Severe Storms Lab again on chopping block — and Oklahoma Supreme Court rules state income tax applies to tribes, too
This is your 5-minute round-up of Oklahoma news for July 2, 2025
What’s happening, Oklahoma? It is Wednesday, July 2, and it looks like somebody got a big pay day!
Just a week since winning the NBA championship as its Finals MVP, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander “agreed to a four-year, $285 million supermax contract extension with the team, league sources told ESPN on Tuesday.” That report flashed on my phone Tuesday morning from News 9.
SGA’s reward is the biggest no-brainer this side of whatever Patty Gasso makes.
Totally worth it.
We naturally like to see merit rewarded, and this city is still buzzing with what the Thunder accomplished.
It’s a party that’s going to last the rest of the year.
And he got paid on Canada Day to boot! 🇨🇦
Spread the word?
Thank you to all our newest ‘Oklahoma Memo’ subscribers! It’s been a remarkable week, and I’m ready to seize the momentum. If you really like the newsletter, would you be willing to tell a friend about it?
Maybe it’s for your Oklahoma friend who lives out of state and just needs a place to catch up on everything back home. Maybe you share it for that friend who is constantly sharing conspiracy theories online.
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.
Make it easy. Painless. Stress-free.
Fourth of July-related events
For a full list of Oklahoma events for this Fourth of July Independence Day week and weekend, click here for Monday’s ‘Memo.’
Contact ‘Oklahoma Memo’
Our email is news@oklahomamemo.com. Message us anytime.
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. We also now have a YouTube channel!
Weather Update ☁️
Wednesday, repeat Tuesday (pretty much). Cloudy and warm. Rain chances return Thursday.
🌡️ Wednesday's high in OKC 84°
🌡️ Wednesday’s high in Tulsa 87°
Latest NOAA budget plan would eliminate Severe Storms Lab, OU institute
By Chloe Bennett-Steele, StateImpact Oklahoma
Click to read the story.
Donate to KGOU.
The decades-old organizations would be effectively discontinued, while a fraction of funding would move to a separate office.
In Norman, scientists are working to significantly speed up tornado warnings while finding new paths to understanding deadly storms and protecting lives and property. A cooperative institute with more than 220 employees is studying ways to update weather radar facilities, investigate the dynamics of severe storms and more.
But the years-long research projects are at risk of termination under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) most recent budget estimate.
A document published Monday details the deep funding cuts to the nation’s leading weather and climate agency, which would result in the termination of the National Severe Storms Lab (NSSL) and the University of Oklahoma’s Cooperative Institute for Severe and High-Impact Weather Research and Operations (CIWRO).
StateImpact previously reported that the Trump administration sought to eliminate NOAA’s research arm, which includes the NSSL. The new budget is a detailed version of the passback document released in April. A request for comment from U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, went unanswered. U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin also did not respond.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Sen. James Lankford said he would continue to monitor the budget request during the appropriations process.
“Senator Lankford believes NOAA and the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman do essential work in early detection, forecasting and research,” the spokesperson said in an email.
The latest plan states that a fraction of NSSL research funds would be funneled to the National Weather Service. It’s unclear whether the weather service would use the money for continued research or to cover operational costs.
Two large research projects led by the NSSL would be terminated. The Warn-on-Forecast is creating a system to reduce tornado warning lead times, which are usually just a few minutes long. In 2024, the program resulted in a 75-minute lead for residents in Iowa.
The VORTEX USA project is a collaboration between meteorologists and social scientists to determine why tornadoes in the Southeast are more deadly than in other places. The program began in 2015, primarily developed by the NSSL.
“NOAA will evaluate options for supporting these specific activities within the NWS in the future,” the document reads.
Stitt praises Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling preserving taxes imposed on certain tribal members
By Barbara Hoberock, Oklahoma Voice
Click to read the story.
Donate to Oklahoma Voice.
OKLAHOMA CITY – Gov. Kevin Stitt on Tuesday praised a ruling by the Oklahoma Supreme Court that said the state can impose income taxes on tribal members living and working on a reservation.
Stitt called the 6-3 ruling a big win for the state.
“Tribal governments, liberal groups, and some elected officials have pushed for special tax exemptions that would create a two-tiered system – one set of rules for tribal citizens and another for everyone else,” Stitt said. “That’s wrong. It would divide our state and weaken the public services every family relies on.”
The case was closely watched because it could have expanded the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in McGirt to civil matters.
The McGirt ruling held that the state could not prosecute certain crimes committed by tribal members on the reservation.
“This ruling makes it clear that attempts to expand McGirt into civil and tax matters have no basis in the law,” Stitt said.
In its Tuesday ruling, the Oklahoma Supreme Court found that McGirt, decided in 2020, was narrowly limited to criminal jurisdiction under the Major Crimes Act.
