Tulsa World Opinion

Year in review of President Biden, Oklahoma's congressional delegation and more

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? ---------------------------------------- Related content: Sixteen file for Oklahoma's 2024 presidential primary [https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/sixteen-file-for-oklahomas-presidential-primary/article_30efccfc-945a-11ee-80f6-0bf9a740386e.html] U.S. Sen. Mullin hawks 'Anytime' T-shirts after argument with Teamsters president [https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/u-s-sen-mullin-hawks-anytime-t-shirts-after-argument-with-teamsters-president/article_d3482c66-8955-11ee-9650-a771adbe61eb.html] A look at what Oklahoma lawmakers didn't pass this year [https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/a-look-at-what-oklahoma-lawmakers-didnt-pass-this-year/article_21a1d31e-fb06-11ed-95b5-1f41c9b4346b.html] Teacher pay raises, private school tax credits: What to know about Oklahoma's education plan [https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/teacher-pay-raises-private-school-tax-credits-what-to-know-about-oklahomas-education-plan/article_1a6364e4-f577-11ed-b719-d7f8c777085f.html] Coverage of State Superintendent Ryan Walters [https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/education/coverage-of-state-superintendent-ryan-walters/collection_838fcd1a-f0c5-11ed-ae69-d7d73612f37c.html] Ginnie Graham: Suggestions on how to influence arguments for Tulsa Public Schools to keep local control [https://tulsaworld.com/opinion/column/ginnie-graham-suggestions-on-how-to-influence-arguments-for-tulsa-public-schools-to-keep-local/article_faeb2fde-99ea-11ee-b8bd-af9f2ea6d018.html] Gov. Stitt: Give Tulsa Superintendent Ebony Johnson a chance [https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-regional/education/stitt-give-tulsa-superintendent-ebony-johnson-a-chance/article_8d07532c-99f8-11ee-8899-afbed9480a84.html] 100 teacher vacancies at Tulsa Public Schools despite up to $6,000 signing bonuses [https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/education/100-teacher-vacancies-at-tulsa-public-schools-despite-up-to-6-000-signing-bonuses/article_f44d04f4-7d9d-11ee-8bf1-cb58287faf02.html] Eliminating state income tax faces same challenges it did more than two decades ago [https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/eliminating-state-income-tax-faces-same-challenges-it-did-more-than-two-decades-ago/article_2623f70a-6889-11ee-8267-ef9f30f380b0.html] Click here to submit a letter to the editor [https://tulsaworld.com/opinion/submitletter/] ---------------------------------------- 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 [http://www.barrysfriedman.com] and friedmanoftheplains.com [http://www.friedmanoftheplains.com]. Contact us Editorial Editor Ginnie Graham: Email [ginnie.graham@tulsaworld.com] | Twitter [https://twitter.com/ginniegraham] | Follow her stories [https://tulsaworld.com/users/profile/ginnie%20graham/] Subscribe to this podcast at: Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tulsa-world-opinion/id1593217401] | Google [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9vbW55LmZtL3Nob3dzL3R1bHNhLXdvcmxkLW9waW5pb24vcGxheWxpc3RzL3BvZGNhc3QucnNz?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjY1qWxs-_6AhUDsGoFHdMeCoUQ9sEGegQIARAF] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2QjcD36PQ1HXkbDAYCjZsr] Support the show: https://tulsaworld.com/ [https://tulsaworld.com/] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Why are people hungry when we're a land with so much food?

