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The United States House passed the funding bill that the Senate passed earlier this week, and President Donald Trump signed it on Wednesday night, meaning the federal government is back in business.

From AP News, Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) is quoted:
“We told you 43 days ago from bitter experience that government shutdowns don’t work,” said Rep. Tom Cole, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. “They never achieve the objective that you announce. And guess what? You haven’t achieved that objective yet, and you’re not going to.”

Cole was also on News 9 at 6 p.m., where he said essentially the same thing, adding that Republicans had shut down the government twice — and now the Democrats — and that closing the federal government should, from here forward, cease to be a weapon in negotiations.

To that end, Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) has introduced a bill to ensure that government shutdowns don’t happen again. He and I discussed it in an Oklahoma Memo podcast a couple of weeks ago.

The bill passed by the House didn’t come with a guarantee of a vote on ACA healthcare subsidies, and it only funds the federal government through January 30. However, per this ABC News report, SNAP benefits are funded through next September.

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By Barbara Hoberock, Oklahoma Voice
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OKLAHOMA CITY – A state panel on Wednesday approved raises for future statewide elected officials totaling more than $500,000.

The Statewide Official Compensation Commission voted to increase the pay of statewide elected officials by at least 25%. Only the governor is slated to receive a smaller increase. The next governor will see a 5.4% pay increase, boosting that position’s pay from $147,000 to $155,000. Taxpayers provide the governor with a home and transportation.

The same board, which met for the first time since lawmakers created it, voted to more than double the state superintendent’s salary from $124,373 to $250,000.

Supporters of the hike argued that statewide officials’ salaries hadn’t been increased since 2009.

“The fact that they have not had a salary increase since 2009 – I’m embarrassed,” said David “Chip” Carter, a member of the commission.

The new salaries won’t go into effect until after the November 2026 election. State law prohibits elected officials from receiving a salary increase during their term in office.

Previously, lawmakers set the salary of statewide elected officials or tied them to judicial salaries, but they delegated the task to the newly created panel.

Carter said the new salaries should attract the best and brightest to the roles. He said some officials must give up earning potential to serve the state.

“I’m not embarrassed,” said Jeff Baumann, a member. “I didn’t set them. Those people all knew what they were doing when they took the job.”

Baumann also asked why the board canceled its original meeting set for Nov. 4.

Chairman Brian Jackson said the board didn’t want to vote on pay while recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program had their benefits put on hold due to the governmental shutdown, which began Oct. 1. Over 680,000 Oklahomans receive food stamps. The U.S. Department of Agriculture authorized the state to begin issuing partial payments earlier this week.

The lieutenant governor’s salary will rise to $145,000 from $114,713, a 26% increase.

A motion to raise it to $120,713 failed. The lieutenant governor is provided transportation.

The next attorney general will be paid $185,000, up from $132,825, a 39% increase.

Matt Tilly, a member and attorney, argued the increase is necessary because new attorneys at larger law firms make over $100,000 a year.

Other elected positions that saw salary increases include:

A motion to increase all the salaries by only 5% across the board failed to advance.

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

By Dylan Goforth, The Frontier
Click here to read the story.
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After the death of Charlie Kirk, the Oklahoma State Department of Education received over 400 complaints about schools and school staff accused of disrespecting the slain conservative activist. But the agency didn’t follow through on promises to investigate. 

Under State Superintendent Ryan Walters, the agency said in September it was investigating a dozen districts that refused his directive to honor Kirk, as well as at least 70 teachers for anti-Kirk social media posts. Weeks later, Walters resigned to lead the Teacher Freedom Alliance, a conservative anti-teachers union group. 

A defining feature of Walters’ whirlwind tenure as Oklahoma’s top education official was a focus on spectacle over substance. Walters was a fixture on cable news, framing Oklahoma as a front line in the national culture wars over race, religion, and classroom content. At the same time, his agency struggled with basic administrative duties — such as erroneously paid teacher bonuses or managing federal grants. Legislative auditors and education groups repeatedly criticized the department for disorganization and lack of follow-through.

In mid-September, after Kirk was killed while speaking outside of a Utah college, Walters announced on social media he would be “investigating” teachers who made “defamatory or egregious comments” about Kirk, and would “hold schools” accountable for not observing a moment of silence for the slain conservative provocateur.

Walters urged parents to report schools and teachers who failed to honor Kirk to the State Department of Education. He vowed to hold districts and educators accountable. But records obtained by The Frontier show agency investigators declined more than 100 requests from the public to investigate schools that did not hold a moment of silence for Kirk. Reports of teachers who allegedly made insensitive social media posts related to Kirk’s killing also went uninvestigated, according to department spokeswoman Bailey Woolsey, though action might have been taken at a local level, she said. 

Woolsey, who was hired after Walters’ exit from the agency, said Department of Education investigators conducted a “preliminary review” of the reports  but “no formal investigation or action was pursued.”

Woolsey told The Frontier that the agency issued no notices of investigation to any schools related to Kirk. Walters did not respond to requests for comment by The Frontier. 

Click here to finish the story.

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

A hand-curated list of the best journalism from across the state:

• Advocates urge clemency for Tremane Wood ahead of execution (KOCO)

• Infant Crisis Services expands support amid SNAP challenges and growing need (News 9)

• Oklahoma food banks face long recovery after government shutdown (KOCO)

• Oklahoma Supreme Court sides with Stitt in Cabinet dispute (Tulsa World)*

• Lankford talks about stalemate in DC, Epstein files, new Tulsa VA hospital (Tulsa World)*

• Tulsa mayor holds first free, open-to-the-public State of the City on Nov. 12 (2 News Oklahoma)

• 'It just hurts': Owners claim construction harms business near 11th and Harvard (2 News Oklahoma)

• How Tulsa finds itself in the middle of a statewide data center race (The Oklahoma Eagle)

• Oklahoma leaders celebrate VA taking ownership of new Tulsa hospital (KGOU)

• 'A lot of bootstrapping': How Oklahoma farmers navigate raising children (KOSU)

• New book details impacts of drug rehabilitation industry on patients, inspired by story in Oklahoma (KGOU)

• Digital death: Tons of e-waste ‘has potential for harm’ (NonDoc)

• Construction begins on affordable housing units in NW OKC (KFOR)

• Tulsa Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce searching for its next CEO, president (La Semana)

• Grieving mother outraged as woman charged in son’s death faces new crimes (News 9)

• Marshall County voters to decide fate of Pointe Vista project on Lake Texoma (KXII)

• Colbert considers truck traffic ban after residents complain about noise, road damage (KXII)

• Why Oklahoma City Spark joining AUSL provides best chance for long-term pro softball (The Oklahoman)*

• Thunder roll past Luka, Lakers and improve to 12-1 (ESPN)

Beautiful day! Maybe some clouds.

🌡️ Thursday's high in OKC 76°
🌡️ Thursday’s high in Tulsa 74°

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