Feature Stories — East Oklahoma In-depth reporting, long-form storytelling, and profiles from across eastern Oklahoma. EastOklahoma.com goes beyond the headlines to explore the people, places, history, and issues shaping communities from Tulsa and Broken Arrow to Tahlequah, Muskogee, and the small towns in between.
Tulsa
How Epic Charter Schools Founders Allegedly Stole From Oklahoma's Children—And Bought Political Protection OKLAHOMA CITY — For nearly a decade, David Chaney and Ben Harris ran Oklahoma's largest virtual charter school like their personal piggy bank. They allegedly pocketed $55 million in taxpayer money meant for
Tulsa
An East Oklahoma Investigation into the GEER Fund Scandal In the spring of 2020, as Oklahoma schools shuttered and families struggled through the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, $39.9 million in federal emergency education funds arrived in Oklahoma with a clear mission: help students whose education had been
Tulsa
An eight-year federal lawsuit alleges a statewide extortion scheme that jails the poor while generating profits for law enforcement By EastOklahoma.com Investigative Team Kendy Killman became a prisoner in her own home, though she'd never been convicted of a violent crime. The Cleveland County mother of
Tulsa
When the voters' choice doesn't matter and inherited failures become grounds for prosecution OKEMAH, OKLAHOMA — Sheriff Logan Manshack's hands were steady as he typed out his resignation statement on May 6, 2026. But the words he chose were careful, deliberate — the language of a man
Tulsa
A drunken groping incident in Minnesota. Five billion dollars in utility bonds. And a commissioner who won't step down. THE BILLION-DOLLAR SCANDAL: How Allegations Against One Oklahoma Regulator Exposed a System Worth Questioning A drunken groping incident in Minnesota. Five billion dollars in utility bonds. And a
Tulsa
When a Small Town Death Collides with a National Scandal On December 23, 2025, when the U.S. Department of Justice released thousands of pages from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation files, few expected a small Oklahoma town of just over 2,000 residents to be thrust into the spotlight. Yet
Muskogee
A fundraiser organized by Braggs Fire Secretary Brenna has been cancelled after credible concerns emerged that activist Sean Buckner planned to cause a scene at the event. The cancellation highlights a growing pattern of disruption by Buckner and his associates, who claim to champion transparency while routinely sabotaging legitimate civic
McAlester
On the night of November 2, 2022, a woman named K.H. was riding in a car on a rural road in Pittsburg County when a Savanna Police Department cruiser lit up behind her. She had no reason to believe the stop would be anything more than routine. Her boyfriend
McAlester
Deep in the piney timber country of Oklahoma's southeastern corner, where the land borders both Arkansas and Texas and the nearest big city is four hours away, McCurtain County has always operated by its own rules. With a population hovering around 31,000, it is one of the
Sallisaw
Every May, the streets of downtown Sallisaw, Oklahoma come alive with the sounds of live music, the smell of barbecue smoke, and the noise of a community gathering for Diamond Daze — the annual festival that has become a cornerstone of Sequoyah County culture. For two days, May 2nd and 3rd
Tulsa
How Oklahoma's prison chief handed a million-dollar AI contract to a private company, then walked straight through the door to work for them — leaving the state's most dangerous prison in chaos and no one held accountable. On April 3, 2025, Steven Harpe sat behind the
Broken Arrow
The entrance to the restaurant at Robbers Cave State Park near Wilburton was built to look like the mouth of a cave. Fake stone, mood lighting, a rugged Western aesthetic meant to evoke the outlaws — Jesse James, Belle Starr, the Daltons — who once actually hid in the sandstone bluffs just