Oklahoma Braces For 'Extreme' Fire Weather Conditions
Oklahoma’s current weather has all the ingredients for dangerous conditions and wildfires.
The National Weather Service has issued high wind and red flag warnings to go into effect at 7 a.m. Friday.
Fire weather happens when temperatures are warm, humidity is low and winds are blowing. That gives fires the fuel to start and the means to spread.
Those conditions have been taking hold this week, building to what the Oklahoma Forestry Service calls “ominous fire weather” for Friday.
The fire danger is rated extreme for western and central Oklahoma. Eastern Oklahoma’s rating is a little better, but it’s still critical. Wildfire risks will remain elevated throughout the weekend.
The Oklahoma Forestry Service urges people to avoid any activities that could spark a wildfire and asks folks to report any fires they see by calling 911.
Governor Stitt Reports DOGE Oklahoma Savings Of Nearly $1.2 Million
Gov. Kevin Stitt said his DOGE Oklahoma team met for the first time Wednesday.
The governor said action to save millions in wasteful government spending is officially underway.
Stitt said he’s proud of DOGE OK's "wins."
They include replacing state procurement staff at the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, or OMES, with a new AI software to stop what Stitt called 'rogue purchases' an energy rebate for retrofitting lightbulbs across state buildings, pulling 500 state cell phones from service and 41 vehicles from the state agriculture department’s fleet.
“And then one of my favorites. The automated lawnmower at the State Capitol. I’ve been talking to my wife, thinking I need to get me one of these for the house,” Stitt said.
DOGE OK officials estimate automated lawnmowers will save the state $200,000 dollars on landscape contractors annually.
Total savings to date are just shy of $1.2 million.
Decades-Old Oklahoma Conservation Organization Programs Put on Hold With Federal Funding Freeze
Federal funding cuts are now impacting a decades-old conservation organization in the state. The cuts impact programs at the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts.
Farmers and ranchers have worked with the OACD since the 1930s to help with soil health and food production. The organization is about 80% funded with competitive grants from the United States Department of Agriculture.
Cuts made to the federal agency have put those Oklahoma programs on hold.
“What we're trying to do right now is to figure out if the federal government fails to honor those contracts, how do we still honor what we said we would do with farmers and ranchers?," said OACD Executive Director Sarah Blaney.
The organization is now missing millions worth of grants meant to support producers.
A USDA spokesperson said the agency is currently reviewing its grants.
Four Red Dirt Acts To Be Inducted To Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame
The 2025 class of the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame has been announced.
It’s made up of Red Dirt music royalty.
The sold-out “Boys From Oklahoma” concert series in Stillwater next month will be a celebration of Red Dirt music and a reunion for the band Cross Canadian Ragweed after 15 years apart.
Now, it will also serve as an Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Ragweed, as well as Jason Boland and The Stragglers, The Great Divide and Stoney LaRue.
The four acts are some of the biggest names in the Red Dirt genre.
They’ll join other Red Dirt artists in the hall, such as The Turnpike Troubadours, Red Dirt Rangers, Bob Childers and Tom Skinner, among others.
The inductions will take place during the run of concerts between April 10-13.
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