Brianna Bailey
@briokc.bsky.social
Managing editor for @readfrontier.bsky.social. I report on Oklahoma and live here too.
24 former students who attended New Lifehouse Academy over the past decade told The Frontier that the program relied on control and isolation. Former students said punishments included physical exercise, food restriction, outdoor labor, and writing Bible verses.
www.readfrontier.org/an-oklahoma-...
www.readfrontier.org/an-oklahoma-...
An Oklahoma boarding school promised help for troubled girls. Students say they got punishment instead.
New Lifehouse Academy markets help for depressed” and “self-destructive” teens. Former students say they found punishment, isolation, and physical restraint instead of treatment.
www.readfrontier.org
September 17, 2026 at 12:25 PM
24 former students who attended New Lifehouse Academy over the past decade told The Frontier that the program relied on control and isolation. Former students said punishments included physical exercise, food restriction, outdoor labor, and writing Bible verses.
www.readfrontier.org/an-oklahoma-...
www.readfrontier.org/an-oklahoma-...
Twenty seconds. That’s how long some defendants have during one of their first court appearances in Oklahoma County when the judge reads their charges and sets bail.
www.readfrontier.org/stories/lawm...
www.readfrontier.org/stories/lawm...
Lawmakers scrutinize Oklahoma's pretrial system after concerns over unconstitutional bail hearings
Interim studies will examine whether courts are providing constitutionally required bail hearings and whether the state has enough resources to expand pretrial release programs.
www.readfrontier.org
August 10, 2026 at 2:52 PM
Twenty seconds. That’s how long some defendants have during one of their first court appearances in Oklahoma County when the judge reads their charges and sets bail.
www.readfrontier.org/stories/lawm...
www.readfrontier.org/stories/lawm...
If you have information about Diamondback Correctional Facility in Watonga, @readfrontier.bsky.social wants to hear from you.
August 5, 2026 at 3:11 PM
If you have information about Diamondback Correctional Facility in Watonga, @readfrontier.bsky.social wants to hear from you.
Outside groups that sometimes try to hide their financial backers are spending millions on political ads.
@readfrontier.bsky.social's new database lets voters track Super PACs and dark money groups.
Learn more: readfrontier.org/political-ads
@readfrontier.bsky.social's new database lets voters track Super PACs and dark money groups.
Learn more: readfrontier.org/political-ads
Who bought that ad? We’re following the money in Oklahoma elections
Outside groups that sometimes try to hide their financial backers are spending millions on political ads.
readfrontier.org
July 31, 2026 at 2:35 PM
Outside groups that sometimes try to hide their financial backers are spending millions on political ads.
@readfrontier.bsky.social's new database lets voters track Super PACs and dark money groups.
Learn more: readfrontier.org/political-ads
@readfrontier.bsky.social's new database lets voters track Super PACs and dark money groups.
Learn more: readfrontier.org/political-ads
Reposted by Brianna Bailey
An investigation by The Frontier found seven people have died of preventable causes in the 70-bed Tulsa Municipal Jail over the last three years.
Now, the jail is being shut down.
Follow The Frontier’s continuing investigation at readfrontier.org.
Now, the jail is being shut down.
Follow The Frontier’s continuing investigation at readfrontier.org.
July 24, 2026 at 11:43 PM
An investigation by The Frontier found seven people have died of preventable causes in the 70-bed Tulsa Municipal Jail over the last three years.
Now, the jail is being shut down.
Follow The Frontier’s continuing investigation at readfrontier.org.
Now, the jail is being shut down.
Follow The Frontier’s continuing investigation at readfrontier.org.
Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols says the city will close its jail. The announcement comes one day after @readfrontier.bsky.social published video and reporting on a man who died in a restraint device there. www.readfrontier.org/stories/tuls...
Tulsa mayor orders closure of city jail after Frontier investigation
Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols ordered the immediate closure of the Tulsa Municipal Jail after The Frontier's investigation into the death of Justin Benner.
www.readfrontier.org
July 24, 2026 at 10:11 PM
Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols says the city will close its jail. The announcement comes one day after @readfrontier.bsky.social published video and reporting on a man who died in a restraint device there. www.readfrontier.org/stories/tuls...
A man died at the Tulsa city jail after detention officers placed him in a full-body restraint device. The video is hard to watch, but we at @readfrontier.bsky.social hope it will shed light on conditions at the jail, where at least seven have died since 2023. www.readfrontier.org/stories/tuls...
Tulsa police took him to the city jail instead of a hospital. Video shows he was dead within an hour.
