Graycen Wheeler
Graycen Wheeler is a reporter covering water issues at KOSU. She joined KOSU in June 2022 as a corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative that places emerging journalists in newsrooms across the country.
Wheeler grew up in Norman and attended the University of Oklahoma, where she studied biochemistry. She started writing and podcasting about science news while she was a graduate researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder. Wheeler realized that becoming a journalist would allow her to combine her love for her local community with the puzzle-solving penchant that had drawn her to science. So, after earning her doctorate in biochemistry, she completed a master’s in science journalism at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
While in Santa Cruz, Wheeler wrote about science and technology for outlets including Science, Symmetry Magazine and Mongabay. She also covered local news, particularly housing and environmental issues, for the Monterey Herald, San Jose Mercury News and Santa Cruz Local.
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The Asian longhorned tick can harm livestock and spread disease. And as of this week, they’ve been found in Oklahoma. -
A tornado tore through Barnsdall in May, killing 2 people, injuring 33 and leaving a trail of destroyed buildings. -
Repeated devastating floods have plagued the residents of Miami in Northeast Oklahoma. Now, the city has received a $6.3 million FEMA grant to help. -
You may have heard Tornado Alley is shifting east — away from the plains and into the mid-South. But a recent study shows that even if Oklahoma is seeing fewer tornado days, it's feeling their effects more than ever. -
The latest numbers show Oklahoma is part of an upward trend for southern states. -
After State Auditor Cindy Byrd condemned “no-bid” contracts with state agencies, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission considered multiple motions on how to address the issue and protect public funds. -
A state judge has temporarily blocked Oklahoma from enforcing its ban on using so-called “woke banks” for state business. -
Tornadoes touched down in Central and Northeast Oklahoma, leaving destruction — especially in the small Osage County town of Barnsdall and in Bartlesville. -
Gov. Kevin Stitt has vetoed a bill that would have required farmers, ranchers and other commercial irrigators to track how much water they pull from Oklahoma’s aquifers. Lawmakers said House Bill 3194 could help Oklahoma understand and protect its groundwater stores. -
Oklahoma Natural Gas is asking the state Corporation Commission to approve a rate hike that would cost the average utility customer about $2.50 more than they currently pay monthly.
