Tuesday, May 12, 2026 • Getting warmer. Sunny and lower 80s. ☀️

Thunder wins Best-of-7 series 4-0.
Top scorer: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, 35 points.
What’s next? OKC plays the winner between Minnesota and San Antonio in the NBA’s Western Conference Finals.

By Raynee Howell, Oklahoma Watch
👉 Click here to support this newsroom

Brent Rendel grabbed an ink pen, signed the back of the check he received from the Farmer Bridge Assistance program and took it straight to the bank to put the payment toward loans.

The third-generation family-farm owner from Miami, Oklahoma, said all the farmers he knows who received a check did the same.

The $12 billion Farmer Bridge Assistance program, announced by the Trump administration in December, was a one-time payment to help farmers recover from high input costs and global trade disruptions, including the trade war with China, during the 2025 crop year.

The Farm Service Agency under the United States Department of Agriculture provided up to $155,000 to each producer. Rendel was one of the farmers who applied and received aid.

“Whenever you get an influx of cash like that, it really just replaces income that I was expecting,” Rendel said. “(It) was applied to the loans that were needed to cover the expenses or the lack of income. In that aspect, it helped me keep going. You’ll see some media reports of farmers getting six-figure incomes from government checks. Well, I can assure you, it’s not like we get these checks and are like ‘OK, let’s go to Tahiti.”

The assistance program helped farmers like Rendel stay afloat, but profits remained low as farmers continuously faced mounting financial pressures from trade disruptions with China, rising production costs, restrictive tariffs and instability from the Iran conflict.

Since 2022, soybean farmers in the Prairie Gateway, a United States Department of Agriculture region that includes Oklahoma, have consistently seen negative returns. In 2024, returns were about -$70 per planted acre.

👉 Click here to read the rest of the story

News doesn’t take weekends off, neither should your portfolio. What about when the S&P moves 3% during your commute?

Liquid allows anyone to trade stocks, commodities, FX, pre-IPO companies, crypto, and more with up to 100X leverage, 24/7, from your phone or computer.

Any Market - Trade everything from Gold to Bitcoin, OpenAI to Nvidia, SK Hynix to JPY.

Anywhere - Liquid is available on iOS, Android, and desktop platforms, letting you trade from the subway, your office, and maybe even the bathroom.

Any Time - Liquid markets are open 24/7; so when an unprecedented event happens on Saturday, you can stay on top of your portfolio.

Active traders qualify for rewards each month!

Start trading in minutes

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

Here’s what’s happening in Oklahoma today:

• Temu accused of illegally collecting personal data in Oklahoma lawsuit (The Oklahoman)*

• Tulsans react to prices as President Trump suggests suspending federal gas tax (2 News Oklahoma)

• DA Vicki Behenna, Sheriff Tommie Johnson spar over OK County Jail transportation issue (NonDoc)

• 79 Oklahoma County inmates not in court Monday as staffing standoff leaves no one to pick them up (KOCO)

• Paycom CEO Chad Richison donates to OETA after Gov. Kevin Stitt's veto (The Oklahoman)*

• PSO plans $1.2B investment in energy generation, storage capacity (Tulsa World)*

• Ardmore Main St. hits $70 million in private reinvestments (KTEN)

• University, state leaders announce five-year initiative to recruit 200 top researchers (OU Daily)

• Second deadly crash at Lake Overholser in weeks sparks renewed calls for safety changes (KOCO)

• Tulsa man remains in hospital after being attacked with machete at Tulsa Farmers Market (News On 6)

• Oklahoma principal who tackled gunman says “there was no denying” sound of gunshots (News 9)

• Former Thunder, OSU Cowboys player Desmond Mason arrested in Oklahoma City (News 9)

• What you can and can’t vote for in the June 16 Oklahoma primaries (Tulsa Flyer)

• Fire at HF Sinclair refinery: Tulsa Fire Department assistance not needed, spokesman says (Tulsa World)*

• Motorcyclist dies after SUV causes crash near 46th and Sheridan, Tulsa Police say (Tulsa World)*

• OKC charter school takes another step toward closure after lengthy hearing (Oklahoma Voice)

• National lifeguard shortage could impact summer hours at Ardmore Community Water Park (KXII)

💰 Advertise: Let’s collaborate on content for your business! $200 per ad placement. Headline, photo, blurb (50-100 words), link back to you. More services available. Message me at [email protected].

Tip jar or monthly support: @Ryan-Oklahoma-Memo

News tips and reader comments: [email protected]