Corruption
Judge Lets Tulsa DA Grand Jury Petition Keep Collecting Signatures
A judge refused to pause signature gathering on the citizen petition targeting Tulsa County DA Steve Kunzweiler. A ruling on tossing it is expected Friday.
Guerrilla News
Ronald E. Durbin II, J.D.
Chief Investigative Journalist. Ron builds every story on the paper trail: records requests, contracts, minutes and court filings across Oklahoma.
Government Transparency
The Mayor Texted a Resignation Letter to Bartlesville's City Manager. Fourteen Days Later, a $225,853.33 Check Followed.
Bartlesville records show Mayor Jim Curd texted City Manager Mike Bailey a letter asking him to resign. Fourteen days later, a $225,853.33 check followed. The City has produced no Council vote.
The Daily Memo: Thursday, October 29, 2026
The Lead KJRH reports that Broken Arrow Police Chief Lance Arnold called a news conference to speak as a private citizen about his administrative leave, then did not hold it after receiving a letter from the city. KJRH's headline says the letter forbids him from speaking. When a city side…
Data Centers
Enid Voted 6-1 to Rezone Farmland for a Data Center With No Operator, Unfinished Financing and an Unfinished Water Plan
Enid's Mayor and Commissioners voted 6-1 on Oct. 27 to rezone agricultural land for Project Thunderbird. The developers' own website names no operator, calls the financing unfinished, and leaves the water plan incomplete. Guerrilla News warned the Board before the vote.
Data Centers
Enid Referendum Petition Examples: Ordinances 2026-21, 2026-22 and 2026-23
Three example referendum packets for Enid residents who want to challenge the Project Thunderbird rezonings, with ballot titles, signature sheets and filing notices. Proponent blocks stay blank. Have your attorney review them.
Open Records
Records Released: Coweta Police Chief Bell's Emails and Texts, 18 Radio Recordings and the CAD Log in Request 26-116
Coweta's response to request 26-116 now includes 27 of Chief Michael Bell's emails, 12 text screenshots, 18 dispatch radio recordings, the CAD log and the use-of-force file. Here is what is in the folder and what is still missing.
Open Records
The Chief Said He Was "Very Comfortable" With the Officer the Day Before His Review Board's Chair Asked Officers for Their Narratives
On Aug. 31, Coweta's chief emailed his PR firm that he was "very comfortable" with the officer who broke a 69-year-old's arm. The review board's chair asked officers for narratives the next morning. The risk pool had already opened a claim.
Inola
Inola Scheduled a Vote on the Smelter. Tulsa Ports Voted to Sue First.
A cattle rancher two miles from the site is looking for somewhere else to live. Inola set an April 7, 2027 vote on banning the $4 billion smelter. On Oct. 15, Tulsa Ports voted to sue the town.
Data Centers
Rezone First, Name the Buyer Later: What Enid Is Really Voting On Oct. 27
"It gets rezoned and then the protections don't come in until a data center moves in." Enid votes Oct. 27 on Project Thunderbird's rezoning. The developers have named no buyer.
The Daily Memo: Monday, October 19, 2026
The Lead About 180,000 Oklahomans have active driver's license suspensions tied to court debt, and the average suspension has lasted 38 months, Oklahoma Watch reports . Lawmakers heard testimony Oct. 13 on ending the practice, which at least 25 states have already done. Oklahoma is still…
Oklahoma
Oklahoma Saved $202 Million by Not Imprisoning Drug Users. Counties Got $37.5 Million.
Voters told Oklahoma to send SQ 780 prison savings to county treatment. A 2025 report puts savings at $202.3 million and county investment at $37.5 million. Three words in the statute let lawmakers wait six years.
Oklahoma
Found at 92 Pounds Under I-40, He Graduated With a 4.0. The Viral Version Leaves Out Who Paid for It.
Oklahoma City police found Danny Ellerd too sick to jail. He left OSU-OKC with a 4.0 and two degrees. What carried him was a ministry, private foundations and an $850,000 federal earmark, not the state fund voters created for people like him.
Surveillance
A $12,359 Taser, a $5 Million Stock Purchase, and the Financial Architecture of the Surveillance State
ICE signed a $220 million contract for Tasers at $12,359 per unit. The President bought Axon stock two weeks before it was announced. The same investors funded both Flock and the company replacing it.
Surveillance
The Company Inside Your 911 System Was Founded by Israeli Intelligence, Funded by Jeffrey Epstein, and Just Got Bought by the Taser Company
Axon paid $625 million for Carbyne — an Israeli-founded 911 platform built by former special forces and intelligence operatives, funded through a vehicle that included Jeffrey Epstein. It now runs inside 911 systems across 23 states. Development remains in Tel Aviv.
Surveillance
The City That Canceled Its Flock Contract Just Signed a $23 Million Deal for Something Worse
While every activist in America was focused on tearing down Flock cameras, a 40-year-old company was quietly installing surveillance devices inside existing street lights. Denver canceled its Flock contract. Then it signed a deal with Axon for something far more capable — and far harder to see.