Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026 • Freezing drizzle possible through noon. Upper 30s. ⛅

We’d love to see your Oklahoma photos. Message them as attachments to [email protected], and include location and photo credit.

Winter storm resources:
Closings: OKC | Tulsa | Texoma
Road conditions: ODOT | ArcGIS
Track ODOT snowplows: oksnowplows.org
ACOG: Central Oklahoma snow routes

By Emma Murphy, Oklahoma Voice
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OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma City Democrat on Wednesday resigned effective immediately after pleading guilty to forgery-related charges. 

Rep. Ajay Pittman, D-Oklahoma City, received a seven-year deferred sentence and must pay restitution to a charitable organization in addition to the terms of a separate settlement agreement with the Ethics Commission. The separate settlement agreement Pittman entered into Tuesday requires she resign from office and bars her from holding public office for 15 years. 

Pittman pleaded guilty Wednesday to multiple charges including conspiracy to commit a felony, forgery in the second degree, and violating the Oklahoma Computer Crimes Act, according to a news release from the Attorney General’s Office.

Pittman was first charged Wednesday with the crimes and appeared before an Oklahoma County District Court judge the same day to plead guilty. 

She did not immediately return a request for comment, but in her resignation letter wrote that she chose to “step aside” after “careful consideration” because it is in the best interest of her district and “our great institution.”

Click here for the full story.

Today’s first photo is from Gena Parsons at Fort Gibson Lake, showing a gorgeous Oklahoma winter sunrise.

Our second ‘View from your phone’ photo comes from my mother-in-law, Joyce Roth. This is another beautiful morning shot — and it comes from Newcastle.

If you have a photo showing off something beautiful or really cool in Oklahoma, share it with Oklahoma Memo subscribers! My email is always open: [email protected].

By Nick Bowlin, The Frontier
Click here to support their newsroom.

An Oklahoma state senator has introduced legislation to strengthen regulations on how oilfield wastewater is injected underground following an investigation by The Frontier and ProPublica.

For the legislative session beginning Monday, Sen. Mary Boren, a Democrat and a member of the chamber’s Energy Committee, filed four oil and gas bills to curb industrial pollution or create more transparency for landowners.

Laws to increase oversight of oil and gas production, one of the largest industries in the state, often face long odds in Oklahoma, though a few have passed in recent years. The bills would have to win support from leaders in the GOP-controlled Legislature and the state’s Republican governor over industry opposition.

But Boren said that the threat to the state’s groundwater is too big to ignore. “My responsibility is to pay attention to things that could solve problems for real Oklahomans,” said Boren, who credited the investigation for calling attention to large-scale pollution from oil and gas injection practices. 

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:

• Sand Springs planning commission votes 6-1 for data center (Tulsa World)*

• Oklahoma teachers call for higher wages, more support in statewide survey (Oklahoma Voice)

• Flooding disrupts Putnam City North High School's performing arts center (KOCO)

• Consent decree: State late with strategic plan, service waitlist sees ‘steady increase’ (NonDoc)

• Norman City Council to ask voters for homeless shelter funding in April (KGOU)

• Oklahoma lawmakers debate data centers, energy and housing ahead of 2026 session (News 9)

• Oklahoma rare earth mining and manufacturing firm to get loan, funding from Trump admin (KGOU)

• Oklahoma lawmaker moves to ban his colleagues from drinking alcohol while working (Oklahoma Voice)

• Oklahoma lawmakers to consider raw milk rules, eminent domain, land management (KOSU)

• Teenager arrested after woman's body found in trashcan in Logan County (KOCO)

• Tulsa police identify two people in murder-suicide investigation (News On 6)

• GoodEagle questions legitimacy of Osage Nation voter list (Osage News)

• McAlester man sentenced to probation for inert missile theft (Tulsa World)*

• Tulsans mourn Minnesota shooting victims, rail against fascism (Public Radio Tulsa)

• 'A warning cry to humanity': Tulsa's Jewish community centers Holocaust education on remembrance day (Public Radio Tulsa)

• Tulsa seeks to become ‘Hollywood on the prairie’ through new film incentive program (Tulsa Flyer)

• Bob 'Spacedog' Moore, longtime Oklahoma musician, dies at 76 (KOSU)

• 80 new units coming to downtown Tulsa, with $2.8M in city support (Tulsa Flyer)

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