Three Oklahoma students are suing the state over its law that bars transgender students from using the bathroom corresponding with their gender identity. Andy Bridge is the lead plaintiff. The suit argues Senate Bill 615 is unconstitutional and should be overturned. Bridge and his parents, Aysha Prather and Eli Bridge, sat down with StateImpact Oklahoma reporter Robby Korth to share why they think it was an important step to take....
Sep 09, 2022•4 min•Ep. 245
StateImpact has gotten many questions about House Bill 1775, Oklahoma’s so-called critical race theory ban. So education reporter Robby Korth tried to address the most common ones. Here he is talking with Logan Layden about answering those frequently asked questions.
Sep 08, 2022•5 min•Ep. 244
Stateimpact is on a tour around Oklahoma to gather voices, stories and more from youth. Education reporter Robby Korth and KOSU engagement reporter Kateleigh Mills talked with two Stilwell High School students about their art and how they fit in as Cherokee in Oklahoma.
Sep 01, 2022•5 min•Ep. 243
Researchers at the University of Oklahoma started developing a monitoring program in 2020. Now, they're working with state health officials to scan for about a dozen pathogens — including COVID, monkeypox and West Nile Virus.
Aug 25, 2022•5 min•Ep. 242
The ACCESS Oklahoma Turnpike project from the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority is a 15-year, $5 billion project to build several turnpike routes in central, southern and northeastern Oklahoma. Residents in the paths of these turnpike extensions who regularly see deer grazing in their yards and eagles soaring overhead are wondering, what’s going to happen to all the wildlife and the facility that takes care of them? And how far does the law go to protect them?
Aug 18, 2022•5 min•Ep. 241
As Oklahoma colleges struggle to maintain enrollment, they’re increasingly turning to other places to recruit new students. StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports the top target is the Sooner state’s neighbors to the south.
Aug 11, 2022•4 min•Ep. 240
StateImpact is on a listening tour with Oklahoma’s youth. And we’ve brought along our microphones. StateImpact’s Robby Korth and KOSU’s Kateleigh Mills talked to a couple of Tulsa high school students about race, gender and how they interact with their peers at school.
Aug 04, 2022•5 min•Ep. 239
Several states that banned abortion created exceptions for medical emergencies, but the laws fail to make clear which conditions qualify for the exception. That leaves room for interpretation, which has already caused delays in life-saving care.
Jul 28, 2022•5 min•Ep. 238
As lawmakers, parents and school boards debate what kids should or shouldn’t learn in the classroom, teachers are still trying to find ways to lead tough conversations. StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports on a day a couple dozen educators at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum spent figuring out just that.
Jul 26, 2022•4 min•Ep. 237
One Oklahoman is taking it on herself to chip away at the mountains of packaging waste left by the booming industry. Taylor Davis, a 28-year-old Edmond resident, drives hundreds of miles every week to pick up tubs full of pop-top drams, glass jars, tiny cardboard boxes and Mylar bags from dispensaries around the state. Since February, she’s held these recycling drives at dispensaries all over Oklahoma, which she advertises on her Instagram, @RecycleYourEmpties . She said everywhere she goes, she...
Jul 22, 2022•4 min•Ep. 236
With Oklahoma’s medical marijuana scene growing rapidly, industry professionals and cannabis patients are feeling the weight of packaging waste. But a lack of recycling infrastructure and an unwillingness to raise prices for sustainable packaging have left Oklahoma unprepared to handle the growing mountains of plastic packing the state’s landfills.
Jul 21, 2022•4 min•Ep. 235
StateImpact is on a listening tour with Oklahoma’s youth. And we’ve brought along our microphones. KOSU’s Kateleigh Mills and StateImpact’s Robby Korth talked to a couple of Tulsa teenagers about being allies for their friends, following the news and about their own roles as Oklahomans.
Jul 14, 2022•4 min•Ep. 234
The health department confirmed that two new variants account for about 40 percent of new cases. And according to state data, the number of officially reported cases per week doubled in June. StateImpact's Catherine Sweeney talked with Dr. David Holden, the president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association, about how contagious these variants are and what risk factors Oklahomans should be considering.
Jul 07, 2022•4 min•Ep. 233
In the recent Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision, Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey were struck down. In his opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote three previous rulings that used the same constitutional mechanism as Roe and Casey had been decided erroneously and should be reexamined. StateImpact Oklahoma reporter Beth Wallis interviewed Kathleen Tipler — an OU political science professor who specializes in gender, sexuality and the law — to understand how the Dobbs decision cou...
Jun 30, 2022•5 min•Ep. 232
And they say the pandemic has made it worse. One national survey of nurses found 44 percent of them experienced physical abuse at work in early 2020.
Jun 23, 2022•4 min•Ep. 231
StateImpact is on a listening tour with Oklahoma’s youth. And we’ve brought along our microphones. Two recent high school graduates from Oklahoma City - Aspen Harrod and Ahmari Sango - talk about their comfort levels in the classroom, how they fit in society and representation. StateImpact’s Robby Korth talked with them in late May.
Jun 16, 2022•4 min•Ep. 230
On the afternoon of June 1, a man walked into a local gun store and bought an AR-style rifle. A few hours later, he used that rifle and a handgun he’d purchased two days before to kill four people at a Tulsa medical center before turning the gun on himself. This came just a week after an 18-year-old bought an AR-style rifle and days later massacred 19 children and 2 teachers in Uvalde, Texas. And that came a little over a week after an 18-year-old, who had previously threatened a murder-suicide ...
