A brazen act of arson in the heart of Cherokee Country leaves federal investigators chasing ghosts in one of Oklahoma's most volatile corners The smoke was spotted by a stranger passing by. It was May 19, 2026 — a Tuesday — when a passerby noticed something wrong at a house
Tahlequah's Assistant Police Chief built a career on community trust and law-and-order events. Now surveillance footage puts him at the scene of a Memorial Day vandalism that destroyed a children's summer attraction — and the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office isn't done asking questions.
The following is based solely on the account of one individual and has not been independently verified. EastOklahoma.com has reached out to all parties named for comment. A Seminole County man is speaking out about what he describes as a years-long property dispute involving a local church, a survey
Shawna Myers is running for Osage County Treasurer. Bank records, official meeting minutes, and a trail of unreturned funds tell a story she hasn’t shared with voters — and a powerful ally is helping make sure they never hear it. EastOklahoma.com Investigative Desk • May 30, 2026 THE RACE NOBODY
Who Has the Right to Put You in Prison? Inside the Legal War Tearing Eastern Oklahoma Apart There is a child pornographer sitting in a federal prison cell serving 50 years. There is also a drug trafficker whose case may be thrown out because the wrong court filed the charges.
From a Marine veteran's stolen salvage yard to Bixby's confidential meetings — a pattern of secret annexations, silenced communities, and one disbarred attorney at the center of it all An investigative report by EastOklahoma.com The Template Somewhere in Green Country, a city manager receives a call
How a disbarred Oklahoma attorney championed the little guy in public — while a Marine veteran's land vanished into a billion-dollar data center corridor An investigative report New Year's Day, 2026 Seven hours into the New Year, Ron Durbin was already working. The disbarred Tulsa attorney — 74,
The Woman Who Wouldn't Stay Silent: Larita Barnes' 19-Year Battle Against Federal Corruption A federal appellate court just ruled she can sue the government. Here's the shocking story of how law enforcement framed an innocent woman — and why it took nearly two decades to get
The Watchdog Under Attack: Stitt Moves to Audit the Attorney General Who Keeps Exposing His Administration's Corruption When the AG Started Investigating, Stitt Started Retaliating OKLAHOMA CITY — On May 22, 2026, Governor Kevin Stitt requested a special audit of Attorney General Gentner Drummond's office, claiming the
"Student Safety" for Some But Not Others Connected To My Friends: The Selective Crusades of Sean Buckner and Ron Durbin An investigation into how Oklahoma's most vocal "student safety" advocates go silent when misconduct involves their friends The Brand They Built They burst into
The Future of Farming is Growing in Webbers Falls—And You're Invited to See It Why hundreds of Oklahoma growers are marking August 5th on their calendars for an event that could transform their harvest WEBBERS FALLS, OK – There's a moment every farmer knows—standing in
The $0 Campaign: Sean Buckner's Senate Bid Raises Questions About Intent A candidate with a documented history of unpaid obligations launches a campaign that has yet to raise a single dollar When William Sean Buckner filed paperwork on March 16, 2026, to run as a Republican challenger for
Tulsa
The Stitt Doctrine: How Oklahoma's Governor Built a Policy Machine That Targets the State's Most Vulnerable An investigation into seven years of systematic cuts to programs serving low-income families The Weatherization Paradox On a May morning in 2026, Gov. Kevin Stitt stood before cameras to announce
Tulsa
The Trust Deficit: Can Oklahomans Believe Kevin Stitt's Data Center Promises When Todd Hiett Still Votes on Their Energy Bills? An investigation into Oklahoma's data center boom, rising electricity costs, and the scandal-plagued regulator who controls your power bill The Promise On May 11, 2026, Governor
Crimes
Behind the "Drain the Swamp" Message: Matt Muskrat's Trail of Financial Judgments and Multiple Marriages An investigative report into the personal and financial history of a Muskogee County Commissioner candidate Matt Muskrat wants to "drain the swamp" in Muskogee County government. The Republican candidate
Tulsa
An Investigation into the Policies, Politics, and Pollution Threatening Oklahoma's Future The Question Nobody Wants to Answer Drive through rural Oklahoma, and you'll see what state leaders promote as economic development. A hazardous waste landfill accepting toxic materials from across the nation. Data centers consuming millions
Politics
The state spent years ending contracts with private prisons over violence and deaths. Now the same company is reopening those facilities—this time for immigration detention. It's a backdoor return that should alarm every Oklahoman. WATONGA, Oklahoma — On a cold morning in early 2026, the first buses rolled
Politics
A little-known bill quietly died in committee this spring. What it reveals about who really controls Oklahoma's deer—and the $200 million industry built around them. OKLAHOMA CITY — On a legislative calendar packed with debates over education funding and tax cuts, Senate Bill 1074 slipped through the Oklahoma
How a $5,000 tax dispute became a political scandal that exposed Oklahoma's broken accountability system By Staff Reporter Oklahoma City, Oklahoma — May 18, 2026 In September 2020, David Ostrowe picked up his phone and made three calls that would derail his career, embarrass Governor Kevin Stitt'
Police Corruption
A rare federal prosecution exposes the limits of police accountability in Oklahoma On a cold January evening in eastern Oklahoma, during what should have been a routine traffic stop, an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper made a decision that would end his decade-long law enforcement career and land him in federal
Crimes
An eight-year scheme of fraud, luxury gambling, and broken trust in Indian Country Michael Anthony Houser appeared to be living the American dream. The 36-year-old accountant from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, had climbed the corporate ladder at one of the most successful tribal gaming enterprises in the nation. He drove luxury
Government Corruption
How Oklahoma's Cash Bail System Imprisons the Innocent An Investigation into America's Highest Incarceration Rate On any given morning in Oklahoma, more than 9,000 people wake up behind bars who have never been convicted of a crime. They are legally innocent—presumed so by the
Tulsa
How a shrinking Jewish community in Oklahoma is betting on an unconventional strategy to reverse decades of decline — and what it reveals about American Judaism's demographic future TULSA, Oklahoma — The house tours began on a Saturday morning with prairie views stretching toward the horizon. More than 50 people
Vian
How Vian's Culture of Political Protection Shielded Joshua Smith—Until Federal Prison A Follow-Up Investigation When Joshua Smith was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for the aggravated sexual abuse of a child, the national media focused on the crime itself—as they should have. A predator