Oklahoma Watch (https://oklahomawatch.org/author/wbryen/)
The slaying of a woman in a southeast Oklahoma town points to a dilemma that district attorneys in Oklahoma wrestle with on a continuing basis: When a domestic violence victim refuses to cooperate in prosecuting an alleged abuser, should prosecutors pursue the case anyway?
Food intake doubled at Oklahoma’s food banks over the past year – the result of a federal program designed to buy up products from farmers affected by responses to U.S. tariffs. The flows of fresh goods are welcome, but the downside is many local pantries can’t accept the surplus and their food choices have narrowed.
In the decade of the #MeToo movement and widespread revelations of sexual abuse, more women are reporting incidents of sexual assault to authorities, studies show. But the era of silence isn’t over. In this mixed-media report, Oklahoma Watch examines the continuing problem of the significant underreporting of sexual assaults.
Strangulation of women is a persistent and increasingly reported form of violence in Oklahoma, with hundreds of cases reported annually. It is not always fatal, but it is terrifying, can cause long-term injuries and is known to be a precursor to homicide.
Sixty-five years ago today, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously struck down racial segregation in public schools, setting in motion great currents of change that no one foresaw. Our story, video and images reflect on the impact, then and now, of Brown v. Board of Education on Oklahoma City Public Schools.
Nearly eight years into addiction recovery, Nicole Zoellner is still paying off $180,000 in gambling debt.
Oklahoma City and Tulsa, and even rural communities, struggle with areas plagued by economic blight. The telltale signs are abandoned homes, schools and other buildings – the hollowing out of cherished neighborhoods.
Oklahoma has the nation’s second highest percentage of people without health insurance. Like Tim Cundiff of Stillwater, the uninsured risk financial ruin from a medical calamity.
More than 650,000 Oklahomans, a third of them children, lack reliable access to sufficient food. Food pantries play a vital role in providing resources to food-insecure families.
Last year, 266 immigrants were deported from the Tulsa County Jail. In many cases, their families were left behind, dealing with the financial and emotional fallout.