USDA: Small Meat/Poultry Plant Support

By Staff Report

Yesterday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins launched the Small Processors Action Plan (PDF, 2.3 MB), a new set of actions to better support small and very small meat and poultry processing plants, improve customer service, and reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens while maintaining strong food safety protections for consumers. Additionally, Secretary Rollins announced that USDA is accepting applications for the fourth round of the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program to expand American meat and poultry processing.

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Veto Prohibits Solar, Battery Exemptions

By David Arnett

Rep. Mike Dobrinski, R-Okeene, commented Monday in a public release on the governor’s pocket veto of legislation to prohibit solar generation facilities and battery energy storage systems (BESS) from qualifying for the Five‑Year Ad Valorem Exemption for Manufacturers, beginning in January 2028.

Dobrinski is chairman of the House Utilities Committee and House author of Senate Bill 237. The governor had until midnight May 29 to take action on the bill. Because he did not sign it into law, and because the 2026 legislative session is adjourned sine die, the bill became pocket vetoed.

“I’m extremely disappointed the governor chose not to enact this legislation that had widespread support from constituents and legislators alike. He overruled the decision of more than 100 representatives and senators to protect taxpayer money from going to out-of-state developers taking advantage of a forty-year-old tax incentive originally designed to add quality jobs investment to our state,” Dobrinski said.

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Demand Project Releases Impact Report

By David Arnett

Tulsa, OK – The Demand Project has released Monday its 2025 Impact Report, highlighting a year of significant progress in prevention and restoration efforts in the fight against child trafficking while also celebrating a strong start to 2026 marked by expanded facilities and services for survivors.  

In 2025, increased national attention from traditional and social media brought greater national awareness of the dangers children face online and the growing number of arrests by law enforcement. In response, The Demand Project expanded its reach and strengthened its programs to protect children and support survivors.

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Osage County Treasurer War

By Dustin Reed Terry

Bank records, official meeting minutes, and a trail of un-returned funds tell a story not shared with voters and a powerful ally is helping make sure they never hear it.

Osage County, Oklahoma is a place that tends to mind its own business. Its rolling prairies and oil-rich past have produced a stubborn streak of independence that runs through the county’s Republican majority like a vein of crude through shale. County elections, in a place where the Republican primary is the only race that matters, are usually sleepy affairs — the kind where the candidate with relevant experience, a recognizable last name, or the incumbent’s blessing wins without too much fuss.

That is why the 2026 race for Osage County Treasurer is not a sleepy affair. It is civil war.

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