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Saturday, May 2, 2026 • Beautiful day. Sunny, low-to-mid 70s. ☀️

🎙️Podcast: This Week in Politics with Grant Hermes, we talk about what happened at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, the ramifications of Louisiana v. Callais on voting rights, the concept of “Gerrymaxxing,” and Deadline Day in Congress.

🏀 The Lakers finished off Houston tonight, which means LeBron & Co. are headed to Oklahoma City for Game 1 against the Thunder on Tuesday night. Time is TBD.

Three parties, one dead child: the failures that led to Locklynn McGuire’s death

Locklynn McGuire, 2, died Nov. 18, 2025 from a dog attack. The Department of Human Services fired a child protective services supervisor over serious missteps made in her case. (Courtesy Photo)

By Jennifer Palmer, Oklahoma Watch
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Two-year-old Locklynn’s father tucked her into bed Nov. 18, and her mother returned home late from her job at a Sonic Drive-In. The mother heard breathing noises coming from her daughter’s bedroom, and went in to check when she heard what sounded like bouncing. The dog, Ella, was covered in blood. The little girl was dead.

Police arrived to a home in disarray. 

It smelled of animal feces and urine, a detective described in court. There was old food, pots and pans, trash and clothing stacked on the floor. But toddler clothes hung neatly on hangers in Locklynn’s bedroom closet, and childproof safety covers wrapped the doorknobs.

There were four dogs, each in a crate except Ella, a pitbull whose ribs and hip bones stuck out. Koda, a Husky mix, was on the thin side, an animal welfare officer testified. There was a black-and-white pitbull mix, a male, in a kennel with a comforter. The puppy, Hazel, had a scar across its face. The wound hadn’t been stitched and was healing on its own. They all had fleas.

Investigators looked for dog food in the house, but couldn’t find any. The mother later told them she only feeds the dogs outside, once a day, and they eat until they’re full. They drink from a five-gallon bucket, also outside.

There were two bearded dragons and a pet rat in the home. The bearded dragons had metabolic bone disease, which is caused by a lack of vitamin D, calcium and proper lighting. The only pet food investigators found was for the rat, but it was crawling with roaches.

The investigation into Locklynn’s death revealed warning signs that, had they been heeded, might have saved Locklynn’s life. Whether her parents, state child welfare workers or medical personnel shoulder the blame depends on who you ask. 

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The Oklahoma Rundown 📰

Editor’s note: Links requiring subscriptions have an *.

Here’s what’s happening in Oklahoma today:

• Guymon Fire Department member killed in house fire (The Oklahoman)*

• Questions remain after Oklahoma Senate candidate found dead in wildlife refuge (KOCO)

• Data center site developer eyes Broken Arrow, officials announce (Tulsa World)*

• Oklahoma bill criminalizing the delivery of abortion-inducing drugs heads to governor’s desk (StateImpact Oklahoma)

• Three leading Republican gubernatorial candidates subsidizing their campaigns (Tulsa World)*

• Tribal citizens honor loved ones on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day (News 9)

• Senate kills Stitt-backed proposal to make state superintendent appointed role (Oklahoma Voice)

• Push to recall Sand Springs councilors over data center decisions fails (Tulsa Flyer)

• ‘Just the beginning’: North Tulsa leaders celebrate next chapter of Greenwood Entrepreneurship at Moton (Tulsa Flyer)

• 2019 floods devastated west Tulsa. Now, $191M will be spent to restore levees. (The Oklahoma Eagle)

• Historic Muskogee Hotel set for demolition as questions remain about future (2 News Oklahoma)

• Invasive tree-killing beetle found in Wagoner County (StateImpact Oklahoma)

• Lone Grove valedictorian surprised with $60,000 scholarship (KXII)

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