Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026 • A dab warmer, sunny, might hit 60. ☀️

Oklahoma Memo is reader-supported. You can buy me a coffee, or pitch in monthly on Patreon and Substack.

In today’s Memo:

By Emma Murphy, Oklahoma Voice
Click here to support their newsroom.

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust announced millions in grants Wednesday to expand patient access to trained doctors and cancer treatments. 

The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences regents and the Oklahoma State University Medical Center were the largest recipients, being awarded $25 million and $30 million respectively, receiving over 36% of all funding awarded. 

The OSU Medical Center will use its funding to develop a new facility for graduate medical education with a goal of creating 100 more physician residency positions, supported by the TSET grant. 

Oklahoma has a shortage of health care providers, especially in rural areas, according to Metriatch, an Oklahoma-focused research and policy organization. 

Increasing the number of available residencies in Oklahoma is important because, according to the American Medical Association, a majority of physicians who complete their residency training choose to practice in the state where they were trained, varying by location and specialty. 

Click here for the full story.

By Maddy Keyes, The Frontier
Click here to support their newsroom.

A bill filed ahead of the 2026 legislative session would provide Oklahoma’s 211 resource hotlines with state funding for the first time in a decade. 

Senate Bill 1290 by Sen. Jo Anna Dossett, D-Tulsa, would allocate at least $3 million in state dollars to support 211 Eastern Oklahoma and HeartLine.

The free hotlines connect hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans each year to resources like food and mental health support. The hotlines operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and together cover all of Oklahoma’s 77 counties. 

Each hotline spends roughly $1.5 million a year to operate. United Way has largely covered these costs since 2016, using donations from businesses and nonprofits. But growing need and dwindling resources have put a strain on donor dollars. 

United Way and 211 directors asked the state for a $3 million investment in the hotlines during an October interim study. This money would cover operational costs and allow philanthropic dollars to instead be used for expanding 211’s resources and reach, the directors said. 

The state used to pay around 30% to 40% of the hotline’s costs, but an economic downturn in 2016 led to funding cuts. The hotlines haven’t received state funding since, according to a spokesperson for 211 Eastern Oklahoma.

Click here for the full story.

Editor’s note: Links requiring subscriptions have an *.

Editor’s note: Links requiring subscriptions have an *.

A hand-curated list of the best journalism from across the state:

• Registration for 2028 Olympic tickets in Oklahoma City starts Wednesday (KOCO)

• City of Durant, Choctaw Nation take action against rumored ICE facility (NonDoc)

• Absentee Shawnee tribal leaders respond after citizens report harassment by ICE (News 9)

• TPD Internal Affairs investigating Facebook post disparaging Minnesotan killed by ICE (Tulsa World)*

• As detentions climb in Oklahoma, migrants with pending immigration cases struggle to get legal help (KOSU)

• Oklahoma County killer denied clemency ahead of February execution date (Oklahoma Voice)

• Oklahoma parole rates drop when a board member is absent (Oklahoma Watch)

• Oklahoma reaches settlement with poultry company (Oklahoma Voice)

• Tulsa city councilors consider timeline for hotel tax increase vote (2 News Oklahoma)

• State Supreme Court to keep reports on OU financial, sexual misconduct allegations under wraps (KFOR)

• Third-party revenue vital for Cherokee Nation Health System (Cherokee Phoenix)

• Family & Children's Services, OKC provider announce intent to merge (Tulsa World)*

• Tulsa Jewish leaders surprised by Jewish charter school application (Public Radio Tulsa)

• Oklahoma retailers struggle to manage tariff impact as costs rise and sales slow down (The Oklahoma Eagle)

• Oklahoma lawmaker files bill to name bridge, future infrastructure after Toby Keith (KOSU)

• What should the new Gilcrease Museum’s landscape look like? Tulsans have their say (The Oklahoma Eagle)

• Bill Haisten: With its clever Portal House, TU is ‘winning the offseason’ (Tulsa World)*

The ‘Oklahoma Memo’ mission is simple: Reignite the daily local news habit by connecting Oklahomans and those who love Oklahoma to quality sources of news and vetted information.

✅ Save you time.
✅ Make you smarter.
✅ Strengthen your community.

Now booking 2026 sponsors
Oklahoma Memo offers one Primary Sponsor per month — your logo, link, and message featured daily to a highly engaged Oklahoma audience.

Additional ad options available.
📩 [email protected]

Want a newsletter like this for your business?
I build high-open-rate newsletters for Oklahoma organizations.
Monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly.
📩 [email protected]

‘Oklahoma Memo’ is on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. There is also a YouTube channel — and it’s all growing day by day.

Message me anytime at [email protected].