OKLAHOMA CITY — Gov. Kevin Stitt Tuesday revealed the creation of the U.S.S. Oklahoma Commissioning Committee to build a 29th Virginia Class, fast attack nuclear submarine in collaboration with the U.S. Navy and Newport News Shipbuilding. 

Carrying Tomahawk missiles and MK-48 torpedoes, the U.S.S. Oklahoma will home 132 sailors and 18 officers, and feature advanced stealth capabilities to make it virtually undetectable in water, officials said.

“I couldn’t be more excited to have Oklahoma so well represented in our nation’s Navy,” said Stitt. “I’m grateful to Director Slavonic and the committee members for their leadership. Not only will this submarine represent the patriotic, God-fearing culture of Oklahoma, but it will symbolize our commitment to innovation, security, and the men and women who protect our country. It’s an honor to help bring her to life.”

The submarine is being built in Groton, Conn. and Newport News, Va. The traditional keel laying occurred in 2023 and the christening will occur late 2025 or early 2026. 

After a year of sea trials, the commissioning ceremony — where the U.S. Navy officially accepts the submarine in her fleet— will be in mid-2027. The U.S.S. Oklahoma already has a 60-man crew training and overseeing the boat’s construction.

“The citizens of Oklahoma should take pride in knowing the U.S. Navy decided after 80 years to have another navy vessel named ‘Oklahoma.’ Not since the battleship U.S.S. Oklahoma, which was sunk by the Japanese when they attacked our naval fleet at Pearl Harbor, has a ship or submarine borne the name Oklahoma,” said executive director of the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs Greg Slavonic.

“Four hundred and twenty-nine sailors and marines lost their lives that fateful day — second most to U.S.S. Arizona. The new Oklahoma submarine will project power, keep our sea lanes open and ensure freedom for every Oklahoman and our nation.”

The makeup of the commissioning committee will be U.S. Naval Academy graduate and Naval Seabee Rocky Goins as chair, retired Commander Tucker McHugh as treasurer, and Slavonic, among others. 

Stitt, U.S. Senator James Lankford and Senator Markwayne Mullin will serve as honorary chairs. Molly Slavonic serves as the vessel’s official sponsor. 

As one of their first acts, the committee hopes to develop scholarship opportunities for the Oklahoma sailors to further their education, even while serving underwater.

“It is difficult for young sailors to further their education when they may be underwater for months at a time without internet,” said Goins. “We have had initial and productive conversations with Oklahoma Chancellor Allison Garrett and Secretary of Education Nellie Sanders to see if our Oklahoma colleges can develop programs that our sailors can take with them on their cruise to further their development. This could be a game changer for them if we can create a program which the Navy will approve.”

Commander Aaron “Okie Skipper” Stutzman, Captain Select of the U.S.S. Oklahoma, plans to have crew members visit Oklahoma regularly to embrace the “Okie spirit.” 

Commander Stutzman is enthusiastic about the committee’s interest in expanding the sailor education program and exploring opportunities with the Navy.

“To make all of this happen in a first-class manner, we will be relying upon Oklahoma’s generosity in sponsorships for this historic event,” said Commander Stutzman. “We want the crew to know that our state will support them during their commissioning and beyond as they protect our shores and sea lanes.”

The commission’s website can be found here and their Facebook page can be found here.

The men’s Oklahoma golf team finished one stroke outside the eight-team cutline that advances to match play in the 2024 NCAA Golf Championship.

The Sooners finished with a 72-hole team score of 25 over par 1178, just one behind the eighth-place team, Georgia Tech at the par-72 Omni La Costa North Course in Carlsbad, California.

Thirty teams advanced out of regional competition to the NCAA Championship. After 54 holes of stroke play over the weekend, the field was cut in half to 15 teams. The 15 teams remaining in the championship played 18 holes on Monday to determine the eight teams for match play on Tuesday and Wednesday. The last team standing after match play will be crowned 2024 national champion in men’s golf.

