International
On Wednesday, the International Energy Agency (IEA) finalized plans for a record-breaking release of 400 million barrels of oil to support the world economy in the wake of disruptions caused by the Iran war.
The decision marks the largest release of emergency oil reserves in history.
“The conflict in the Middle East is having significant impacts on global oil and gas markets, with major implications for energy security, energy affordability and the global economy for oil,” IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said. “I can now announce that IEA countries have unanimously decided to launch the largest-ever release of emergency oil stocks in our agency’s history.”
No timeline has been released, but the IEA said the release will roll out appropriate to the circumstances of each of the 32 member countries.
The IEA is primarily made up of advanced economies in Europe, North America and northeast Asia. Founded in 1974, the organization is dedicated to maintaining global energy security.
More than 1.2 billion barrels are held by IEA members with 600 million additional barrels held by the industry under government obligation.
Birol said the release is a temporary fix until the Strait of Hormuz, a key trade route for oil, becomes safe again.
“This is a major action aiming to alleviate the immediate impacts of the disruption in markets,” Birol said. “But, to be clear, the most important thing for a return to stable flows of oil and gas is the resumption of transit through the Strait of Hormuz.”
Under normal circumstances, 20 million barrels pass through the strait daily, representing 20% of all global oil and gas trade. Companies have stopped sending tankers through the strait, fearing attacks by Iran.
According to analysis from the Rapidan Energy Group and Wood Mackenzie, the closure of the strait has resulted in the largest oil supply disruption in history.
National
Yellowstone National Park staff sighted the first grizzly bear of 2026 on March 9, marking the end of hibernation season according to the National Park Service.
Yellowstone biologists spotted the bear scavenging the carcass of a bull bison in the backcountry in a northern section of the park in northwestern Wyoming.
“When bears emerge from hibernation, they look for food and often feed on elk and bison that died over the winter,” the National Parks Service said. “Bears may react aggressively to encounters with people when feeding on carcasses.”
According to park officials, around 150 to 200 grizzly bears live in that area with more than 1,000 across the “greater Yellowstone ecosystem” including parts of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming outside of park boundaries.
This sighting is right on schedule since it occurs around the same time every year: March 14 in 2025, March 3 in 2024 and March 7 in 2023 and 2022.
Adult males tend to leave hibernation in early March before females and cubs emerge in April or May.
Local
Tornado season in Oklahoma is off to a rough start, already earning the title of second-deadliest in 30 years. Three storms have claimed seven lives so far in 2026.
No deaths were reported as a result of the tornadoes across Oklahoma on Tuesday, though hail and wind damage were reported in the Oklahoma City metro area by 8 p.m.
The National Weather Service deployed tornado watches and warnings in parts of the Grady, Oklahoma, Cleveland, Canadian and McClain counties at 7 p.m. in response to a severe thunderstorm over southwestern Oklahoma City.
In the past 30 years, Oklahoma has experienced 2,100 tornadoes causing 166 deaths and 2,500 injuries according to the National Weather Service.
At least 17 tornadoes have touched down this year, causing four fatalities and three deaths.
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