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. ---------------------------------------- Related Opinion: We know how to solve food insecurity but need scalable resources and reach of governments [https://tulsaworld.com/opinion/column/opinion-we-know-how-to-solve-food-insecurity-but-need-scalable-resources-and-reach-of/article_ee5d06a8-7766-11ee-82d8-8ff4d5113f2c.html] Ginnie Graham: Everyone can learn how to reduce food waste in their homes [https://tulsaworld.com/opinion/column/ginnie-graham-everyone-can-learn-how-to-reduce-food-waste-in-their-homes/article_1534ed46-7d01-11ee-887f-a7bbdf6d9644.html] Rep. John Waldron: Lawmakers, school districts have chance to eliminate school lunch debt for thousands of Oklahomans [https://tulsaworld.com/opinion/column/rep-john-waldron-lawmakers-school-districts-have-chance-to-eliminate-school-lunch-debt-for-thousands/article_a813fb52-7761-11ee-ad91-8be2ce05a729.html] ---------------------------------------- Contact us Editorial Editor Ginnie Graham: Email [ginnie.graham@tulsaworld.com] | Twitter [https://twitter.com/ginniegraham] | Follow her stories [https://tulsaworld.com/users/profile/ginnie%20graham/] Subscribe to this podcast at: Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tulsa-world-opinion/id1593217401] | Google [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9vbW55LmZtL3Nob3dzL3R1bHNhLXdvcmxkLW9waW5pb24vcGxheWxpc3RzL3BvZGNhc3QucnNz?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjY1qWxs-_6AhUDsGoFHdMeCoUQ9sEGegQIARAF] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2QjcD36PQ1HXkbDAYCjZsr] Support the show: https://tulsaworld.com/ [https://tulsaworld.com/] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

'Killers of the Flower Moon' thoughts from former Osage chief

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 [https://tulsaworld.com/opinion/column/former-osage-nation-chief-jim-gray-killers-of-the-flower-moon-teachable-moment-remains-uncertain/article_a53ef606-825c-11ee-a8bc-9b1033515f7b.html]. "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. ---------------------------------------- Related Former Osage Nation Chief Jim Gray column: 'Killers of the Flower Moon' teachable moment remains uncertain [https://tulsaworld.com/opinion/column/former-osage-nation-chief-jim-gray-killers-of-the-flower-moon-teachable-moment-remains-uncertain/article_a53ef606-825c-11ee-a8bc-9b1033515f7b.html] Killers of the Flower Moon: See all our coverage going back to when scenes were shot here to reaction to the movie [https://tulsaworld.com/life-entertainment/local/movies-tv/killers-of-the-flower-moon-see-all-our-coverage-going-back-to-when-scenes-were/collection_6542391a-6212-11ee-af6f-e32441d83769.html] A deeper look at the crimes committed against the Osage during the Reign of Terror | Late Edition: Crime Beat Chronicles podcast [https://tulsaworld.com/news/nation-world/crime-courts/crimes-of-the-osage-reign-of-terror/article_92010df7-e24f-5958-a227-00c7f6bd8ef2.html] Tulsa World Scene podcast: From Killers of the Flower Moon to Reservation Dogs: The future of Indigenous mainstream storytelling [https://tulsaworld.com/life-entertainment/reservation-dogs-killers-flower-moon-indigenous-storytelling/article_92436dba-73f3-11ee-aa2a-8fa875568115.html] Click here to submit a letter to the editor [https://tulsaworld.com/opinion/submitletter/] ---------------------------------------- Contact us Editorial Editor Ginnie Graham: Email [ginnie.graham@tulsaworld.com] | Twitter [https://twitter.com/ginniegraham] | Follow her stories [https://tulsaworld.com/users/profile/ginnie%20graham/] Subscribe to this podcast at: Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tulsa-world-opinion/id1593217401] | Google [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9vbW55LmZtL3Nob3dzL3R1bHNhLXdvcmxkLW9waW5pb24vcGxheWxpc3RzL3BvZGNhc3QucnNz?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjY1qWxs-_6AhUDsGoFHdMeCoUQ9sEGegQIARAF] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2QjcD36PQ1HXkbDAYCjZsr] Support the show: https://tulsaworld.com/ [https://tulsaworld.com/] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Do standardized tests really reflect students' academic skills?

