Oklahoma

Voters have spoken: Oklahoma is thriving under Republican leadership | Opinion

Published

1 year ago

November 20, 2024

Press Room

Voters have spoken: Oklahoma is thriving under Republican leadership | Opinion

Over the last decade, the Republican super majority in the House of Representatives has provided record levels of funding to teacher salaries, schools and mental health resources.

Charles McCall
| Guest columnist

On Nov. 5, voters in Oklahoma, and across the country, spoke with their vote and elected conservative Republican candidates at the national and state levels. Here in Oklahoma, every one of our 77 counties went for President-elect Donald Trump, a testament to the faith that our residents have placed in conservative values and policies.

A recent opinion piece published in this column expressed the sentiment that in spite of what voters think they want, they are wrong, and Republicans are failing Oklahoma. Specifically, the guest columnist said that Republicans in our state aren’t doing enough to address teachers’ salaries, school funding and mental health resources. It is time for those who agree with her to confront an inconvenient truth: Republicans are leading the charge to address these issues, and all others important to Oklahomans.

Over the last decade, the Republican super majority in the House of Representatives has provided record levels of funding to teacher salaries, schools and mental health resources.

We have increased teacher salaries by 34%, from an average of $45,646 (including benefits) in 2017, to an average of $62,640. A large portion of that increase came during the 2023 legislative session, when an additional $250 million was added specifically for teacher salaries. In addition, the Legislature enacted a free tuition program for anyone seeking a teaching career if they teach for five years or more.

Overall, there has been a total increase of 62% in K-12 public school spending by the state in the last eight years. We invested a record $1.5 billion in new, recurring funding between FY19-FY25, including $839.5 million in FY24 and FY25. This commitment from the state reflects more money invested by the Legislature than the previous 27 years combined. Additionally, we have provided parents and children with opportunities to access increased educational pathways through the Parental Choice Tax Credit Act.

Finally, through the ARPA process, the Legislature appropriated nearly $300 million in new funds to address mental health issues across our state. These dollars could have gone elsewhere, but the Republican-led Legislature, seeing the challenges our neighbors, friends and loved ones are facing, addressed it with a resounding commitment.

Most importantly, what the columnist failed to mention is the economic benefit of Republican leadership over the last decade. We have cut taxes for families and businesses in the state, while building $5 billion in savings to protect education and other core services against economic downturn. This has led to our state’s economy doubling its economic output as measured by state revenue receipts.

The success of our conservative policies is evident in the continuous support we receive at the ballot box. Oklahoma is thriving under Republican leadership, and we’re just getting started. Our state is more than OK ― we’re setting the standard for what effective, conservative governance can achieve.

As we move forward, we invite all Oklahomans to join us in building an even stronger, more prosperous state. Together, we will continue to make Oklahoma a beacon of conservative values and economic opportunity for generations to come.

Charles McCall, R-Atoka, is outgoing speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

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Oklahoma

Fire in Oklahoma City scrapyard produces massive smoke plume visible from downtown

Published

6 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

Fire in Oklahoma City scrapyard produces massive smoke plume visible from downtown

A fire at a scrapyard near the OKC Fairgrounds has produced a massive plume of smoke visible in downtown Oklahoma City, officials report.

Oklahoma City Fire Department Assistant PIO John Chenoweth told The Oklahoman that the fire started at the scrapyard building near Northwest 10th Street and May Avenue, northeast of the OKC Fairgrounds.

The fire has been marked as “basically contained” as the Oklahoma City Fire Department is currently shifting to defensive methods. There are some active rubbish fires surrounding the metal building.

Chenoweth states there are no injuries, and all inside the building have been evacuated.

The cause of the fire and the extent of damage are unknown.

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Oklahoma fire map: See smoke, wildfires across state, red flag warnings

Track the latest wildfire and smoke information in Oklahoma with data that is updated frequently based on input from several incident and intelligence sources.

If you can’t see the map below, please click here.

How to prevent wildfires

While severely warm weather can worsen a wildfire spread, most are the result of human behavior. In fact, nearly 85% of wildfires in the U.S. are caused by humans, according to the National Park Service.

With its wide acres, rural areas and inconsistent weather patterns, Oklahoma is prone to grass fires. Forestry and safety experts offer several guidelines for residents on how to avoid starting a fire, which can often breakout from just one wrong spark.

Avoid using welding equipment.
Never drive on a flat tire.
Extinguish cigarettes completely before properly disposing of them, and never throw them outside of a window while driving.
Avoid parking on dry grass or dragging chains behind your car.

