In this week's episode, Ginnie Graham and Barry Friedman close the curtain on 2023, discussing the achievements and failures of the state and federal governments. How will this lead into the 2024 presidential election? What will be the focus for Oklahoma's legislature and other leaders next session?

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A look at what Oklahoma lawmakers didn't pass this year

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Coverage of State Superintendent Ryan Walters

Ginnie Graham: Suggestions on how to influence arguments for Tulsa Public Schools to keep local control

Gov. Stitt: Give Tulsa Superintendent Ebony Johnson a chance

100 teacher vacancies at Tulsa Public Schools despite up to $6,000 signing bonuses

Eliminating state income tax faces same challenges it did more than two decades ago

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Note: Barry Friedman is an essayist, political columnist, petroleum geology reporter and comedian living in Tulsa. In addition to “Funny You Should Mention It,” “Road Comic,” “Four Days and a Year Later” and “The Joke Was On Me,” his first novel, “Jacob Fishman’s Marriages,” a book about the worst love story ever, was published by Balkan Press in February. His sites are barrysfriedman.com and friedmanoftheplains.com.

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Chris Bernard, the president and chief executive officer of Hunger Free Oklahoma, joins Ginnie Graham this week to discuss a local and national issue that she calls "so solvable." Bernard says that food insecurity is a problem that shouldn't exist in America. So why is it such a big problem? Bernard and Graham dig into the issue and Bernard lays out some of the ways we can address the root issue.

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Opinion: We know how to solve food insecurity but need scalable resources and reach of governments

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Rep. John Waldron: Lawmakers, school districts have chance to eliminate school lunch debt for thousands of Oklahomans

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Jim Gray served as the Osage Nation chief from 2002 to 2010 and is the principal consultant at D.B.A. Gray Consultants. "I can’t escape from this history," Gray wrote in a guest column. "As an Osage, my great-grandfather, Henry Roan, is murdered in this film. As a former Chief of the Osage Nation, I had to deal with many unresolved issues that are associated with this period."

He speaks with Editorials Editor Ginnie Graham about his thoughts on having the Osage 'Reign of Terror' history told through the "Killers of the Flower Moon" book and movie.

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Former Osage Nation Chief Jim Gray column: 'Killers of the Flower Moon' teachable moment remains uncertain

Killers of the Flower Moon: See all our coverage going back to when scenes were shot here to reaction to the movie

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Tulsa World Scene podcast: From Killers of the Flower Moon to Reservation Dogs: The future of Indigenous mainstream storytelling

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Anna Johnson is a professor and researcher at Georgetown University who has been studying education in Tulsa since 2016. She talks with Ginnie Graham about comparing third grade Oklahoma State Testing Program (OSTP) scores — the state’s standardized test — to researcher-administered developmental tests of children’s academic skills. Why might these tests not tell the full story of student skills? Would scaling back testing frequency help?

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Opinion column by Anna Johnson: What Oklahoma standardized third grade tests can tell us — and what they can't

2022 state test scores indicate partial academic rebound

From 2016: Tulsa's third-grade reading test results climb significantly for second year in a row

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One of the most common predictors of resisting mental health treatment is anosognosia, which is a lack of awareness of being mentally ill. Mike Brose is the former executive director of the Mental Health Association Oklahoma, adjunct university instructor and practicing licensed clinical social worker. He is a member of the Tulsa World Community Advisory Board. He speaks with Ginnie Graham about how Tulsa can help the homeless population, including those who who suffer from mental illness.

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Opinion column by Mike Brose: Doing the same thing over and again to reach Tulsa's most vulnerable homeless people a failing approach

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Ginnie Graham: Grand Mental Health entering Tulsa's mental health services landscape

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Lawmakers asked to reform Oklahoma's eviction process

In 10 years serving Tulsa's homeless, City Lights finds 'everybody has something to give'

City seeks operator for proposed homeless shelter, case management program

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"What separates an F school from an A school? What separates the schools at the top from those at the bottom? Affluence," writes Rep. John Waldron in his latest column. He represents Tulsa’s District 77 in the Oklahoma House. Previously, he worked as a social studies and history teacher at Booker T. Washington High School. He joins Ginnie Graham to talk about why A-F grades are problematic for the state's schools and districts. They also talk about the state's "lunch debt" problem and some startling statistics on corporal punishment in schools.

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Rep. John Waldron: Difference between 'A' and 'F' schools is affluence

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From the Tulsa World archives: Coverage of State Superintendent Ryan Walters

TPS utilizing Walk to Read help students build skills

Tulsa Union's National Teacher of Year says it's a 'hard time to be in public education'

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From 2014: Inside an 'F' school series by Andrea Eger

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Editorial Editor Ginnie Graham: Email | Twitter | Follow her stories

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" to "Reservation Dogs," the TV and movie industry ties to Oklahoma are growing stronger lately. Justin Rawlins, Ph.D., is a professor of media studies and film studies at the University of Tulsa and the author of the forthcoming book “Imagining the Method” (University of Texas Press, 2024). He speaks with Ginnie Graham about why the WGA and SAG-AFTRA labor stoppages matter to Oklahoma, even if the Los Angeles picket lines seem far away.

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The auto workers strike will drive up car prices, but not right away — unless consumers panic

UAW justifies wage demands by pointing to CEO pay raises. So how high were they?

Hollywood actor and writer strikes have broad support among Americans, AP-NORC poll shows

As writers and studios resume negotiations, here are the key players in the Hollywood strikes

An end in sight? Striking writers and Hollywood studios spend second full day in negotiations

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Contact us

Editorial Editor Ginnie Graham: Email | Twitter | Follow her stories

Subscribe to this podcast at: Apple | Google | Spotify

Support the show: https://tulsaworld.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.