The Oklahoma State Department of Education is holding a board meeting Tuesday morning.

Tuesday, January 28th 2025, 8:43 am

By:

David Prock

OKLAHOMA CITY –

The Oklahoma State Department of Education is holding a board meeting Tuesday morning.

State Superintendent Ryan Walters will lead the meeting by discussing deregulation applications, civic engagement programs, and more.

Griffin Media is streaming the meeting at NewsOn6.com and on YouTube.

The full agenda for the meeting can be read below:

OKLAHOMA CITY (KSWO) – The Oklahoma Legislature is set to hear a number of bills that could impact schools across the state.

One bill would adjust teacher pay in Oklahoma setting the starting salary at $50,000 and shifting other pay tiers to reflect that change.

Another bill would task school districts to adopt and enforce policies restricting cell phone use in the class with minimal exceptions.

The third education bill would prevent universities in Oklahoma from using state funds to support diversity-focused efforts and programs.

Copyright 2025 KSWO. All rights reserved.

From a large blue whale in a landlocked state to a haunted mansion, Oklahoma is home to several odd landmarks that attract visitors from all over.

WorldAtlas recently named these weird sites the 10 strangest landmarks in Oklahoma.

Blue Whale of Catoosa

Location: 2600 N State Hwy 66, Catoosa

A local celebrity resides along Route 66 year-round in northeast Oklahoma, welcoming visitors into its aquatic belly.

The Blue Whale of Catoosa was built by zoologist Hugh S. David in 1972 so that his grandchildren could play in the nearby pond, according to Travel Oklahoma. David’s friend, Harold Thomas, assisted the zoologist in building the The 20-feet-tall and 80-feet-wide mammal over a span of two years.

While swimming is no longer available, visitors can still picnic and fish with the famous Blue Whale.

World’s largest peanut

Location: 300 W Evergreen St., Durant

A small city in southeast Oklahoma is home to the world’s largest peanut commemorated with a statue outside of Durant City Hall, according to Travel Oklahoma. The statue was dedicated in 1974.

“Dedicated to the Bryan County peanut growers and processors,” inscription reads.

Circus cemetery: Mount Olivet Cemetery

Location: Trice & S 8th St., Hugo

Hugo, another small city in southeast Oklahoma, has a cemetery for rodeo greats Freckles Brown, Lane Frost, Todd Watley and L. Hammock, according to Travel Oklahoma.

Mount Olivet Cemetery is also the final resting place for Ed Ansley, also known as Buster Brown, and William H. Darrough, the founder of Hugo.

Blanchard Cemetery

Location: 2318 North Council Ave., Blanchard

Another known cemetery in Oklahoma is the Blanchard Cemetery where visitors may see a dark figure in a trench coat waving at them, according to WorldAtlas.

If they keep walking, they may spot a little girl flitting between the gravestones, or hear a small child crying or see a blue light hovering over the graves in Section 2, the website says.

Overholser Mansion

Location: 405 NW 15th St, Oklahoma City

The Overholser Mansion, the former abode of Henry and Anna Ione Overholser, is a most famous haunt in Oklahoma City. The ghost-story-filled mansion has been a museum and public venue for decades.

Some claim the ghost of Anna Ione Overholser, once the queen of Oklahoma City society, still haunts the home. She wears a pearl-decked lacy white gown, her dark hair piled gracefully around her face. 

Frog Rock

Location: Frog Rd., Terlton

A large amphibian sits in Terlton on Frog Road just outside of Mannford. The six-foot-tall rock formation is painted green and white to look like a frog, according to Travel Oklahoma.

To get to it, trek over a bridge and through backwoods, but don’t worry — it can’t hop away before you reach it.

Cimmy the Dinosaur

Location: 1300 N Cimarron, Boise City

Sitting outside of the Cimarron Heritage Center in Boise City is Cimmy the Dinosaur, a metal Apatosaurus, measuring 65 feet long, 35 feet high and weighs thousands of pounds, according to Travel Oklahoma.

The dinosaur was created as a real life representation of a dinosaur that was extracted from Cimarron County in the 1930s. It’s referred to as a “Cimarronasaurus,” according to the state’s travel website.

Center of the Universe

Location: 20 E Archer St., Tulsa

Located in downtown Tulsa, the Center of the Universe if an 8-feet concrete circle described as an “acoustic anomaly” by Travel Oklahoma.

Noises made inside the brick circle is loudly echoed, but only those inside the circle can hear it. Loud sounds heard inside the circle cannot be heard from outside the perimeter of the brick structure.

Lake Hefner Lighthouse

Location: Lake Hefner Pkwy., Oklahoma City

Lake Hefter Lighthouse, officially the Lighthouse at East Wharf, in Oklahoma City is one of the finest spots in Oklahoma City to watch the setting sun.

The 36-foot lighthouse, beige with burgundy trim and a locked green door, was built in 1999 as part of a development project led by Randy Hogan. The lighthouse is modeled after the Brant Point Light Station on the north side of Nantucket Island in Massachusetts. 

Gravity Hill

Location: Pioneer (Pitt) Rd., Springer

Gravity Hill, or Magnetic Hill, is another anomaly in Oklahoma near Springer. On the hill, drivers will sense that instead of their car rolling downhill with the motor turned off, it’ll actually roll uphill, according to Travel Oklahoma.

The website instructs visitors to drive to Pioneer Road, stop the car at the bottom of the hill and put it in neutral, then feel a force “pull” you and the car up the hill.