The Tuesday edition of Oklahoma Memo is brought to you by Bigbie Insurance & Benefits. Learn more about our sponsor at the bottom of today’s newsletter.

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Today is Veterans Day, the day we honor everybody who’s worn the uniform — including my father (Army) and grandfather (Marines), my wife’s father (Army) and stepfather (Coast Guard). KOCO has a list of Veterans Day events happening in Oklahoma City, and Fox 23 in Tulsa has a list of great deals for veterans. The Tulsa Veterans Day Parade gets going at 11 a.m. on East 6th, but there are plenty of pre- and post-parade activities listed here.

To everybody who serves or who has served: Thank you so much.

We lead the newsletter with a story from Nuria Martinez-Keel at Oklahoma Voice about a vehicle Ryan Walters allegedly used for personal use that was not registered to him.

Our second story is from Oklahoma Watch about the impact of uncertainty around SNAP benefits on tribes, but there was SNAP-related breaking news on Monday night. News 9 reports that the state Department of Human Services has been approved to distribute partial benefits, money that should hit SNAP accounts within 24 hours.

Warmer today, but windy at times. Have a terrific Tuesday!

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By Nuria Martinez-Keel, Oklahoma Voice
Click here to read the story.
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OKLAHOMA CITY — Current and former Oklahoma State Department of Education officials refuse to discuss who has been driving a state-owned vehicle that traveled frequently to country clubs, visited Texas, parked at stores at odd hours and consistently returned to former state Superintendent Ryan Walters’ home address.

The vehicle, a Chevrolet Suburban, was issued to Joseph Porter, an assistant in Walters’ administration who still works at the Education Department, state records show. Despite the vehicle being listed under Porter’s name, Oklahoma Voice’s analysis of state vehicle tracking data shows the SUV returned to Walters’ home in Edmond more times than any other location in 2025, leaving from there most mornings, returning at midday and regularly parking there overnight.

State-owned vehicles track every address where they stop, the length of each drive, and the time of departure and arrival, but the logs don’t contain information about the purpose of each stop — nor who was driving. Oklahoma law requires state employees to use taxpayer-funded vehicles only for their official duties.

Walters, a Republican who resigned on Sept. 30 to lead an anti-teacher-union nonprofit, said in an interview with Oklahoma Voice that multiple people used the Suburban for official agency work, but he said he didn’t want to discuss specifics. He declined to say whether he personally drove the car. 

“It would have depended on what was going on, where things were headed. So, it just depends,” Walters said. “It would depend on what the particular day (was), what the event was, where we were headed.”

Location records show the vehicle’s travel abruptly stopped after he left office.

Click here to finish the story.

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

By Adora Brown, Oklahoma Watch
Click here to read the story.
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As appropriations for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’s funding remains uncertain because of the government shutdown, Native American tribes across the U.S. have been forced to step in with emergency funds to support families who rely on the federal aid.

It’s a demographic that relies heavily on SNAP, which provides food assistance for approximately 42 million Americans. According to the Economic Policy Institute, 23% of American Indian and Alaska Native households used SNAP benefits in 2023 — nearly double the national average.

And tribal advocates and representatives have warned lawmakers of the risk the government shutdown poses to their communities, including the lapses in funding to SNAP, Head Start and WIC, the Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.

“Most tribes are taking care of their tribal members. It’s just that they’re taking on a lot of expense at this point,” Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin said.

Click here to finish the story.

By Ryan Welton, Oklahoma Memo
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The Oklahoma Sooners enter Saturday’s matchup against Alabama knowing it’s not technically a “must-win” — but it’s close. After key SEC results over the weekend, including Alabama’s 20-9 win over LSU and Texas A&M’s 38-17 win over Missouri, Oklahoma’s playoff path remains alive and, dare we say, achievable?

“It’s basically a playoff week,” Ryan Welton said during this week’s Oklahoma Memo Sports conversation. “An Alabama victory, or at least showing up and looking pretty decent against the Crimson Tide, could be the ticket to the Sooners getting to the College Football Playoff.”

Jeremy Cook (the Cowboys half of Bedlam Buds) agreed the stakes couldn’t be higher.

“It is a must-win if they want to keep that hope alive,” he said, noting that the committee weighs recent performance more than season-long consistency. With losses to Mississippi and Texas, Oklahoma’s margin for error has vanished. While the Sooners’ odds of reaching the SEC Championship are pretty much zero, winning out could still land them in the expanded 12-team playoff.

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

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

• As Congress moves toward reopening the government, Oklahomans' demand for food assistance continues (KOSU)

• Flight issues increase at OKC Will Rogers Airport due to FAA cuts (KOCO)

• Operation SAFE has moved from Tulsa to Oklahoma City. Here's how they compare, differ (KOSU)

• Trump’s immigration push transforms outreach, operations for Tulsa groups (Tulsa Flyer)

• Death penalty policies in states like Oklahoma are heading in sharply different directions (Oklahoma Voice)

• She wrote a book about scandals in the rehab system. It all started in an Oklahoma court file. (Tulsa Flyer)

• ‘Staggering’ economic impact expected in Muskogee with plans for Google data center campus (The Oklahoman)*

• Mayor Monroe Nichols: To win the next decade, Tulsa must choose to invest (Tulsa World)*

• Jewish charter school could reignite Oklahoma legal fight (Oklahoma Voice)

• City of Guthrie partners with Meridian Technology Center on new police, fire training facility (Guthrie News Page)

• Oklahoma soybean farmers among trade war casualties (NonDoc)

• Shake Shack sets opening date for first Oklahoma restaurant at OAK in northwest OKC (The Oklahoman)*

• Waffle House stabbing victim fights for life four months after brawl arrest (News 9)

• Oklahoma small business takes on Buc-ee’s; claims its logo is not trademark infringement (KFOR)

• Man sentenced for homicide of Pontotoc County couple, Oklahoma County woman (KXII)

• OSBI investigating officer-involved shooting in McAlester (KSWO)

• Here are the winners for the first Oklahoma Latin American Film Fest (Oklahoma City Free Press)

• 'It's extremely rewarding': Tulsa Police begins Random Acts of Kindness initiative (KJRH)

Warmer but windy at times.

🌡️ Tuesday's high in OKC 72°
🌡️ Tuesday’s high in Tulsa 69°

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