Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025 • Merry Christmas! Sunny and upper 70s. ☀️🎄

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In today’s Memo:

By Nuria Martinez-Keel, Oklahoma Voice
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OKLAHOMA CITY — A new Oklahoma law will open $5 million in state funds for programs supporting aspiring teachers.

Senate Bill 235 took effect this year to offer 50% matching funds for Grow Your Own Educator initiatives, which provide tuition or loan repayment assistance for school district employees pursuing an undergraduate teaching degree.

“These matching funds are really important because they’re going to allow the schools to market this to a wider audience, increase their pipeline, and the ultimate goal is to turn existing support staff and (paraprofessionals) and teachers’ aides into certified classroom teachers once they matriculate through this process,” the bill’s author, Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, said. “And so, there is an urgency to this for our schools.”

The Oklahoma State Department of Education opened a portal in late November for districts or their affiliated nonprofits to apply for the matching funds, Pugh said. 

The Education Department was slow to launch the program in the months after the bill was signed into law in May, Pugh said, but progress started to accelerate once new state Superintendent Lindel Fields took over the agency in October.

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By Ryan Welton & Jeremy Cook, Oklahoma Memo
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With college football winding down, Bedlam Buds took a seasonal detour — setting sports aside to talk about Christmas music and Christmas movies.

Let’s start with the latter.

Ryan and Jeremy each brought their top picks to the table, mixing classics with more unconventional choices, while circling back again and again to a common theme — redemption stories, nostalgia, and movies that simply feel like Christmas regardless of genre.

The conversation ranged from universally accepted favorites to films that reliably spark debate every December, with plenty of honorable mentions along the way.

🎄 The result: a relaxed, holiday-themed episode built for listeners who love Christmas movies — and love talking about them even more.

👉 Watch the episode on YouTube
👉 Listen wherever you get your podcasts
👉 And let us know what Christmas movie belongs on the list

By Ryan Welton & Jeremy Cook, Oklahoma Memo
Click here to subscribe to the YouTube channel.

Football took a back seat on Bedlam Buds as Ryan and Jeremy ranked their personal Top 5 Christmas songs of all time. From traditional hymns and Bing Crosby classics to Donny Hathaway, Mariah Carey and some unexpected modern picks, the list sparked nostalgia, musical nerdiness and a friendly taste divide.

🎄 Ryan’s Top 5 Christmas Songs

5. “Christmas Time Is Here” — Vince Guaraldi Trio
4. “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)” — Nat King Cole
3. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” — Mariah Carey
2. “Christmas Wrapping” — The Waitresses
1. “This Christmas” — Donny Hathaway

🎄 Jeremy’s Top 5 Christmas Songs

5. “White Christmas” — Bing Crosby
4. “O Come, All Ye Faithful” / “O Little Town of Bethlehem” (tie)
3. “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”
2. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
1. “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)” — Nat King Cole

What’s your Top 5? Message me at [email protected], and we’ll share your list!

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:

• New Epstein documents include a claim of an Oklahoma 'murder' (The Oklahoman)*

• Insurance company denies life-saving medicine multiple times (KFOR)

• Stitt, state leaders challenge AG Drummond's opinion on tribal hunting (The Oklahoman)*

• Allegations of unsafe conditions at unauthorized rehab facility in Lexington (KOCO)

• Oklahomans hope Santa brings them a $1.7 billion Powerball ticket (Tulsa World)

• OU Health acquires Dean McGee Eye Institute (The Oklahoman)*

• OHP: 6-year-old child killed in multi-vehicle crash on US 81 in Grady County (KOCO)

• Oklahoma is one step closer to creating business courts (News 9)

• Christmas magic visits newborn babies at Tulsa hospital (2 News Oklahoma)

• Oklahoma City Thunder face Spurs in Christmas Day showdown (KOCO)

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