Months before seeking bids, a state tourism official spoke of a deal for Swadley’s Foggy Bottom Kitchen to ‘make money from day one’

Emails show negotiations to secure favorable terms for a restaurant operator at state parks.

View this email in your browser THIS WEEK AT THE FRONTIER Have ideas for other stories you'd like to see in The Frontier or want to give us feedback? Please email us. Your financial support for our investigative journalism is now tax deductible. To become a Friend of The Frontier, click here. This newsletter is edited by Brianna Bailey. Contact her at brianna@readfrontier.com. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.  Months before seeking bids, a state tourism official spoke of a deal for Swadley’s Foggy Bottom Kitchen to ‘make money from day one’ Coordination with bidders for government contracts is forbidden, but emails show negotiations to secure favorable terms for a restaurant operator at state parks. Julius Jones is still behind bars, but he and his supporters haven’t given up “The fight ain’t finished,” Jones says. House Democrats call on governor to oust cabinet member over misspent educational relief funds An investigation by Oklahoma Watch and The Frontier found money for students spent on TVs and gaming consoles among other purchases. Frontier managing editor Brianna Bailey wins Newspaper Writer of the Year award at the 2022 Great Plains Journalism Awards The Frontier also won first place in the Specialty Feature category for an investigation into maternal mortality rates of Black women in Oklahoma and first place in General News Continuing Coverage for its reporting on the death penalty. ICYMI:   Stitt gave families $8 Million for school supplies in the pandemic; They bought Christmas trees, gaming consoles and hundreds of TVs Oklahoma gave a Florida company a no-bid contract to distribute $18 million in pandemic relief money as a test-run for school vouchers. Now federal investigators are eyeing the deal. State officials refuse to release a report on a troubled relief program where parents purchased TVs and smartwatches An attorney for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press says the state has given no valid reason to keep the report secret or delay its release.   Show your love for Oklahoma journalism with our new merchandise We've got new items in our online store.  Donate now Copyright © 2021 The Frontier, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive our weekly newsletter. Our mailing address is: The Frontier 401 South Boston Suite #240 Tulsa, OK, 74103 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

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