News

Curtis W. Awbrey | Southwest Ledger The Oklahoma Legislature’s budget includes $312 million to purchase the Lawton Correctional & Rehabilitation Facility from GEO Group, a publicly traded company that owns, manages, and leases secure facilities, processing centers, and community reentry centers in the U.S., Australia and South Africa. The Lawton facility currently houses approximately 2,200 prisoners.

Curtis W. Awbrey | Southwest Ledger The Oklahoma Legislature’s budget includes $312 million to purchase the Lawton Correctional & Rehabilitation Facility from GEO Group, a publicly traded company that owns, manages, and leases secure facilities, processing centers, and community reentry centers in the U.S., Australia and South Africa. The Lawton facility currently houses approximately 2,200 prisoners.

Southwestern Oklahoma to see transportation, infrastructure improvement under new budget

M. Scott Carter Southwest Ledger
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
OKLAHOMA CITY – The $12.6 billion budget for fiscal year 2026 will increase education spending and fund improvements for county roads, bridges and infrastructure in southwestern Oklahoma, the chairman of the House Appropriates and Budget committee said.
During session, Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle) and spokesperson Alex Gerszewski go over information between meetings at the state Capitol. M. Scott Carter | Southwest Ledger

During session, Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle) and spokesperson Alex Gerszewski go over information between meetings at the state Capitol. M. Scott Carter | Southwest Ledger

LOFT report paints ugly picture of state’s mental health agency

M. Scott Carter Southwest Ledger
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services experienced serious budget problems along with a lack of oversight and financial clarity that caused the agency to exceed its budget, a new report from the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency revealed.
Robert Don Gifford holds the 2025 Clarence Darrow Award he received from the Oklahoma Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. Provided

Robert Don Gifford holds the 2025 Clarence Darrow Award he received from the Oklahoma Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. Provided

Former Lawtonian/Fort Sill JAG officer receives law award

News Staff
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
From staff reports Robert Don Gifford – a former resident of Lawton, a former uniformed military lawyer (Judge Advocate General’s Corps) at Fort Sill, a University of Oklahoma law school graduate, and a Supreme Court Justice for the Comanche Nation – has been named the 2025 winner of the Clarence...

City of Lawton renews engineering contract

News Staff
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
From staff reports LAWTON – The City Council renewed an agreement with Standard Engineering + Field Services of Oklahoma City to provide for professional engineering services to the City of Lawton.
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