Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026 • Cold, windy, and in the 30s. 💨

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In today’s Memo:

🟠 Oklahoma sees higher fuel loads ahead of wildfire season
• Last year’s rain is this year’s risk. Extra dry vegetation — especially in northwest Oklahoma — raises wildfire potential through March, according to Oklahoma Forestry Services, with burn bans already active in 10 counties.

🌍 Why Venezuela, Greenland, and the Fed suddenly matter to Oklahoma
• Far-away decisions, local fallout. Grant Hermes explains how global oil supply, geopolitics, and pressure on the Federal Reserve could ripple into Oklahoma’s energy jobs, exports, and household costs.

🏈 Bedlam Buds: NFL Divisional Round picks
• Defense travels. Quarterbacks decide. Ryan and Jeremy like Houston and Seattle as real threats — and say a matchup between them wouldn’t be a surprise.

By Anna Pope, KOSU
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Oklahoma has more dry, dormant or dead plants on the ground than normal due to last year’s rainfall. The extra fuel is one contributor to increased fire potential in the state through March. 

Springtime is Oklahoma’s main wildfire season. It comes on the heels of typically drier winter months, welcoming warmer weather and high wind speeds.

Last March, a perfect storm of conditions led to raging wildfires across the state causing the destruction of personal property. The land recovered in the following months, aided with early summer rains.

This year, most of Oklahoma is seeing more dry vegetation because of the precipitation, especially in the northwest part of the state, according to the Oklahoma Forestry Services. Meaning, there’s more fuel for fires.

Although the fire activity has been quiet this winter, Oklahoma saw some blazes yesterday. The Oklahoma Forestry Services is reporting smaller fires, with most of them in the northeastern part of the state. Ten counties have burn bans in effect at the time of this story’s writing.

The most recent National Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook shows the western part of the state has above significant fire capacity through February. The whole state will have that outlook in March.

Click here for the full story.

Some of the most important Oklahoma stories right now aren’t happening in Oklahoma.

In a wide-ranging conversation on the Oklahoma Memo podcast, political analyst Grant Hermes broke down how decisions involving Venezuela, Greenland, and the Federal Reserve could ripple directly into Oklahoma’s economy, energy sector, and household finances.

Why Venezuela matters:
A failed War Powers resolution kept the president’s authority largely unchecked, opening the door for continued military involvement. For Oklahoma, the bigger issue is oil. Venezuela holds the world’s largest reserves — but extracting them, is costly and complex. A flood of Venezuelan oil could undercut U.S. production, threatening a core pillar of Oklahoma’s economy.

Why Greenland matters:
Despite talk of national security, the U.S. already has broad military access to Greenland. Military escalation there could fracture relations with Europe — a major destination for Oklahoma energy, beef, and agricultural exports.

Why the Fed matters:
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is facing political pressure and a DOJ investigation tied to building renovations — an unusual move that signals deeper tensions. The Fed’s independence shapes interest rates, inflation, housing costs, wages, and borrowing power — things Oklahomans feel every day, even if they don’t realize who controls them.

Find Grant on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@MIMSnewspod

You can find him on Substack, too! https://mimsnewspod.substack.com/

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:

• Lifesaving measures ordered to cease for Caddo County man charged with child abuse (KOCO)

• Oklahoma lawmakers to pursue permanent school cellphone ban (Oklahoma Voice)

• Cameras In Courtrooms: New bill looks to increase transparency in OK courtrooms (2 News Oklahoma)

• Former House Speaker jumps into lieutenant governor’s race (Oklahoma Voice)

• Oklahoma man charged after allegedly threatening to kill FBI Director Kash Patel over Epstein files (KOCO)

• Bixby school board approves Bible class agreement with Ohio nonprofit (Tulsa World)*

• Horse Racing Commission sends ‘Oklahoma-Bred Fund’ review to OSBI, state auditor (NonDoc)

• Council takes action on wrecker fees, abandoned shopping carts (The Lawton Constitution)

• Choctaw Casino and Resort hosts World Series of Poker event (KXII)

• 5 ways to spend your weekend in Tulsa Jan. 16-18 (Tulsa Flyer)

Divisional weekend, simplified: Ryan and Jeremy laid out their bracket after Wild Card — and two themes kept popping up: quarterback willpower and defense that travels.

What they’re watching:

Bigger takeaway: If this is trending toward Seattle vs. Houston, nobody should be shocked.

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