WatchDog
Video

Tiger King Park told to turn over tiger cubs
MUSKOGEE — "Tiger King" star Jeff Lowe and his wife have been ordered to immediately turn over all big cat cubs and the cubs'...
Featured Links
- Sr. Reporter:Nolan Clay
- Investigative Reporter:Randy Ellis

US Capitol siege has echoes of the bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building
To Mayor David Holt, the rioters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 are no different from the domestic terrorist who bombed the...

Death ends hope for justice in 1983 Oklahoma cold case
TULSA — The big break in a 1983 cold case came from testing a plastic cup found under a table in Room 26 at the Sandman Motel,...
Video

Bars granted reprieve from curfew until July in case against Stitt
Citing a lack of evidence from the state that a curfew on bars would slow the spread of COVID-19, an Oklahoma District Court...

More rental assistance could be coming to Oklahoma County
Oklahoma County officials are applying to receive some of the $25 billion in rental assistance recently set aside by the...

Why an inmate died from a beating in this Oklahoma jail and no one came to stop it
As an Oklahoma County jail inmate was being beaten to death with his own walking boot, a witness from a nearby cell desperately...
National Headlines
- Turkey slaps advertising ban on Twitter, Pinterest
- Spain's rising cases give pandemic hospital a second chance
- South Africa's trailblazing Black food writer dies of virus
- Profit at Chinese state industry rises with virus recovery
- The Latest: India vaccine developer warns some to avoid shot
- Monday's Sports in Brief
- Germany's Merkel, state leaders ponder tougher virus rules
- Workers trapped week in China mine ask for pickles, porridge
- European car sales suffer worst plunge ever in pandemic
- Asian shares mostly higher as Biden inauguration approaches

Lobbyists agree to pay financial penalties in ethics case
Two well-known Oklahoma lobbyists will not face criminal charges for their involvement in a PAC that made illegal donations...
Video

Canadian County sheriff says he wasn't involved in US Capitol rioting
EL RENO — Canadian County Sheriff Chris West acknowledged Friday that he marched to the U.S. Capitol this week in support of...

Biden's AG pick has special memories of OKC
President-elect Joe Biden's pick for attorney general was moved by his experience in Oklahoma City after the 1995 bombing....

Shawnee Tribe may get more COVID relief funds
An appeals court in Washington, D.C., has ruled in favor of the Shawnee Tribe in its effort to get more in coronavirus relief...

Convicted rapist dies at Oklahoma County jail
A rapist jailed for failing to register as a sex offender died in his cell Tuesday at the Oklahoma County Detention Center. The...

Norman mayor, city council come under investigation over June meeting
NORMAN — The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agreed Tuesday to look into whether Mayor Breea Clark and the city council...

Trump supporter investigated over Facebook post
A supporter of President Donald Trump has come under investigation over a Facebook post about blowing up a barbecue restaurant...
Video

Tiger King Park may lose all big cat cubs
MUSKOGEE — A judge is being asked to order Tiger King Park to immediately relinquish all its big cat cubs to the federal...

Oklahoma County jail inmate killed on Saturday
The OSBI is investigating the killing of an inmate at the Oklahoma County jail. The suspect was identified as an inmate who was...

Gov. Kevin Stitt loses another Cabinet secretary
Gov. Kevin Stitt's secretary of public safety resigned Thursday to focus on his business and family. Chip Keating became the...

Oklahoma teen admits having parents killed because they were upset she was pregnant, state agent says
HUGO — The pregnant daughter of a slain couple admitted telling her boyfriend that "the only way" they could be together and...

Another Oklahoma County jail inmate dies
A man jailed on domestic abuse charges died Christmas Eve after being taken to an Oklahoma City hospital, officials said....

'Tiger King' Joe Exotic keeps up push for pardon from President Trump
On Twitter, Joe Exotic's 41,000 followers are being urged to keep up the tweets to President Donald Trump and son Don Jr. "to...

Oklahoma County officials vote to give themselves pay raises
Starting Jan. 1, Oklahoma County's elected officials will get paid more for the first time in a dozen years. The officials...
By land and air, weather researchers track tornadic storms
SALINA, Kan. — For the first time in almost a decade, meteorologists from across the Midwest will track and intercept tornado birthing grounds as part of a large-scale collaborative research project. The TORUS Project, or Targeted Observation...
Exclusively from The Oklahoman

Will Oklahoma County officials vote to pay themselves $122,637 a year?
Oklahoma County's elected officials will meet Wednesday morning for a possible vote on raising their own salaries $17,375 a...

Walmart accused of fueling opioid epidemic in Justice Department lawsuit
In its civil complaint, federal authorities allege "hundreds of thousands of violations" of the Controlled Substances Act, and...

Investigation underway into Oklahoma County jail death
An inmate died Sunday morning at the Oklahoma County jail, one day after reportedly getting hurt during an altercation with a...
Video

"Tiger King" star Joe Exotic files lawsuit over pardon bid
Joe Exotic is asking a federal judge to order the U.S. Justice Department to send his pardon application on to President Donald...

Oklahoma Supreme Court asked to ignore "scare tactic" in opioid case
The Oklahoma Supreme Court is being asked to ignore a “hollow” claim that upholding the $465 million verdict in a landmark...