Justin Benner pleaded for help as detention officers wrestled him into a full-body restraint device and left him alone in a cell.
www.readfrontier.org
July 23, 2026 at 6:39 PM
A man died at the Tulsa city jail after detention officers placed him in a full-body restraint device. The video is hard to watch, but we at @readfrontier.bsky.social hope it will shed light on conditions at the jail, where at least seven have died since 2023. www.readfrontier.org/stories/tuls...
Attorneys say Oklahoma County bail hearings fall short of constitutional standards and leave many people jailed simply because they can't afford bail.
@readfrontier.bsky.social's investigation with @kosuradio.bsky.social:
www.readfrontier.org/stories/just...
@readfrontier.bsky.social's investigation with @kosuradio.bsky.social:
www.readfrontier.org/stories/just...
Justice in less than a minute? Oklahoma County bail hearings don’t meet constitutional standards, attorneys say.
Public defenders say judges routinely fail to consider whether defendants can afford bail, leaving poor and homeless people jailed on low-level charges. Other counties have already faced civil rights ...
www.readfrontier.org
July 13, 2026 at 2:07 PM
Attorneys say Oklahoma County bail hearings fall short of constitutional standards and leave many people jailed simply because they can't afford bail.
@readfrontier.bsky.social's investigation with @kosuradio.bsky.social:
www.readfrontier.org/stories/just...
@readfrontier.bsky.social's investigation with @kosuradio.bsky.social:
www.readfrontier.org/stories/just...
The anti-abortion group Human Coalition has five lobbyists in Oklahoma and pushed for changes to the state’s Choosing Childbirth program. The group gets two-thirds of its annual revenue from government grants in other states.
www.readfrontier.org/stories/reje...
www.readfrontier.org/stories/reje...
Rejected for Oklahoma funding, an anti-abortion group helped rewrite state law
The Texas-based nonprofit Human Coalition lobbies for anti-abortion programs and gets millions of dollars in funding from other states.
www.readfrontier.org
July 9, 2026 at 3:17 PM
The anti-abortion group Human Coalition has five lobbyists in Oklahoma and pushed for changes to the state’s Choosing Childbirth program. The group gets two-thirds of its annual revenue from government grants in other states.
www.readfrontier.org/stories/reje...
www.readfrontier.org/stories/reje...
Violations at Continental Carbon's Ponca City plant included failing to report leaks and spills of carbon black, exceeding pollution limits, missing three years of equipment testing and failing to keep records and submit reports to the state.
www.readfrontier.org/stories/afte...
www.readfrontier.org/stories/afte...
After years of black dust complaints, Oklahoma cites Continental Carbon for 81 alleged violations
Regulators say the Ponca City carbon black plant failed to meet pollution limits, missed required equipment testing and violated a 2015 federal agreement to improve air quality.
www.readfrontier.org
July 8, 2026 at 3:47 PM
Violations at Continental Carbon's Ponca City plant included failing to report leaks and spills of carbon black, exceeding pollution limits, missing three years of equipment testing and failing to keep records and submit reports to the state.
www.readfrontier.org/stories/afte...
www.readfrontier.org/stories/afte...
Reposted by Brianna Bailey
Supporters of a county pretrial release program say thousands of people who pose little public safety risk remain jailed because they can’t afford bail. Prosecutors frequently oppose release, even though the program is designed to help people show up to court.
Oklahoma County has a program to help poor people get out of jail. Prosecutors rarely support it.
Supporters of a county pretrial release program say thousands of people who pose little public safety risk remain jailed because they can't afford bail. Prosecutors frequently oppose release, even tho...
www.readfrontier.org
July 6, 2026 at 1:16 PM
Supporters of a county pretrial release program say thousands of people who pose little public safety risk remain jailed because they can’t afford bail. Prosecutors frequently oppose release, even though the program is designed to help people show up to court.
Our latest collaboration with @kosuradio.bsky.social: Prosecutors in Oklahoma County try to block most poor people from accessing a program to help them get out of jail while they wait to see a judge. www.readfrontier.org/stories/okla...
Oklahoma County has a program to help poor people get out of jail. Prosecutors rarely support it.
Supporters of a county pretrial release program say thousands of people who pose little public safety risk remain jailed because they can't afford bail. Prosecutors frequently oppose release, even tho...
www.readfrontier.org
July 6, 2026 at 5:47 PM
Our latest collaboration with @kosuradio.bsky.social: Prosecutors in Oklahoma County try to block most poor people from accessing a program to help them get out of jail while they wait to see a judge. www.readfrontier.org/stories/okla...
NEW:
@readfrontier.bsky.social & @propublica.org identified at least 114 oil field waste injection wells across Oklahoma that are located within a half-mile of a public water well. More than 300,000 residents live in communities that rely on these water wells.
www.readfrontier.org/stories/to-p...
