Oklahoma
As the nation reacts to Sen. Tom Woods’ ‘filth’ comment, is there controversy at home?
Owasso community mourns Nex Benedict at candlelight vigil: Video
“We shouldn’t have to bury children this young,” said Micah Hillenberg at the candlelight vigil. “If this doesn’t enrage you, I don’t know what will.”
As the state and nation reacts to Oklahoma state Sen. Tom Woods’ usage of the word “filth” when talking about the LGBTQ+ community, the response back home suggests he has support for his comments, at least in some corners.
When he uttered the word Friday at a Tahlequah Chamber of Commerce legislative briefing in response to a question about the death of Nex Benedict, some in the audience grumbled. Others broke out in applause when Woods said, “We are a religious state and we are going to fight to keep that filth out of the state of Oklahoma because we are a Christian state — we are a moral state.”
Kelly Blair was in the room when Woods spoke. According to her account, Woods’ comments have been grossly exaggerated.
“Sen. Woods did not call any person ‘filth.’ He did use the term, ‘that filth’ when referencing the education of Oklahoma children on these topics, which have no business being taught in school,” Blair said. “He stood up for our children and what they need to learn, or not learn, in classrooms.”
More: Listen to the audio of Oklahoma Sen. Tom Woods using the word “filth” when talking about the LGBTQ+ community
Many public officials and community leaders have remained silent about the controversial statement. The Oklahoman reached out to businesses, churches and government leaders in and around Woods’ eastern Oklahoma Senate district, but few wanted to speak publicly.
Woods’ Senate district spans four counties along the Arkansas border. Tahlequah, where the comments were made, lies just outside of his district. Nathan Reed, president and CEO of the Tahlequah Chamber of Commerce, said that while Woods was invited to the event, the chamber doesn’t have “a strong enough interaction” with communities in the district to say whether Woods’ comments are representative of his constituents.
More: Does a senator’s ‘filth’ statement reflect Oklahoma? The impacts of rhetoric on state’s LGBTQ community
When reached by The Oklahoman, Tahlequah Mayor Suzanne Myers referenced the death of Nex Benedict, the Owasso teen held up by the LGBTQ+ community as a victim of bullying. Woods’ “filth” comment came after a member of the public suggested Benedict was targeted because of how politicians speak about LGBTQ+ issues.
“The passing of the Owasso student was a heartbreaking incident,” Myers said. “It is a time where we should express empathy and compassion. I believe last week’s legislative briefing in Tahlequah could have been an ideal opportunity to demonstrate these virtues. I praise the citizen who persisted in their questioning of Sen. Woods.”
Do Oklahoma religious leaders agree with Sen. Tom Woods?
There’s no way to uncouple Woods’ comments from religion. In the same breath, the senator said Oklahoma is a Christian and religious state. Navil Vaughan, the lead pastor at Impact Church in Woods’ hometown of Westville, was among those who spoke on the record to The Oklahoman.
Vaughan said he preaches that “alternative lifestyles” are sinful.
“I’m not trying to condemn anyone, but I do know that the scriptures are very clear in what it says, and I stand by that scripture,” Vaughan said. “I’m not saying that homosexuals or that group of people, whatever that would entail. … I’m not denying they have rights or anything of that nature. I’m just saying I believe that’s sin. Sen. Woods used some pretty strong language there, and that is what it is.”
More: Oklahoma’s national embarrassment continues thanks to GOP lawmaker’s bigotry | Editorial
Blair said Woods stood up for what children need to learn — and against what they should not learn.
“I feel many Christian conservatives are now more vocal, not because they are ‘bullies,’ but due to the fact they feel more and more in the LGBTQ+ community have become so extreme that they expect those of us raised heterosexual, and in biblical principle, are now somehow supposed to be ashamed of our faith and heritage?”
Blair told The Oklahoman that she’s received “horribly disturbing, slanderous private messages” from people for supporting Woods on social media.
“My heart breaks for them. I feel people desperately want a cause to fight for, and sitting at home, safe behind their phone somehow seems heroic? We all need each other. We need much less division, and part of doing that means this story needs to stay on topic,” she said.
Contributing: Josh Dulaney and Bill Wertz, The Oklahoman
Oklahoma
Oklahoma lawmakers ask Supreme Court to let customers join ONG rate hike case
OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — As an Oklahoma utility company seeks a multimillion-dollar rate increase, two Oklahoma state representatives are asking the Oklahoma Supreme Court to give customers a voice.
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is currently deciding on a $29 million rate increase for Oklahoma Natural Gas.
If approved, officials say it would mark the fourth rate hike the OCC has approved for ONG in the last four years and has led to an $128 million increase in customer bills.
