The resignation of Senator Markwayne Mullin to become the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) has thrown several races previously thought to be predictable into races with many candidates vying for races with no incumbents. Sen. Mullin’s position in the Senate was filled by Governor Stitt with Alan Armstrong who is not allowed to run for…
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Senate today unanimously passed legislation from Sen. Grant Green, R-Wellston, to protect Oklahomans from higher utility costs as a result of the growing number of data centers across the state. The Senate passed an amended version of House Bill 2992, the Data Center Consumer Ratepayer Protection Act of 2026, that…
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Senate today passed legislation from Sen. Chuck Hall, R-Perry, to crack down on fraud and identity theft by imposing harsher penalties for these crimes. House Bill 3244, which passed the Senate unanimously, modernizes Oklahoma’s criminal fraud laws by expanding the definition of a pattern of criminal activity to include crimes committed…
OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Denise Crosswhite Hader, R-Piedmont, today is reminding Oklahomans they can opt-in on a federal income tax credit next year for individual contributions to scholarship granting organizations (SGOs). Funding is to be used for scholarships for elementary and secondary education expenses. Crosswhite Hader is the House author of House Bill 3704, which…
Tuesday, June 16 will be primary election date for many state, county and judicial elections in Oklahoma. The runoff date (if needed) for the primaries will be on August 25 and the General Election will be held on November 3, 2026. There are many candidates for a large ballot to be voted on by Tulsa…
Hundreds of volunteer lawyers across Oklahoma will provide free legal advice on Friday, May 1, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. during the annual statewide Law Day celebration. Oklahoma residents may call 405-900-5299 or 918-340-5297 to speak to a licensed attorney at no cost. Questions also can be submitted through email by visiting www.askalawyerok.org. “This…
TULSA, Okla. (April 27, 2026) — The Tulsa Republican Club and Women For Tulsa today announce the candidates who will participate in the upcoming Republican Primary Debate for Oklahoma Governor scheduled for Monday, May 18th from 6:00-8:00 p.m. The candidates who qualified and accepted to appear on the debate stage are: Genter Drummond Mike Mazzei…
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…
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,…
MYRTLE BEACH, SC – I’m in Myrtle Beach to attend a ministry training, but while here, I had the opportunity to be reunited with an old friend whom I haven’t seen in over 40 years. Kevin Koch was the first person to ever perform in the mascot costume for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He beat out…
Maybe I watch too much sports on television. Maybe I don’t. I guess it depends on who you ask. If you ask my wife, she will probably say that I should cut back a bit, and she would like to watch something else from time to time. If you ask someone else, they might say,…
Oklahoma State hit four home runs, and Brennan Phillips pitched a gem on the mound as the Cowboys posted an 11-2 win and series sweep over Texas Tech Sunday at Rip Griffin Park, in Lubbock, Texas. OSU improved to 28-16 overall and 11-10 in Big 12 play, while TTU fell to 22-22 and 6-15 in…
No. 11 ranked Auburn earned a run-rule victory over No. 14 Oklahoma, 14-4 in eight innings on Sunday at Auburn, Alabama. OU is now 29-14 overall, 11-10 in the SEC, while Auburn improved to 30-13, 12-9 SEC. The Sooners scored first with a pair of runs in the first inning, but the Tigers took control…
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…