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In today’s Memo:

By Paul Monies, Oklahoma Watch
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Outbreaks of measles and whooping cough in Oklahoma have led to calls for greater transparency from the Oklahoma State Department of Health as the state stands alone in only sharing measles cases on a statewide basis. 

Infectious disease and public health experts said the timely sharing of cases with the public can help communities mitigate the spread of disease.

Dr. George Monks, a Tulsa dermatologist and former president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association, has been trying for months to get the state Health Department to share more data. He’s employed social media cajoling, open records requests and complaints to the attorney general’s public access counselor, to no avail. 

“This data is crucial for Oklahoma families to make informed decisions about their health, whether it be vaccine choice or avoiding high-risk areas,” Monks said. “Withholding that county-level measles data could delay the community response, especially since it is so contagious.” 

To date, Oklahoma has recorded 17 cases of measles in 2025. Nationally, the United States has had the highest number of measles cases in three decades. More than 800 of the 2,000 U.S. cases this year came in Texas back in the spring, although South Carolina is dealing with a current outbreak. 

Measles is a highly contagious, airborne virus with symptoms including rashes, high fevers, coughs, runny nose and red, watery eyes. The virus spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It can linger for up to two hours in a room after exposure.  

Monks first requested measles case data by county in March, along with agency communications with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about a measles outbreak in Oklahoma. The state Health Department provided some email correspondence with CDC, but it cited a section of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, in declining to release county measles data. Monks shared his requests and responses with Oklahoma Watch. 

In its Oct. 30 letter siding with the state Health Department, the attorney general’s office said the agency’s response was reasonable and noted its website has statistical information related to measles and potential public exposure. 

“Based on the information available to me at this time, I conclude that OSDH has a good-faith legal basis to deny access to the records sought by Dr. Monks,” wrote Anthony Sykes, the attorney general’s public access counselor. 

Oklahoma is the only state not providing measles cases by county or on a regional level, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. They published a study in September in JAMA, the journal of the American Medical Association, detailing their efforts to develop the U.S. Measles Tracker. 

Click here to read the full story.

By Zach Boblitt, Public Radio Tulsa
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“I'm finally able to feel at peace, and safe, and like I truly belong.”

Lisa Moss told Tulsa TV station KTUL those words after becoming the only person resentenced so far under the Oklahoma Survivors' Act.

Enacted in late 2024, the law allows domestic violence survivors to seek reduced sentences if abuse was a “substantial contributing factor” in the crime they committed.

Supporters hoped for more survivors to qualify. Instead, every applicant except Moss has been denied.

“I definitely expected to have a lot more people out by now,” attorney and Oklahoma Appleseed Executive Director Colleen McCarty said. “I think a lot of people did.”

McCarty said many denials hinge on how prosecutors and courts interpret the “substantial contributing factor” language in the statute.

“It doesn't have to be the one thing that caused you to do it,” she said. “I think there's some confusion around that. And I think there's confusion also around how you prove if something was a substantial contributing factor.”

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

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

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

• New Oklahoma law aims to spur voter turnout, save money by limiting number of yearly election dates (KOSU)

• Agency to pay nearly $500,000 to repair 6 Oklahoma bridges damaged by oversized load (Oklahoma Voice)

• Tulsa bride opens preserved wedding dress from 1992, finds it isn’t hers (News On 6)

• Controversial data center proposal in Coweta draws opposition ahead of council vote (Tulsa Flyer)

• Parking dispute near Tulsa elementary school sparks safety concerns for neighbors and parents (2 News Oklahoma)

• Muscogee Nation sues state of Oklahoma over hunting, fishing license dispute (Tulsa World)*

• Advocates: Oklahoma bill proposing restrictions on homeless shelter operations statewide misguided (Oklahoma Voice)

• These three sites east of downtown Tulsa could soon turn into affordable housing (Tulsa Flyer)

• OSBI increases reward for information about McCurtain County homicide (KXII)

• With 2 new rape counts filed, 7th continuance granted in sex offender’s cases (NonDoc)

• Police in Atoka County investigating cattle deaths (KXII)

• OK Bureau of Narcotics reports shocking statistics on Oklahoma’s marijuana trafficking (KFOR)

• Warrant issued for former Kay County inmate accused of smuggling phone in his buttocks (Kay News Cow)

• Recovery providers warn of red flags amid investigation at unlicensed Lexington rehab center (KOCO)

• Logan County Health Department finalizes deal for new location on Oklahoma Ave. (Guthrie News Page)

• How a living classroom teaches 4-year-olds how to combat climate change, preserve Chickasaw culture (KOSU)

• Oklahoma bill would let inmates earn good-time credits sooner while awaiting prison transfer (The Frontier)

• Kendrick Simpson is the first Oklahoman scheduled to be executed in 2026 (KOSU)

• Oklahoma Senators call for clemency for death row inmate (KGOU)

• University of Tulsa will no longer run Mayfest. City says the event will go on. (Tulsa Flyer)

• Oklahoma's longest-running drive-in movie theater to close. What to know. (The Oklahoman)*

• New industrial access road to enhance Wellston business for Route 66 centennial (KOCO)

• As need grows, Tulsa Animal Services pins hopes on new clinic set to open in 2026 (The Oklahoma Eagle)

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