Oklahoma
America’s tallest building gets approval from Oklahoma City officials
New York City will no longer be home to the tallest building in North America if a plan freshly approved by Oklahoma City officials stays on course.
However, some residents near the site of the proposed Legends Tower have expressed concerns over the 1,907-foot structure — a number representing the year Oklahoma officially became a state.
Three months after announcing plans to build the tallest skyscraper in the country, the Oklahoma City Planning Commission approved zoning for a building that will stand 131 feet taller than lower Manhattan’s One World Trade Center. Once completed, Legends Tower will be a football field bigger than 1,550-foot Central Park Tower, North America’s second-tallest building.
According to the AO architecture firm behind the design, Legends Tower will be part of a mixed-use project called The Boardwalk at Bricktown, featuring nearly 2,000 apartment units, a Hyatt hotel, a sports arena, and 110,000 square feet of retail, dining and entertainment.
But while the planning commission gave its blessing on the height of the estimated $1.6 billion project, officials held off on approving bright signage that isn’t sitting well will locals, according to The Oklahoman.
“We’re not Las Vegas,” Oklahoma City resident Cynthia Ciancarelli told officials. “We’re not Manhattan.”
Ciancarelli and other Oklahomans worry proposed ad space on the building could cause sensory issues as well as appearing “a bit tacky.”
She also expressed concern that Oklahoma City is already a “one-stop shop for disasters,” including earthquakes, tornadoes and terror attacks.
More than 160 people were killed when a domestic terrorist detonated a truck full of explosives outside a federal building in 1995 — but tornadoes are a far more regular occurrence. The National Weather Service reports the Oklahoma City area has been hit by more than one twister on the same day at least 30 times.
But a well-designed skyscraper could structurally survive in the area known as “Tornado Alley,” the architecture firm said. At a planning meeting last week, the team offered reassurance that engineers will build a concrete core surrounding the skyscraper’s elevator shaft, and that the windows will be capable of withstanding a tornado without damage.
Experts told The Oklahoman that once completed, Legends Tower and The Boardwalk at Bricktown could be a boon to continuing growth in Oklahoma City, which the U.S. Census Bureau says is the sixth-fastest growing city in the nation.
Construction is set to begin later this year on parts of the project, with Legends Tower coming later.
If all goes according to the city’s plans, Legends Tower will become the sixth-tallest building in the world, behind China’s Ping An International Finance Centre.
Texas A&M baseball made a massive splash in the transfer portal Friday morning with the pickup of a premier left-hander from a Southeastern Conference foe.
Oklahoma southpaw Trent Collier is returning to his home state to play for the Aggies in 2027, according to reports from TexAgs’ Richard Zane. Collier pitched for the national-championship-winning Sooners this past season, posting a 3.80 ERA through 23.2 innings pitched and striking out 28 hitters. He was called upon for two appearances in Oklahoma’s postseason run to the national title, allowing no hits with two strikeouts against Georgia Tech and North Carolina.
Collier will come to Bryan-College Station to pitch for the Fightin’ Texas Aggies as a junior for head coach Michael Earley in 2027.
Rebuilding a depleted pitching staff was one of the top priorities for Earley this offseason, after posting a 5.24 team ERA in 2026. Collier is the sixth pitcher to commit to the Aggies out of the transfer portal and the ninth overall addition.
The lefty from Prosper, Texas, began his college career at Weatherford Junior College before landing with the Sooners. He made eight appearances, including nine starts, and earned second-team all-conference for recording a 2.65 ERA and 85 strikeouts across 68.0 innings.
After the program parted ways with Jason Kelly, following the regional final loss to USC in College Station, new pitching coach Barry Enright has reeled in some of the top-rated pitchers in the country this offseason, including Collier. The former Sooners star will have the opportunity to develop under Enright, who had stints in the MLB with the Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.
Four people are in custody after Oklahoma City police seized approximately 30 pounds of methamphetamine and removed dozens of animals from a home in southeast Oklahoma City on Thursday.
