Listen Frontier

Sen. Ally Seifried, R-Claremore, told The Frontier she hopes her bill will help Oklahoma schools limit cellphone use and increase learning outcomes. This is  Listen Frontier , a podcast exploring the investigative journalism of the Frontier and featuring conversations with those on the frontlines of Oklahoma’s most important stories. Listen to us  Apple Podcasts ,  Spotify ,&nb...

Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton is “100 percent on board” with Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt’s proposed half-percent income tax cut – but it’s a cautious 100 percent.  Paxton told The Frontier that recent Board of Equalization figures, which show Oklahoma’s budget to be short of expectations following last year’s grocery tax cut, make him wary of the possibility of a return to the stat...

The United States Supreme Court on Tuesday  directed Oklahoma to vacate  the murder conviction of Richard Glossip, the state’s most famous death row inmate, finding that prosecutors violated Glossip’s civil rights during his trial more than 20 years ago.  “Glossip is entitled to a new trial,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in the majority opinion for five justices. She was joined by...

Federal courts have found a man’s videotaped confession in the 1984 death of an Ada convenience store clerk to be almost entirely false but the state of Oklahoma is still fighting in court over whether it can be used against him in a new trial.  The confession is one of the few remaining pieces of evidence the state has against Karl Fontenot in the abduction and killing of Donna Denise Harawa...

During his penultimate State of the State address earlier this month, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt called for "half and a path" - his term for a half-percent income tax cut that would put us on a "path to zero" income tax. Joining us on the podcast today is Aanahita Ervin, fiscal policy analyst for the Oklahoma Policy Institute. Ervin said the state cannot afford even a half-percent income tax cu...

The race is on.  Oklahoma Attorney General Genter Drummond has thrown his hat into the ring, seeking to replace term-limited Kevin Stitt as Oklahoma's Governor in 2026. Drummond is the first candidate to announce, and has been considered a strong contender to replace Stitt since being elected to his AG post in 2022. On this episode of Listen Frontier, we talk with Republican political strateg...

A group is seeking to boost voter participation in Oklahoma by opening primary elections to all voters, regardless of political party.   State-level races are often decided in Republican primaries in Oklahoma, because there are no Independent or Democratic candidates on the ballot, leaving many voters locked out.  “Voters are showing up with nothing to vote for and all the meaningfu...

Tulsa voters this week effectively locked Republicans out of the city’s mayoral election in November. Two Democrats - state representative Monroe Nichols and Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith - advanced to the runoff on Nov. 5 by narrowly defeating Republican Brent Van Norman by the slimmest of margins. The result guarantees Tulsa will have a Democrat mayor for the first time since Kathy Taylo...

As local jails have morphed into some of the largest mental health treatment facilities in the U.S., many counties have outsourced medical care to private companies that promise to contain rising costs. Turn Key is one of the fastest growing in the middle of the country. At least 50 people who were under Turn Key’s care died during the past decade, an investigation by The Marshall Project and The...

Thousands of Chinese immigrant laborers suffer abuse and exploitation in a U.S. marijuana underworld dominated by Chinese mafias. A human rights advocate says: “They have not escaped the darkness of China.” Today we speak with Frontier reporters Garrett Yalch and Clifton Adcock about their reporting series looking at Oklahoma's medical marijuana black market, as well as their new story about the h...

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said at a press conference after the execution that Layla Cumming’s family finally has justice after 40 years. Cummings' family didn’t attend the press conference. But Drummond read a letter on behalf of Layla’s mother, Mindy Cummings. “Today marks the final chapter of justice determined by three separate juries for Richard Rojem’s heinous acts nearly 40...

On this episode of Listen Frontier, Frontier executive editor Dylan Goforth speaks with reporter Ashlynd Huffman about her coverage of the Richard Rojem case. Rojem, Oklahoma's longest-serving death row inmate, was convicted for the 1984 murder of his 7-year-old stepdaughter Layla Cummings. This is  Listen Frontier , a podcast exploring the investigative journalism of the Frontier and fe...

Judge Gary Lumpkin made the remarks during a hearing Tuesday on the state’s request to further delay the time between executions from 60 days to 90 days to reduce strain on staff. 

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A special legislative session called by Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt will begin on Monday. Stitt hopes lawmakers will pass a quarter-cent income tax cut, though that appears unlikely.  Leadership in the Oklahoma House of Representatives has indicated they’ll pass the cut, calling it another step toward leading Oklahoma to zero income tax, but the Senate’s leader says Stitt hasn’t shown a detaile...

Firearms have been the leading cause of domestic violence homicides in Oklahoma since 1998. The state’s anti-red flag law bans any efforts to seize weapons by court order.

The Oklahoma Department of Human Services continued to refer clients to a troubled center for people with developmental disabilities for months after reports of systemic abuse first surfaced. A former Greer Center staff member said coworkers retaliated against her after she reported the allegations. Frontier reporter Kayla Branch has been covering the story for months, and on this episode of Liste...

Ebony Johnson replaced former superintendent Deborah Gist in September. It was a chaotic start - TPS, the state's largest school district with more than 30,000 students, was under the threat of takeover by the state board of education, as state Superintendent Ryan Walters targeted Gist and TPS with criticism and ultimatums. Gist eventually stepped down, Johnson was appointed, and tensions cooled s...

Karen Keith worked as a television reporter before moving to the local chamber of commerce and later a post in the mayor's office. She now serves as one of three Tulsa County Commissioners. Next up? Possibly the most powerful position in local city government. On this episode of Listen Frontier, Keith talks with us about her past, why she wants to be mayor, and what she thinks she can accomplish.

Rep. Monroe Nichols, D-Tulsa, is one of the more outspoken members of Oklahoma's Legislature. Now he wants to take his talents to Tulsa's City Hall where he would become Tulsa's first Black mayor. The election isn't for 12 months, but Nichols declared his candidacy early in order to get a head start campaigning, and, he said, to give him the time to dive more deeply into the issues facing Tulsa. O...

Sen. James Lankford, now Oklahoma’s Senior Senator following the retirement of Jim Inhofe, took time this week to speak with The Frontier about immigration, abortion, the McGirt decision and the state of “Trump-ism” in the Republican Party.

When Brandi Garner took over as Interim CEO of the Oklahoma County Detention Center in January, she inherited an aging facility with chronic staffing shortages and a high number of prisoner deaths. Frontier Managing Editor Brianna Bailey spoke with Garner about her plans to turn things around. 

Following his inauguration last month, new Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has wasted no time in making his mark on the state. Drummond was elected in November and sworn in last month, but he truly began preparing for the job last summer after he defeated former AG John O’Connor in the Republican Primary. 

Despite facing an opponent many believed would give him a challenge in his bid for re-election, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt coasted to victory on election night. Now that his second-term is beginning, he spent time with us to go over his priorities for the next four years.