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma ranked in top 10 states attracting new residents, study says

Published

18 hours ago

March 23, 2026

Press Room

Oklahoma ranked in top 10 states attracting new residents, study says

Oklahoma is in the top 10 states receiving new residents in the nation in recent years, a new survey suggests.

StorageCafe conducted a recent study utilizing U.S. Census data showing Oklahoma welcomed over 25,000 new residents in 2023, with millennials being the largest-represented generation among those entering the Sooner State.

Here’s what the study had to say about migration into Oklahoma.

Oklahoma among top 10 states to move to

According to StorageCafe, Oklahoma welcomed 25,000 new residents in 2023 in net migration.

New residents in Oklahoma were largely made up of millennials, those born between 1981 and 1996, at 27%.

Though Oklahomans and Texans don’t seem to be eye to eye in the football arena, Texas is “by far the largest source” of new Oklahoma residents.

Among the major reasons for the increase in migrants is likely Oklahoma’s affordability, with 36% of millennials buying a home within their first year in Oklahoma.

In addition, Oklahomans found major success in recruiting former California and Colorado residents to move to the state, rounding out the top 3 states bringing new residents.

What are the states attracting the most residents?

These states are the states with the highest migration numbers:

Texas (138,000)
Florida (137,000)
North Carolina (111,000)
South Carolina (72,000)
Georgia (62,000)
Arizona (57,000)
Indiana (32,000)
Colorado (31,000)
Tennessee (28,000)
Oklahoma (25,000)

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Oklahoma

Why Oklahoma HC Brent Venables Says John Mateer is ‘Focused’ Ahead of Spring Ball

Published

1 day ago

March 22, 2026

Press Room

Why Oklahoma HC Brent Venables Says John Mateer is ‘Focused’ Ahead of Spring Ball

NORMAN — High highs and low lows defined John Mateer’s first season at Oklahoma.

Mateer, who transferred to OU ahead of the 2025 season, led the Sooners to a 10-3 record and their first College Football Playoff appearance since 2019. He threw for 1,215 yards and logged 11 touchdowns in OU’s first four games, helping them win each of them.

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“His best football was as good as there is in college football,” OU coach Brent Venables said.

In the back half of the season, though, Mateer wasn’t as efficient. After returning from a hand injury that kept him out of the Kent State game, Mateer completed only 59.4 percent of his passes for 1,670 yards, eight touchdowns and eight interceptions over the Sooners’ final eight contests.

Venables is well aware of the good and the bad from Mateer’s first season in Norman. And the coach is pleased with Mateer’s focus throughout the first few months of the offseason.

“He’s in the building every day with his coaches, and very focused in that space,” Mateer said. “And I’ll meet with him frequently as well, from a leadership standpoint.”

Mateer’s up-and-down campaign came after his superb season at Washington State in 2024. As the Cougars’ starter that year, he threw for 3,370 yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

The SEC, though, is much more challenging than the primarily-Mountain West schedule that Mateer faced at WSU.

Venables is confident that Mateer will be more consistent in his second season with the Sooners, thanks to one year in the conference under his belt and the reps against Oklahoma’s defense throughout its spring and fall camps.

“I try to give him a defensive lens with plays that we’ve made some different cut ups for him,” Venables said. “The more you know about the other side of the ball, like intimately, deeply, like you know it maybe better than your side of the ball you can just elevate your game to another level.”

Though Mateer’s production dipped late in the season, he was far from the only inconsistent player on OU’s offense.

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The Sooners scored more than 30 points in only one of their final eight games. Oklahoma also averaged just 316.3 yards per game during that stretch and rushed for only 3.4 yards per carry.

OU’s front office did plenty to reinforce the unit during the offseason.

The Sooners signed three wide receivers — Trell Harris, Parker Livingstone and Mackenzie Alleyne — from the transfer portal. Oklahoma also added multiple tight ends, offensive linemen and running backs from the portal. The Sooners will also have several true freshmen — like running backs DeZephen Walker and Jonathan Hatton Jr. and wide receiver Jayden Petit — who may contribute immediately.

Venables noted how Mateer has grown as a leader since the start of last season and that he is much more “relational” than he was previously.

Ultimately, the coach believes that Mateer is in a better position to be one of college football’s best quarterbacks in 2026.

“He cares about the freshman walk-on guy as much as the new right tackle, and those are some of the qualities that John has that make him very endearing to everybody in the building,” Venables said. “He’s a passionate and an enthusiastic guy too, but he’s never been an over-the-top fake kind of guy, and you can’t fabricate just being genuine and authentic. And so he’s very relational with the guys.”

Oklahoma will begin its 2026 season against UTEP on Sept. 5.

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