Good morning, Oklahoma! What a beautiful day it was on Monday.

We do have some breaking news. News 9 sent the alert Monday night.

The Oklahoma Supreme Court has ordered state officials to halt efforts to purchase thousands of Bibles for public school classrooms, ruling Monday that the bidding process for the plan must stop. (News 9)

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Tuesday will mark five years since what many remember as the start of the COVID-19 pandemic: an Oklahoma City-Utah NBA game was halted before it ever started because somebody had tested positive for COVID-19.

Watch this look back from ESPN on the day that changed sports.

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Here is the Oklahoma journalism I’ve hand-picked (or put together) for you this Tuesday:

• Ryan Walters promotes what he calls an alternative to “woke teachers unions”

• Oklahoma Attorney General’s office secures $2 million in grants for crime and victim services

• Judges raised concerns about potential civil rights violations at the Cleveland County Detention Center (The Frontier)

• OU alums, professors reflect on Sigma Alpha Epsilon incident, past 10 years of student activism (OU Daily)

• Jokic’s 35 leads Denver past Oklahoma in second night of back-to-back

Weather Update ☀️

A beautiful week is just getting started! There is some weather talk about a big storm system on Friday that could bring severe weather to parts of the country, but for Oklahoma, it could mostly mean REALLY strong winds.

Remember these two words: bomb cyclone. It’s going to impact the entire country.

🌡️ Tuesday high in OKC 74°
🌡️ Tuesday high in Tulsa 78°

If you have weather photos you’d like to share with ‘Oklahoma Memo,’ email them to [email protected]!

1️⃣ Ryan Walters promotes what he calls an alternative to “woke teachers unions”

An organization that opposes unions has created a group that Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters touted Monday as an alternative to teachers’ unions.

The organization is called Freedom Foundation, and the organization is called the Teacher Freedom Alliance. They call themselves a “non-union alternative for educators.”

More Education 👀

• State Supt. Ryan Walters promotes new alternative to 'far left-leaning teachers' unions' (Fox 25)

• Montessori charter school approved for northeast Oklahoma City (Oklahoma Voice)

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2️⃣ Oklahoma Attorney General’s office secures $2 million in grants for crime and victim services

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office has received more than $2 million in federal grants to strengthen law enforcement investigations and enhance victim services, Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced Monday.

A $500,000 grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance will establish a Cold Case Unit to assist in prosecuting unresolved violent crimes statewide. The funding will support staffing for three years, including a full-time agent, a part-time agent, and a criminal intelligence analyst. Oklahoma currently has 3,838 unmatched forensic DNA profiles in the Combined DNA Index System. The new unit will inventory cold cases with existing DNA evidence, conduct investigations, provide court testimony, and submit suspect DNA for further testing.

The office also secured a $300,482 grant to upgrade the Digital Forensics Unit, which helps analyze electronic evidence for prosecutions. As one of only two fully equipped digital forensics labs in Oklahoma, the unit assists 29 law enforcement entities and has seen its caseload more than double since its creation last year. The funding will be used to enhance processing speed and capacity.

To improve domestic violence prevention, the Victim Services Unit will receive two grants to expand the Oklahoma Lethality Assessment Protocol (LAP), a tool used by law enforcement to identify and assist victims at high risk of homicide. A $994,032 grant from the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women will fund two LAP training coordinators to lead a statewide training initiative. An additional $227,339 DOJ grant, administered by the Oklahoma District Attorneys Council, will support a third coordinator to assist with training and implementation. The program will also develop a digital database to streamline victim referrals.

Drummond said the grants will improve services for law enforcement, prosecutors, and victims of domestic violence.

"I am grateful this funding will enhance the services my office is able to provide to other law enforcement agencies, to prosecutors, and to victims of domestic violence," Drummond said.

3️⃣ Judges raised concerns about potential civil rights violations at the Cleveland County Detention Center

By Brianna Bailey
Click here to read the story.

One attorney waited to see his clients at the Cleveland County Detention Center in Norman for more than three hours before finally giving up. And there were reports of detainees being denied access to health care and clean clothing, according to emails The Frontier obtained through an open records request. 

Two Cleveland County judges have raised concerns about potential civil rights violations at the jail, the emails show.  

(Click the link to find out what Cleveland County Sheriff Chris Amason had to say.)

4️⃣ OU alums, professors reflect on Sigma Alpha Epsilon incident, past 10 years of student activism

By Anusha Fathepure, Ismael Lele, Ana Barboza
Click here to read the story.

From OU Daily editor: This story is a part of a commemorative series marking 10 years since a video showing members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter at OU singing a chant with a racial slur went viral. The video sparked protests across campus and placed OU and race relations on college campuses under a national spotlight. Several stories commemorating this milestone will be published the week of March 10, the day protests took place in front of the SAE house while members of the newly banned fraternity moved out. 

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Oklahoma News Headlines 📰

• Bill would make it more difficult for Oklahomans to get issues on the ballot, critics say (Oklahoma Voice)

• Identity of man shot and killed outside Guthrie restaurant released (KOCO)

• Norman Police investigate death of OU rugby player (News 9)

• After confronting student about name calling, Edmond city attorney disciplined by EPS (NonDoc)

• Tinker Air Force Base conducting active shooter and tornado exercises this week (KOCO)

• No easy pavement plan: How bad are Edmond streets? How good? Can the city shoulder fixes? (The Oklahoman, paywall)

• USS Batfish, Muskogee war museum to move to new home as part of $28 million plan (Tulsa World, paywall)

• 39-year-old woman killed in crash with charter bus (Fox 23)

• Family asks for help after city worker killed while commuting on bicycle (2 News Oklahoma)

• Broken Arrow Schools address bus altercation (News On 6)

• Tulsa judge rules Sperry students can be charged as adults in rape case (KTUL)

• Antlers woman, 65, killed in highway crash (KTEN)

• Water outage planned for parts of Durant Wednesday (KXII)

• Edmond archaeological exhibit showcasing Biblical history of the Levant (News 9)

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Sports Headlines 🏀⚾

Jokic’s 35 leads Denver past Oklahoma City in second night of back-to-back

After getting torched by Oklahoma City just a night earlier, the Denver Nuggets flipped the script on Monday, outgunning the Thunder 140-127 behind a dominant effort from Nikola Jokić. The three-time MVP stuffed the stat sheet with 35 points, 18 rebounds, and eight assists, controlling the game from start to finish.

Jamal Murray provided a big boost with 34 points, helping Denver shake off Sunday’s 24-point loss in OKC.

Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA’s leading scorer and a serious MVP contender, couldn't replicate his previous night's 40-point explosion. He settled for 25 as the Thunder ran out of gas in the rematch.

Get the recap, box score from the Thunder.

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• Cowboy wrestling wins Big 12 championship (OKState)

• Norman’s own Christopher Bell wins third-straight NASCAR race (ESPN)

• Fears selected all-SEC freshman (SoonerSports)

• Oklahoma Wesleyan prepares for 12th straight NAIA tournament (News On 6)

• Oklahoma 6A-3A high school basketball scoreboard (The Oklahoman, paywall)

🗣️ Story Tips, Ideas, Feedback

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

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