Civics
NonDoc journalists report on the civic realm in Oklahoma and beyond. Our site also publishes a variety of commentary pieces about civic matters. As a site category, "Civics" encompasses three subcategories: Education, Health Care and Politics.
Rep: Criminal-justice reform deserves bipartisan support
The attention surrounding criminal justice reform has never been greater. More and more stakeholders believe decades of "tough-on-crime" policies have been as tough on...
School bonds, meth and football: The Record-Democrat
One of my favorite pastimes is perusing the pages of local newspapers, big and small.
Maybe it’s the journalist in me, but something always tickles...
‘Outdated structure’ makes schools suffer
Schools have always been a flashpoint for society’s cultural disagreements, but rhetoric in Oklahoma has recently grown heated. The combination of a financial crisis,...
You don’t have to fear my Muslim friends
Thursday afternoon, I finished up a consultant work trip to our nation's capital and teed up Uber for my long trip to Dulles airport in...
Journalists bite on press release and political theater
Sometimes, I read the news and forget what month and/or year it is.
That happened this week when I clicked Oklahoma Watch's story, "Bill Increasing Pay...
OPSRC: Funding shortfalls in education demand innovation
During the 2015 legislative session, state leaders were forced to make difficult funding decisions owing to a $611 million shortfall from the previous year. Many...
Statewide offices could be converted to appointed posts
In a February 2013 press release from the Oklahoma Department of Labor, Mark Costello supported a proposed bill that could have converted the statewide elected office...
Professor: Widow’s mandate ‘meaningless’ for Commissioner appointment
The posturing for gubernatorial appointment to the vacant Oklahoma Labor Commissioner post has become a de facto political campaign in the eyes of a local...
Our 9/11s, the personal and detached
The murder of TV journalists on a live broadcast. A white supremacist gunning down African American church-goers in South Carolina. The heartbreaking image of...
Minimum wage: ‘If I could pay you any less, I would’
(Editor's Note: This is part three of NonDoc's series on labor issues this week. Part one looked at labor union membership, part two recalled...