Brianna Bailey

Five things to know about The Frontier’s investigation into Tulsa police officers suspected of driving under the influence We got the officer disciplinary records that the Tulsa police union didn’t want the public to see.

Here are 5⃣ key takeaways from @readfrontier's investigation into Tulsa police officers suspected of driving under the influence. www.readfrontier.org/stories/five...

Tulsa police disciplined six officers suspected of driving drunk, some weren’t criminally charged Most officers suspected of driving under the influence received suspensions ranging from three to 16 days, records the Tulsa police union tried to keep secret show.

The Tulsa police union went to court to try to stop @readfrontier.bsky.social from getting these records. www.readfrontier.org/stories/tuls...

Report: Oklahoma plan to reform mental health treatment ‘marred by inconsistencies,’ flawed data Months after a deal to end a class-action lawsuit over treatment for people with severe mental illness, the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health still can’t provide an accurate count of how many peopl...

Oklahoma has a long way to go on a plan to improve wait times for people with severe mental illness in the criminal justice system, and still can’t provide an accurate count of how many are stuck in jails waiting for treatment and for how long, consultants said.

www.readfrontier.org/stories/repo...

Ryan Walters has yet to answer questions about his pending resignation A small, celebratory group gathered outside the state education building with signs that read ‘Bye Bye Ry-Ry’ and ‘NO LYIN’ RYAN.’

As of Thursday afternoon, Ryan Walters's office had issued no official announcement on his departure to his Oklahoman constituents, who elected him with 56% of the vote in 2022. Calls to his press secretary went straight to voicemail. www.readfrontier.org/stories/ryan...

Despite tribal citizenship, traffic tickets for Freedmen descendants to remain in city court A deal between the City of Tulsa and the Muscogee Nation doesn’t apply to Freedmen descendants who don't have documentation of a degree of Indian blood.

A deal between the City of Tulsa and the Muscogee Nation doesn’t apply to Freedmen descendants who don’t have documentation of a degree of Indian blood. @cliftonhowze.bsky.social and Allison Herrera find out why.
www.readfrontier.org/stories/desp...

Some Oklahoma towns still ticket tribal citizens, in violation of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling Some Oklahoma towns still ticket tribal citizens, in violation of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

Five years after a landmark ruling that found much of eastern Oklahoma is Indian Country, tribal nations are still fighting with towns over who has jurisdiction to prosecute traffic violations and other municipal charges.
www.readfrontier.org/stories/some...

In Enid, a fatal overdose highlights a lack of drug treatment options There’s a shortage of drug treatment programs in Western Oklahoma. Many people don’t have transportation and the nearest provider is in another town.

Carrie Simpson, 54, expected to get high with friends that night in April on the first floor of a white turn-of-the-century house with asbestos siding that had been converted into apartments.

But things didn’t go as planned.

As Trump ramps up deportations, some immigrants spend time in an Oklahoma for-profit prison Cimarron Correctional Facility in Cushing houses federal detainees awaiting deportation proceedings.

As Trump ramps up deportations, some immigrants spend time in an Oklahoma for-profit prison.

Nowhere to go: Oklahoma's growing number of homeless youth have few options Services for homeless youth aren't keeping up with growing demand in the state.

Youth homelessness in Oklahoma has increased by nearly 40% in the past five years but there's not enough shelter beds or funding for housing programs to keep up with demand www.readfrontier.org/stories/nowh...

Oklahoma is asking a federal judge to fine big poultry companies millions for polluting the Illinois River The state is asking the court to cap the application of bird waste, penalize poultry companies for violating the state’s anti-pollution law and order them to pay for cleanup.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is asking a federal judge to fine some of the nation’s largest poultry companies tens of millions of dollars and order them to stop spreading bird waste in sensitive areas that drain into the Illinois River.
www.readfrontier.org/stories/okla...

Help us report on arts education at rural schools We want to hear from parents and educators in rural Oklahoma concerned about the future of drama, music and visual arts in schools.

We want to hear from parents and educators in rural Oklahoma concerned about the future of drama, music and visual arts in schools.
www.readfrontier.org/stories/help...

An Oklahoma father planned to get married but now faces deportation Immigration attorneys say they’re seeing a growing number of green card holders detained for past criminal convictions, some for cases that are years old.

New story this morning by Kevin Eagleson

Immigration attorneys say they’re seeing a growing number of green card holders detained for past criminal convictions, some for cases that are years old.

An Oklahoma father planned to get married but now faces deportation Immigration attorneys say they’re seeing a growing number of green card holders detained for past criminal convictions, some for cases that are years old.

NEW: ICE agents arrested a young Oklahoma father after luring him to a gas station with text messages promising a job opportunity www.readfrontier.org/stories/an-o...

We fact-checked Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s claims as part of the ‘Make Oklahoma Healthy Again’ campaign The U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary made half-true or false statements about fluoride in public drinking water, Alzheimer's disease, autism and puberty during his visit to Oklahoma.

NEW: @readfrontier.bsky.social investigated and found RFK Jr. made half-true or false statements about fluoride in public drinking water, Alzheimer’s disease, autism and puberty during his visit to Oklahoma.
www.readfrontier.org/stories/we-f...

An effort to expand access to a state scholarship to more Tulsa Race Massacre descendants stalls For decades, funding for a state scholarship program memorializing the 1921 burning of Black Wall Street was limited, and students related to massacre victims weren’t prioritized in the selection proc...

For decades, funding for a state scholarship program memorializing the 1921 burning of Black Wall Street was limited, and students related to massacre victims weren’t prioritized in the selection process.

