What’s happening, Oklahoma?

I’ve always been a fan of newsrooms pulling back the curtain and showing you how the sausage is made. Same goes for everything I’m doing with this newsletter. You are witnessing and, hopefully, will continue to witness the evolution of a local newsletter platform in real time.

‘Oklahoma Memo’ is an infant, only eight months old.

Long-form writing has always been appealing to me, and I’ve done quite a bit of that this week. Several of you have sent me really encouraging emails, and I intend on experimenting with it further — although I always have to remind myself that brevity is indeed the soul of wit.

Everybody needs an editor. For real. Especially me.

But I’m also acutely aware that the genius of the Axios model is that their newsletters are always functionality over style. Usefulness and brevity first. So I present to you the first edition of ‘Opening Act,’ designed for folks who really need to get in, get out, and get on with their day.

As in, you don’t even really have time to read the entire newsletter.

I got you.

Each day, the ‘Opening Act’ section will sit at the top of ‘Oklahoma Memo.’ If there’s any commentary from me, I’ll position it at the bottom of the newsletter and call it, ‘Encore.’ So, the entire newsletter will take the form of a concert.

Without further adieu…

Opening Act

1. The Lookout Kitchen will cease operations at state parks come Sept. 30.

2. If you’re in the dating scene, you’ll want to read this one from Oklahoma Watch.

3. Decent chance of thunderstorms today. Take an umbrella.

4. Oklahoma State and Tulsa football tonight at 6:30. ESPN.

5. Stocks: Dow, S&P 500 and NASDAQ hit records.

6. Cheapest gas in OKC today is at CM Food Mart ($2.43 / gallon)

7. Cheapest gas in Tulsa today is at Costco ($2.47 / gallon)

8. Sooners vs. Auburn at 2:30 p.m. ABC, Saturday.

9. Oklahoma State Fair has a couple days left, closes Sunday.

10. Today is the last day to register to vote in the 2025 Oklahoma City GO Bond initiative, which affects many infrastructure and city projects.

11. ArtNow 2025: Materials & Boundaries at Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center has just opened

12. Tulsa Greek Festival today and Saturday. Enjoy some baklava and an Alfa beer!

13. Happy birthday to NBA star and Norman-ite Trae Young. He turns 27 today.

As of this first attempt, I can’t even tell you for sure what could possibly be here daily. If you have ideas for what would make this segment most valuable to you, let me know.

Be sure to follow ‘Oklahoma Memo’ on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. There is also a YouTube channel — and it’s all growing day by day.

You can message me anytime at [email protected]. I don’t bite, and I always try to write back!

Weather Update 🌩️

Storm chances stick around for Friday. Carry an umbrella, just in case.

🌡️ Friday's high in OKC 86°
🌡️ Friday’s high in Tulsa 84°

Restaurants at five Oklahoma state parks to close again

By Janelle Stecklein, Oklahoma Voice
Click here to read the story
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OKLAHOMA CITY — Restaurants at five Oklahoma state parks will cease operations at the end of the month, state officials announced Thursday.

It marks the second time since July that the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation has announced plans to close The Lookout Kitchen restaurants at Beavers Bend, Lake Murray, Robbers Cave, Roman Nose and Quartz Mountain state parks.

State parks officials on Thursday would not say why the restaurants were closing Sept. 30. A spokesperson referred Oklahoma Voice to a statement the agency put out that says the Department of Tourism and Recreation plans to begin searching for a new restaurant vendor in the coming weeks and wants to reopen the restaurants as soon as possible.

In the interim, the agency will provide “grab-and-go food options and catering lists to ensure food remains available for park visitors and event guests,” officials said.

An attorney for The Lookout Kitchen did not immediately return a message left seeking comment Monday.

Click here to finish the story

Inside the Facebook groups changing dating in Oklahoma

By Elizabeth Caldwell, Oklahoma Watch
Click here to read the story
Donate to Oklahoma Watch

Three years ago, an Oklahoma group was created on Facebook that eventually attracted more than 128,000 women, resulting in thousands of posts per month. The topic was simple: men.

