Oklahoma
Oklahoma prepares for an execution after parole board recommended sparing man's life
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma was preparing to execute a man Thursday while waiting for Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt to decide whether to spare the death row inmate’s life and accept a rare clemency recommendation from the state’s parole board.
Emmanuel Littlejohn, 52, was set to die by lethal injection for his role in the 1992 shooting death of a convenience store owner during a robbery.
In six years as governor, Stitt has granted clemency only once and denied recommendations from the state’s Pardon and Parole Board in three other cases. On Wednesday, a spokeswoman for Stitt said the governor had met with prosecutors and Littlejohn’s attorneys but had not reached a decision.
The execution was scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. Littlejohn would be the 14th person executed in Oklahoma under Stitt’s administration.
Another execution was set for later Thursday in Alabama, and if both are carried out, it would be the first time in decades that five death row inmates were put to death in the U.S. within one week.
In Oklahoma, an appellate court on Wednesday denied a last-minute legal challenge to the constitutionality of the state’s lethal injection method of execution.
Littlejohn would be the third Oklahoma inmate put to death this year. He was 20 when prosecutors say he and co-defendant Glenn Bethany robbed the Root-N-Scoot convenience store in south Oklahoma City in June 1992. The store’s owner, Kenneth Meers, 31, was killed.
During video testimony to the Pardon and Parole Board last month, Littlejohn apologized to Meers’ family but denied firing the fatal shot. Littlejohn’s attorneys pointed out that the same prosecutor tried Bethany and Littlejohn in separate trials using a nearly identical theory, even though there was only one shooter and one bullet that killed Meers.
But prosecutors told the board that two teenage store employees who witnessed the robbery both said Littlejohn, not Bethany, fired the fatal shot. Bethany was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Littlejohn’s attorneys also argued that killings resulting from a robbery are rarely considered death penalty cases and that prosecutors today would not have pursued the ultimate punishment.
“It is evident that Emmanuel would not have been sentenced to death if he’d been tried in 2024 or even 2004,” attorney Caitlin Hoeberlein told the board.
Littlejohn was prosecuted by former Oklahoma County District Attorney Bob Macy, who was known for his zealous pursuit of the death penalty and secured 54 death sentences during more than 20 years in office.
Because of the board’s 3-2 recommendation, Stitt had the option of commuting Littlejohn’s sentence to life in prison without parole. The governor has appointed three of the board’s members.
In 2021, Stitt granted clemency to Julius Jones, commuting his sentence to life without parole just hours before Jones was scheduled to receive a lethal injection. He denied clemency recommendations from the board for Bigler Stouffer, James Coddington and Phillip Hancock, all of whom were executed.
The executions in Oklahoma and Alabama would make for 1,600 executions nationwide since the death penalty was reinstated by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1976, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
UPDATE: Power has been mostly restored in the wide area of Midtown Tulsa. Nearly 500 customers remain without power.
PSO says a car hit a pole near 2800 S Lewis Avenue, and a substation in the area may have shorted out as a result.
Investigation ongoing.
Public Service Company of Oklahoma Statement:
PSO Oklahoma is currently working to restore power to a wide area of Midtown Tulsa. Crews are on site, and working to restore service.
Residents can track outage updates and report outages at https://outagemap.psoklahoma.com/
If you or someone you know needs adequate heat, our warming shelters are open. Locations are:
All shelter beds are based on available capacity of the shelter.
Please share this information with neighbors who may need it and check on those who are most vulnerable during this cold weather.
Stay safe and warm.
Original Story:
The Public Service Company of Oklahoma Outage Map shows thousands in Tulsa are without power after reports of multiple downed power lines and a power flash, affecting customers starting near the area of Riverside Drive out past the Mingo Valley Expressway, all the way near East 21 Street to E 81 Street.
News On 6 has received reports of the location of multiple power lines down near 2800 South Lewis Avenue, so it is best to avoid the area.
Crews are currently out addressing the outage, and a time of restoration has not been published at this time.
PSO Communications Manager Matt Rahn said teams are still trying to figure out the specific cause of the outage and will update after an investigation is conducted.
After a quick shot of arctic air, things warm up quickly this week
Emergency Info: Outages Across Oklahoma:
Northeast Oklahoma has various power companies and electric cooperatives, many of which have overlapping areas of coverage. Below is a link to various outage maps.
- PSO Outage Map
- OG&E Outage Map
- VVEC Outage Map
- Indian Electric Cooperative (IEC) Outage Map
- Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives Outage Map — (Note: Several Smaller Co-ops Included)
This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.
