What’s happening, Oklahoma? It is Wednesday, July 23, and we’re all rocking a little softer today.

Ozzy Osbourne, the self-proclaimed ‘Prince of Darkness,’ died on Tuesday at the age of 76.

Depending on your age, you’ll either have had no idea who he was or be a huge fan of the Sabbath days. However, for my mother, it was the reality TV show ‘The Osbournes.’ We watched it together often in Henryetta during its heyday.

For me, it was the music, sort of.

I’m mostly a yacht rock, Steely Dan sort of music fan (and musician), but I always had an appreciation for Ozzy. The appreciation for Black Sabbath didn’t happen until later, but my teenage years were filled with “Crazy Train,” “Bark At The Moon,” and “Shot In The Dark” among many others.

An Ozzy concert was never in the works for me. My parents would never have allowed that, especially given the news that he ate the head off a bat! Nowadays, we might be able to find that on an old episode of “Fear Factor,” but in 1982 that was wild news.

It happened on Jan. 20, 1982, in Des Moines, part of his ‘Diary Of A Madman’ tour.

He would be in Norman, Okla., just a month and five days later at the Lloyd Noble Center. Here’s a ticket I found on an Ozzy Osbourne tribute site:

Would you believe that price? $9.75 to see a legend, and a quarter to park!

His final concert in Oklahoma, best that I can find, was Dec. 6, 2007, at the then-Ford Center, now Paycom Center. It was part of the Black Rain Tour.

The final song in both concerts?

“Paranoid,” his iconic rock song with Black Sabbath.

You can message me anytime at [email protected].

Weather Update ⛅

A bit cooler on Wednesday before we heat up again.

🌡️ Wednesday's high in OKC 92°
🌡️ Wednesday’s high in Tulsa 93°

Oklahoma Education Department official resigned over ‘fundamental’ issues in the agency

By Nuria Martinez-Keel, Oklahoma Voice
Click to read the story.
Donate to Oklahoma Voice.

OKLAHOMA CITY — A senior official’s resignation letter that the Oklahoma State Department of Education has fought to keep secret raises concerns of “fundamental operational issues” at the agency.

Chief Compliance Officer Kourtney Heard resigned from the Education Department on April 4. Her resignation letter, which Oklahoma Voice obtained, alleges significant challenges, including manipulation of school accreditation, are hindering the Education Department from achieving better outcomes for students.

Heard declined to comment Tuesday. Oklahoma Voice received her letter from another former agency employee and independently confirmed its authenticity. The letter is the subject of an open records lawsuit from another media outlet, Oklahoma Watch.

Education Department spokesperson Quinton Hitchcock declined to comment on the allegations raised in Heard’s letter. He said he is unable to comment on any personnel matters regarding employees, past or present.

Heard joined the agency in April 2024 from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and now works for the state Teacher Retirement System, according to her LinkedIn account.

She wrote in her letter, addressed to state Superintendent Ryan Walters and the Oklahoma State Board of Education, that leaving the agency was a “difficult decision” after having the privilege of working alongside talented colleagues and contributing to the department’s important work. 

“The challenges faced by the agency are significant, and despite best efforts, I believe that without addressing fundamental operational issues and senior leadership attitudes, the agency will not be able to achieve the outcomes that Oklahoma students deserve,” Heard wrote.

She wrote that she witnessed the barriers to progress firsthand. Those barriers include “manipulation of school accreditation and deleting of employee review processes,” she alleged. 

Click to finish the story.

EPA reduction-in-force plan causes concern about Ada research center

By Chloe Bennett-Steele, StateImpact Oklahoma
Click to read the story.
Donate to KGOU.

On Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency said it will eliminate the Office of Research and Development and reduce its workforce.

The termination includes the Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Center in Ada, which has undergone reductions-in-force in recent months.

The lab and facilities will remain in place and continue to be used by the EPA.

Probationary EPA employees have already undergone layoffs.

Scientists at the center study the nation’s groundwater resources. Many of them have taken early retirement options or resigned, while others could be reassigned.

