Happy Friday, Oklahoma! We are heading into a holiday week, and I hope you’ve got some PTO coming. A quick reminder: ‘Oklahoma Memo’ will get published every day next week. There is no PTO for the news.

With that said, I may have been better off taking a sick day today. Whatever is going around has found me, and it’s brought about quite the physical malaise. But who needs urgent care or Teladoc when you have ChatGPT to guide you on the path to recovery?

Our big story today comes from Oklahoma Watch, reporting on elected officials pressing the state insurance commissioner to address insurance companies' use of credit scores to set rates, which critics say punishes the poor and unlucky.

StateImpact Oklahoma has more bad news (albeit somewhat better news) for mothers statewide, and Tulsa Flyer and Visit OKC have plenty of weekend ideas for you and the family.

Good golf, good tennis — or whatever makes you happy! - Marvin Zindler

Have a terrific weekend. Thank you so much for being a subscriber. Message me anytime at [email protected].

**

By JC Hallman, Oklahoma Watch
Click here to read the story.
Donate to Oklahoma Watch

In early October, the Oklahoma House and Senate mounted interim studies on skyrocketing homeowners’ insurance rates. Senate minority leader Julia Kirt, who organized the study in the upper chamber, said that more than a handful of insurance lobbyists had since approached her with nervous questions.

“I think there is unease that we’re exploring this,” Kirt said. “They’re watching.”

The lobbyists, Kirt said, wanted to know if there was a local or national group, either moneyed or nonprofit, pushing for reform. There wasn’t. Kirt’s efforts were driven by her constituents, who reached out to politicians and to the Oklahoma Insurance Department.

Kirt and Rep. Andy Fugate, D-Del City, who organized the House study, are each planning new law that can begin to address a statute that has been interpreted to mean the Oklahoma Insurance Department has no authority to challenge rates.

The same statute applies to auto insurance. Kirt and Fugate agreed that a top agenda item should be checking the ability of insurance companies to use credit ratings to determine auto insurance rates. A significant portion of those with poor credit have suffered from health crises or job losses, financial studies reveal — that is, events beyond their control. The result, Fugate said, is that an individual with poor credit and a perfect driving record can wind up paying more than an individual with several accidents but an 800 FICO score.

Kirt said she would like to see a profit cap on insurance companies. In addition, she said a Texas-style system of rate review, in which actuaries evaluate rate changes after they are put into use, would benefit Oklahoma consumers. Such reviews are prohibited in Oklahoma, but since 2021, actuaries have saved Texas consumers $131.7 million.

“I think we should be reviewing rates,” Kirt said.

Click here to finish the story.

Editor’s note: Links requiring subscriptions have an *.

By Jillian Taylor, StateImpact Oklahoma
Click here to read the story.
Donate to KGOU

Oklahoma mothers are experiencing fewer unexpected complications during their hospitalization for delivery. But those mothers and infants are still dying at higher rates than the national average, a new March of Dimes report found.

Oklahoma received a preterm birth grade of D in the nonprofit’s report, which found the state's rate remains at 11% of births. Babies born before 37 weeks may have more health problems or need to stay in the hospital longer than those born later. The state also received low marks in infant mortality, with more babies dying before their first birthday in this year’s report.

But some outcomes are improving. Although its maternal mortality rate is still higher than the national average of 23.5 per 100,000 births, it did lower from 29.6 in last year’s report to 27.3 per 100,000 births.

Oklahoma also ranked among the top 20 states with the lowest rates of severe maternal morbidity, which refers to unexpected outcomes of labor and delivery that can result in significant short- or long-term health consequences. Those can include increased medical costs and longer hospital stays. Oklahoma was 12th nationally.

“Some of those numbers for maternal data are actually promising for Oklahoma,” said Barbara O'Brien, director of the Oklahoma Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative. “We don't have very many health rankings that are not in the bottom 10.”

Click here to finish the story.

By Tulsa Flyer
Click here to read the story.
Donate to Tulsa Flyer

We’ve got the scoop on your weekend. Here’s the Flyer’s top five.

K-Pop Skate Night
7 to 9 p.m. Friday

Bring your photocards and lightsticks to seal the honmoon with other demon hunters at this themed skate night for “K-Pop Demon Hunters” at WeStreet Ice Center. Your mission: skate, trade and light up the rink.

