BREAKING REPORT 🚨 Mass layoffs were reportedly planned at Tinker Air Force Base on Monday, according to a report from the website This Is Topeka and Broken Arrow Sentinel.

State Rep. Mickey Dollens (D-Oklahoma City) shared the report on X with his comments.

I’ll share more information and coverage on my ‘Oklahoma Memo’ Substack on Monday.

***

Here is the Oklahoma journalism I’ve hand-picked for you this Monday:

• State Rep. Fugate sues Oklahoma governor over return-to-office mandate

• Sen. Mullin defends Musk, President Trump over federal cuts

• Petition to have vote on Norman entertainment district ruled invalid

• Oklahoma baseball beats No. 2 Virginia to improve to 6-0

Weather Update ☀️

Beautiful week ahead in Oklahoma. The end.

Cooler air will arrive in Oklahoma next Sunday, but that currently appears to mean the upper 50s. We’ll take that!

🌡️ Monday high in OKC 71°
🌡️ Monday high in Tulsa 69°

1️⃣ Gov. Stitt sued over order for state employees to end remote work

An Oklahoma state representative from Del City has sued Gov. Kevin Stitt, claiming that his executive order directing remote state workers to return to the office is invalid.

Rep. Andy Fugate said Stitt’s order was invalid because it oversteps his authority as the head of the executive branch.

“This morning, we took legal action against this order because it violates the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches. Simply put, the governor doesn’t have that authority. State employees work for the people of Oklahoma. They don’t work for the governor,” Fugate said during a press conference on Friday.

KFOR journalist Dylan Brown posted it to X on Friday:

Fugate added that he filed the suit to clarify for future generations that “separation of powers exists and the governor needs to abide by it,” reports Emma Murphy with Oklahoma Voice.

See Also 👀

• ‘He’s acting like a king’: Lawmaker sues Oklahoma governor (Dylan Brown KFOR)

2️⃣ Sen. Mullin defends Trump, Musk over cuts — says “there has to be a reset”

U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) talked with Meet The Press host Kristin Welker on Sunday. One of the topics was federal cuts made this past week by Elon Musk with the support of President Donald Trump.

Welker cited a handful of articles, from News 9, The Oklahoman (paywall), and KOSU. She then asked Mullin his response to Oklahomans concerned about the cuts.

“Let’s go back and talk about their protests. The chair of the DNC, Ken Martin, openly admitted on MSNBC just yesterday that they were manufacturing these protests. They were bussing in armies to manufacture these protests.”

Welker pressed him to answer the question, and his response:

Regarding National Institute of Health funding: “The funding has been abused all across universities.”

Mullin alleges that 55% of money coming in for NIH research at the University of Oklahoma goes to overhead.

“There has to be a reset,” Mullin said.

Welker pressed him again to talk to the Oklahoma people about job losses associated with these cuts.

“I don’t want anybody to lose their job. That’s the last thing we want, but at the same time, any time you’re trying to secure this country...we have to make changes and we have to make it quickly,” he said.

The security issue Mullin referenced was the United States’ national debt.

Click here to hear see what Sen. Mullin had to say about Ukraine.

3️⃣ ICYMI: Petition to have vote on Norman entertainment district ruled invalid

A judge rules late Friday that a petition to bring an entertainment district to a vote of Norman residents was invalid.

The decision will be appealed, but OU Daily had this story covered and updated throughout the weekend. Click here for the latest.

See Also 👀

• Court rejects petition against Norman TIF (News 9)

• Norman TIF saga continues as judge blocks public vote (NonDoc)

• Plans for $1 billion Norman entertainment district to move forward following judge’s ruling (KOCO)

Oklahoma News Headlines 📰

• 2 Oklahoma City men die in Woodward County crash involving semi (KOCO)

• Oklahoma reaches agreement to expand state immigration enforcement (News 9)

• Education department seeks to buy Bible lessons for elementary school students (Oklahoma Watch)

• Join The Frontier for a celebration of 10 years of investigative journalism (The Frontier)

• Osage-owned sustainability company opens Pawhuska office (Osage News)

• Could Oklahoma schools start offering free 3-year-old pre-K? (StateImpact Oklahoma)

• A program in Oklahoma will pay residents to grow native plants (StateImpact Oklahoma)

