City of Lawton employees will take their first furlough day today. The furlough days are necessitated by the fact that the coronavirus has shot a big hole in the City of Lawton’s budget.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced another $3 trillion in spending as the Democrats’ latest response to the coronavirus pandemic. At more than 1,800 pages, the mammoth legislation is a cynical left-wing wish not rooted in reality. It demonstrates that the Democrats are irresponsible and u…
Some communities in the state have come up with a great way to help small businesses that were closed recently due to the coronavirus pandemic. They are offering grants to help them get back on their feet.
The folks up at 23rd and Lincoln in Oklahoma City like to brag on lots of things they do. At The Constitution, we get a slew of press releases touting this accomplishment or that.
LAWTON, OK — The closing of the local Dillard's store will have a huge impact on the community, including the city budget.
City Hall seems to be sending out mixed messages again.
LAWTON, OK — City of Lawton officials and City Council members have a tough road ahead as they begin making budget decisions.
City of Lawton officials announced on Tuesday that city employees will be required to take furlough days, beginning this month.
LAWTON, OK — Readers of The Lawton Constitution have been supportive after the paper announced it would cease printing two editions a week.
It is good to see state governors increasingly looking for ways to reopen the economy, for, as we have repeatedly argued, the lockdown can be only a short-term response to the pandemic. People’s lives and livelihoods depend on returning to economic and social activity as soon as it can be do…
This Easter Sunday will be like none other our nation has ever celebrated.
LAWTON, OK — Direction from city hall concerning the coronavirus has been problematic, to say the least.
You’ve been encouraged to wash your hands, practice “social distancing,” etc. And we’ll add one more: Financial support of local businesses now may be the difference between life and death for many of your favorite places that make your community so special. Yes, conditions could quickly bec…
LAWTON, OK — The Constitution staff promises to provide you with the facts you need to know to make informed decisions.
It would be very disturbing to return to the situation of the mid-1980s,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said in January. “With the leaders of the state, one by one, staying in power until the end of their days.” He was right at the time, but this week Mr. Putin nonetheless cleared the way…
LAWTON, OK — We are waiting to see what steps the city takes to implement the new Capital Improvements Program.
President Barack Obama had a grand vision of fixing the country’s infrastructure. Bureaucracy stood in his way.
LAWTON, OK — We urge voters to vote YES on the proposed Capital Improvements Program when they go to the polls on Tuesday.
LAWTON, OK — City officials have put together their list for the next CIP and now they need to set some priorities.
In 2019, Americans found that snaring a paycheck was easier than growing one.
LAWTON, OK — Liberty National Bank deserves the appreciation of the community for stepping up help make the city more efficient.
For months, self-styled citizen militia members have threatened to take up arms if President Donald Trump is legally removed from office. Now, some of those same extremists are threatening violence over attempts to enact reasonable gun-safety legislation in Virginia.
LAWTON, OK — We welcome the challenges of a new year and a new decade later this week.
We’re typically not in favor of such measures as proposed this week to raise the salaries of councilmembers and the mayor of Lawton, but in this case, we think the measure is justified.
LAWTON, OK — The Lawton City Council should rethink holding the sales tax extension election in February.
With each click of a mouse this shopping season, you are missing a golden opportunity to help your community grow, as well as to discover the hidden gems among wonderful local businesses.
The people of Iran — chafing under a brutal regime and mounting economic woes — took to the streets in massive protests last week.
We’re becoming a country more to the liking of fictional Judge Elihu Smails.
LAWTON, OK — Mental health professionals say domestic situations do not have to end in violence.
The GOP’s cynical campaign to identify the whistleblower who exposed details of President Donald Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukraine’s president is nonsensical and dangerous. The fact that named witnesses — and the White House itself — have subsequently confirmed the core allegation make…
LAWTON, OK — Lawton was recently recognized for its patriotism.
Congress planted the seeds 20 years ago of current infighting.
LAWTON, OK — A proposed Tax Increment Finance district for west Lawton deserves more study.
Contraband is behind 100% of the violence that happens in prison yards and remains the biggest security threat the prison system faces.
We could soon learn whether a dispute between the governor and Oklahoma’s Indian tribes will end amicably and quickly, or drag out for some time to come.
We understand that the proposed Capital Improvements Program extension is back on the Lawton City Council agenda for discussion on Tuesday.
We were heartened to learn that City of Lawton officials have called a public meeting to get input from citizens on a proposal to fund new projects in the city.
In his novel “Fahrenheit 451,” author Ray Bradbury tells the dystopian story of a “fireman” — one who burns books for a living — who one day picks up a book to read it instead of setting it on fire.
The Lawton City Council may hold the last of its workshops tonight as it considers extending the 2015 Sales Tax Extension and the 2016 Capital Improvements Program.
For the second consecutive year, only one state — Texas — has a higher rate of uninsured residents than Oklahoma.
Lawton and Fort Sill heard some positive news this week when the U.S. Army announced that it is on track to meet its 2019 recruitment goals.
Combine criminal justice reform with new people on the state Pardon and Parole Board and different approaches to the board’s work, and you get what Oklahoma is seeing — a jump in the number of recommendations for parole or for sentence commutations.
Lawton Mayor Stan Booker outlined an ambitious path for the future of Lawton at his State of the City address last week.
What do “The Catcher in the Rye,” “1984,” “Beloved,” “The Great Gatsby,” the Harry Potter series, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” and “The Adventures of Captain Underpants” all have in common? At one point in time someone has tried to ban them from public schools and libraries.
It’s National Suicide Prevention Week, whose focus is a difficult subject but also one that merits every bit of attention it receives. This is particularly true in Oklahoma, unfortunately.
We were pleased to learn that the Lawton Public Schools Board of Education recently voted to give pay raises to teachers.