Today is last day of OK State Fair, first day of fall

Good morning, Oklahoma!

Here's what you need to know today: It's the first day of autumn! 🍁🍂

🌞 Temperature check: Expect a high of 81 degrees as well as sunshine and a few clouds. An afternoon thunderstorm is possible, and storms could bring flooding downpours and localized damaging wind gusts. The expected low is 56 degrees, according to AccuWeather.

📅 Today in History: In 1957, the TV series "Maverick," starring Oklahoma actor James Garner as lead character Bret Maverick, premiered. In 1993, Rangers' Nolan Ryan pitched his last MLB game.

News you can use 📰

• 🎡 Today is the final day of the Oklahoma State Fair ― and the last day to try these fair foods.
• 📷 See photos of colorful hot air balloons at the balloon festival in Arcadia.
• 🗳 Voter registration is spiking, particularly among young adults .

If you only read one thing today:

As Oklahoma GOP shifts to the right, is there any room for moderates?

Roughly three decades ago, things were different.

At that time, a Republican governor and a Legislature controlled by Democrats worked together. They passed one of the biggest education reform packages in the history of the state: House Bill 1017 .

The legislation was seen as a high-water mark for bipartisanship. The bill was the Democratic offspring of a Republican governor’s task force. It made dramatic changes in education policy and, at the same time, raised taxes to pay for those changes. And even though it took a while, the final version was supported by many lawmakers on both sides and signed by a Republican governor, Henry Bellmon.

Since then, times have changed.

Political extremists have pushed the centrists — the moderates like those who did the heavy lifting on HB 1017 — out of the political arena. The growth of right-wing media, uber-conservative groups and voter apathy, coupled with the rise of the Tea Party and laterDonald Trump , upended the country’s political structure.

Read the full story here 🔗

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Today is last day of OK State Fair, first day of fall