Oklahoma | Spark of Genius

Tulsa elects its first Black mayor

By Peter Schulte / November 7, 2024

Monroe Nichols will become the first Black mayor of Tulsa. Nichols, a state representative, edged out Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith in a runoff election to become the mayor of Oklahoma’s second-largest city. Nichols’ election comes 103 years after the Tulsa Race Massacre, when a white racist mob, including some deputized by authorities, descended on the city’s Greenwood District, also known as Black Wall Street. They burned down homes and businesses, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 75 to 300 Black residents.

Oklahoma caps monthly insulin co-pay at $30

By Peter Schulte / December 14, 2021

Over 450,000 Oklahomans suffer from diabetes, while the American Diabetes Association says that over 1 million in the state are on the verge of it.

First tribally-associated medical school in the United States launches in the Cherokee Nation

By Peter Schulte / December 3, 2020

In rural Oklahoma, a brand new medical school sits in the Cherokee Nation, training Nation members to become physicians at Nation clinics. Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation is the first tribally associated medical school in the country.

U.S. Supreme Court says eastern half of Oklahoma is Native American land

By Peter Schulte / July 9, 2020

The 5-4 decision, with an opinion authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch, endorsed the claim of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation to the land, which encompasses three million acres.

Oklahoma voters approve Medicaid expansion

By Peter Schulte / July 1, 2020

At least 200,000 Oklahoman adults will be newly eligible for Medicaid, but program enrollment may climb even higher as the state’s unemployment rate has surged to nearly 13 percent.