Cranksgiving 2025
10 a.m. Saturday

It’s part bike race and part food drive — all for a good cause. This year’s ride benefits Food on the Move and Girl Scouts Beyond Bars. Take your shopping list, ride up to 20 miles and collect items. Be the first one back to the finish line with every item on your list and you’ll ride home with bragging rights, cash and prizes.

Grand opening of 66 Collective
11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday

Shop for the holidays and support local artists and vendors at the grand opening event for the latest retail creation from Mary Beth Babcock and friends. Enjoy live music and food as part of the festivities in the Meadow Gold District on Route 66. Go across the street to Meadow Gold Mack for Mack’s Book Bazaar. 

Lights On! in Bixby
5 p.m. Saturday

Kick off the Christmas season in downtown Bixby with live music and, of course, lights making Charley Young Event Park glow bright for the rest of the year.

Friendsgiving at Good Cause
5 to 9 p.m. Sunday 

Enjoy community, craft beer and good food. If you’d like to share a dish, that’s cool, but no pressure. The event page has a signup sheet for dishes.

👀 And click here to see what’s going on this weekend in Oklahoma City!

Editor’s note: Links requiring subscriptions have an *.

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

• Oklahoma mom sues Roblox, alleging platform enabled child predator abuse (The Oklahoman)*

• Lawyers file for injunction in classroom censorship case to include K-12 classrooms (KGOU)

• Oklahoma agency agrees to buy land in SW Oklahoma City for mental health hospital (Oklahoma Voice)

• Google officially announces new data centers in Muskogee area (Tulsa World)*

• ‘We didn’t do it right’: New Tulsa Housing Impact Fund looks to rectify affordable housing woes (NonDoc)

• Tribal, state leaders criticize removal of MMIP report from Justice Department website (Tulsa World)*

• Oklahoma City family mourns loss of toddler killed by family dog (KOCO)

• Police shoot and kill machete-wielding man in west OKC (Oklahoma City Free Press)

• Surveillance video captures suspect stabbing random man a dozen times because he was 'bored' (KOCO)

• Tishomingo seventh grader saves classmate from choking with Heimlich maneuver (KXII)

• As holiday season approaches, Tulsa police say to keep an eye out for these scams (The Oklahoma Eagle)

• 3 months since park attacks, no updates from Tulsa police (2 News Oklahoma)

• Keabreauna Boyd is the latest Oklahoman to file for resentencing under Survivors' Act (KOSU)

• Oklahoma Lt. Governor Matt Pinnell previews Route 66 centennial celebrations (KOSU)

• PSO’s plans to install gas units, battery storage system in Rogers County hit snag (KGOU)

• Tulsa’s reputation as hub for Hollywood shoots grows with ‘Road to Recovery’ film (Tulsa Flyer)

• Tulsa Community College launches first small business leadership academy for Spanish speakers (Tulsa Flyer)

• ‘Notable’ November warmth hits Tulsa, but not enough to break all the records (Tulsa Flyer)

• From steakhouse to Shake Shack, Oklahoma City welcomes slate of new restaurants this month (The Oklahoman)*

• Early Black Friday deals and store hours: What shoppers need to know (News On 6)

• Clint Howard to meet fans at Tulsa Horror Con (News On 6)

Clearing out and cool.

🌡️ Friday's high in OKC 67°
🌡️ Friday’s high in Tulsa 68°

Consider this your wake-up call.

Morning Brew}} is the free daily newsletter that powers you up with business news you’ll actually enjoy reading. It’s already trusted by over 4 million people who like their news with a bit more personality, pizazz — and a few games thrown in. Some even come for the crosswords and quizzes, but leave knowing more about the business world than they expected.

Quick, witty, and delivered first thing in the morning, Morning Brew takes less time to read than brewing your coffee — and gives your business brain the boost it needs to stay sharp and in the know.

Try Morning Brew for free

If you’re interested in partnering with Oklahoma Memo, reach out to me at [email protected]. We have ad spaces available in this newsletter, on social media and in our podcasts.

The ‘Oklahoma Memo’ mission is simple: Reignite the daily local news habit by connecting Oklahomans and those who love Oklahoma to quality sources of news and vetted information.

✅ Save you time.
✅ Make you smarter.
✅ Strengthen your community.

‘Oklahoma Memo’ is on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. There is also a YouTube channel — and it’s all growing day by day.

Message me anytime at [email protected].