As the CDC discouraged holiday travel, Gov. Kevin Stitt urged tourists to visit Oklahoma
As Oklahoma has seen a surge in new daily COVID-19 infections and a record number of people hospitalized due to the virus, Gov....

Gov. Kevin Stitt's secretary of digital transformation indicted
The state's multicounty grand jury has indicted Gov. Kevin Stitt's secretary of digital transformation and administration....

Oklahoma election officials kick two Republicans off ballot
The Oklahoma State Election Board on Wednesday ruled former state Sen. Rob Johnson and opponent Darrick Matthews cannot run for...

Oklahoma town's housing authority discriminated against Blacks, feds say
The U.S. Justice Department is accusing the Lone Wolf Housing Authority of racial discrimination. Lone Wolf is a small town in...
A Black man killed by OKC police had severe mental illness; the officers had no crisis intervention certification.
Two Oklahoma City police officers involved in the shooting death of a 60-year-old mentally ill Black man do not have crisis...

Judge throws out CARES Act lawsuit against Oklahoma County commissioners
A federal judge has thrown out a legal challenge to how Oklahoma County commissioners voted to spend CARES Act funding. Two...

Inside a COVID ICU in Oklahoma City: ‘Our hospitals are begging for help’
A corner of the third-floor COVID-19 unit at SSM Health St. Anthony Hospital overlooks a stretch of Midtown known for its bars,...

Former senator's comeback bid challenged
Still recovering after a hospital stay for COVID-19, Rob Johnson is making a comeback bid for the Senate seat being vacated by...
Featured Links
- Sr. Reporter:Nolan Clay
- Investigative Reporter:Randy Ellis

GOP legislative leaders open to altering Oklahoma's initiative petition process
Republican legislative leaders on Wednesday said Oklahoma’s constitution is too long and agreed they’re open to changing the...

Oklahoma AG wants 20 times more money in Johnson & Johnson opioid case
The Oklahoma Supreme Court was asked Monday to order Johnson & Johnson to make a $9.3 billion payment to the state to...

Charge against gun rights YouTuber who took rifle into OKC restaurant dropped
Until his fateful visit to an Oklahoma City restaurant last year, gun owner Timothy A. Harper had developed a following on...

Oklahoma County officials unsure if CARES Act funds will be spent by deadline
With just a few weeks left to spend federal coronavirus relief funds, Oklahoma County officials feel the pressure to find ways...

Norman City Council illegally cut police budget, judge rules
NORMAN — A judge has ruled the City Council broke the law in June when it voted to reduce the police department's budget by...

Epic Charter Schools settles teachers’ 2019 legal claims
Epic Charter Schools has made a nearly $29,000 payment to settle claims with three former teachers who sued the virtual school,...

Oklahoma County courthouse going to emergency hearings only
Oklahoma County's judges have been ordered to conduct only emergency hearings the last two weeks in December. Presiding Judge...
Video

PETA gets judge's OK to inspect Tiger King Park
A federal judge has given an animal rights organization permission to inspect Tiger King Park in Thackerville to preserve...

Oklahoma train crossing law ruled unconstitutional
An Oklahoma City federal judge has permanently barred the state from enforcing a law that prevented trains from blocking...

Court documents: DOJ reviewing 'secret' pardon for money scheme targeting White House officials
According to the 20-page filing, authorities are investigating an attempt to secure a pardon or a sentence reduction.

Will lawmakers require state jails to cooperate with ICE?
Oklahoma County Commissioner Kevin Calvey wants a judge to put off until April a ruling on whether the jail has to fully...

State Supreme Court gives local judges discretion, though two justices would close all courts
The Oklahoma Supreme Court has given state district courts the authority to determine their own coronavirus safety measures...

How a philanthropist shook up Oklahoma County politics, again
Philanthropist Sue Ann Arnall has confirmed she was involved in an effort to defeat Oklahoma County Sheriff P.D. Taylor in the...
McAlester hospital's environmental services contract sparks call for investigation
McALESTER — A McAlester business owner is pushing for a multicounty grand jury investigation into allegations of financial...

‘An explosion of recalls’: In Oklahoma, local officials can be recalled, but Gov. Kevin Stitt cannot
Some Oklahomans frustrated with Gov. Kevin Stitt’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic have proposed recalling the state’s...

Oklahoma senior citizens find new meal delivery service unappetizing
Many senior citizens in 10 southern Oklahoma counties are miffed over a decision by the Southern Oklahoma Development...
Video

A Shaq video from 2018 has become evidence in the newest "Tiger King" case
MUSKOGEE — The U.S. Justice Department is pointing to a YouTube video of Shaquille O'Neal from 2018 as proof "Tiger King" star...

Inmate describes COVID-19 outbreak in prison: 'It was hell'
Two weeks into his stay in Lexington A&R, a guard approached Robert Lavern’s cell door and told him to gather his...
Video

Feds want "Tiger King" star Jeff Lowe to turn over big cats
MUSKOGEE — The U.S. Justice Department is going after "Tiger King" star Jeff Lowe's big cats on grounds he and his wife have a...