I was introduced to S.E. Hinton’s novel “The Outsiders,” set in Oklahoma, in 6th grade. That would have been 1982, a year before the movie came out — a film filled with stars like Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas Howell and others.

The book formed in me an early love of reading, but it also corresponded with my love of Tulsa, the city of my birth, the first city of my youth, and a city with a complicated history and beautiful architecture.

Fast-forward 43 years, and it’s now a hit Broadway show — and while my stepdaughter has read the book, it’s musical theatre that captures her attention most, and it’s something we do as a family often.

And so we did Saturday night in Tulsa for this limited run of “The Outsiders” tour across North America. It holds up well, even if you know the story, especially if you know it. The relationship between Ponyboy Curtis (Nolan White) and Johnny Cade (Bonale Fambrini) was much of the show’s focus, but the role of Dallas Winston was a real highlight from Tyler Jordan Wesley.

The use of lighting on the set to create different scenes from essentially the same elements was tremendous. The music was catchy, and there were several funny moments throughout — and lots of Tulsa references (although I didn’t see a DX sign anywhere.)

There were even people dressed up in the crowd. One audience member was in a Mickey Mouse t-shirt, a jean jacket and Chuck Taylors with greased hair.

I was the only one in our group not dressed to the nines. I was playing the role of middle-aged man hours after an OU-Texas beatdown.

Theatre contributes significantly to the fabric of our cities. They’re worth the money and our time — and if you get a chance to see this show, do so!

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Rain chances on Monday, and temps will stay in the 70s.

🌡️ Monday's high in OKC 78°
🌡️ Monday’s high in Tulsa 78°

By Emma Murphy, Oklahoma Voice
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OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Mental Health Department will need an extra $20 million legislative appropriation to cover some costs in the current budget year. 

And in addition to its current state appropriation of $403 million, the agency says it’s requesting an extra $79.5 million in the upcoming budget year. This will cover $20 million in Medicaid matching costs for both the current and upcoming budget year,  $22.5 million in IT software upgrades and $17 million to implement a court agreement to fix the state’s competency restoration system and to cover any related fines for noncompliance.

The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services’ $20 million fiscal year 2026 supplemental budget request will cover the agency’s share of Medicaid matching costs, which is the state’s share of the program’s funding. It comes after the agency already received an extra $27.4 million appropriation from the Legislature and as officials continue to cut or eliminate contracts with mental health and substance abuse providers .

The agency was not yet able to provide a number Friday identifying the total scope of these cuts. 

Rep. Carl Newton, R-Cherokee, said Friday he wasn’t familiar with the details of the agency’s budget request, but he’s not surprised that a supplemental appropriation is needed. 

Newton, chair of the House Health and Human Services Oversight Committee and a member of a select committee investigating the department’s finances, said he doesn’t think the Legislature would be opposed to an additional appropriation. 

“We planned on doing a supplemental but we had to make a budget,” he said. “It’s our constitutional responsibility to get (the budget) done by May, and so we get that, but we knew that if they could get a handle on the budget, we’d probably have to add some more to that. But we wanted at least have something to get to them to get started.”

In the tumultuous final weeks of Legislature’s session, deficiencies in the agency’s budget first came to light and led to weeks of investigative hearings, the firing of former Commissioner Allie Friesen and an emergency appropriation so the agency could make payroll.

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On Bedlam Buds, Ryan and Jeremy say Sooners must fix run game and philosophy fast; Cowboys’ margin for error is “one mistake and the drive is over.”

Oklahoma’s 23–6 loss to Texas wasn’t just a bad day at the Cotton Bowl — it was a neon sign about the Sooners’ biggest problem: there’s no offensive identity. That was the central takeaway from this week’s Bedlam Buds podcast, where hosts Ryan “Boomer Sooner” Welton and Jeremy “Go Pokes” Cook spent most of the episode dissecting OU’s stalled offense and Oklahoma State’s path to anything resembling momentum.

