• Oklahoma Memo
  • Posts
  • OSBE To Oklahoma Students: Prove Your Citizenship

OSBE To Oklahoma Students: Prove Your Citizenship

This is a round-up of Oklahoma news stories for Jan. 29, 2025

The biggest stories of the day across Oklahoma:

• Students may soon have to prove citizenship

• A federal funding freeze could hit Oklahoma nonprofits hard

• Next couple days are going to be rainy!

Enjoy this newsletter? It’s free.

Our only ask is that you put a ring 💍 on it, and subscribe.

Weather Briefing ☂️

Pack an umbrella or raincoat for your Wednesday. It is going to be a wet couple of days across Oklahoma. Good news is on the horizon. KOCO Chief Meteorologist Damon Lane shows 60s on the forecast for this weekend through the middle of next week!

Alas, for Wednesday:

🌡️ High in OKC 51°
🌡️ High in Tulsa 51°

🗞️ Big Story: Oklahoma Students, Families May Have To Prove Citizenship During Enrollment Process

The Oklahoma State Board of Education voted unanimously to ask students to provide familial citizenship status during the enrollment process. This goes to the state legislature, which convenes starting next week. If passed, it would go to Gov. Kevin Stitt, who has the power to sign it into law.

State Superintendent Ryan Walters has said he would hand over the information to the federal government, if asked.

More Coverage:

• Oklahoma Voice explains that undocumented students would still be allowed to attend public schools.

KOCO: What does Oklahoma City Public Schools have to say about the possible requirement?

KFOR: Supt. Walters says the mission for now is merely about “data gathering.”

2 News Oklahoma: Nearly 100 Oklahomans protest possible rule change outside meeting.

NonDoc recaps the meeting, plus included a list of teacher certifications revoked.

Federal Grant Freeze Would Have Big Impact On Oklahoma… But For Now, It’s Blocked

President Donald Trump signs executive orders on Jan. 20, 2025. (Daniel Torok / White House)

An order from President Donald Trump to halt federal grants and loans to states was blocked late Tuesday just before it was set to go into effect, the result of a judge’s injunction. That injunction was brought on by a lawsuit on behalf of nonprofits, but is only good until next Monday.

The possible freeze is “creating confusion in Oklahoma’s non-profit sector, tribal nations and state government agencies,” reports KOSU.

Oklahoma Watch reports the confusion started Tuesday morning when they tried “to access their federal payment management services only to find they were locked out.”

News On 6 did an Oklahoma’s Own In Focus on the likely impact to Tulsa-area nonprofits.

MitchellTalks: What Is So Dangerous About The National Debt?

Griffin Media political analyst Scott Mitchell talked to Mike Murphy of the Committee for A Responsible Federal Budget about the dangerous indifference the public has about the national debt. This was an extended version of the Hot Seat segment that airs Saturday mornings on both News 9 in Oklahoma City and News On 6 in Tulsa.

Part 1 ▶️

Part 2 ▶️

The Frontier: Who Else Might Join Gentner Drummond In Oklahoma Governor’s Race?

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is the first to enter the 2026 gubernatorial contest—but he certainly won’t be the last. Dylan Goforth, executive editor at The Frontier, talks about who else might throw their hat into the proverbial, political ring.

Oklahoma Headlines

• Norman mayoral candidates address controversial turnpike (KOCO)

• Muskogee seeks Foundation money for ‘street rehab, pickleball courts’ (Muskogee Phoenix, paywall)

• Choctaw courthouse project set to begin (McAlester News Capital, paywall)

• Why does Ethan Hawke keep showing up in Tulsa? (Tulsa World, paywall)

• Edmond officer denied immunity in brother’s death (News 9)

• Claremore man awaits sentencing for fatal Bedlam party crash (News On 6)

• Shawnee city commission debates, approves consulting contract renewals (Shawnee News-Star, paywall)

• Norman begins negotiations to sell homeless shelter (Norman Transcript, paywall)

✨ Don’t Miss This!

Toward the end of Oklahoma City’s 118-108 win over Portland at the Moda Center, a young fan named Joseph in a Thunder jersey yelled at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, “Can I have your jersey after the game?”

And the Thunder star’s response?

“Anything for you!”

THE BEST. Love this team!

👀 Businesses: Activate Like A Newsroom!

Imagine what your public relations and communications efforts could be if your teams truly activated like a newsroom.

  • Going direct-to-audience with your messages

  • Owning the narrative

  • Capturing attention faster

It’s what I do in my new post-newsroom life: work with businesses, brands and entrepreneurs to show them how to ‘activate like a newsroom’ to level up the attention they need to succeed at scale!

Visit my website at doabledigitalmedia.com, or message me anytime at [email protected].

📬 Subscribe Now:

If you’re not subscribed to Oklahoma Memo, now’s the time to “get the Memo!”

Wake up to a round-up of the top news from all across Oklahoma, all in one spot.

Stay dry today—and If you wouldn’t mind doing so—tell a friend about the ‘Oklahoma Memo!’

🗣️ Story Tips, Ideas, Feedback

My inbox is always open. If you have a link I should add to the newsletter, a story that isn’t getting enough attention, a press release, a press event you’d like to invite me to—or you just want to offer some good old-fashioned feedback, I’m available to you.

My mission is to amplify quality journalism, rekindling the daily news habit!

Best way to reach me is via email at [email protected].