About 27 federal workers remain at the facility, according to Christine Pappas, professor and director of East Central University’s water resource policy management master’s program.

“ Every Oklahoman should be extremely proud of the Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Center here in Ada,” Pappas, who is in regular contact with workers at the lab, said. “And it's a gem for not only Ada, but for the whole state and for the country.”

“For this to just be a senseless cut for a very low amount of money is affecting the future of science, probably forever, in the United States.”

Click to finish the story.

The Oklahoma Rundown 📰

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

• Waffle House employee stabbed after chasing customer over unpaid bill in Oklahoma City (KOCO)

• Oklahoma recreational marijuana petition to begin signature collection despite uncertainty (Oklahoma Voice)

• 10 years after the Bever murders in Broken Arrow: A Tulsa World Special Report (Tulsa World)

• Textbook publishers reveal how they incorporated controversial new standards (Oklahoma Watch)

• Oklahoma’s gun suicide crisis rising fastest in rural white communities (The Black Wall Street Times)

• What Oklahoma assets could be sold by oil and gas producer ConocoPhillips? (The Oklahoman)

• Indigenous storytelling, journalism celebrated through new 'Killers of the Flower Moon' photobook (KOSU)

• Rogers County deputy arrested for DUI while operating patrol vehicle (KTUL)

• Ryan Walters asks Oklahoma Supreme Court to move forward with Bible initiative (News On 6)

• 'The little station that could': How KGOU is adapting to federal cuts (KGOU)

• A growing lack of attorneys in rural Oklahoma counties is creating access disparities (Oklahoma Voice)

• Police confirm 2 deaths inside Owasso home was result of murder-suicide (News On 6)

• Classen Curve, Nichols Hills Shopping Plaza sold for $212 million as owner closes shop (The Oklahoman)

• Two accept $500,000 offer from city to end discrimination lawsuit (Tulsa World)

• Luther’s Data Center: Why the NDA Raises Questions for Residents (The Luther Register)

• Health department announces TB case at Tulsa’s McLain High (The Oklahoma Eagle)

• Despite funding increases for Langston University, some legislators wary as needs remain (NonDoc)

• System upgrade causing Okla. death certificate delays (2 News Oklahoma)

• Edmond family panicked and confused after naked man walks into home then jumps into pond (KOCO)

• Old Frederick hospital faces demolition for new critical access hospital (KSWO)

• Southeastern football team available to download in EA Sports College Football 26 (KXII)

• Lone Grove breaks ground for new fire station (KTEN)

• McAlester to play host to Oklahoma Recycling Festival (McAlester News-Capital)

• Communities awaiting state reimbursements for highways (Tahlequah Daily Press)

• OSU softball adds Oklahoma native to pitching roster (The O’Colly)

• School grants available to Muscogee Creek Nation teachers (Mvskoke Media)

• “A privilege and an honor”: OU Chief of Police to retire after 46 years of law enforcement service (OU Daily)

Ad: Your business needs a podcast — but not for the reasons you think.

It’s not just about downloads.

It’s about:
✅ Video clips for LinkedIn & Instagram
✅ Blog posts pulled straight from your conversations
✅ Authority that drives AI mentions & search snippets — giving you a real edge.

But who’s got the time or team to pull it off?

👉 That’s where I come in.

You send me the audio (or video) — your CEO talking at an event, a team Zoom call, even a smart-phone recording.

I’ll turn it into a polished podcast with music, cover art, full hosting & distribution — plus clips and articles to fuel your entire content strategy.

🎯 Totally turnkey.
🎯 Just $500 per episode (4-episode start).
🎯 Only 5 slots open — then I’m booked.

Proof?
Here’s one I built for Local Media Association, from a simple Zoom call:
[https://open.spotify.com/episode/25IGhTfWLiq8DdntNnpyBj]

Want to launch yours before fall?
👉 Email me now: [email protected]

Our Mission, Sociedia & Feedback

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

Frictionless. Painless. Stress-free.

Social Media

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

We also have a YouTube channel! It’s new. Pardon our dust.

Contact Us

Message Oklahoma Memo at [email protected].