Tulsa, Oklahoma — Local News & Community Updates Your source for the latest news, events, and stories from Tulsa, Oklahoma — the state's second-largest city and the cultural and economic hub of Green Country. From city government and public safety to arts, business, and community life, EastOklahoma.com keeps Tulsa residents informed on the news that matters most.
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
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
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
Tulsa
A comprehensive investigation into Governor Kevin Stitt's controversial midnight veto and the cascade of corruption allegations that defined his tenure On a late spring night in May 2025, as most Oklahomans slept, Governor Kevin Stitt made a decision that would crystallize his administration's troubled relationship with
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
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
Feature Story
How years of financial mismanagement, alleged corruption, and political warfare left the state's most vulnerable citizens caught in the crossfire On a Friday afternoon in early May 2025, the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services announced it was short $23 million and may not make