Oklahoma

Oklahoma AG files injunction against Biden Administration to prevent additional loss of family planning funds

Published

2 years ago

January 31, 2024

Oklahoma AG files injunction against Biden Administration to prevent additional loss of family planning funds

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond filed an injunction against the Biden Administration Friday to prevent the state from losing an additional year of Title X funding for family planning services.

Clinics participating in Title X programs offer confidential and low-cost family planning resources for all ages, including contraceptives, counseling and pregnancy testing. Title X programs require information and counseling on all options, which includes abortion if a pregnant patient requests it.

The State Department of Health has received Title X funding since 1971, and it was revoked last year after it refused to give patients that information.

In his November lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Drummond argued that federal law says money should not be used in Title X programs where abortion is a form of family planning.

“Title X in no way requires abortion referrals for a State’s continued participation,” the lawsuit reads. “Rather, sans authority, HHS seeks to punish Oklahoma for the policies adopted by Oklahoma’s elected representatives to protect unborn life. HHS is interfering with rights reserved to the people and their elected representatives despite a clear federal mandate.”

Two months after his initial lawsuit, Drummond is filing this injunction which, if successful, would mean the federal government could not withhold another year of Title X money, set to be distributed on April 1. Drummond argues the state will suffer irreparable harm without it, as services will be in jeopardy.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond

“I will not stand by while the overzealous Biden Administration attempts to harm Oklahomans in desperate need of healthcare services,” Drummond said in a news release. “Oklahoma should not be punished for having pro-life policies that clash with President Biden’s liberal agenda.”

Gov. Kevin Stitt said in the release he supports Drummond’s motion for an injunction.

“President Biden is playing political games with the health care needs of countless Oklahomans all because of our pro-family values. It’s wrong,” he said in the release. “The State of Oklahoma won’t stand idly by while the Biden Administration holds millions of federal dollars hostage, and I applaud General Drummond for taking swift action to combat this outrageous abuse of power.”

Currently, Oklahoma is dipping into $4.5 million in state funds to continue family planning services through county health departments. Drummond said in the release he is also committed to restoring those funds.

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Oklahoma

OSSAA unveils Class 6A-2A basketball state tournament brackets, schedule

Published

12 hours ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

OSSAA unveils Class 6A-2A basketball state tournament brackets, schedule

The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association has released the brackets for Classes 6A-2A state basketball tournaments which run March 10-14.

Games will be played at OG&E Coliseum, Lloyd Noble Center, Carl Albert and Yukon.

All championship game will be played at OG&E Coliseum with Class 6A, 4A boys and girls on Friday and the others on Saturday.

Action begins Tuesday with Class 4A quarterfinals at OG&E Coliseum.

Here is the full schedule.

Order book on Oklahoma HS basketball at ‘The Big House’

Class 6A Boys

Wednesday’s Games

At Lloyd Noble Center

Norman vs. Tulsa Union, 4:30 p.m.

Owasso vs. Southmoore, 6 p.m.

Putnam North vs. Piedmont, 7:30 p.m.

Mustang vs. Edmond Santa Fe, 9 p.m.

Thursday’s Games

At Carl Albert

Norman-Tulsa Union winner vs. Owasso-Southmoore winner, 5:30 p.m.

Mustang-Edmond Santa Fe winner vs. Putnam North-Piedmont winner, 7 p.m.

Friday’s Game

At OG&E Coliseum

Championship, 6 p.m.

Class 6A Girls

Wednesday’s Games

At Lloyd Noble Center

Putnam North vs. Edmond North, 9 a.m.

Choctaw vs. Bixby, 10:30 a.m.

Mustang vs. Bartlesville, Noon

Muskogee vs. Westmoore, 1:30 p.m.

Thursday’s Games

At Carl Albert

Mustang-Bartlesville winner vs. Muskogee-Westmoore winner, 1 p.m.

Choctaw-Bixby winner vs. Putnam North-Edmond North, 2:30 p.m.

Friday’s Game

At OG&E Coliseum

Championship, 1 p.m.

Class 5A Boys

Thursday’s Games

At Lloyd Noble Center

Tulsa Booker T. Washington vs. Carl Albert, 4:30 p.m.

Del City vs. Collinsville, 6 p.m.

Newcastle vs. Tulsa East Central, 7:30 p.m.

Tulsa Memorial vs. Midwest City, 9 p.m.

