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Good morning, Oklahoma! Take an umbrella with you before heading to work.

The newsletter opens with a story from Oklahoma Watch about the legality of Senate Bill 1027, imposing requirements on the collection of signatures during the initiative petition process. The concern is that the law would limit the people's right to create and present petitions that lead to ballot votes.

The second story is something I had, admittedly, never thought about — dangerous stray dogs making it unsafe for children to walk to school in parts of Tulsa. A nonprofit organization and community leaders have come up with a solution. Great story from The Oklahoma Eagle.

We conclude with a sports segment from Bedlam Buds about a terrific weekend for Oklahoma State wrestling. If you’re a Cowboys fan, share today’s newsletter with your college friends!

And a final shout-out to Andrew Bigbie, the founder of Bigbie Insurance & Benefits. Today is the last day of his ad run in this newsletter — and I really appreciate him. If you or your business are in the market for insurance or benefits, please give him a call and tell him ‘Oklahoma Memo’ sent you!

Stay dry, and drive safely.

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By Keaton Ross, Oklahoma Watch
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The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday heard oral arguments over the constitutionality of Senate Bill 1027, the sweeping legislation enacted in May that imposes several requirements on initiative petition organizers. 

The high court’s ruling will shape the future of voter-led ballot initiative campaigns in Oklahoma, which have brought criminal justice reform, legalized medical marijuana and Medicaid expansion to the state over the past decade. Issues including recreational marijuana and sentencing reform qualified for the ballot but were rejected by voters. 

For years, Republican legislative leaders argued that it was too easy for initiative petitioners to flood densely populated areas in Oklahoma City and Tulsa and get their question on the ballot. 

That sentiment culminated in SB1027, which caps signature collection by county based on the number of votes cast in the most recent gubernatorial election. The measure also requires signature gatherers to be registered Oklahoma voters and gives the Secretary of State power to modify a petition’s gist, among more than a dozen other changes. 

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By Kimberly Marsh, The Oklahoma Eagle
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Stray dogs and bites are keeping kids in north Tulsa from getting to school and walking in their neighborhoods. 

Bill White highlighted the issue during a November community conversation hosted by Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols. 

“Since 2020 animal control officers have responded to 199 animal bite incidents involving children under 18,” said White, director of economic development and culture for the Terence Crutcher Foundation. “That’s not just data. That’s 199 families whose lives were impacted.”

Ana Barros with Impact Tulsa — a nonprofit organization focused on improving student outcomes — said stray dogs have also become a barrier to school attendance, leading to chronic absenteeism. That’s defined as missing 10% of the school year. Tulsa Public Schools reported 30% of students were chronically absent in the first 40 days of the fall semester.  

“When we talk to families, they mention stray dogs are a part of the problem,” Barros said. 

In response, the Crutcher Foundation is partnering with Impact Tulsa, Tulsa Dream Center and Antioch Baptist Church to organize a “walking school bus” for students at John Hope Franklin Elementary School.  

The program pairs adult chaperones with kids to use pre-planned routes to get to school safely. It’s something that Barros said they saw success with on the south side. 

“We started at Marshall Elementary,” she said. “We did a pilot and students who were previously chronically absent before the walking school bus ended the year with an average daily attendance of 93%.”Barros and White hope to see that success repeated for students at John Hope Franklin.

For now, the Crutcher Foundation has created a map using city data to highlight where dog bites have occurred since 2020. Bites are concentrated in the north and east sides, with high numbers near downtown as well.

By Ryan Welton & Jeremy Cook, Oklahoma Memo
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Oklahoma State turned in a quietly impressive weekend at the National Duals, finishing third overall after entering the event as the No. 4 seed — a solid step forward for a team that’s leaning heavily on youth.

Across four duals, the Cowboys wrestled six freshmen in three different meets, including four true freshmen. And they won. That alone tells you where this program is headed.

Jeremy fills us in as part of this mini-Bedlam Buds episode.

Editor’s note: Links requiring subscriptions have an *.

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

• Tribes support partnering with the Marshals Service to help better resolve missing children cases (Gaylord News)

• Teenager from Afghanistan sentenced in Oklahoma for role in thwarted Election Day attack (The Oklahoman)

• Uranium lingers beneath Oklahoma's soil more than 50 years after Karen Silkwood's warning (KOCO)

• OKC charter school disputes probation status, says it has ‘nothing to fix’ (Oklahoma Voice)

• 3 tribes sue Gov. Kevin Stitt, Oklahoma wildlife officials in hunting license fight (KOSU)

• Can Oklahoma support energy-gobbling data centers? (KOSU)

• Oklahoma agency fined over competency restoration settlement (Oklahoma Voice)

• Emergency food assistance money for Oklahoma food banks will feed thousands despite coming to end (KOSU)

• Downtown Tulsa sees fewer 911 calls as arrests and incident reports rise (Public Radio Tulsa)

• Tulsa has raised $74M to fund more affordable housing. Its goal is $120M. (The Oklahoma Eagle)

• These Gathering Place vending machines don’t offer soda or candy. Instead, you donate to charity. (Tulsa Flyer)

• Tulsa Dream Center to host annual Friendsgiving offering free hot meals, groceries (The Oklahoma Eagle)

• Brian Kurtz resigning as Downtown Tulsa Partnership president, CEO (Tulsa World)

• Radio host Dan Potter explains his departure from KRMG after 17 years (Tulsa World)

• Fort Sill suspends Garrison Commander pending administrative investigation (KSWO)

• A global influencer working with Oklahoma provocateurs is earning at least 6 figures (Public Radio Tulsa)

• Sen. Pugh's legislation could help him become state Superintendent Pugh (Tulsa World)

• Inola superintendent disappointed after school bond fails again (News On 6)

• Equine herpesvirus outbreak cancels world championship at Lazy E Arena (KOCO)

• Oklahoma City police investigate after 2-year-old girl killed by family pet (KOCO)

• 2 confirmed cases of ‘highly contagious’ horse virus in Oklahoma (News On 6)

• Oklahoma judge reinstates Glencoe athletes in OSSAA eligibility dispute (News 9)

• Williams Route 66 Marathon 20th anniversary weekend kicking off on Nov. 21 (2 News Oklahoma)

• First Shake Shack in Oklahoma officially opens (KFOR)

Rain and storms.

🌡️ Thursday's high in OKC 67°
🌡️ Thursday’s high in Tulsa 68°

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