The Frontier

Listen Frontier: Why would Markwayne Mullin leave the Senate? After Kristi Noem’s firing, President Donald Trump tapped Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin for one of the most powerful jobs in government. Reese Gorman explains why.

NOTUS reporter Reese Gorman discusses the firing of Kristi Noem and what Markwayne Mullin’s appointment could mean for Oklahoma’s U.S. Senate seat.

Listen Frontier: Why would Markwayne Mullin leave the Senate? After Kristi Noem’s firing, President Donald Trump tapped Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin for one of the most powerful jobs in government. Reese Gorman explains why.

Here's my interview with @reesegorman.bsky.social about Trump's selection of Markwayne Mullin as Kristi Noem's successor at the Department of Homeland Security.

As data centers boom in Oklahoma, so does water demand From Pryor to Stillwater and Muskogee, local officials say supplies are sufficient, even as Google alone used more than 1.1 billion gallons in a single year.

From Pryor to Stillwater to Muskogee, Oklahoma is courting massive data centers.

But keeping those servers cool requires huge amounts of water.

Our latest reporting found Google’s Pryor facility alone used over 1.1 billion gallons in one year.

What happens as more projects come online?

Support The Frontier with a donation At The Frontier, our mission is to hold public officials accountable, give a voice to the powerless and tell the stories that others are afraid to tell, or that illuminate the lives of people in our c...

Want to support this kind of journalism in Oklahoma? Even $5 a month goes a long way toward keeping our newsroom sustainable.

Groups that serve victims of crime in Oklahoma face shrinking funding Oklahoma organizations serving abused children and domestic violence survivors have lost up to 80% of their federal support, even as demand continues to rise.

Groups that serve victims of crime in Oklahoma face shrinking funding.

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Sign up for our emails to go behind-the-scenes with our reporters. In tonight’s email, you’ll hear from @maddykeyes.bsky.social about her investigation into declining federal funding for crime victims in Oklahoma (story linked downthread)

From limiting tax breaks to moratoriums, Oklahoma legislators eye new rules for data centers A slew of bills at the Legislature this year would pause new developments, limit nondisclosure agreements and require companies to shoulder infrastructure costs as opposition grows.

A slew of bills at the Legislature this year would pause new developments, limit nondisclosure agreements and require companies to shoulder infrastructure costs as opposition grows.

Groups that serve victims of crime in Oklahoma face shrinking funding Oklahoma organizations serving abused children and domestic violence survivors have lost up to 80% of their federal support, even as demand continues to rise.

These cuts mean longer wait times, fewer therapists and fewer safety resources for people fleeing abuse and trauma.

Read our full investigation here.

One advocate said it feels “weird ... to hope for crime to happen so we can get funding."

Sixty-three fewer organizations in Oklahoma received VOCA funding in 2025 than in 2018. And most organizations that received funding over that period experienced a cut.

Some victim-service organizations are being forced to cut staff, reduce services, and double caseloads when people need help most.

“We shouldn’t have to work so hard to make sure that kids — families — are getting these services,” Abbott House's Anna Adkins said.

VOCA funding in Oklahoma went from over $29M in 2018 to just about $10.3M in 2025, meaning 5,000+ fewer victims served by local programs.

Groups that serve victims of crime in Oklahoma face shrinking funding Oklahoma organizations serving abused children and domestic violence survivors have lost up to 80% of their federal support, even as demand continues to rise.

Organizations that help children, domestic violence survivors & other victims once relied heavily on federal funds from the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA). But that money has dropped dramatically since 2018.

Oklahoma nonprofits that support victims of crime are facing severe funding cuts — even as demand for their services soars. Here’s what you need to know.

Purged: Oklahoma’s Toxic Wastewater Across Oklahoma, oilfield wastewater has continued to surface from the ground — even as regulators failed to contain it. This investigation examines how oversight fell short, how contamination spread ...

Across Oklahoma, oilfield wastewater has continued to surface from the ground — even as regulators failed to contain it. This investigation examines how oversight fell short, how contamination spread and how families were left to navigate what's left.

Groups that serve victims of crime in Oklahoma face shrinking funding Oklahoma organizations serving abused children and domestic violence survivors have lost up to 80% of their federal support, even as demand continues to rise.

@readfrontier.bsky.social “You’re talking about some of the most vulnerable people in our communities."

Oklahoma organizations serving abused children & domestic violence survivors have lost up to 80% of their federal support, even as demand continues to rise. www.readfrontier.org/stories/grou...

Groups that serve victims of crime in Oklahoma face shrinking funding Oklahoma organizations serving abused children and domestic violence survivors have lost up to 80% of their federal support, even as demand continues to rise.

Oklahoma organizations serving abused children and domestic violence survivors have lost up to 80% of their federal support, even as demand continues to rise.

