Articles written by Sean Murphy
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Stitt, Hofmeister hold funding edge in Oklahoma governor bid
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma's Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt and Democratic challenger Joy Hofmeister both took massive fundraising advantages over their opponents into Tuesday's primary election in a state where hot-button issues like abortion, fir...
Oklahoma voters to cast ballots for 2 US Senate seats
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — With the announcement earlier this year that longtime Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe plans to step down from office early, Oklahoma voters have the rare opportunity to cast ballots on Tuesday for candidates for both of the...
Oklahoma voters to cast ballots for 2 US Senate seats
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — With the announcement earlier this year that longtime Republican U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe plans to step down from office early, Oklahoma voters have the rare opportunity to cast ballots on Tuesday for candidates for both of the...
Oklahoma House, Senate fail to reach deal on tax cuts
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma House and Senate failed to reach a deal on cutting the sales tax on groceries and the individual income tax that Gov. Kevin Stitt was urging them to pass. The House adjourned a special session on Wednesday after...
Oklahoma lawmakers to mull tax cuts during special session
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma Legislature will return to the Capitol for a special session to consider tax cuts the governor wants and how to allocate federal COVID-19 relief funds that were part of the American Rescue Plan Act. After the...
District attorney confirms investigation into governor's ad
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma County's top prosecutor confirmed Thursday he's investigating whether a recent campaign ad by Gov. Kevin Stitt violates state law and ethics rules. David Prater said he launched an investigation after a bipartisan grou...
Federal judge OKs Oklahoma's lethal injection method
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A federal judge in Oklahoma on Monday ruled the state's three-drug lethal injection method is constitutional, paving the way for the state to request execution dates for more than two dozen death row inmates who were plaintiffs...
Oklahoma governor vetoes key parts of legislative budget
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said Thursday he vetoed several key pieces of a legislative budget deal, setting up a showdown with fellow Republicans in the Legislature who are expected to try and override him. Stitt told reporters...
Oklahoma Legislature overrides some vetoes, plans return
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma Legislature spent the final day of the regular session on Friday overriding several of Gov. Kevin Stitt's vetoes, but opted not to override his veto of several key budget provisions. Instead, lawmakers plan to...
Oklahoma governor signs the nation's strictest abortion ban
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Wednesday signed into law the nation's strictest abortion ban, making the state the first in the nation to effectively end availability of the procedure. State lawmakers approved the ban enforced...
Oklahoma passes strictest abortion ban; services to stop
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma lawmakers on Thursday approved a bill prohibiting all abortions with few exceptions, and providers said they would stop performing the procedure as soon as the governor signs it in the latest example of the GOP's natio...
Days before Oklahoma bans abortion, details still uncertain
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — With Oklahoma only days away from enacting the toughest state ban on abortion in the U.S., providers were preparing to stop terminating pregnancies as questions remained Friday about enforcing the law's limited exceptions. The...
EXPLAINER: GOP leaders announce deal on $9.8B spending plan
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Republican leaders in the Oklahoma House and Senate announced an agreement Tuesday on a $9.8 billion spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year, the largest in state history. Unlike previous years, Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt...
Oklahoma House sends Texas-style abortion ban to governor
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma House has given final approval to a Texas-style abortion ban that prohibits abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy. The bill passed Thursday by the GOP-led House now heads to Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt. He's...
EXPLAINER: What is happening with abortion in Oklahoma?
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma's Republican-led state Legislature passed several anti-abortion restrictions in recent weeks, part of a movement in conservative states to curtail women's reproductive rights. Anti-abortion lawmakers are hopeful the...
Pro-gun group grows into potent political force in Oklahoma
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Wayne Shaw seemed to have all the conservative credentials needed to win reelection to his state Senate seat in Oklahoma two years ago. The mild-mannered pastor with deep ties to the community had a solidly conservative voting...
Oklahoma tourism agency ends contract with BBQ restaurant
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A lucrative deal that allowed an Oklahoma barbecue restaurateur to have the state subsidize more than $2 million in operational losses at new state park restaurants is being terminated due to "suspected fraudulent activity,"...
Oklahoma marijuana legalization questions heading to ballot
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Plans to fully legalize marijuana can proceed to the signature-gathering stage, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled, paving the way for two more cannabis plans seeking voter approval. The high court's ruling late Tuesday comes...
Ex-EPA head Scott Pruitt to run for US Senate in Oklahoma
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The scandal-ridden former head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, has filed to run for an open U.S. Senate seat in Oklahoma. Pruitt filed paperwork on Friday to seek the seat being vacated by longtime...
Oklahoma governor seeks massive incentives to lure company
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Monday asked state lawmakers to approve a massive package of financial incentives, including tapping into the state's reserve funds, to help lure an unnamed company to the state. The first-term Repu...
Oklahoma governor signs bill to make abortion illegal
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill into law on Tuesday that makes it a felony to perform an abortion, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, as part of an aggressive push in Republican-led states across the country to... Full story
Oklahoma state House approves bill to make abortion illegal
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma House gave final legislative approval on Tuesday to a bill that would make performing an abortion a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. With little discussion and no debate, the Republican-controlled...
Anti-death penalty advocate weds man on Oklahoma death row
McALESTER, Okla. (AP) — Anti-death penalty advocate Lea Rodger says she is keenly aware of the realities facing her and Richard Glossip, who she married this week inside the Oklahoma State Penitentiary where he sits on death row. Glossip, 59, alrea...
Oklahoma, Arizona governors sign transgender sports bans
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Republican governors in Oklahoma and Arizona both signed bills into law on Wednesday that prevent transgender girls and women from competing on female sports teams, joining more than a dozen other states with similar laws....
Oklahoma, Arizona governors sign transgender sports bans
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Republican governors in Oklahoma and Arizona both signed bills into law on Wednesday that prevent transgender girls and women from competing on female sports teams, joining more than a dozen other states with similar laws....