Friday, June 13, 2025
Courtesy Brandi Simons While representing OSU at the 65th Hearst National Journalism Championships, former Editor-in-Chief Ashton Slaughter placed second in the National Writing Championship.
Making Headlines
Former Editor-in-Chief places second in Hearst National Writing Championship
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BY KENZIE KRAICH
shton Slaughter had a decorated journalism career at Oklahoma State. Last week, the May graduate added one final collegiate accolade. The former Editor-in-Chief of The O’Colly represented OSU on one of
the biggest stages in journalism at the 65th Hearst National Journalism Championships in San Francisco, CA, earning second place in the National Writing Championship. The recognition and $7,500 reward for Slaughter’s hard work are great indicators of a successful week, but it meant more than material things
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
for the Owasso native. “This was just the cherry on top of my experience with the Hearst Awards, and a great footnote to my college journalism career,” Slaughter said. The “footnote” would add to the accolades for Slaughter as he took various leadership roles in
The O’Colly after starting as a staff reporter in his first semester at OSU. After being named assistant sports editor for the 2023-2024 academic year, Slaughter jumped into the sports editor position the following summer and fall.
See SLAUGHTER on page 2
Audit reveals problems with payroll, misuse of work vehicles in Payne County RAYNEE HOWELL
Payton Little
the department was not consistently NEWS AND LIFESTYLE EDITOR maintaining full-time hours. She requested a forensic audit from SA&I in July 2023. Three employees in the Payne Using camera footage to track the County Environmental Enforcement employees’ claimed hours, the audit Department drove county vehicles for found an overpayment of $2,796.46. personal use and claimed hours on The camera footage monitoring timesheets they did not work, causing the parking lot and gate were only them to be overpaid thousands of maintained for a small window of time. dollars, an investigative audit from the Oklahoma Office of the State Auditor & The Sheriff’s office was able to give District 3 commissioner footage from Inspector (SA&I) revealed. March 27, 2023, through May 15, 2023. The report, released June 4, states that the District 3 commissioner found See AUDIT on page 3
Shrum was named as Chickasaw Nation’s chief health strategy officer on Monday.
Shrum named Chickasaw Nation’s new chief health strategy officer KENZIE KRAICH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Former Oklahoma State president Dr. Kayse Shrum has been named as Chickasaw Nation’s chief health strategy officer on Monday, despite her earlier claims to remain with OSU. After her resignation on Feb. 3 and a public acceptance of it by the Board of Regents on Feb. 5, Shrum
has been under a magnifying glass. Ongoing investigations into the Innovation Foundation’s misuse of state-appropriated funds have kept the former president in the public spotlight. Despite all the buzz, the Chickasaw Nation has put Shrum in a full-time position in which she is expected to assist in the strategies and execution of the upcoming Newcastle medical center campus.
See SHRUM on page 2
Raynee Howell Three employees in the Payne County Environmental Enforcement Department were paid for several hours they did not work, according to an investigative audit.