As data centers boom in Oklahoma, so does water demand From Pryor to Stillwater and Muskogee, local officials say supplies are sufficient, even as Google alone used more than 1.1 billion gallons in a single year.

Google’s massive data center in Pryor is an important part of the company’s cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure. But it takes a lot of water to keep the data servers cool. The Pryor center used enough water in one year to fill about 1,666 Olympic-size swimming pools.

Outcry over 73-day prison stay spurs push to tighten Oklahoma early release program Norman resident Sara Polston was released a few months into her eight-year prison sentence for a crash that left Micaela Borrego with a traumatic brain injury. The case is fueling a legislative effort...

Oklahoma’s GPS early-release program allows some people convicted of nonviolent crimes to serve their sentences under electronic monitoring.

After the controversial release, lawmakers are moving to tighten the rules.

Full story:

Outcry over 73-day prison stay spurs push to tighten Oklahoma early release program Norman resident Sara Polston was released a few months into her eight-year prison sentence for a crash that left Micaela Borrego with a traumatic brain injury. The case is fueling a legislative effort...

A prison release after just 73 days could reshape Oklahoma law.

A Norman woman sentenced to prison for a DUI crash that left a young woman with a traumatic brain injury was quickly released through the state’s GPS monitoring program.

New reporting by @readfrontier.bsky.social

As data centers boom in Oklahoma, so does water demand From Pryor to Stillwater and Muskogee, local officials say supplies are sufficient, even as Google alone used more than 1.1 billion gallons in a single year.

Oklahoma is racing to become a data center hub.

But there’s a question looming over every development:
What about the water?

Our investigation found massive server facilities already using huge volumes — with more projects on the way.

Read the story:

Outcry over 73-day prison stay spurs push to tighten Oklahoma early release program Norman resident Sara Polston was released a few months into her seven-year prison sentence for a crash that left Micaela Borrego with a traumatic brain injury. The case is fueling a legislative effort...

Norman resident Sara Polston was released a few months into her seven-year prison sentence for a crash that left Micaela Borrego with a traumatic brain injury. The case is fueling a legislative effort to prevent people convicted of similar crimes from qualifying for GPS-monitored early release.

As data centers boom in Oklahoma, so does water demand From Pryor to Stillwater and Muskogee, local officials say supplies are sufficient, even as Google alone used more than 1.1 billion gallons in a single year.

As data centers boom in Oklahoma, so does water demand

“We’ll be one of the largest customers of the city water so we believe (the) city can make revenue from our operations to cover the (water line) extension cost,” the CEO of a mid-sized crypto mining firm wrote to Muskogee city officials.

The facility used ~150mm gallons last yr.

As data centers boom in Oklahoma, so does water demand From Pryor to Stillwater and Muskogee, local officials say supplies are sufficient, even as Google alone used more than 1.1 billion gallons in a single year.

New today at @readfrontier.bsky.social

As data centers boom in Oklahoma, so does water demand.

As data centers boom in Oklahoma, so does water demand From Pryor to Stillwater and Muskogee, local officials say supplies are sufficient, even as Google alone used more than 1.1 billion gallons in a single year.

More data centers = more water demand. With at least 10 new facilities on the way, local leaders say they can handle it — but long-term water needs are rising. 💧📊 www.readfrontier.org/stories/as-d...

As data centers boom in Oklahoma, so does water demand From Pryor to Stillwater and Muskogee, local officials say supplies are sufficient, even as Google alone used more than 1.1 billion gallons in a single year.

From Pryor to Stillwater and Muskogee, local officials say supplies are sufficient, even as Google alone used more than 1.1 billion gallons in a single year.

Oklahoma bill would make it easier to prosecute fentanyl overdose deaths House Bill 2941 would require first responders to alert police, a move critics say could deter 911 calls. The bill would make any detectable amount of fentanyl a cause of death in overdoses, strengthe...

A bill at the Oklahoma Legislature would make it easier for law enforcement to investigate and criminally charge people who provide fentanyl when it causes a fatal overdose.

More excellent reporting from @readfrontier.bsky.social and @propublica.org on what happens when the public, legislators, and regulators grapple with the legacy of historic oil and gas pollution and toxic wastewater, the amount of which only grows by the day.

Oklahoma bill would make it easier to prosecute fentanyl overdose deaths House Bill 2941 would require first responders to alert police, a move critics say could deter 911 calls. The bill would make any detectable amount of fentanyl a cause of death in overdoses, strengthe...

Oklahoma bill would make it easier to prosecute fentanyl overdose deaths

The bill would make any detectable amount of fentanyl a cause of death in overdoses, strengthening homicide prosecutions — even against friends who share drugs.

Story linked below.