The Oklahoma Today Podcast

Journalism has never seen anything like it. There are tough interviews to get and then there are interviews that are darn near impossible. Today host Ben Luschen did something no one has ever done before: interview the elusive raccoon—and not just one of them either. Scout and Little Bit are the names of the raccoon animal ambassadors at the Bernice Nature Center in the Bernice Area of Grand Lake State Park, and they agreed to go on the record for the first time from their spacious enclosure under the condition of copious provided snacks. Though Ben was able to get some good answers out of them, Scout and Little Bit aren't much for jabbering, so luckily nature center manager Amanda Markey was on hand to fill in the blanks. Learn everything you could ever want to know about raccoons, and then some, in this week's interview.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go to school in a one-room schoolhouse? Well our very own host Ben Luschen got a taste of life as a student in the pre-statehood nineteenth century. The Edmond Historical Society recently opened up Edmond's 1889 Territorial Schoolhouse to host a mock school day for adults. History, penmanship, recitation, and arithmetic are all on full display during this little piece of the past. Let's just hope Ben stays out of trouble . . . 

Once a real, functional firehouse in the city of Norman, the Firehouse Art Center is now a hub of the creative arts in its community. In addition to a variety of creative exhibitions, Firehouse offers classes and workshops in a wide range of mediums, including drawing, painting, sculpture, jewelry making, and all sorts of skills to turn the wheels of the mind. Andy Couch, executive director and curator for the art center, is our guest of the week.

Also on this week's podcast, the editors discuss their favorite green spaces in Oklahoma, and podvents gives us the lowdown on this year's State Fair (hot chicken donut, anyone?) You won't want to miss it!

It's a bug's world, we're just living in it! The famous Cirque du Soleil organization returns to Oklahoma City's Paycom Center September 11-14. They are bringing their world renowned OVO show (Portuguese for egg) to the state, which takes inspiration from insects—showing off high flying acrobatics, incredible contortion, and the heartwarming tale of a ladybug in love. Show publicist Janie Mallet joins the show this week to let local fans know what they're in for and to reflect on Cirque's recent performance in OKC for a performance during the NBA Finals. 

Spark OKC is a relatively new player in the crowded Oklahoma burger scene, yet it already feels like they've been around forever. The concept is a spur of The Social Order, the restaurant group that started as The Jones Assembly and has also umbrellaed to include local Dave's Hot Chicken and Fuzzy's Taco Stand locations. CEO Brian Bogert has been there from the beginning, and he sits down with editor-in-chief Nathan Gunter to catch us up on this exciting new brand, reminisce about his history in the restaurant world, and even talk about the time The Jones hosted a pre-superstardom Chappell Roan.

Tiare Jennings—an OU softball legend who was part of a national championship winning team every year she was on campus in Norman—is our special guest this week. Jennings will be reuniting with teammates Jocelyn Alo and Kinzie Hansen to compete against former Major League Baseball players like Nick Swisher and Adrian Gonzalez in the Home Run Derby X competition, set for August 23 at Oklahoma City's Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark. This traveling, MLB-sanctioned event teams professional baseball and softball players together in a unique event where teams score points for both hitting and fielding. Home Run Derby X's stop in Oklahoma City will feature Jennings, Alo, and Hansen together on an all-OU Sooners team, marking the first time an all female team will compete in the event. Jennings joins the show to talk about what fans can expect that night in OKC while also sounding off on her first year in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League and softball's return to the Olympic games.

When it comes to bird conservation, organizations don't get much more impactful than the George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center in Bartlesville. It is not that uncommon to see a majestic bald eagle out in the Oklahoma wild these days, and that is largely due to the efforts of Sutton Center to hatch and raise a new population of eagles in the state. But the Sutton Center's work doesn't end at the bald eagle. On this week's episode of the Oklahoma Today Podcast we paid a visit to the Sutton Avian Center's headquarters in Bartlesville to check out their efforts in masked bobwhite quail conservation and meet some other bird friends. We also learn more about this month's Wild Brew event at the Arvest Convention Center in Tulsa, which is a key fundraiser supporting the center's research and wildlife efforts. 

There are few greater joys in life than a juicy steak grilled to perfection. It seems like it wouldn't be the hardest thing to do on your own, but there are a lot of ways home steak preparation can go wrong. Fear not, though, because we've called in an expert. Editor-in-chief Nathan Gunter met with Jonas Favela, executive chef at Stock & Bond in Oklahoma City, to learn how prime cuts of beef are treated at one of the best and trendiest steakhouses in the capital city. Warning: New kitchen inspiration might follow. 

Tulsa R&B songstress Branjae is one of Oklahoma Today's 10 Oklahoma Artists to Know, as mentioned in our July-August 2025 issue. If you've ever seen Branjae perform, you know she puts as much work into crafting her stage presentation as she does on the songs themselves. That's why it shouldn't be any surprise that she takes inspiration from some truly generational performers like Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Dianna Ross. For this episode of the Oklahoma Today Podcast, we met with Branjae at Tulsa's Studio Records. We not only caught up with one of the state's brightest artists, but we let her pick out some records that were key to her artistic development.

Also on this week's show, the editors work together to build an Oklahoma Today playlist, and podvents gets CRAZY! You won't want to miss it!

Oklahoma City's OKANA Resort and Indoor Waterpark has been a heavily anticipated project since the day it was announced, and this summer it's finally here! With expansive indoor and outdoor aquatic fun, an arcade, spa, food, and so much more, this is not only an attraction that will draw fun-seekers from all over the world, but the perfect destination for Oklahomans who want an escape without the hassle of long-distance travel. Today's guest on the show is Laura Rudicel, OKANA's director of marketing, who gives us a tour of the incredible facilities. Ben's in vacation mode, so it might be hard getting him back to the office again.