“The United States Supreme Court’s declaration – 113 years after statehood – that nearly half of Oklahoma is a reservation is unprecedented,” the ruling said. “To date, the United States Supreme Court has not extended its ruling to McGirt beyond the Major Crimes Act. To date, the United States Supreme Court has not extended its ruling in McGirt to the State’s civil or taxing jurisdiction. And it is not this Court’s place to do so.”
Alicia Stroble had sought a tax exemption for years 2017, 2018, and 2019, saying she was exempt because she was a Muscogee (Creek) Nation member, worked for the tribe and lived on her tribes’ land.
The Muscogee Nation was disappointed by the ruling, said Principal Chief David W. Hill in a statement.
“Ever since the McGirt ruling, we have seen Oklahoma state courts go through legal gymnastics to come up with results that are not in compliance with federal law and that do not even follow pre-McGirt state court precedent on the limits of state authority in Indian country,” Hill said. “The Stroble ruling is another example of those antics.”
The tribe is reviewing the decision and preparing for its next steps, he said.
Michael D. Parks, the attorney representing Stroble, did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
See also 👀 Oklahoma Supreme Court issues Stroble tax decision (Mvskoke Media)
Ad: Would you like to get your business noticed in a future edition of the Oklahoma Memo?
65% open rate, with 260+ engaged subscribers and growing fast.
2,900+ TikTok followers, plus new audiences on Instagram & YouTube — all hungry for local stories.
📰 Basic Sponsor Package
✅ 1 ad placement in every Oklahoma Memo newsletter for 1 month
✅ Placement near the top or middle with publication endorsement
✅ Metrics report at the end (opens, clicks)
🎯 Sponsored Story Package
✅ Your business featured as a custom story in Oklahoma Memo
✅ Delivered to inboxes in one of our daily editions
✅ Also shared on TikTok, Instagram & YouTube for extra reach
This is a great way to tell your story, highlight what makes you unique, and connect with thousands of Oklahomans who care about local.
Another quick introduction:
My core business is called 'Doable Digital Media,' and I help businesses take advantage of best practices in the world of digital content and journalism to capture max attention on social at a fraction of agency price.
If you’re ready to make an investment in your business with an ad in ‘Oklahoma Memo’ — message me: ryan@doabledigitalmedia.com
The Oklahoma Rundown 📰
A hand-curated list of the best journalism from across the state:
• Tragic death of Disney assistant fire chief stuns community: 'It crushed him instantly' (News On 6)
• Get out! Oklahoma’s eviction timeline is one of the fastest in the nation (Oklahoma Watch)
• Ryan Walters faces new lawsuit over adding religion, 2020 election denial to classrooms (The Oklahoman)
• What’s in Oklahoma’s 100 new laws taking effect July 1? (News On 6)
• Voices that aren’t ours: A deepfake, democracy, and a dangerous wake-up call (Black Wall Street Times)
• Norman City Council swears in new mayor, council members (OU Daily)
• New lawsuit claims social studies standards violate Oklahomans’ religious freedoms (Oklahoma Voice)
• TSET sues Oklahoma leaders over new law it says threatens its independence (Oklahoma Voice)
• Oklahoma City police seek help finding man reportedly attacked and abducted (KOCO)
• OBN reports rise in cocaine confiscations and linked overdoses across Oklahoma (KSWO)
• Rescue & redemption: How dogs and inmates are saving each other at Granite Reformatory (News 9)
• Mayor Monroe Nichols explains fundraising texts that went out to some Tulsans (Tulsa World)
• Harrah bank heist lands Arkansas man in prison for 10 years (Oklahoma City Free Press)
• Report confirms financial mismanagement, validates mental health commissioner firing, leaders say (Tulsa World)
• Cheat sheet: Seminole Nation Chief Lewis Johnson faces 5 challengers (NonDoc)
• The Oklahoma Democratic party launches new state platform (KFOR)
• Oklahoma City launches new website and non-emergency reporting app (KFOR)
• June rains end drought in Oklahoma (Woodward News)
• Jalen Williams undergoes surgery on his injured wrist (KSWO)
• Langston University business grads excel nationally, score in 99th percentile on key exam (KTUL)
• A Eufaula woman dies after being struck by lightning (Fox 23)
• Chisholm brings Tilley back as interim superintendent (Enid News & Eagle)
🗣️ Story Tips, Ideas, Feedback
My inbox is always open. If you have a link I should add to the newsletter, a story that isn’t getting enough attention, a press release, a press event you’d like to invite me to—or you just want to offer some good old-fashioned feedback, I’m available to you.
Maybe you’re interested in sponsoring Oklahoma Memo?
The mission is to amplify quality journalism, rekindling the daily news habit!
Best way to reach me is via email at news@oklahomamemo.com.