No Big 12 teams advanced beyond Monday’s stroke play. Texas finished 13th (1183, +31) and Baylor was 14th ( 1189, +37).

Oklahoma failed to make the cut despite posting two of the best rounds over the final two days of stroke play. The Sooners shot 13 over par 301 on the first day of the 54 holes, the second highest score of the 15 teams competing, and they weren’t any better on Day 2 at 14 over to go down +29 after 36 holes.

The Sooners’ performance over the first two days literally cost them the chance to advance to match play. Over the final 36 holes, OU was two under par in the third round and one over par in the final 18 holes on Monday.

Sooner sophomore Jase Summy was OU’s highest finisher on the individual leaderboard at five-under-par for the 72-hole stroke play. Senior All-American Ben Lorenz tied for 37th at +7 along with teammate Drew Goodman. True freshman Ryder Cowan tied for 67th at +14.

This was head coach Ryan Hybl’s Sooners’ 13th straight NCAA appearance. Oklahoma won the national championship in 2017 and was runner-up to Pepperdine in 2021. OU also won a national title in golf in 1989 under head coach Gregg Grost.

Oklahoma has finished in the top 10 of the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship seven times in the last eight years and 21 times in program history.

A year after Gov. Kevin Stitt dissolved a statewide council on ending homelessness, providers have launched an independent group to collect data and coordinate services in Oklahoma. 

The Interagency Council on Homelessness of Oklahoma launched this month and will fill the hole left by the former Governor’s Interagency Council on Homelessness, which was created by an executive order more than two decades ago. 

Stitt cited a need for smaller government last year when he dissolved the council that worked to coordinate funding and services between providers as the number of unsheltered Oklahomans continues to grow. The group was made up primarily of volunteers and state employees and received no recurring funding from the state. 

“Everyone in this room knows we have not solved the problem of homelessness,” said Linda Love, director of planning and development for KI BOIS Community Action Foundation in southeast Oklahoma, during a launch meeting on May 22. “That is why the former executive committee of the (Governor’s Interagency Council on Homelessness) has worked to put together a private council in Oklahoma to continue the work that needs to be done.” 

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Advisory members of the new Interagency Council on Homelessness of Oklahoma pointed to issues like the state’s high eviction rates, growing numbers of people experiencing homelessness in metro areas and the end of pandemic relief programs.

“The scale, magnitude and reach” of the issue of homelessness requires people from different sectors and locations to work together, said Greg Shinn, an assistant executive director with the Oklahoma City Housing Authority who served on the governor’s former council. 

The new council will craft a statewide plan to address homelessness, track data to share with the state and federal governments and bring together agencies and providers from across the state to coordinate funding and programs, Shinn said. 

Interagency councils exist across the country to coordinate services and report data. Without an executive order from the governor or a mandate from the Legislature, the new council won’t be able to require participation from government agencies like the Department of Corrections or the State Department of Education, said Dan Straughan, director of special projects with the Homeless Alliance. 

But the group, which is running as a nonprofit with funding from the nonprofit incubator Give Help, may eventually ask the Legislature to formalize its efforts. 

Sen. Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, said coordinating around an issue as complex as homelessness should be a core state government function. 

While the state has invested in housing affordability programs, lawmakers are also approving new state laws prohibiting unauthorized camping on state-owned lands and debating how to more quickly remove squatters. Two of Kirt’s bills this session — one to create a state affordable housing commission and another to extend timelines in the eviction process — didn’t get a hearing on the Senate floor.

“There is a lack of interest in real solutions in this area,” Kirt said. “That’s why we need this bigger picture, coordinated thinking.” 

A spokeswoman for Stitt’s office said the governor would be supportive of Oklahomans “coming together to work towards solutions on homelessness.” 

Several other states also have independent councils to address homelessness. A spokeswoman from the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness said the national group will work with Oklahoma’s new council despite it being considered unofficial. 

The new council will decide its voting members by the end of June and have its first meeting in July.