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- U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon visits Oklahoma — and small-town police taking federal immigration role
U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon visits Oklahoma — and small-town police taking federal immigration role
This is your 5-minute round-up of Oklahoma news for August 20, 2025
Ryan Welton
August 20, 2025
What’s happening, Oklahoma? It is Wednesday, August 20, and I’m flying the ‘W’!
Chicago toppled Milwaukee on Tuesday night 4-1, sweeping a doubleheader from the Brewers at Wrigley Field.
It was my second time to visit Wrigley Field, and I’m struck again by how full of life and passion Cubs fans are, baseball and beyond. I’ve been to at least half of Major League Baseball stadiums, and there hasn’t been a crowd yet so filled with twentysomethings having a great time.
Every growing city should aspire to this kind of vibe, but I know the Northside is unique.
Periodically, at an Oklahoma City Comets game, I see it in action — and I need to get to a Drillers game. It’s been way too long. But I truly think Oklahoma City and Tulsa as metro destinations for young people is underrated, or at least there’s a ton of potential.
The Local Media Association conference (LMA Fest 2025) has been amazing. News publishers from across the country have come together to learn about technology and tactics that will help them serve their communities.
Heck, I learned something today, too.
One of my new friends told me that ‘Oklahoma Memo’ needed to be on Nextdoor, that it’s a tool growing in power on the news front. I don’t mean the rumor mill or misinformation front. He said news.
Do any of you use it a lot? Have you seen news on the platform?
I really appreciate your patience while I’m in Chicago. I’m learning a lot that I think I’ll be able to apply to this newsletter.
You can message me anytime at [email protected].
Weather Update ☀️
Cooler, if one can call low 90s “cooler.” The real deal comes next week!
🌡️ Wednesday's high in OKC 91°
🌡️ Wednesday’s high in Tulsa 92°
U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon visits OKC charter school, state Capitol
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, center, visits Dove Science Academy in Warr Acres with Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, right, and Dove Schools Superintendent Abidin Erez, left, on Tuesday. (PHOTO by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice)
By Nuria Martinez-Keel, Oklahoma Voice
Click here to read the story.
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OKLAHOMA CITY — U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon on Tuesday didn’t rule out a plan to end statewide standardized testing in Oklahoma during a local visit focused on limiting federal involvement in public education.
McMahon, whom President Donald Trump tasked with closing the U.S. Department of Education, said she’s “very happy to sit down with any state” to discuss new policy ideas.
“We want to give them the most flexibility that we can give them to operate within their state,” McMahon said while speaking with reporters at the state Capitol. “So, we’re happy to sit down in Oklahoma or other states that we’ve already sat down with to push those programs along.”
However, she said the proposal from state Superintendent Ryan Walters to replace statewide tests with a mixture of district-selected assessments still “has not gone through all the different steps that it needs” to gain federal approval.
Walters wasn’t present for McMahon’s visit despite being a vocal supporter of the Trump administration. She said meeting with him wasn’t on her schedule Tuesday.
Instead, McMahon joined Gov. Kevin Stitt and former House Speaker Charles McCall, now a gubernatorial candidate, for a tour of Dove Science Academy, a high-performing charter school with a new campus in Warr Acres. Once allies, Stitt and Walters have been publicly at odds with each other for the past six months.
Oklahoma's small-town police take federal immigration role
Sterling Police Chief Brad Alexander explains his decision to deputize officers at his department with immigration enforcement powers on Aug. 4, 2025, while sitting at a desk inside the police station in Comanche County. (PHOTO by Lionel Ramos, KOSU)
By Lionel Ramos, KOSU; Maria Guinnip, Oklahoma Watch
Click here to read the story.
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The number of people deported without a criminal history continues to rise in Oklahoma. But as local law enforcement leaders enter into new ICE agreements, they say they are trying to take a nuanced approach in line with their community needs.
In the small farming community of Sterling, a single-street town of 730 people, Police Chief Brad Alexander entered into a contract with ICE and deputized all seven of his full-time and reserve officers with the power to enforce federal immigration laws.
Also in Comanche County, just across the railroad tracks, Fletcher Police Chief Jason DeLonais entered into the same contract. But he’s hesitant to bestow federal powers on his officers, he said. Out of an abundance of caution and until he knows more, he alone is receiving training.
Across the state, just south of Muskogee, Eufaula Police Chief David Bryning signed the contract earlier this year, too. It has been gathering dust, sitting on the back corner of his desk, while he’s been meaning to cancel it.
Since President Trump took office in January, 16 municipal, county and state law enforcement agencies in Oklahoma have entered into agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Trump campaigned on conducting a historical mass deportation of unauthorized migrants leading up to his election. After Trump won, Gov. Kevin Stitt launched Operation Guardian, and state lawmakers began setting up a system to make it happen in Oklahoma.
As local police gain powers to make federal arrests and ICE gains more boots — and eyes — on the ground, local detentions continue to spike. And the agreements continue to gain popularity among law enforcement at every level for their mutually perceived benefits.
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The Oklahoma Rundown 📰
A hand-curated list of the best journalism from across the state:
• Crowdfunding campaign aims to deliver house to 1921 Race Massacre survivor (Public Radio Tulsa)
• Cost-cutting efforts target public health, labeling some programs as wasteful (The Frontier)
• Downed power lines knock out electricity for thousands across OKC (KOCO)
• Candidate Drummond criticizes state leaders, announces platform for education (Tulsa World)
• Suspect in deadly shooting at Enid hospital identified by state investigators (The Oklahoman)
• New cancer center in Norman celebrates grand opening, mission to serve more Oklahomans (KGOU)
• First Democrat enters race to become Oklahoma's next state superintendent (The Oklahoman)
• Former Oklahoma pastor accused of child sex crimes violated bond, arrested again until trial, DA says (KFOR)
• Oklahoma man sentenced to life for 2024 kidnapping, raping of Lyft driver (KFOR)
• Loved ones remember OTA worker, Vinita firefighter killed on Will Rogers Turnpike (News On 6)
• Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols announces creation of Office of Health and Well-Being (Tulsa World)
• Stitt event highlights 7 new laws he says promote Oklahoma as business-friendly (Tulsa World)
• Former Choctaw High School choir teacher sentenced to prison for sex crimes (The Oklahoman)
• Lawsuit filed against City of Norman concerning closed library (KFOR)
• Oklahoma is a ‘blueprint’ for biotechnology partnerships, federal commission says (Oklahoma Voice)
• Jenks City Council approves $55M development at 106th & Elm: What you need to know (News On 6)
• Central and Webster alumni spar with TPS Board over proposed mascot policy (The Oklahoma Eagle)
• Stillwater HOA sues construction companies over pond pollution (KOCO)
The ‘Oklahoma Memo’ mission is simple: Reignite the daily news habit by connecting Oklahomans and those who love Oklahoma to quality sources of news and vetted information.
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