Meet the new group in charge of millions in state money to help pregnant women after Oklahoma banned abortion There’s no competitive bidding process through the state for pregnancy resource centers, faith-based groups and other nonprofits to get public money if they go through an organization like the Oklahom...

There’s no competitive bidding process through the state for pregnancy resource centers, faith-based groups and other nonprofits to get public money if they go through an organization like the Oklahoma Life Foundation.

Oklahoma Attorney General still wants to work out a deal with poultry companies to protect the Illinois River as decades-long lawsuit drags on “My observation is that poultry would rather litigate and appeal and delay,” Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said. “It’s economically beneficial. I wish they would change that.”

Gov. Stitt opposes any efforts to work out a deal over the Illinois River. “This 20-year-old lawsuit is simply an attempt by radical environmental extremists and greedy out-of-state trial lawyers to attack industries trying to follow the law,” Stitt said.
www.readfrontier.org/stories/okla...

A Tulsa political operative used his grandmother’s name to set up political action committees The grandmother was named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by a candidate who was criticized in campaign mailers from one of the groups during the Democratic primary for Tulsa County Commissioner in ...

NEW: A 77-year-old McLoud woman told @readfrontier.bsky.social she let her grandson use her name for a network of secretive political groups involved in several Tulsa-area local races and at least one state Senate race in 2024.
www.readfrontier.org/stories/tuls...

‘Total freefall’: Oklahoma faces deadline to fix broken mental health system as long wait times persist A judge is fining the state for failing to treat mentally ill defendants stuck in county jails. With a court-ordered deadline approaching, public defenders and advocates say the system remains overwhe...

New story out today about the total collapse of Oklahoma's system for treating people with severe mental illness in the criminal justice system in partnership with @KOSU www.readfrontier.org/stories/tota...

‘Total freefall’: Oklahoma faces deadline to fix broken mental health system as long wait times persist A judge is fining the state for failing to treat mentally ill defendants stuck in county jails. With a court-ordered deadline approaching, public defenders and advocates say the system remains overwhe...

A judge is fining the state for failing to treat mentally ill defendants stuck in county jails. With a court-ordered deadline approaching, public defenders and advocates say the system remains overwhelmed, underfunded and unresponsive.

‘Total freefall’: Oklahoma faces deadline to fix broken mental health system as long wait times persist A judge is fining the state for failing to treat mentally ill defendants stuck in county jails. With a court-ordered deadline approaching, public defenders and advocates say the system remains overwhe...

New story out today about the total collapse of Oklahoma's system for treating people with severe mental illness in the criminal justice system in partnership with @KOSU www.readfrontier.org/stories/tota...

Judge orders release of remaining Tulsa police discipline records to The Frontier District Judge Caroline Wall said she did not see a “significant difference” between records that have already been released and other documents the Tulsa police union was seeking to keep private.

After a month-long legal battle, a Tulsa County judge lifted a temporary restraining order filed by the police union to stall the release of police disciplinary records requested by The Frontier.
www.readfrontier.org/stories/judg...

Oklahoma Department of Corrections seeks to keep incident reports for inmate deaths confidential The Frontier is suing for the release of records after a reported uptick in violence at one state prison.

We’re suing the Oklahoma Department of Corrections for not releasing records on deaths other violent incidents
www.readfrontier.org/stories/okla...

Tulsa police union seeks to keep officer disciplinary records secret The Tulsa Police Department has already released over 100 pages of records to The Frontier that show disciplinary actions for officers who were found to have violated Tulsa Police Department rules.

The Tulsa Fraternal Order of Police asked a judge for an emergency order to prevent the city from releasing any more records on April 28. The police union said in a court filing that it was notified that the police department would release officer personnel records at 3 p.m. that afternoon.

Medical contractor with troubled history to leave Cleveland County jail TK Health told county officials the company would exit the jail at the end of June, but gave no reason. There has been a history of complaints about access to medical care at the facility.

TK Health told county officials the company would exit the jail at the end of June, but gave no reason. There has been a history of complaints about access to medical care at the facility.

The founders of The Frontier newsroom: Dylan Goforth, Cary Aspinwall, Ziva Branstetter, Kevin Canfield and Bobby Lorton

Here’s the OGs who took a leap of faith together 10 years ago and started @readfrontier.bsky.social … I’m so proud of what it has grown into. Hats off to @dmgoforth.bsky.social @briokc.bsky.social and Bobby Lorton for continuing to push for high-quality investigative journalism in Oklahoma.

Before embezzlement scheme was revealed, Tulsa schools executives secretly planned departure of the man involved A state investigator raised questions about how much school leaders knew about a scheme to defraud Tulsa Public Schools of at least $800,000 before they notified the police, documents show.

A state investigator raised questions about how much school leaders knew about a scheme to defraud Tulsa Public Schools of at least $800,000 before they notified the police, documents show.

A bill would let Oklahoma detention centers apply for ‘get out of jail free’ cards from health and safety standards Some jails in the state have faced ongoing issues with detainee deaths and poor inspection results. State inspectors ruled most county jails didn’t comply with the standards in 2024.

www.readfrontier.org/stories/a-bi...

Judges raised concerns about potential civil rights violations at the Cleveland County Detention Center

"At least six detainees have died since the beginning of 2024 at the Cleveland County Detention Center."

"Some detainees said they wore the same clothing for two or three weeks at a time."

One detainee "said he had to 'beg' for toilet paper."
@briokc.bsky.social @readfrontier.bsky.social

Judges raised concerns about potential civil rights violations at the Cleveland County Detention Center One judge told Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office officials that there were “serious constitutional concerns” about conditions at the jail including lack of access to attorneys, health care and clean c...

One judge told Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office officials that there were “serious constitutional concerns” about conditions at the jail including lack of access to attorneys, health care and clean clothing.