Editor’s Note: In a couple of weeks, Oklahoma Memo will be headed to Europe with the Oklahoma Ambassadors of Music. Over there, we will sing for folks in Great Britain, France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. During that time, and even leading up to it, this newsletter will be slightly scaled back. Slightly.

During the trip, we’ll share photos and notes from the road.

Upon our return, we will scale up the newsletter and our newsletter promotion effort. If we happen to miss a day or two during the trip, know that it’s likely due to some kind of tech issue. All will be back to normal by June 26.

***

What’s happening, Oklahoma? It is May 27, and here are a handful of headlines before we get started:

•  The Oklahoma City Thunder got a huge win on the road in Minneapolis on Monday night, 128-126, over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Up 3-1, OKC has a chance to clinch a trip to the NBA Finals on Wednesday night at Paycom Center. Tip-off happens just after 7:30 p.m., and the game will be televised on ESPN. 💙🧡

• Oklahoma made it to the WCWS, aiming for the Sooners’ 5th-consecutive national championship. Softball’s biggest tournament happens in Oklahoma City, and The Oklahoman has broken down everything you need to know about this year’s eight teams. 🥎

• OU baseball is headed to the postseason, as a No. 2 seed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. OSU baseball is a No. 3, headed to Athens, Georgia. Sooners face Nebraska in their first game, and the Pokes get Duke. ⚾

• Dozens were hurt after a 53-year-old man drove a car into a group of pedestrians during a parade celebrating English Premier League champions Liverpool. (CNN)

• President Trump condemns Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s killings in Ukraine, saying his counterpart has “gone absolutely CRAZY.” (The New York Times)

• Stock futures up after President Trump announces extension on EU tariff. (CNBC)

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Weather Update ⛈️

Rain chances stick around. You can turn off your sprinklers for the time being. We may be in this pattern until end of week.

🌡️ Tuesday's high in OKC 73°
🌡️ Tuesday’s high in Tulsa 72°

Oklahoma Republicans Say the Fight for St. Isidore Isn’t Over

By Em Luetkemeyer, Oklahoma Watch
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A deadlocked Supreme Court blocked the creation of the nation’s first publicly funded religious charter school, but some lawmakers said this isn’t where the fight ends.

The court was split 4-4, with conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett recusing, allowing a ruling from the Oklahoma Supreme Court to stand. The case, Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond, split Republicans over the separation of church and state and religious freedom. It will also likely be a major issue in Oklahoma’s gubernatorial race next year.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, who has announced a run for governor, has been at the forefront of the opposition to the establishment of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, suing over it in 2023. Drummond said he feels “very relieved for our constitutional integrity” and is pleased about no further invasion into the boundary between church and state.

“My conservative colleagues fail to grasp that to rule otherwise would be exactly the criticism that we lay at the feet of liberal justices,” Drummond said. “We call them activist judges that rule from the bench and modify established law.”

Drummond said that in Oklahoma, there’s not a path forward for religious charter schools, as this ruling settled the matter. But a similar case from another state, with a school run by a different church, could result in a different court outcome. Justice Barrett did not say why she recused herself from the case, but CNN reported she had ties to several lawyers representing the school. The deadlock meant no precedent was set, and the Supreme Court could take up another case involving a religious charter school in the future, potentially without the same kind of conflict.

After the ruling, Drummond directed “condolences” on social media to Gov. Kevin Stitt and Ryan Walters, the superintendent of Oklahoma schools. Stitt and Walters have both voiced strong support for the school and filed amicus briefs to the Supreme Court. Walters is a rumored candidate for Oklahoma’s 2026 governor’s race as well, which would put him in a primary against Drummond.

Stitt called the ruling a nondecision.

Click to finish the story.

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Trump approves major disaster declaration for March Oklahoma wildfires

By Anna Pope, KOSU
Click to read the story.
Donate to KOSU.

President Donald Trump has approved a major disaster declaration in Oklahoma for historic wildfires and straight-line winds in mid-March. This means federal disaster assistance for recovery efforts is available for areas impacted.

Federal disaster assistance is available to the state of Oklahoma for the recovery efforts in areas where spring wildfires scorched thousands of acres.

In March, high winds and dry conditions sparked dozens of wildfires across the state.

As fires roared, about 530 structures were destroyed, four people died and about 200 people sustained injuries related to fires and high winds, according to the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.

The declaration opens funding for people affected by the wildfires from March 14-21 in Cleveland, Creek, Lincoln, Logan, Oklahoma, Pawnee and Payne counties. Assistance can include temporary housing grants, low-interest loans and other programs to help homes and businesses recover.

Gov. Kevin Stitt requested federal disaster aid on March 21 after he declared a state of emergency. The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that disaster assistance funding is available today.

The Oklahoma Rundown 📰

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

• Vehicle swept away in floodwaters after bypassing barricades, occupants rescued (KTUL)

• Labor Commissioner Leslie Osborn: State budget deal means we are satisfied with being last (Tulsa World)

• Oklahoma counties with more marijuana grows saw property values surge, study finds (The Frontier)

• Police ask for public's help finding suspect who tried fleeing state after deadly OKC stabbing (KOCO)

• Eight decades after dying in Pearl Harbor attack, USS Oklahoma sailor gets Arlington farewell (Oklahoma Voice)

• Flash flooding reported across southern Oklahoma (KTEN)

• Police respond to shooting in Midwest City neighborhood (KOCO)

• Flooding forces Atoka County residents to vacate premises (KXII)

• Oklahoma’s Pending Purchase of Lawton Prison Brings Hope of Reduced Violence (Oklahoma Watch)

• Oklahoma lawmakers have until end of week to override Gov. Stitt's vetoes (KOCO)

• CrossFit gyms honor fallen soldiers through 'Murph' workout (News On 6)

• Oklahoma teen earns private pilot license before high school graduation (News 9)

• ODOT asks drivers to avoid Highway 80 in Cherokee County due to a rock slide (Fox 23)

• Law enforcement searching for Beavers Bend Tiki Tour thieves (McCurtain County Gazette)

• Representative, rancher, publisher: Oklahoman Larry Ferguson to lie in state Tuesday (The Oklahoman)

• Oklahoma National Guard Museum hosts final Memorial Day event before moving (KOCO)

• Lisa J. Billy new Oklahoma Highway Commissioner (Purcell Register)

• Edmond house fire may have been caused by lightning strike (KFOR)

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