Common Core educational standards, budget shortfalls, tax credits for horizontal drilling, water measures, repairs to a crumbling Capitol, new House leadership and rules -- these issues were the focus of state legislators as they finished their session at the end of May.

Oklahoma Voices wraps up the political season with a roundtable discussion hosted by OU Political Science professor Keith Gaddie, with Capitol reporters Shawn Ashley of eCapitol, Logan Layden of StateImpact Oklahoma, and M. Scott Carter of the Journal Record. Tune in Monday, June 9 at 11 a.m. for this episode of Oklahoma Voices.

 

Pack the cooler and the lawn chairs -- Norman's outdoor jazz and blues festival, Jazz in June, continues its 31-year tradition June 19 - 21 with three evenings of great music at various locations. KGOU produces this musical showcase of local and national talent.

Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks headlines this year, performing Saturday, June 21 at Andrews Park in Norman. Other artists include Samantha Fish, The Charlie Hunter and Scott Amendola Duo, Dirty Red & The Soul Shakers, Edmond Jazz Orchestra, Boyd Street Brass, and Pidgin. Get the schedule and locations from the Jazz in June website, and join us!

 

KGOU is partnering with the Journal Record to bring listeners news from Oklahoma's business, legislative and legal sectors in a new weekly feature. The Business Intelligence Report will be broadcast Monday mornings at 5:06 and 7:06 a.m. Journal Record Managing Editor Adam Brooks and other reporters will bring us these weekly updates on business and economic development. In case you miss the live broadcast, visit our archives or subscribe to the podcast.

 

From pre-K programs to college and beyond, education touches most everyone at some point in their lives. NPR has begun a new blog encompassing all-things-education, called NPR Ed. Regular contributors Juana Summers and Anya Kamenetz, along with the rest of NPR's Education Desk, will be exploring the traditions, the frustrations, the disruptions and downright revolutionary changes on the horizon. Watch for the NPR Ed heading in KGOU.org's Education archives.

 

Immigrants and ethnicity are among the big topics full of far-reaching stories that the Code Switch team tackles for NPR listeners. Reporter Hansi Lo Wang was in Moore recently to follow up on reporting he did a year ago immediately after the tornado. Read more about his visit to Oklahoma and get to know Hansi in this NPR ProFile, and if you missed it, hear his reporting on Oklahoma's Hispanic community for Code Switch.

 

With the warmer weather, Here & Now resident chef Kathy Gunst's garden has been flourishing. That has her thinking of salads as meals, with recipes so satisfying, no one will say, "okay, but what's for dinner?" Kathy also shares tips on identifying the different kinds of green stuff on your salad plate and combining complementary flavors.