Rep. Tom Gann, R-Inola, and Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore, have filed an appeal with the Oklahoma Supreme Court, saying customers weren’t given a chance to participate in the case.
“The OCC has gone completely off the beam,” ONG customers Gann and Kevin West told the Supreme Court in their June 17 petition.
In the filing, they claim that the OCC set a March 27 deadline to intervene in ONG’s rate case but only set it after the deadline had already passed.
They say ONG’s customers weren’t notified about the case until late April.
“This case was rigged from the start to keep ONG ratepayers out,” said Gann. “The federal courts have said utility customers have constitutional due process rights – including a right to timely and adequate notice about these cases. We are asking the Supreme Court to uphold customers’ rights and require the OCC to change its rules to respect them. ONG ratepayers should be allowed to exercise their right to participate without being muzzled.”
The commissioners are expected to make a final decision on the $29 million rate increase later this year.
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ONG, the OCC, and the attorney general have 30 days to respond to Gann and Kevin West’s latest ONG appeal.
Oklahoma
Most Oklahoma voters didn’t cast a ballot during June’s primary election
Just 26%, or about one in four registered Oklahoma voters, cast a ballot in the race, according to an analysis of the results.
In total, 630,085 people weighed in on a state question to gradually increase the minimum wage. It was the only race open to Democrats, Republicans and independents, who weren’t eligible to vote in partisan races.
Democrats have typically opened their closed primaries to include independents, but failed to submit the paperwork for this year’s primaries on time. Some voters expressed frustration with the system on election day.
This year’s polls drew fewer voters than in 2018, the last time there was a similar gubernatorial race without incumbents. The election included a state question to approve medical marijuana, and 44% of registered voters cast ballots.
There are almost 1.3 million registered Republicans in Oklahoma, but the GOP race for governor only garnered about 400,000 ballots. Out of more than 613,000 registered Democrats, only about 172,000 voted in Tuesday’s election.
Even though general elections are usually better attended, Oklahoma’s numbers were also low during the 2024 presidential election. One report from the University of Florida rated Oklahoma’s turnout at the time as the lowest in the nation.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma Adds OF Adi Hansen From Southern Idaho
NORMAN — Oklahoma softball’s transfer portal activity may have been fairly slow developing.
But now, as the portal window nears its end, the Sooners have started having success.
Oklahoma added outfielder Adi Hansen, a standout at the College of Southern Idaho for the last two seasons on Thursday.
Hansen’s announcement, made on Instagram, followed shortly after Middle Tennessee outfielder Macie Harter announced her commitment to the Sooners.
Hansen led the Golden Eagles with a .457 batting average in 186 at bats in 2026, with an eye-popping 82 runs scored and a school-record 62 stolen bases on 67 attempts.
Hansen had 17 games with two or more stolen bases this season and twice had four stolen bases in a game.
Hansen had four triples and 21 RBIs, drawing 23 walks.
She earned NJCAA first-team All-America honors, helping her team finish 43-13 with a NJCAA Division I Juco World Series appearance.
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In 2025, as a freshman, Hansen hit .401 with 36 stolen bases and 62 ruyns scored.
Hansen is a Logan, Utah, product.
Hansen and Harter join a group of outfielders that includes Kai Minor in centerfield and Ella Parker in right field.
The Sooners lost Abby Dayton to graduation and Kasidi Pickering to transfer after the season. Pickering will reportedly transfer to Texas Tech.
Oklahoma finished 52-10 last season, missing the Women’s College World Series for the first time since 2015 after falling to Mississippi State in three games in the Norman Super Regional.
The Sooners have a strong incoming recruiting class and return a trio of pitchers — Audrey Lowry, Miali Guachino and Allyssa Parker — as well as experienced hitters Kendall Wells, Gabbie Garcia, Nelly McEnroe-Marinas plus Minor and Ella Parker.
In addition to the departures of Dayton and Pickering, the Sooners also lost pitchers Sydney Berzon and Kierston Deal, first baseman Isabela Emerling, and second baseman Ailana Agbayani to graduation. Outfielder Tia Milloy, pitcher Berkley Zache and utility player Riley Zache also entered the transfer portal.
Oklahoma’s incoming class includes Edmond Santa Fe pitcher Keegan Baker, Lakewood, Calif., infielder Ki’ele Ho-Ching, Mililani, Hawaii, infielder Ori Mailo, Fullerton, Calif., pitcher Malaya Majam-Finch, Katy, Texas, pitcher EK Smith, and Mesa, Ariz., outfilder Payton Westra.
Mailo was with the Sooners this season, redshirting after joining the program a year early.
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