Lionel Ramos
State Government ReporterLionel Ramos covers state government at KOSU. He joined the station in January 2024 after covering race and equity as a Report For America corps member at Oklahoma Watch, a nonprofit investigative newsroom in Oklahoma City.
Born into the circus, Ramos traveled across the country in an RV with his family for the first half of his life. He eventually landed in San Antonio, Texas, where he attended high school and community college before transferring to Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. He holds a bachelor's degree in English with a focus on Creative Writing from Texas State, where he covered local and student government for the school's newspaper, The University Star.
At Oklahoma Watch, Ramos reported statewide on the rising political capital of Latinos in Oklahoma, the resettlement of Afghan refugees, the stakes for Indigenous Oklahomans in the Supreme Court's 2023 Brackeen v. Haaland decision, unemployment, housing, and veterans issues.
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As federal workers continue to live without work and miss their paychecks, some federal credit unions are stepping up to provide temporary financial help. -
The Oklahoma State Board of Education approved a $4 billion budget request for Fiscal Year 2027 on Thursday. The proposed budget has a few key differences from last year's — consistent with the new state superintendent's priorities. -
Newly appointed Oklahoma State Superintendent Lindel Fields is trying to set a new tone for his leadership era of Oklahoma's education department. It includes a three-step plan Fields laid out for reporters at a press conference Tuesday. -
Oklahoma Highway Patrol can not legally decide to shift the bulk of its patrols away from Oklahoma City and Tulsa, according to a binding Attorney General opinion released Wednesday. -
House Speaker-elect Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, wants input from Oklahomans on how their state government could be more efficient. The House launched an online portal this week in hopes of collecting that feedback. -
Gov. Kevin Stitt is launching Operation Guardian, which aims to prepare the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and all tiers of law enforcement to deport hundreds of unauthorized immigrants arrested for crimes unrelated to their immigration status. -
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said in a press release Tuesday that he’s against a new federal immigration process meant to keep families of mixed statuses together. He’s filed an amicus brief against it in a federal court case in Texas. -
Oklahoma’s flagship Muslim civil rights group says news of an Afghan refugee in Oklahoma planning a terrorist attack should compel Oklahomans to have more compassion for each other and be aware of the factors that push people from any background to extremely violent behavior. -
Oklahomans will head to the polls Tuesday to decide runoffs, local ballot initiatives and more. Here are a few of the races Oklahoma public radio reporters are keeping an eye on this election cycle. -
The Oklahoma Supreme Court says that State Question 832 will have a 10-day protest period in an opinion released last week. The opinion offers clarity about whether the period should be 10, 20 or 90 days long — a conundrum caused by new laws that conflict with current statutes and each other.
