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TOP STORY:
Tulsa will pause new data center construction for 9 months after council vote
By Phillip Jackson, Tulsa Flyer
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Tulsa City Councilor Phil Lakin, Jr., center, discusses charter amendments at a council committee meeting March 25, 2026. They also talked about the 365-day data center Moratorium. (PHOTO by Libby Hobbs / Tulsa Flyer)
Tulsa City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to pause building new data centers for nine months.
The decision comes in the context of conflict between local officials who see the promise of economic development and residents who worry about the impact massive facilities will have on water and power resources.
District 4 Councilor Laura Bellis had initially requested a one-year moratorium, but amended it to nine months after pushback in a Wednesday afternoon committee meeting.
“Nine months was a reasonable compromise,” Bellis told the Flyer. “My biggest thing was our planning office has enough time to form recommendations for it to go through an official government process.”
Tulsa, with its relatively inexpensive energy, land and water, has become a hotbed of large data center development in the last year. The moratorium would exempt the first and second phase of Project Anthem in east Tulsa and wouldn’t affect Project Clydesdale, which is already being built in north Tulsa. The Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission is set to make a decision on Project Anthem’s second construction phase April 1.
A total of 19 people spoke during the public comment in favor of approving the moratorium. Some even traveled from outside of Tulsa city limits.
👀 See also: Lawsuit over Sand Springs data center alleges violation of conservation agreement (Tulsa World)*
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The Oklahoma Rundown 📰
Editor’s note: Links requiring subscriptions have an *.
A hand-curated list of the best journalism from across the state:
• Oklahoma House, Senate pass literacy bills to retain struggling readers, boost instruction (Oklahoma Voice)
• Senate approves slate of bills increasing teacher pay, investing in school security (KOSU)
• Stitt says he has no interest in running for Senate, touting accomplishments as governor (The Oklahoma Eagle)
• Human Rights Commission to flag racist language in OKC land docs (Oklahoma City Free Press)
• Norman City Council approves utility, roadway contracts with OTA (KGOU)
• Jury trial scheduled for former Peckham School Superintendent (Kay News Cow)
• Digital driver license option advances through Oklahoma House (Oklahoma Voice)
• Bill increases age for Oklahoma marriages (Oklahoma Voice)
• As drowning claims grandmother, Eufaula builds first hospital in a decade (2 News Oklahoma)
• City of Okmulgee councilmember arrested, accused of child abuse (News On 6)
• Reba McEntire to perform free show in Atoka (KXII)
• James Beard-nominated chef thanks donor who made education possible (OSUIT)
• Oklahoma City Thunder foundation brings new technology to Tulsa Dream Center (The Oklahoma Eagle)
• Ukrainian surgeons train at OU Health for frontline care (KOCO)
Still waiting: Oklahoma’s mental health system leaves defendants waiting in jail despite court order to fix delays
By Stephen Martin, Oklahoma Watch
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Sheriff Vic Regaldo walks through the Tulsa County Jail on Mar. 20, 2026. (PHOTO by Rip Stell/ Oklahoma Watch)
Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado sees it every day.
Dozens of people sit inside his jail not because their cases are moving forward, but because they can’t.
They’ve been found incompetent to stand trial. Courts have ordered them into mental health treatment. But instead of being transferred to care, they remain in custody, waiting.
“On average, we’ll have anywhere from 45 to 60 people in our jail awaiting that treatment,” Regalado said. “These are people that are in limbo.”
They are not well enough to face trial. And they are not receiving the level of treatment they need to get there.
“They’re not at a point where they can be a part of their defense,” he said. “And they’re also not getting potentially the mental health treatment that they need outside of the jail.”
Across Oklahoma, that limbo has become the norm even after a federal court ordered the state to fix it.
👀 See also: Some mental health funding has been restored in Oklahoma, but providers say damage from cuts remains (The Frontier)
Oklahoma Memo
A daily briefing connecting Oklahomans to the state’s best journalism — and original content from Oklahoma Memo. Got a news tip? Somebody I need to interview? Message me at [email protected].