The purpose of “Are we dating the same guy? OKC/Tulsa” is to build a whisper network in a state labeled as one of the most difficult and dangerous for women. Users, most of them anonymous, post pictures of men they know or have matched with on dating apps and others chime in about their experiences. 

“Travis?” one post read. “I work with him. He’s a great guy! Works in the kitchen. Makes great food!”

Jokes are shared: “Stop dating men who look like they steal the copper out your IUD,” said one meme. 

Advice is doled out.

“Just curious has anyone been single for years and not been able to go on an actual date bc of fear and anxiety?” a group member asked. “I plan it and back out at the last minute.”

But the hundreds of AWDTSG communities tied to cities across the country and even the world have a specific marker: users can post anonymous claims ranging from poor texting habits to abuse to hundreds of thousands of others. A feature allows group members to hide their identities while publishing or commenting on photos of real people.

Click here to finish the story

Would you like to be here? 💰

If you’d like to advertise in the Oklahoma Memo newsletter daily, reach out to me at [email protected]. I’d be happy to send you a rate card with all sorts of options.

There will be 3 spots available for ads in the newsletter:

• A top-of-the-newsletter ad. Primo real estate. Banner image, 2-3 sentences with a call-to-action and a link.

• This space here. One photo or image, one paragraph, a call-to-action and a link.

• A bottom of the newsletter ad. This one is for bargain hunters. Banner image, 2-3 sentences with a call-to action and a link.

I will also offer one-time story placement, branded clearly as sponsored content. Keep it to 250 words or thereabouts with an image and a call-to-action. There are also opportunities on other platforms for us to work together.

Monthly contracts available, and I can be super flexible to make the partnership meet your business needs.

The Oklahoma Rundown 📰

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

• 'The system failed him': Suicide at an Oklahoma jail points to a troubling trend (KOSU)

• Oklahoma leaders seek to punish educators critical of Charlie Kirk, supporters tout free speech (KOSU)

• Jennifer Kyli Molloy's murder case had gone cold. Then a man told Oklahoma troopers he did it. (The Oklahoman)

• Oklahoma Education Department puts $3 million toward literacy tutoring (Oklahoma Voice)

• Foundation controlling $200 million Oklahoma opioid fund strikes out on its own (Tulsa World)

• Oklahoma officials push for federal rule change to jam cell signals in prisons (KOSU)

• Oklahoma rancher fears contaminated water is killing his cattle (KOCO)

• Muskogee County family forced to leave home over fear oil is leaking inside (News On 6)

• Suspect arrested, OHP Trooper seriously injured after pursuit in Ardmore (KXII)

• Oklahoma DAs want $500,000 to create new unit to help with death penalty cases (Oklahoma Voice)

• Oklahoma City man pleads guilty to federal hate crime (Oklahoma City Free Press)

• Oklahoma’s harm reduction law inches toward expiration (The Frontier)

• Crossroads Mall has sat largely empty for years. A new nonprofit wants to turn it into a community hub (KGOU)

• Fulton Street Books & Coffee, one of Tulsa's few remaining independent bookstores, to close (Tulsa World)

• Head of Oklahoma Gamefowl Commission charged with viewing a cockfight (Oklahoma Voice)

• Crimson & Queens to continue after state law passes aimed at banning 'obscene material' in drag shows (OU Daily)

• Groups opposing Trump band together for protest in east Tulsa (Public Radio Tulsa)

• Oklahoma researchers want to find solutions to falling trees during severe weather (KGOU)

• OKC church that left during Methodist disaffiliation has thrived in new denomination (The Oklahoman)

• Bono, The Edge coming to Cain's Ballroom to accept Woody Guthrie Prize for U2 (Tulsa World)

Oklahoma Memo’s Mission

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.

✅ Save you time.
✅ Make you smarter.
✅ Protect Democracy.

Contact

Message Oklahoma Memo at [email protected].