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Monday, November 9, 2026 • Beautiful. Low 70s. ☀️
Oklahoma Memo Podcasts
OKLAHOMA MEMO
Jason Witten's Debut Has Real Impact On Oklahoma's Offense
OKLAHOMA MEMO
Oklahoma State crushes Kansas State 66-28 | Bedlam Buds
OKLAHOMA MEMO
The blue tsunami, Oklahoma's red wall and what's next for Trump
Poll results:
We received 273 votes on the Saturday poll, “Are Oklahoma's public schools headed in the right direction?”
🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Yes, they're improving. (40)
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 No, they're getting worse. (100)
🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ They're about the same. (72)
🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ Not sure. (61)
New poll question at the bottom of today’s newsletter. (You can also suggest a poll question by emailing me at [email protected].)
Missing guns, uninvestigated burglaries, a blood sample in a refrigerator: What Oklahoma Watch found in Beggs
Only one officer worked at the Beggs Police Department for 48 days after the city’s agreement with the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office expired. (Raynee Howell/Oklahoma Watch)
By Raynee Howell, Oklahoma Watch
👉 Click here to support this newsroom
Former Beggs Police Chief John Palacio couldn’t believe the condition of the police department he inherited.
Unsolved burglaries, a subpar radio system, alleged mishandling of a blood sample, missing guns and more awaited him when he started as the assistant chief and later replaced the interim chief.
Palacio said his goal was to help the department. Instead, he became the next person through the Beggs Police Department’s revolving door of chiefs.
“I’ve never seen nothing like this in my life,” Palacio said. “They warned me about small-town politics. I just didn’t believe it.”
Following Palacio’s tenure, Daniel Gilbert became interim chief and Bobby Tollette became assistant chief. Gilbert, Tollette and part-time officer Bobby Sappington later resigned, prompting the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office to offer law enforcement services to Beggs.
The interlocal agreement between the city and the attorney general’s office outlined the option to extend past a 30-day assistance period, but the attorney general’s agents left the city in the same predicament a month later.
Unsolved problems at the department started long before the attorney general’s agents walked through the door on Aug. 14.
Two days of free email tactics, starting Nov 12
GURU kicks off Nov 12. Join the 29,000+ marketers who showed up last year, 100% free and virtual.
GURU Conference, powered by Constant Contact, is back November 12–13. It's 100% virtual and 100% free, and it's packed with tactics you can use right away on newsletters, deliverability, design trends, AI, and what NOT to do with email.
What to expect:
Speakers including Molly Ringwald, Dan Levy, Amy Porterfield, Frank Vella + more
Sessions from world-class marketers at top brands
Networking every day
DJs, world-record breaking, and an alarming amount of rom-com fun!
Last year, 29,000+ marketers joined us. This year is even bigger, and spots are limited.
The Oklahoma Rundown
Editor’s note: Links requiring subscriptions have an *.
Here’s what’s happening in Oklahoma today:
Five things to know about how Oklahoma voted in midterm elections (The Frontier)
Tribal officials sound alarm over two threats that could shrink their authority over sacred sites (KOSU)
‘It’s a really bad problem’: Lollipops owners raise concerns over safety, trespassing (The Oklahoma Eagle)
Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics agents seize 5,356 marijuana plants in Noble raid (News 9)
Legal challenges could affect community life for disabled Oklahomans (Oklahoma City Free Press)
One person dead in Porter camper fire; criminal investigation underway (KJRH)
Mayfest organizers announce return to downtown Tulsa (Public Radio Tulsa)
Not Your Average Joe's growth stalls amid DOL lawsuit, closures (The Oklahoman)*
‘Dolly Plowton’ a fan favorite; ‘Workin Snowvertime’ among other top names for ODOT plows (Tulsa World)*
Midnight coin toss decides Oklahoma high school football playoff spot (KJRH)
Monday Poll
Should Oklahoma crack down harder on illegal marijuana-growing operations?
Explain this to me!
What’s happening in Oklahoma that doesn’t make sense to you? Send me your question. I may answer it here in Oklahoma Memo or turn it into a video.
Email: [email protected]
How to support Oklahoma Memo
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Thank you. Have a wonderful day ‼️
(P.S. Be sure and check out the Oklahoma Memo YouTube channel for long-form conversations and news explainers. You can also listen to this content wherever you get your podcasts!)
