NBA Finals | Thursday
Game 1: Pacers at Thunder
7:30 p.m., ABC

What’s happening, Oklahoma? It is Thursday, June 5, and we start with a trip bringing a taste of America — and more specifically Oklahoma — to Europe through music.

Roughly 200 Oklahomans headed to Europe to share music and Sooner State pride

A group of nearly 200 Oklahomans is heading to Europe this month as part of the Oklahoma Ambassadors of Music (OAM) program — a multi-country tour that takes students and their families to London, Paris, Crans-Montana (Switzerland), Rothenburg (Germany), and Salzburg (Austria).

Editor’s note: My stepdaughter and I are part of the choir. Along with her mother (my wife), we’re headed to Europe with this group — and we’re incredibly excited.

The tour includes a concert band, jazz band, and choir, made up of student performers, teachers, and parents from across Oklahoma. While overseas, these groups will perform in some of the world’s most iconic churches and take part in local cultural celebrations.

Before departing, the ensembles gathered for four days at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, learning and rehearsing more than an hour of music per group. The schedule ran from Sunday afternoon through late Tuesday night — long, intense days that resulted in some truly joyful music.

This tour is a powerful example of the talent and dedication of Oklahoma’s music educators and students. They’ll be representing the Sooner State with pride, and I’ll do my part to keep Oklahoma Memo going strong while we’re on the road.

👉 Follow along on Instagram at @ryanweltondigital and @oklamemo for updates from the tour. You can also follow the official OAM page here.

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Weather Update ⛈️

Storms return late Thursday, and storm chances continue for several days.

🌡️ Thursday's high in OKC 80°
🌡️ Thursday’s high in Tulsa 80°

Listen Frontier: Polling shows Gentner Drummond with a large lead over fellow Republicans in the 2026 race for governor

By Dylan Goforth, The Frontier
Click to listen.
Donate to The Frontier.

Gentner Drummond. Ryan Walters. Matt Pinnell. 

A year out from the 2026 primary elections, those three names have emerged as leaders to be Oklahoma’s next Republican candidate for governor. The catch? Only one of them has officially declared their candidacy.

Drummond, Oklahoma’s Attorney General, has a large -— though not insurmountable lead — according to polling released Wednesday by Sooner Survey, which asked 500 registered Republican voters in Oklahoma about their thoughts on likely GOP candidates for governor. Walters, Oklahoma’s state schools superintendent, and Pinnell, the lieutenant governor, lag behind Drummond. 

The poll had a 4.3% margin of error.

The data appears to show Drummond and Walters headed for a showdown. Though Walters has not officially declared his candidacy for governor, he’s long been rumored as a candidate and he seems to have the inside track on becoming Drummond’s top challenger.

Walters is a polarizing candidate. His 37% favorability among those polled is second only Drummond’s 53%. But Walters’ unfavorability is also at 37%, 20 points higher than Drummond. Of those polled, 33% said they would “definitely” vote against Walters in a primary election, while only 15% of respondents said they would “definitely” vote for him. Walters did better with men, rural voters and self-declared “Trump Republicans,” while he did worse with women, urban voters and “traditional Republicans.” 

Pinnell, who also has not declared his candidacy for governor, and House Speaker Charles McCall are placed in third and fourth place in the poll. When asked who they would vote for if the election were held today, 10% of respondents chose Pinnell, compared to 12% for Walters and 39% for Drummond. McCall received only 5% of the tally. 

Click to read the rest of the story — and listen to the podcast.

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Mercer Advisors expands to Oklahoma City by joining Full Sail Capital

DENVER, June 3, 2025 – Mercer Global Advisors has joined with Full Sail Capital, a financial firm based in Oklahoma City that manages $2 billion in assets. This is Mercer’s second deal in Oklahoma and brings their total assets in Oklahoma and Texas to over $7 billion.

Full Sail serves more than 600 families and offers services like financial planning, investment management, and estate planning. The firm is led by David Stanley, Scott Cravens, and Zac Reynolds.

Learn more from Mercer Advisors.

The Oklahoma Rundown 📰

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

• Tulsa Trump rally protester gets $700k, says fight 'is not over for our country' (2 News Oklahoma)

• This award-winning restaurant in OKC is closing its doors — but it's not gone for good (The Oklahoman)

• Bill allowing Oklahomans to point weapons while defending property becomes law (Fox 23)

• Southern Living named this OKC restaurant to its 20 Best New Restaurants in the South list (The Oklahoman)

• Christian School’s Runoff Email Sparks Debate Over Partisan Lines (Oklahoma Watch)

• Oklahoma governor apologizes for disparaging remarks, celebrates session victories (Oklahoma Voice)

• Fate of Oklahoma-Texas Heartland Flyer uncertain (Oklahoma Voice)

• PSO monthly bills to rise with regulatory approval of power plant purchase (KGOU)

• Data Center planned for north Tulsa County on 500-acre pasture rezoned for industrial use (News On 6)

• HD 97 debate: Candidates differ on development bill, Oklahoma County Jail funding intervention (NonDoc)

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