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sierrapf.bsky.social
sierra pfeifer
@sierrapf.bsky.social
360 followers 72 following 5 posts
mental health & addiction reporter for KOSU and report for america | unc hussman '24 graduate | she/they
https://www.kosu.org/people/sierra-pfeifer
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sierrapf.bsky.social
www.kosu.org/health/2025-...
Oklahoma’s mental health department says it can’t pay its employees this month
In a mounting financial crisis, the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services reported it will not be able to make payroll for its employees this month.
www.kosu.org
May 2, 2025 at 8:02 PM
sierrapf.bsky.social
some positive health news:
www.kosu.org/health/2025-...
Drug overdose deaths declining in Oklahoma, nationwide
It’s the first time all 50 states, including Oklahoma, have seen at least some recovery from the opioid crisis that has defined much of the last decade.
www.kosu.org
March 11, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Reposted by sierra pfeifer
kosuradio.bsky.social
BREAKING: The Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out the murder conviction and death penalty for Richard Glossip, an Oklahoma man who has been on death row for more than 25 years.

This is a developing story and will be updated.
www.kosu.org/local-news/2...
Supreme Court throws out death sentence, murder conviction of Okla. death row inmate
www.kosu.org
February 25, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Reposted by sierra pfeifer
kosuradio.bsky.social
Moore Public Schools has implemented an alternative to suspension: a program that brings suspended students together in a structured environment with strict rules, academic support and therapy.

KOSU's @sierrapf.bsky.social checked it out.
www.kosu.org/health/2025-...
'Sending me home was not working': How this Oklahoma school district is reshaping suspension
For many Oklahoma students, a long-term suspension is a breaking point — it can be when school stops feeling like an option. Moore Public Schools is trying to change that with a new program called STE...
www.kosu.org
February 17, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Reposted by sierra pfeifer
kosuradio.bsky.social
BREAKING: A federal freeze of grant funding is creating confusion in Oklahoma’s non-profit sector, tribal nations and state government agencies.

KOSU reports on how organizations are responding to the memo.
www.kosu.org/local-news/2...
What we know about how the federal funding pause affects Oklahomans
A federal freeze of grant funding is creating confusion in Oklahoma’s non-profit sector, tribal nations and state government agencies.
www.kosu.org
January 28, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Reposted by sierra pfeifer
kosuradio.bsky.social
Every January, homeless service organizations in Oklahoma City conduct a 24-hour count of residents experiencing homelessness, known as a Point In Time count. This year, KOSU's @sierrapf.bsky.social tagged along.

www.kosu.org/local-news/2...
KOSU tagged along during Oklahoma City's Point In Time count. Here's what we saw
KOSU’s mental health and addiction reporter Sierra Pfeifer followed volunteers for Oklahoma City’s annual Point In Time count. Here’s what she saw.
www.kosu.org
January 28, 2025 at 6:59 PM
sierrapf.bsky.social
In 1983, Wayne Thompson was sentenced to death for murdering his older sister’s abuser in Chickasha, OK.

At 15, SCOTUS ruled he was too young for the death penalty.

Since then, he's spent over four decades behind bars, working towards release.

Tomorrow morning he'll make his case for parole.
Wayne Thompson looks out the window of the Joseph Harp Correctional Center in Lexington. Thompson was convicted of first-degree murder in 1984 for a crime he committed at age 15.
January 13, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Reposted by sierra pfeifer
kosuradio.bsky.social
Via the Songs by Heart Foundation, artists and organizers at the Tulsa Opera are able to work with seniors experiencing memory loss by leading them in song.

KOSU's @sierrapf.bsky.social reports on the program.

(Photos: Sierra Pfeifer and Abigail Siatkowski / KOSU)

www.kosu.org/health/2024-...
Two women sitting in chairs and smiling at the camera. A woman kneels and sings to a woman sitting in a wheelchair. A woman sings to a group of seniors. A group of seniors sits in rows of chairs and sings.
December 17, 2024 at 8:03 PM
sierrapf.bsky.social
The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board could be forced to review as many as 550 parole cases in January.

There's been lots of coverage about how the backlog came to be, but what does it mean for the people whose cases were supposed to be heard this month?

www.kosu.org/local-news/2...
Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board will review hundreds more cases in January to catch up after resignations
The backlog burdens part-time board members who are already responsible for reviewing hundreds of pages of letters and case histories before each meeting.
www.kosu.org
December 4, 2024 at 11:04 PM
Reposted by sierra pfeifer
readfrontier.bsky.social
All of our stories are free to read and republish. And from now until the end of the year, your donations will be matched by the collaborative fundraising movement Newsmatch. We can earn up to $24,000 with your help.

www.readfrontier.org/stories/your...
Your donations help me dig into public records
Help The Frontier continue to report on important Oklahoma stories. Your donations are doubled now through the end of the year.
www.readfrontier.org
November 26, 2024 at 5:01 PM