Oklahoma
New Oklahoma law requires emergency action plans for summer camps
TULSA, Okla. — Nearly one year after the tragedy at Camp Mystic in Texas that took the lives of 28 people, including children. Governor Stitt signed a new House Bill 16-75 that requires camps across the state to have emergency action plans in place.
This new law will have camps in Oklahoma work directly with their county’s emergency management teams. It ensures that all camps have emergency action plans that include training staff, evacuation routes and better weather alert systems.
WATCH: New Oklahoma law requires emergency action plans for summer camps
Oklahoma passes new camp safety law
I listened with Scotty Stokes, a father and founder of Oklahoma Firefighters Burn Camp for child burn survivors, about what this means to other parents like him.
“As a father and a grandfather, when your kids go to camp, and mine did when they were younger, I mean you’re worried about them, you’re constantly worried about them,” Stokes said.
“You’re constantly watching things like the weather and making sure they are safe, are they being taken care of, and you may even be contacting that camp. with the implementation of this new law, it makes it a little easier on the parents to understand that these camps have been through a process to prepare for these extreme weather events that occur here in Oklahoma.”
With this new camp safety law, campers and parents across Oklahoma can have peace of mind that precautions to keep campers safe is finally the standard.”
I also spoke with Keaton Forest, emergency management field manager at WSB. This company has taken the initiative to connect camps with their county’s emergency management team. In hopes of making the process go smoother as camps get into compliance with the new law.
“Behind this, what we saw was an opportunity to connect camp organizations with emergency managers through several conversations we’ve had through some camps and as well as emergency managers,” Forest said.
“We’ve noticed that a lot of them don’t have standing relationships. So right now, what we’re doing is doing our best to gather information from both of them and collaborate on making a new emergency action plan for these camps.”
This camp safety law will take effect Jan 1.
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The Oklahoma Sooners made major changes this offseason to help improve their offense after making the College Football Playoff, despite having one of the worst units in college football. One of the biggest changes happened to the tight end room.
There is no sugarcoating it; the tight end room has been a liability the last few seasons. So, Brent Venables parted ways with coach Joe Jon Finley and hired legendary former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten. They then revamped the room by adding Florida Gators transfer Hayden Hansen, Colorado State transfer Rocky Beers and Tennessee Volunteers Jack Van Dorselaer.
Hansen and Beers have gotten most of the buzz, but former Sooner standouts Gabe Ikard and Teddy Lehman said Dorselaer has been the one who’s impressed them the most.
“If you asked me who is their best all-around tight end, it’s No. 88,” Ikard said on ‘The Oklahoma Breakdown with Ikard and Lehman.’ “Fun guy to watch.”
“It’s like the perfect mix of three guys, right?” Lehman added. “Hayden Hansen is your big physical blocker… Rocky Beers is your route runner… and Van Dorselaer, kind of the mixture of both.”
Witten’s presence could be the biggest factor of all. Oklahoma didn’t simply add three transfers to the position; it also brought in one of the most accomplished tight ends in football history to develop them.
If Van Dorselaer’s emergence is any indication, Witten’s influence could already be showing. Oklahoma needs its tight ends to become legitimate contributors in both the passing and running game. If that happens, the Sooners could have a much more balanced offense in 2026, and a position that was once a liability could suddenly become one of the team’s biggest strengths.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X (formerly known as Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on X @jaronspor.
Sooner Scoop Football Recruiting
Piedmont (Okla.) ATH King Underwood already has multiple FBS offers under his belt, but there are two schools in particular he’d love to play at. He’s got deep-rooted and significant family ties to one of them, too.
Oklahoma’s drought continues to worsen as weeks of heat and dry conditions take a toll on farms and ranches.
News 9’s Deanne Stein visited a farm near Okarche, where cattle producer Clay Hufnagle said the lack of rain has left little grass for his livestock.
Cattle farmer forced to buy feed
Hufnagle owns about 800 acres and has roughly 200 head of cattle.
“There’s very little grass left,” Hufnagle said.
With less grass available, Hufnagle said he has been forced to buy additional feed for his cattle.
“You give them a few pounds every day to keep everybody happy,” he said.
The heat has also taken a toll on his herd. Hufnagle said he lost a couple of calves this summer because of the heat. During the hottest part of the day, he makes sure the cattle have access to shade.
“You gotta have your hay and you gotta have your feed because they’re not going to stop eating,” Hufnagle said.
For now, he’s hoping for a change in the weather.
“We’re waiting for something to change, a break in this heat,” he said.
Drought takes toll on wheat crop
The drought has also hurt Oklahoma’s winter wheat crop, with production nearly cut in half.
Hufnagle said his own wheat harvest was even worse than that.
“It was a poor harvest,” he said.
When asked whether he harvested about half of what he normally would, Hufnagle said, “Yeah, hardly that. It was a pretty poor crop.”
Despite the difficult conditions, Hufnagle said he is focused on keeping his cattle healthy while waiting for signs of improvement.
“But there’s still new life happening out here, so you keep them fed and healthy as best you can and hope Mother Nature changes,” he said.
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