Looking ahead, the hosts framed this week as a mentality test for OU on the road. South Carolina is 3–3 and just made a staff change up front, but Columbia is still a difficult place to play. “This is about bounce-back habits,” Cook said. “Don’t let one loss turn into two or three.” Welton’s early feel: a low-scoring grinder that OU can win, but only if the offense finds a couple of staple runs and sticks to them.

If OU’s problem is identity, OSU’s is fragility. Cook described the Cowboys’ offense as “one mistake and the drive is over” — a hold, a false start, a dropped ball, and it’s effectively done. With injuries and transfers thinning the depth chart, OSU has been forced into improvisation, including using wide receiver Sam Jackson V at quarterback.

Results aside, the hosts praised Jackson’s willingness to flip positions for the team, calling it the kind of leadership the next staff will need to rebuild around. “Play for the name on the front and they’ll remember the name on the back,” Cook said.

The most viral moment in Stillwater didn’t come between the lines. An upper-deck wave of shirtless fans hijacked national attention and, for a day, gave the program a cultural spark.

OSU draws 5–1 Cincinnati under the lights for Homecoming. Neither host predicted a Cowboys win outright, but both pointed out this is exactly the type of game that can flip on emotion and trick plays — especially at night. “With nothing to lose, let it fly,” Cook said, noting the Cowboys have already dialed up gadget looks this season and should keep pressing that advantage.

While a national firing elsewhere made headlines, Bedlam Buds focused its coaching talk on Oklahoma’s two programs. The hosts reiterated that portal/NIL realities mean turnarounds no longer need three years; Year 1 should show visible improvement with the right hires and coordinator fits. For OSU, they argued the next coach must deliver a clear offensive vision and pair it with a coordinator who can stabilize the defense. For OU, they said any big-picture decisions are downstream from one question: can this staff define who the Sooners are on offense, now?

Bedlam Buds closes with quick MLB picks — both hosts leaning Dodgers vs. Blue Jays — but the show’s heartbeat is Oklahoma football: a Sooners team that must find itself on offense, and a Cowboys program that needs one clean game to believe again.

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

• Oklahoma teachers celebrate the end of Ryan Walters era with paper shredders, food trucks (KOSU)

• Oklahoma Chronicle Digital Exclusive: Could Ryan Walters come back to run for office? (KOCO)

• Daughter dead, mother hospitalized after being struck by truck while fighting on highway (KOCO)

• Tecumseh student arrested after alleged online threats to ‘shoot up’ school, police say (The Oklahoman)

• Why is OKC 20 years behind addressing growing affordable housing shortage? (The Oklahoman)

• Tulsa’s Black history plays central role in ‘Today’ show’s destination broadcast (The Oklahoma Eagle)

• Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols' State of the City address to be open to public (Tulsa World)

• Man being held on abuse of corpse charge after college student found dead in Sulphur (KXII)

• Developer tackles another iconic property: Price Tower (Public Radio Tulsa)

• Norman resource center HUB 107 set to close before end of October (KGOU)

• Muscogee Nation breaks ground on Tribal Courthouse (Mvskoke Media)

• 2025 Tulsa Pride parade features increased security (2 News Oklahoma)

• Tonkawa police arrest Ponca City man convicted in 1974 murder of a former PCPD officer on new charges (Kay News Cow)

• What to Know About the Creek Turnpike Bridge Project in Broken Arrow (News On 6)

• Two more popular restaurants are headed for Legacy at Covell in Edmond. Which ones? (The Oklahoman)

• What can Washington learn from Oklahoma on balanced budgeting? (News 9)

• 'There's nothing like it': McAlester theater closed for decades plans 2026 reopening (2 News Oklahoma)

• Metro Library picks first poet laureate: Hallie Waugh (Oklahoma City Free Press)

• Oklahoma utility regulators to request state funds for nuclear energy study (KOSU)

• Berry Tramel: Brent Venables doesn’t have a Texas problem, he has an offense problem (Tulsa World)

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.

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