Jun 09, 2022•5 min•Ep. 229
Under the state's new abortion bans, are Oklahomans allowed to donate to abortion funds? Are they allowed to advise patients on their options in other states? The slew of contradictory bills passed this year weren't explicit. Vague laws leave residents wondering what’s legal and what isn’t. Opponents argue that is by design.
Jun 02, 2022•6 min•Ep. 228
Governor Kevin Stitt on Wednesday signed a bill to bar transgender students from using the bathroom corresponding with their identity. StateImpact's Robby Korth and KOSU's Kateleigh Mills went to Tulsa the day the bill was sent to the governor for a conversation with three trans high schoolers. The teenagers talked about identity and how political conversations surrounding the bathrooms they use affect them.
May 26, 2022•4 min•Ep. 227
Earlier this year a teacher shortage in Oklahoma forced hundreds of school districts to close their doors because of a lack of substitutes to fill in for educators out with the coronavirus. But StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports even though it’s no longer in the headlines, the substitute teacher shortage persists.
May 19, 2022•4 min•Ep. 226
On February 22, Governor Kevin Stitt announced plans for the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority to embark on a $5 billion, 15-year project to expand Oklahoma’s turnpike network. Two families facing displacement from the turnpike project told their stories to StateImpact’s Beth Wallis. In Part 2, you’ll hear the story of Darla and Cedric LeBlanc, a Norman family whose home and horticulture business sits in the path of the proposed South Extension route. Beth Wallis visited the family’s home, where they ...
May 13, 2022•5 min•Ep. 225
On February 22, Governor Kevin Stitt announced plans for the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority to embark on a $5 billion, 15-year project to expand Oklahoma’s turnpike network. The effort to expand the turnpike loop around Oklahoma City south and west, through the Moore and Norman areas is raising concerns about water quality, the preservation of wildlife, property rights and even the rare rose rock. But for some, it’s personal. In Part 1 of this 2-part piece, you’ll hear the story of Lisa Meyer, a No...
May 12, 2022•5 min•Ep. 224
The newest round of CDC numbers sound bad. No. 11 for chlamydia. No. 5 for gonorrhea. No. 4 for syphilis. these high rates — revealed in the CDC’s STI data for 2020 — aren’t new for Oklahoma. But local experts believe the pandemic worsened STI rates in much the same way that it worsened other health outcomes.
May 05, 2022•4 min•Ep. 223
A joint investigation by nonprofit news outlets Oklahoma Watch and The Frontier found that Governor Kevin Stitt and his now-Secretary of Education Ryan Walters pushed $18 million to a Florida company called Class Wallet to distribute CARES Act funds. StateImpact’s Robby Korth spoke with one of the authors of that article, Clifton Adcock, about his work on the story. Read the full story here: https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/stitt-gave-families-8-million-for-school-supplies-in-the-pandemic-th...
May 02, 2022•5 min•Ep. 222
In Oklahoma, culture wars can feel exhausting to marginalized youth. So StateImpact’s Robby Korth and KOSU’s Kateleigh Mills are embarking on a listening tour and they’re bringing microphones. Now, they need your help.
Apr 29, 2022•5 min•Ep. 221
StateImpact is on a listening tour with Oklahoma’s youth. And we’ve brought along our microphones. In the first session, two transgender high school juniors from Tulsa share how they feel about their education and their place in the state. Their names are MJ and Dominik, and they sat with StateImpact’s Robby Korth earlier this month. StateImpact’s Robby Korth and KOSU’s Kateleigh Mills produced this story as part of the America Amplified initiative using community engagement to inform and streng...
Apr 28, 2022•4 min•Ep. 220
The economic impact of Oklahoma’s blossoming industry reaches far beyond cannabis business owners — from packaging and banking partners to storefront landlords and thousands of employees. But as for state and local revenue from cannabis taxes, officials hesitate to characterize the industry as a silver bullet to the state’s economic woes. Hear the story of one entrepreneur who struck gold in Oklahoma's green rush.
Apr 21, 2022•5 min•Ep. 219
Oklahoma schools have an $80 million problem. That’s how much money county assessors say local governments are owed in taxes but are currently held in escrow amid protests. StateImpact’s Robby Korth reports on a property tax fight that’s hurting schools.
Apr 14, 2022•4 min•Ep. 218
Oklahoma lawmakers are in a mad dash to eradicate abortion in Oklahoma, passing a slew of bills to restrict — and in some cases, even criminalize — the procedure. These laws now stand a better chance of going into effect, and that if they do, will have a major impact on the region, not just Oklahoma.
Apr 06, 2022•4 min•Ep. 217
Even though cases are down, thousands of Oklahomans are still dealing with COVID symptoms. As many as one in three who are infected with the virus will continue to have symptoms for weeks — or even months — after recovery.StateImpact talked with more than a dozen Oklahomans about their experiences with long-term COVID symptoms. What did those symptoms look like? To be honest, the experiences were all over the map, but there were a few things that came up time and again: lung issues, heart issues...
Mar 31, 2022•4 min•Ep. 216