Oil & Gas Headlines 🛢️

Freeze cuts Oklahoma oil and gas output by 35-40%
Frigid weather from February 19-21 has shut in about a third of state oil and natural gas production, amounting to cuts of approximately 150,000 b/d of crude and 2.5 Bcf/d of gas. (Argus Media)

Oklahoma rig count jumps by five to 49
Oil and gas drilling in Oklahoma saw a significant increase in the past week, bringing the total rig count to its highest level since May 2023. (OK Energy Today)

U.S. oil and gas rig count reaches highest level since June
Baker Hughes reports that the national rig count has risen, with Oklahoma adding five rigs to reach a total of 49. (Reuters)

Sports Headlines 🏀⚾

Oklahoma Sooners Baseball Remains Undefeated, Tops No. 7 Oregon State
No. 20/25 Oklahoma baseball improved to 5-0 on the season with an impressive 8-4 victory over No. 7 Oregon State at the Round Rock Classic on Saturday. The Sooners overcame an early 2-0 deficit, scoring four runs in the fourth inning to take the lead. Kyle Branch delivered a two-run single to tie the game, followed by Scott Mudler's go-ahead two-run homer. Easton Carmichael later added a two-run blast, his team-leading third of the season. (Heartland-Sports.com)

As of press time, the Sooners and No. 2 Virginia were tied 4-4 in the bottom of the 12th inning. SCRATCH THAT! Oklahoma just walked it off, winning 5-4. ⚾

Watch the winning run!

There was some very sad news Sunday. Oklahoma baseball coaching legend Enos Semore passed away at 93. From the article I’ve linked to: Semore coached Oklahoma from 1968-89 and finished with a record of 851-370-1 (.697). He led the Sooners to 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, including five consecutive College World Series trips from 1972-76, and directed OU to a program-record 62 wins in 1976. (SoonerSports)

OU Softball Continues Dominant Start to 2025 Season
The No. 2 ranked Oklahoma softball team maintained their perfect record, defeating Loyola Marymount 9-0 on February 8, 2025. The Sooners' offense exploded for five runs in the first inning and never looked back. Ella Parker and Cydney Sanders both hit home runs, while pitcher Nicole May delivered a strong performance in the circle5. Oklahoma improved to 5-0 on the season with the win. (SI.com)

Oklahoma City Thunder Set for Minnesota Timberwolves Matchup
The Oklahoma City Thunder are scheduled to face the Minnesota Timberwolves on February 23, 2025, at 8:30 PM CST at the Target Center. This game was only starting at the time I put the newsletter to bed.

UPDATE: Thunder win! 130-123

Cowboy Baseball Dominates Home Opener Against UT Arlington
Oklahoma State's baseball team put on an offensive showcase in their 2025 home opener at O'Brate Stadium, crushing UT Arlington 19-4. The Cowboys' bats came alive early and often, providing a strong start to their home campaign. (OKState.com)

No. 1 Oklahoma Gymnastics Claims Seventh Straight Metroplex Challenge Title
The top-ranked Sooners gymnastics team continued their dominance, securing their seventh consecutive Metroplex Challenge title with a score of 198.050. Jordan Bowers led the way, winning the all-around title with a 39.650 and nearly perfect 9.975 on floor. (SoonerSports)

Oklahoma State Softball Overpowers SIUE in Non-Conference Matchup
The Cowgirls softball team showcased their strength in a dominant performance against Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Oklahoma State's offense and pitching proved too much for SIUE to handle in the weekend contest. (SIUECougars.com)

ORU Baseball Suffers First Loss of 2025 Season
Oral Roberts University's baseball team experienced their first defeat of the 2025 season, falling 12-5 to Arizona State on February 22. The Sun Devils' offense proved too much for the Golden Eagles, despite strong performances from Jack Schark and Makani Tanaka, who combined for all five of ORU's RBIs. (ORU Athletics)

Oklahoma High School Wrestling Championships
The OSSAA Dual State Championships for high school wrestling took place on February 15, 2025. In the 3A division, Blackwell High School emerged victorious, defeating Marlow 53-18 in the championship match. The tournament showcased the strength of Oklahoma's high school wrestling programs. (flowrestling.org)

🗣️ 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].