@readfrontier.bsky.social & @propublica.org identified at least 114 oil field waste injection wells across Oklahoma that are located within a half-mile of a public water well. More than 300,000 residents live in communities that rely on these water wells.
www.readfrontier.org/stories/to-p...
To protect its drinking water, this city has to appeal to the oil regulators that put it at risk
Oklahoma restricts oil field wastewater injection within a half-mile of public water wells. Regulators have let companies do it anyway. But in the city of Enid, officials are pushing back against one ...
www.readfrontier.org
June 30, 2026 at 7:08 PM
NEW:
@readfrontier.bsky.social & @propublica.org identified at least 114 oil field waste injection wells across Oklahoma that are located within a half-mile of a public water well. More than 300,000 residents live in communities that rely on these water wells.
www.readfrontier.org/stories/to-p...
@readfrontier.bsky.social & @propublica.org identified at least 114 oil field waste injection wells across Oklahoma that are located within a half-mile of a public water well. More than 300,000 residents live in communities that rely on these water wells.
www.readfrontier.org/stories/to-p...
Reposted by Brianna Bailey
Enid, Oklahoma's public water wells are right next oilfield waste injection sites, due to lax oversight by regulators. And it's not just Enid, @propublica.org + @readfrontier.bsky.social found 114 injection wells less than 1/4mile from a public water supply well
www.readfrontier.org/stories/to-p...
www.readfrontier.org/stories/to-p...
To Protect Its Drinking Water, This City Has to Appeal to the Oil Regulators That Put It at Risk
Oklahoma restricts oil field wastewater injection within a half-mile of public water wells. Regulators have let companies do it anyway. But in the city of Enid, officials are pushing back against one ...
www.propublica.org
June 30, 2026 at 2:08 PM
Enid, Oklahoma's public water wells are right next oilfield waste injection sites, due to lax oversight by regulators. And it's not just Enid, @propublica.org + @readfrontier.bsky.social found 114 injection wells less than 1/4mile from a public water supply well
www.readfrontier.org/stories/to-p...
www.readfrontier.org/stories/to-p...
NEW: Oklahoma officials across the state signed confidentiality deals with data center developers. Records obtained by @readfrontier.bsky.social show some agreements even barred officials from disclosing the existence of the NDAs themselves. READ MORE: www.readfrontier.org/stories/how-...
How data center developers won secrecy pledges from Oklahoma officials
One contract required public officials to keep secret that a confidentiality agreement even existed. At least one agreement allows the companies to sue cities to enforce the terms of the deals, someti...
www.readfrontier.org
June 17, 2026 at 2:16 PM
NEW: Oklahoma officials across the state signed confidentiality deals with data center developers. Records obtained by @readfrontier.bsky.social show some agreements even barred officials from disclosing the existence of the NDAs themselves. READ MORE: www.readfrontier.org/stories/how-...
Imagine saving 12 years for your dream home, only for oily black water to surge through the foundation overnight. This is the reality for one Oklahoma family. Watch their story in “Toxic Ground,” a documentary from readfrontier.bsky.social and Propublica.org
www.readfrontier.org/stories/toxi...
www.readfrontier.org/stories/toxi...
The Frontier (@readfrontier.bsky.social)
Oklahoma's best independent nonprofit journalism.
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readfrontier.bsky.social
June 2, 2026 at 3:25 PM
Imagine saving 12 years for your dream home, only for oily black water to surge through the foundation overnight. This is the reality for one Oklahoma family. Watch their story in “Toxic Ground,” a documentary from readfrontier.bsky.social and Propublica.org
www.readfrontier.org/stories/toxi...
www.readfrontier.org/stories/toxi...
Join @readfrontier.bsky.social and
@propublica.org TOMORROW at Circle Cinema in Tulsa for a FREE documentary screening and Q&A on Oklahoma's oilfield wastewater pollution problem. RSVP HERE: events.propublica.org/toxic-ground
@propublica.org TOMORROW at Circle Cinema in Tulsa for a FREE documentary screening and Q&A on Oklahoma's oilfield wastewater pollution problem. RSVP HERE: events.propublica.org/toxic-ground
May 19, 2026 at 5:59 PM
Join @readfrontier.bsky.social and
@propublica.org TOMORROW at Circle Cinema in Tulsa for a FREE documentary screening and Q&A on Oklahoma's oilfield wastewater pollution problem. RSVP HERE: events.propublica.org/toxic-ground
@propublica.org TOMORROW at Circle Cinema in Tulsa for a FREE documentary screening and Q&A on Oklahoma's oilfield wastewater pollution problem. RSVP HERE: events.propublica.org/toxic-ground