Tribes step up to feed kids; OKC shootings down; college tuition; Oklahoma's racist roots

Good morning, Oklahoma!

Here's what you need to know today:

🌞 Temperature check: Variably cloudy, becoming windier and humid with a gusty thunderstorm in the afternoon; thunderstorms could bring damaging winds, flash flooding and hail, according to AccuWeather. Expect a high today of 90 degrees and a low of 67.

📅 Today in History: In 1981, President Ronald Reagan announced that he will nominate Sandra Day O’Connor to the Supreme Court, making her the first woman to serve as a justice on the nation’s highest court.

News you can use 📰

• 🔫 Shooting deaths are down in NE OKC this year. A violence intervention program might be why
• 🎓 How did almost half the state's colleges and universities avoid raising tuition and fees?
• 📰 Can Oklahoma overcome its racist roots? Experts say it's not too late

If you only read one thing today:

Oklahoma governor rejected food aid for children. Now tribes are offering it instead

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer EBT program is a new effort to combat childhood hunger, which has become a growing issue in Oklahoma and elsewhere as food costs rise faster than paychecks. An estimated 16% to 23% of Oklahoma children experience food insecurity.

But Gov. Kevin Stitt joined several Republican governors in declining to sign the state up to roll out the new Summer EBT assistance. His decision drew pushback and prompted Oklahoma’s largest tribes to distribute the benefits instead.

Read the full story here. 🔗

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