelle Stecklein/Oklahoma Voice)
By Barbara Hoberock
The Oklahoma Republican Party State Committee’s decision to endorse three statewide candidates days before the primary runoff has inflamed some party stalwarts, who argued it’s an unprecedented attempt to try to influence the outcome.
Lee Anne Bruce Boone, executive director of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission, speaks with a reporter following a meeting of the board at the state Capitol April 10, 2025. (Photo by Emma Murphy/Oklahoma Voice)
By Emma Murphy
A Texas company countersued the state Ethics Commission on Tuesday, alleging it suffered $6 million in losses after the agency ended a contract to replace the state’s campaign finance system.
A cow grazes a field in western Oklahoma. (Photo courtesy of Casey Murdock)
By Barbara Hoberock
Oklahoma ranchers are reeling following a decision by President Donald Trump to allow beef to be imported and sold 25% below market.
Michigan State University doctoral students attend the university’s doctoral commencement ceremony on May 5, 2023. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
By Ariana Figueroa
The Department of Homeland Security is planning to drastically increase the fee for hiring high-skilled foreign workers within the United States to $100,000, according to a preview of a proposed rule published Monday.
ICYMI
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