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? ---------------------------------------- Related Opinion column by Anna Johnson: What Oklahoma standardized third grade tests can tell us — and what they can't [https://tulsaworld.com/opinion/column/opinion-what-oklahoma-standardized-third-grade-tests-can-tell-us-and-what-they-cant/article_241c7c68-7205-11ee-9a8b-e73345132b61.html] 2022 state test scores indicate partial academic rebound [https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/education/2022-state-test-scores-indicate-partial-academic-rebound/article_39fa6c8e-3aca-11ed-aaaa-67660d24ca1b.html] From 2016: Tulsa's third-grade reading test results climb significantly for second year in a row [https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/education/tulsas-third-grade-reading-test-results-climb-significantly-for-second-year-in-a-row/article_6df785c4-bcdf-5fca-84dc-3f973d780fb0.html] Click here to submit a letter to the editor [https://tulsaworld.com/opinion/submitletter/] ---------------------------------------- Contact us Editorial Editor Ginnie Graham: Email [ginnie.graham@tulsaworld.com] | Twitter [https://twitter.com/ginniegraham] | Follow her stories [https://tulsaworld.com/users/profile/ginnie%20graham/] Subscribe to this podcast at: Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tulsa-world-opinion/id1593217401] | Google [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9vbW55LmZtL3Nob3dzL3R1bHNhLXdvcmxkLW9waW5pb24vcGxheWxpc3RzL3BvZGNhc3QucnNz?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjY1qWxs-_6AhUDsGoFHdMeCoUQ9sEGegQIARAF] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2QjcD36PQ1HXkbDAYCjZsr] Support the show: https://tulsaworld.com/ [https://tulsaworld.com/] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

How can we help the homeless, including mental health treatment

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. ---------------------------------------- Related Opinion column by Mike Brose: Doing the same thing over and again to reach Tulsa's most vulnerable homeless people a failing approach [https://tulsaworld.com/opinion/column/opinion-doing-the-same-thing-over-and-again-to-reach-tulsas-most-vulnerable-homeless-people/article_2657c17e-646b-11ee-bf7b-cf4e0d548b8c.html] Opinion column by Mike Brose: Steps to making progress to end Tulsa homelessness [https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/opinion-steps-to-making-progress-to-end-tulsa-homelessness/article_3665d174-d941-11ed-9465-8bacb46b6c42.html] Survey finds Tulsans open to other approaches to address homelessness, nonprofit says [https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/government-politics/survey-finds-tulsans-open-to-other-approaches-to-address-homelessness-nonprofit-says/article_d7b7463a-69fa-11ee-b948-7b7191c7dd3e.html] Ginnie Graham: Grand Mental Health entering Tulsa's mental health services landscape [https://tulsaworld.com/opinion/column/ginnie-graham-grand-mental-health-entering-tulsas-mental-health-services-landscape/article_8d86749c-67b5-11ee-b713-6ba1fb09bc91.html] Opinion: Access to mental health services 24/7 key to having successful outcomes [https://tulsaworld.com/opinion/column/opinion-access-to-mental-health-services-24-7-key-to-having-successful-outcomes/article_a67cc2b0-62d5-11ee-9fd9-17b567ef549b.html] Lawmakers asked to reform Oklahoma's eviction process [https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/lawmakers-asked-to-reform-oklahomas-eviction-process/article_9e5615ae-5ca0-11ee-9e17-a7abfea1302f.html] In 10 years serving Tulsa's homeless, City Lights finds 'everybody has something to give' [https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/in-10-years-serving-tulsas-homeless-city-lights-finds-everybody-has-something-to-give/article_89a3ca70-5732-11ee-a8e2-63327e4c15da.html] City seeks operator for proposed homeless shelter, case management program [https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/city-seeks-operator-for-proposed-homeless-shelter-case-management-program/article_dd16b28c-5965-11ee-8c22-27c651b763f1.html] Click here to submit a letter to the editor [https://tulsaworld.com/opinion/submitletter/] ---------------------------------------- Contact us Editorial Editor Ginnie Graham: Email [ginnie.graham@tulsaworld.com] | Twitter [https://twitter.com/ginniegraham] | Follow her stories [https://tulsaworld.com/users/profile/ginnie%20graham/] Subscribe to this podcast at: Apple [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tulsa-world-opinion/id1593217401] | Google [https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9vbW55LmZtL3Nob3dzL3R1bHNhLXdvcmxkLW9waW5pb24vcGxheWxpc3RzL3BvZGNhc3QucnNz?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjY1qWxs-_6AhUDsGoFHdMeCoUQ9sEGegQIARAF] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2QjcD36PQ1HXkbDAYCjZsr] Support the show: https://tulsaworld.com/ [https://tulsaworld.com/] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.