The state last week reached a $270 million settlement in its lawsuit against opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma. Oklahoma’s attorney general determined nearly $200 million of the money will go to the O...

I often joke that I’ve had surgery from my nose to my toes. When I broke my leg over Christmas last year, I went to the surgeon and got it set back in place and wore a boot for a few months. I knew th...

We’re getting close to the tax-filing deadline. For many of us, this means it’s that time of year when we get our biggest financial windfall – a tax refund. If you have recently received a refund, or...

It’s true that life happens somewhere between an inhale and an exhale. It’s just up to us to capture those moments so we can hold them in our hearts forever. I think about my own life and how quickly ...

This week, the House has continued to focus on bills in committee meetings. When we weren’t in committees or on the House floor, I met with several groups this week to discuss various policy areas. I ...

OKLAHOMA CITY – There is a heartbreaking correlation among two areas where Oklahoma ranks worst in the country: Adverse childhood experiences and incarceration. Adverse childhood experiences – which i...

With the next presidential election only a short nineteen months away (ugh!), we are already seeing a crowded field of Democrats lining up to challenge, whom they see as a very beatable, Donald Trump....

After a brief spring break last week, the pace at the State Capitol has picked up once again. We’ve resumed our committee meetings, now to consider the 429 bills passed by the Senate. As a reminder, a...

The newspaper is the most powerful of all the means of expression of the views of men and women and what really matters. In fact, newspapers have even been regarded by economists as a necessity of mod...

It's been 107 years this month since the tragedy of the Titanic. Of course, this disaster has fascinated the world ever since, leading to books, movies, musicals and, ultimately, a successful search f...

For the Children: Last week was Spring Break for many Oklahomans, including our elected officials. As a result, the Legislature enjoyed an abbreviated schedule, although they did begin consideration o...

Nineteen lawyers. Forty FBI agents, intelligence analysts, forensic accountants, and professional staff. Over 2,800 subpoenas. Nearly 500 search warrants. More than 230 orders for communication record...

For the Children: Jaded observers of Oklahoma politics often express their cynicism with the phrase, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” In other words, while we may think we are ma...

The problem with politics is everyone seems to be looking for nothing but trouble, then when they find trouble, they want to blame everyone else. I mean my gosh, to err is human, people. But to const...

For the Children: Government functions best when different branches, elected officials and agencies maintain good working relationships. To his credit, Governor Kevin Stitt understands the value of ma...

Opinions Daylight Savings Time (DST)-is it really the best thing for us? Or is this saving time killing anyone else, like it’s killing me? During DST changing the clocks does not create extra daylight...

A bill that would require agency chief financial and executive officers to sign off on their agency’s yearly financial statements and attest to the accuracy of the information passed the House this we...

Opinions Finding our voice After watching an interesting movie over the weekend called “The Wife” with actress Glenn Close and actor Jonathan Pryce, I was a bit taken back.  It was about a woman whose...

Blackface One area I struggle with writing about is race. It is such a divisive subject and I fear I might give offense. One of the issues I sometimes face is that I try to find some positives in curr...

For the Children: Last week was an important milestone for this year’s Legislature, as any bill that had not been passed out of committee by Thursday (Feb. 28) is now dormant for the remainder of the ...