Police executed what they confirmed was a drug-related search warrant at a home near Southeast 15th Street and High Avenue. Authorities have not released information about what led investigators to the residence.
Drug Investigation Leads to Large Seizure
According to the Oklahoma City Police Department, officers recovered approximately 30 pounds of methamphetamine from the home during the search.
Police said at least four people were taken into custody. Authorities have not released the identities of those arrested or any related charges.
Numerous Animals Removed From Property
Alongside the drug investigation, Oklahoma City Animal Welfare officers assisted in removing numerous animals from the property.
News 9 cameras captured at least 20 dogs being taken from the home, including one wearing a muzzle. Police said a horse, cats, chickens and snakes were also removed.
Neighbors watched as officers spent hours at the residence.
“This is crazy. Like this is literally crazy,” said Nisha who lives nearby.
Another resident said she saw several people in handcuffs but did not initially know what was happening.
“I saw a couple men in handcuffs. I had no idea what was going on until my neighbor,” Dora Garcia said.
Neighbors say they were aware the home had dogs but were shocked by everything else discovered.
“I knew they had dogs. Everybody over here knew they had dogs, but the rest of this is just mind-boggling,” Nisha said.
She also expressed concern about how close the investigation was to her homes.
“Too close for comfort. Way too close for comfort,” Nisha said.
Investigation Continues
Police said the search warrant was related to a drug investigation but have not released additional details about why officers targeted the home.
The investigation remains ongoing. Oklahoma City police said additional information about those in custody is expected to be released as it becomes available.
This is a developing story.
Oklahoma State and Houston have an odd tradition dating back to their matchup in 1986. Neither team has won two games in a row.
Since that game in Stillwater in 1986 the Cougars and the Cowboys have alternated victories. Houston won that game in Stillwater, 28-12. The Cowboys followed that with a win in Houston in 1987.
Then the Cougars won in 2006 in Houston, followed by an Oklahoma State win in Stillwater in 2008. The two teams met again in 2009 in Stillwater and Houston won.
That was followed in 2023 by Oklahoma State’s first visit to Houston in Big 12 action with the Cowboys claiming the victory. And, of course, there was Oklahoma State’s loss to Houston last year in Stillwater.
If things hold the form, Oklahoma State will beat Houston this October. But the Cowboys are going to have to overcome something that Houston does better than them.
What Houston Does Better Than Oklahoma State
Given that both teams have talented offenses and have the potential to dominate in the passing game, it’s safe to say that’s a draw. Same for the running game with Caleb Hawkins at Oklahoma State and the incoming Makhi Hughes at Houston.
So, it could come down to who can defend the pass the best. In that area, Houston would have a clear advantage.
In terms of yards allowed in the air last year Houston was No. 10 in the Big 12 and Oklahoma State was No. 13. There wasn’t much separating the pair. But Houston had 12 interceptions to Oklahoma State’s six, and much of that production is coming back in the form of three returning starters. Plus, the Cougars managed to replace some of the lost production with an impressive transfer.
Will James was an All-Big 12 cornerback last year who returns with three interceptions and five pass breakups in what was a breakthrough season for the junior. Both safeties are back after last season as well. Kentrell Webb is more of a ball-hawkish type safety who can also tackle (71 tackles, one interception) while Jordan Allen had 48 tackles and broke up two passes.
New corner Jalen Mayo replaces much of the lost production on the back end. The Stephen F. Austin transfer helped the Lumberjacks win the Southland Conference and an FCS playoff game as he picked off four passes. He’ll combine with James to build a formidable group of cornerbacks that can also count on another transfer, Javion White, in a 4-2-5 formation.
Game planning will be a bit easier for Oklahoma State since it plays the same 4-2-5 scheme. But, on paper, Houston’s secondary looks much better than Oklahoma State’s, which only has one returning starter in LaDanian Fields, who is a sophomore. Fields has two interceptions as a redshirt freshman. But transfers will make up for what else was lost last season.
Given the continuity on Houston’s side, it’s easy to see why their secondary is the thing they do better than Oklahoma State. Of course, the Cowboys have enough runway to nullify that advantage before they meet in October.
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