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Tuesday, March 17, 2026 • Much warmer but windy. Mid-60s. 💨
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! ☘️
By Brianna Bailey, The Frontier
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Thatcher Rupert, a 20-year-old seaman stationed at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, died by suicide in December 2025. (PROVIDED, courtesy The Frontier)
Military officials confirmed six members of the Navy’s Strategic Communications Wing 1 at Tinker died by suicide in 2025 in response to The Frontier’s questions.
“We mourn the loss of our shipmates and friends. Our sincerest condolences are with the sailors’ families, friends, and shipmates during this extremely difficult time,” the Navy and Tinker Air Force Base said in a statement. “Grief counseling services and support are available through the chain of command and the command chaplain.”
Editor’s note: This story mentions suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, call 988 to reach the state’s mental health lifeline. Service members can press 1 to reach the Military Crisis Line.
The Frontier wants to talk to anyone with information about the recent deaths or access to mental health care at Tinker. Contact Brianna Bailey at 949-439-4855 or [email protected].
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The Oklahoma Rundown 📰
Editor’s note: Links requiring subscriptions have an *.
A hand-curated list of the best journalism from across the state:
• Enid high school student's ICE detention sparks protest (The Oklahoman)*
• George Kaiser dethrones Harold Hamm as richest Oklahoman. See Forbes 2026 list (The Oklahoman)*
• 'God is always awesome': Viral TikTok helps Oklahoma family on verge of homelessness (KOCO)
• How childhood reading became Oklahoma’s top policy focus (Oklahoma Voice)
• Oklahoma officials announce candidacy for Congressional seats in wake of Mullin DHS nomination (Oklahoma Voice)
• Study finds rural long-term care facilities have over $1.8 billion economic impact in Oklahoma (KGOU)
• Fertilizer prices surge amid war on Iran, causing concern for Oklahoma farmers (KGOU)
• Councilor Bush not planning to recuse herself from data center policy decisions (Tulsa World)*
• Rideshare with rotors? Flying taxis and delivery services could be seen in Oklahoma (KOCO)
• Bixby bridge legislation passes Oklahoma House of Representatives (Tulsa World)*
• New short film in Duncan shines light on history of Henderson-Harris Cemetery (KSWO)
• Tulsa has a citywide sidewalk shortage. Residents say it’s time for that to change. (Tulsa Flyer)
• Who can own big cats in America? Fatal tiger attack draws scrutiny to federal rules (KOSU)
New Oklahoma law requires fentanyl abuse education for middle, high school students
By Sierra Pfeifer, KOSU
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Rep. Ronny Johns points to the parents, Karla Carlock and Joe Young, who helped inspire his bill to require education about fentanyl in schools. (Courtesy, KOSU)
Education about fentanyl abuse will soon be required for middle and high school students in all Oklahoma school districts.
House Bill 1484 added new areas of focus, including instruction about the opioid fentanyl, to existing drug education requirements in Oklahoma schools.
The new statute directs the State Department of Education to identify and adopt curriculum standards for the instruction, which will be incorporated into the appropriate health standards for 6th through 12th grades. A spokesperson for the department said lessons are currently under review and will be publicly available soon.
The law is named after Rain Reece, a 19-year-old from Lawton who died in 2023. Reece died after taking a counterfeit anxiety pill laced with a dangerous amount of fentanyl, which spurred her mother, Karla Carlock, into advocacy.
“Losing a child is like the worst pain in the world,” Carlock said. “I just don't think anything can ever prepare your heart for this kind of pain.”
Oklahoma Memo
A daily briefing connecting Oklahomans to the state’s best journalism — and original content from Oklahoma Memo. Got a news tip? Somebody I need to interview? Message me at [email protected].