The Tulsa Beacon celebrates 25 years in publication with this issue. The first issue of the Tulsa Beacon was published on April 25, 2001 and this issue April 23, 2026 marks the end of its 25th year in publication. The first year of publication was marked by the September 11th attack on our nation by…
Sitting before a class of students at John Rex Charter School in Oklahoma City, Gov. Kevin Stitt signed into law a bill to dramatically strengthen reading instruction in Oklahoma’s public schools. “We all know that reading paves the way for bright futures, and if a child can read, they can learn,” Stitt said. “And if…
MUSKOGEE, Okla. — The Oklahoma National Guard, in partnership with Oklahoma Office of Emergency Management, hosted Exercise Lightning Strike, a domestic exercise scenario of an EF5 tornado, at Camp Gruber Training Center, April 14 and 15, 2026. At the center of the exercise is the integration of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) across various scenarios, enabling…
(Tulsa, OK) –Oklahoma GOP Congressional Dist. 1 is hosting a Candidate Forum for the U.S. House seat, which has been held by Rep. Kevin Hern. Hern is running for Mark Wayne Mullin’s former Senate seat, which was vacated after Mullin was appointed to Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security. There are eleven Republican candidates…
Oklahoma state lawmakers have voted in overwhelming numbers to require focused intervention for grade-school students who are struggling in reading, with third-grade retention mandated as a last resort. The legislation largely duplicates a highly successful program used in Mississippi that has achieved national acclaim, and it also reinstates many provisions used successfully in Oklahoma prior…
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma House of Representatives today approved the general appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2027, delivering the largest investment in education in state history while also strengthening funding for mental health services, health care and other core state priorities. The general appropriations bill serves as the foundation of the state budget, establishing…
OKLAHOMA CITY — Sen. John Haste, R-Broken Arrow, is advancing House Bill 3831, a measure to formally establish Oklahoma Task Force 1 as the state’s official urban search and rescue team, ensuring long-term support and readiness as the legislation now moves to the next stage of the legislative process. House Bill 3831 places Oklahoma Task…
OKLAHOMA CITY — Senate Bill 640 by Cynthia Roe, R-Lindsay, has passed the House Alcohol, Tobacco and Controlled Substances Committee, which aims at addressing abandoned and improperly maintained medical marijuana grow operations. The measure would require licensed medical marijuana businesses to properly remove and dispose of surface trash, debris and waste tied to their operations….
Big Band Hangar Dance will be held on April 25, 2026 at the Stafford Air & Space Museum. The Event will cost $50 per person ($45 for Oklahoma Route 66 Association members) The Oklahoma Route 66 Association, Stafford Air & Space Museum, and the City of Weatherford invite you to celebrate the early years of…
With the costs of Medicaid expansion exploding, and even greater increases potentially looming in the future, members of an Oklahoma Senate committee have voted overwhelmingly to place reform proposals before voters. “Oklahomans have a kind heart as a whole, and we want to make sure we can take care of those people who have a…
Oklahoma faces workforce challenges. Our college system should play a crucial role in addressing that challenge and fueling economic growth. Instead, the University of Oklahoma is receiving national attention for devolving into academic self-parody. Rather than gain renown for producing engineers and scientists, OU is under scrutiny for having a man who identifies as a…
[Analysis of history and science influence on political and religious attitudes.] It’s a small world. We were out on a fine, beautiful Saturday afternoon, headed over to our lab to work on the ham radio repeater. An event was underway at the Mountain Venue. We noticed one of the security guards managing traffic into…
Each year, as summer winds down and the first Monday in September approaches, we pause to honor the contributions of workers across the country. Labor Day is far more than a long weekend, it is a powerful reminder of the value of work, the dignity of those who labor, and the importance of fair and…
Oklahoma is taking in a lot of tax money. In fact, during the last year, the state has gotten so much extra money, it has as much as a billion dollars in the Rainy Day Fund (and other accounts). That’s a billion with a “B.” Gov. Kevin Stitt, to his credit, wants to sit tight…
[Looking at history and our area’s unique political and religious attitudes.] Calvin, the inquisitive 6-year-old asks his imaginary philosopher tiger, “It says here that ‘Religion is the opiate of the masses.’ What do you suppose that means?” The TV replies, ‘It means Karl Marx hadn’t seen anything yet.’ Although Marx was making a derogatory…
2026 Tulsa Public Schools School Bond Election Vote NO This school bond says your taxes will be at the same rate. However in 2021 this rate was supposed to raise $414 million and now this same rate will raise $609 million for a bond issue that lasts the same amount of time – 5 years.. …
Monica Granstaff and her family waited 12 years to get high-speed internet access to their farm near Okemah. In early September, the Oklahoma Broadband Office joined her family to witness their first fiber connection. The Granstaff family represents the hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans that will be connected by our grant programs, improving their lives…
The gap between intentions and outcomes can be vast in politics, as the push to raise Oklahoma’s minimum wage demonstrates. Proponents say they want to help struggling citizens at the bottom of the state’s economic ladder. But in practice, their wage-policy preference yanks that ladder out of the hands of those low-income workers, leaving them…
“There is no reason a child cannot read before they are in third grade,” former State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister said in 2019. “But our teachers have to teach based on the science of reading, and that is not happening across this state. It is happening in pockets.” While I disagreed with Hofmeister on many issues,…
If you think you’ve seen a lot of Blake Griffin lately, it’s because you have. The former University of Oklahoma basketball player and former NBA star is now the star of several television commercials while enjoying a second career as a broadcaster. Griffin spent 13 seasons in the NBA, playing with the LA Clippers, Detroit…
A late comeback fell short as the Tulsa Oilers football team lost a close one to Fishers Freight, 40-38, Saturday evening at the BOK Center. Tulsa’s record dropped to 1-2 on the season, and Fishers improved to 3-1. The Freight jumped out to an early 10-0 lead, but Tulsa responded with a nine-yard touchdown pass…
Either I wrote my column last week a bit prematurely, or I was a bit prophetic. Last week, I wrote about spring football leagues, and the United Football League specifically. Then this past week, the UFL announced it would be expanding from eight teams to ten teams in the next few years, beginning with putting…
Tulsa and Orlando tangled in a back-and-forth game, with the Pirates coming out on top in overtime, 61-55, on Sunday afternoon at the Kia Center in Orlando. The Oilers dropped to 1-1 on the season and Orlando improved to 2-0. Orlando scored on their first drive of the game, quarterback Paxton DeLaurent completed a touchdown…
BRANSON, Missouri – It would be difficult for a stage play to have more impact than the production of Jesus here at Sight & Sound Theatre. The public ministry of Jesus Christ, His miracles, His relationships, His sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection are dramatically portrayed as only Sight & Sound can. Even though…
Vacation plans are on hold and Tulsans’ best options for entertainment due to the coronavirus outbreak are in their own living rooms. Movie theaters closed All the movie theaters in Tulsa – even the Admiral Twin Drive-in – are closed due to the pandemic. Entertainment venues, which tend to draw big crowds, are deemed “non-essential”…
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nineties country-music hitmaker Joe Diffie died March 29th due to complications related to COVID-19. In all, Diffie charted 18 Top 10 singles, with the majority reaching the top five, including 1993 radio essentials Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (If I Die) and iconic song, John Deere Green. Diffie’s popular hits also…