By Janelle Stecklein | Editor
“We are hopeful this settlement brings OSDE one step closer to a resolution of outstanding legal issues so that our attention and resources can be focused on serving the students of Oklahoma.” - Tara Thompson of settling a lawsuit filed against former state Superintendent Ryan Walters
Former state Superintendent Ryan Walters speaks during a meeting of the Oklahoma State Board of Education on Sept. 25 in Oklahoma City. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice)
By Nuria Martinez-Keel
Taxpayers will cover $132,000 in lawsuit settlements owed to two fired Oklahoma State Department of Education employees who sued former state Superintendent Ryan Walters and his senior adviser.
Cheryl McGee and Matt Colwell each sued Walters and Matt Langston in Oklahoma City federal court in 2023. Both had been fired that year for sharing agency information with individuals outside of the Education Department.
They contended Walters and Langston violated their First Amendment rights by putting an overly broad restraint on their speech. Because Walters and Langston were acting within the scope of their authority as agency officials, the state of Oklahoma is responsible for paying both plaintiffs’ settlements, under state indemnification laws.
Fruit is displayed at an Anchorage grocery store. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
By Courtney Bell
Oklahoma’s cyclosporiasis cases, the parasitic infection that causes stomach cramping and “explosive diarrhea,” have more than doubled since last week.
More than 200 American mayors are calling on the federal government to reverse changes that will cost states billions and push millions of people off the national food stamp program. (Photo by Steph Quinn/Missouri Independent)
By Kevin Hardy
More than 200 American mayors are calling on the federal government to reverse changes that will cost states billions and push millions of people off the food stamp program.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins speaks in Fargo, N.D., on April 22, 2025. She was invited by North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven, left. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor)
By Jeff Beach
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is reversing course on a change to a federal crop insurance policy to allow farmers to buy more protection if weather or field conditions prevent them from planting a crop.
The U.S. Capitol on the evening of Sept. 30, 2025. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)
By Jennifer Shutt
The U.S. House approved a stopgap spending bill Tuesday that would keep the government up and running through the fall, sending it to the Senate, where lawmakers expect to rework the measure.
ICYMI
Thanks for reading The Word on Oklahoma. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.