Oklahoma

Oklahoma borrowers are navigating a rapidly shifting federal student loan landscape, with 24% of state borrowers falling into default as payment plans change, the SAVE plan is phased out and monthly payments are surging.

Soaring bills during summer heat and a pending rate case fueled a petition circulating online.

Representatives from twenty tribes gathered for the quarterly United Indian Nations of Oklahoma meeting Thursday. Prediction markets were a big point of conversation.

Oklahoma State Auditor Cyndi Byrd's report for fiscal year 2024, released Monday afternoon, questioned costs totaling nearly $25 million in federal funds.

The state is investing in a declining ecosystem to benefit landowners and wildlife.

Gentner Drummond's push to pressure his opponent into taking a drug test taps into voter concerns over candidates' health and could tip the outcome of the contentious runoff election for Oklahoma's Republican nominee for governor, some political observers said.

Oklahomans are reporting sticker shock at the mailbox when opening their electric bills this summer. While artificial intelligence and the data centers needed to support them have become major subjects of public discourse, state lawmakers and regulators say they are only one part of a much larger explanation.

To help meet growing electricity demand, Oklahoma's largest utilities are investing in battery energy storage systems. The facilities store extra energy and discharge it when the grid needs it.

Oklahoma passed a law last year allowing energy-hungry facilities to build their own power. But as data center announcements sprout up across Oklahoma, most include plans to work with local utilities.

The plains spotted skunk is becoming harder to find in the central U.S. states it calls home. As federal officials consider the skunk for federal protections, researchers and environmentalists are hoping to learn more about the long understudied species.