Oklahoma is looking to make some history when it takes on Alabama on Friday in the opening round of the College Football Playoff.
The Sooners and Crimson Tide square off at 7 p.m. Friday at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The game will be televised on ABC.
A win would not only boost the Sooners into the quarterfinals, but would give them three consecutive victories over the Crimson Tide.
OU beat Alabama 24-3 last season in Norman and 23-21 earlier this season in Tuscaloosa.
Since 1960, only 12 programs have beaten the Crimson Tide in three consecutive meetings and only one such streak included a win over Alabama following Nick Saban’s first season in 2007 when the Crimson Tide went 7-6.
That streak?
Another Sooners’ winning streak in the series, which included pre-Saban wins in 2002 and 2003 and the Trevor Knight-led Sugar Bowl win as part of the 2013 season.
In the last 65 seasons, the Sooners were only the second non-conference team to knock off Alabama in three consecutive meetings, joining Texas, which beat the Crimson Tide in 1981, 1972 and 1964.
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Now, OU has a chance to repeat the streak, but this time as part of the SEC and in a do-or-die situation.
The other most recent three-game winning streaks against the Tide were Auburn (six consecutive from 2002-07), LSU (five straight from 2003-07) and Georgia (three straight in 2003-03 and 2007).
Alabama had won 10 or more games every season since that 2007 season before last year’s team finished 9-4.
OU is 5-2-1 against the Crimson Tide all-time.
Only a handful of other programs that have played Alabama more than once have a winning record against the Tide.
Texas is 8-2-1 vs. the Crimson Tide, while Notre Dame is 5-3 and Michigan is 4-3.
The only other programs with a winning record against Alabama in more than one meeting are the Birmingham Athletic Club (3-2), Boston College (3-1), Louisiana Tech (3-2), Rice (3-0), TCU (3-2) and UCLA (2-1).
Alabama is, by any measure, one of the most successful programs in college football history, claiming 18 national championships and four Heisman Trophy winners.
Of course, the Sooners are one of the few programs that can measure up to that, with several national titles and seven Heisman winners.
No team has beaten Alabama twice in the same season.
“Obviously we have tendencies. They have tendencies,” Sooners coach Brent Venables said. “They have certain matchups they like. We have certain matchups we like. At the end of the day, you can throw all that out. It’s time to start completely over. All that matters is what you do here moving forward.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are taking on the San Antonio Spurs in the Semi Final of the 2025 NBA Cup tournament. This is the third year of the event and second straight trip for the OKC Thunder to the Semi Final.
This is set to be a barn burner, as the Oklahoma City Thunder enter this contest 24-1 and the San Antonio Spurs sit at 17-7. Though, the even better news for both sides is the injury report. The Spurs get back generational talent Victor Wembanyama from his multi-week stint on the injured list and the Isaiah Hartenstein returns for Oklahoma City after missing the Thunder’s last five games.
With Oklahoma City only missing Isaiah Joe (knee contusion) in this contest, it gives them a rare treat. The Thunder for the first time all season will have their fully healthy starting five at their disposal. Many believe Mark Daigneault will deploy superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Defensive ace Lu Dort, All NBA swingman Jalen Williams, Rising star Chet Holmgren and Hartenstein.
This was the first time all season the Thunder have had the chance to prove that thought process right. It can be hard to navigate such a talent filled roster especially as well as Cason Wallace played as a spot starter and leading the league in steals.
In the end, the Oklahoma City Thunder weren’t the ones to throw a curveball with the starting lineup. It was the San Antonio Spurs who will bring Victor Wembanyama off the bench according to the official injury report submitted to the league before tip off.
This makes sense as Wembanyama has missed three weeks of action with a calf strain. San Antonio head coach Mitch Johnson revealed that his star center was going to be restricted in his first game back, especially against this historically great defense.
OKC Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineups
OKC Thunder Starters
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, G
- Lu Dort, G
- Jalen Williams, F
- Chet Holmgren, F
- Isaiah Hartenstein, C
San Antonio Spurs Starters
- De’Aaron Fox, G
- Steph Castle, G
- Devin Vassell, F
- Harrison Barnes, F
- Luke Kornet, C
The Oklahoma City Thunder will have to be mindful of their rotations to counter Wembanyama off the bench and stagger the likes of Holmgren and Hartenstein to counter it.
Up next, the Oklahoma City Thunder will either take on the New York Knicks on Tuesday in the NBA Cup Championship game with a win or resume their regular season with a loss. Falling to the Spurs would snap the Thunder’s 16 game winning streak, but issue Oklahoma City four days off leading into Thursday’s clash with the L.A. Clippers.
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