Friday’s Games

At Lloyd Noble Center

Del City-Collinsville winner vs. Tulsa Booker T. Washington-Carl Albert winner, 2 p.m.

Newcastle-Tulsa East Central winner vs. Tulsa Memorial-Midwest City winner, 5 p.m.

Saturday’s Game

At OG&E Coliseum

Championship, 6:45 p.m.

Class 5A Girls

Thursday’s Games

At Lloyd Noble Center

Newcastle vs. Glenpool, 9 a.m.

Tulsa Booker T. Washington vs. Bishop McGuinness, 10:30 a.m.

Del City vs. Shawnee, Noon

Tulsa East Central vs. Carl Albert, 1:30 p.m.

Friday’s Games

At Lloyd Noble Center

Del City-Shawnee winner vs. Tulsa East Central-Carl Albert winner, 11 a.m.

Newcastle-Glenpool winner vs. Tulsa Booker T. Washington-Bishop McGuinness winner, 12:30 p.m.

Saturday’s Game

At OG&E Coliseum

Championship, 1:30 p.m.

Class 4A Boys

Tuesday’s Games

At OG&E Coliseum

Blanchard vs. Cascia Hall, 4:30 p.m.

North Rock Creek vs. Fort Gibson, 6 p.m.

Catoosa vs. Mount St. Mary, 7:30 p.m.

Douglass vs. Bethany, 9 p.m.

Thursday’s Games

At Yukon High School

Douglass-Bethany winner vs. Catoosa-Mount St. Mary winner, 1 p.m.

North Rock Creek-Fort Gibson winner vs. Blanchard-Cascia Hall winner, 3 p.m.

Friday’s Game

At OG&E Coliseum

Championship, 2:45 p.m.

Class 4A Girls

Tuesday’s Games

At OG&E Coliseum

McLoud vs. Harrah, 9 a.m.

Lincoln Christian vs. Kingfisher, 10:30 a.m.

Weatherford vs. Locust Grove, Noon

Douglass vs. Broken Bow, 1:30 p.m.

Thursday’s Games

At Yukon High School

Lincoln Christian-Kingfisher winner vs. McLoud-Harrah winner, 6 p.m.

Douglass-Broken Bow winner vs. Weatherford-Locust Grove, 8 p.m.

Friday’s Game

At OG&E Coliseum

Championship, 7:45 p.m.

Class 3A Boys

Wednesday’s Games

At OG&E Coliseum

Kingston vs. Wyandotte, 4:30 p.m.

Millwood vs. Community Christian, 6 p.m.

Eufaula vs. Roland, 7:30 p.m.

Heritage Hall vs. Rejoice Christian, 9 p.m.

Friday’s Games

At Lloyd Noble Center

Millwood-Community winner vs. Kingston-Wyandotte winner, 6:30 p.m.

Heritage Hall-Rejoice Christian winner vs. Eufaula-Roland, 8 p.m.

Saturday’s Game

At OG&E Coliseum

Championship, 5 p.m.

Class 3A Girls

Wednesday’s Games

At OG&E Coliseum

Washington vs. Metro Christian, 9 a.m.

Spiro vs. Alva/Freedom, 10:30 a.m.

Anadarko vs. Adair, Noon

Sequoyah Tahlequah vs. Millwood, 1:30 p.m.

Friday’s Games

At OG&E Coliseum

Washington-Metro Christian winner vs. Spiro-Alva winner, 10 a.m.

Sequoyah Tahlequah-Millwood winner vs. Anadarko-Adair winner, 11:30 a.m.

Saturday’s Game

At OG&E Coliseum

Championship, 10 a.m.

Class 2A Boys

Thursday’s Games

At OG&E Coliseum

Dale vs. Vanoss, 4:30 p.m.

Oklahoma Christian Academy vs. Latta, 6 p.m.

Fairland vs. Riverside, 7:30 p.m.

Hartshorne vs. Wewoka, 9 p.m.

Friday’s Games

At Yukon High School

Dale-Vanoss winner vs. OCA-Latta winner, 3 p.m.

Hartshorne-Wewoka winner vs. Fairland-Riverside winner, 5 p.m.

Saturday’s Game

At OG&E Coliseum

Championship, 8:30 p.m.

Class 2A Girls

Thursday’s Games

At OG&E Coliseum

Howe vs. Riverside, 9 a.m.

Hartshorne vs. Fairview, 10:30 a.m.

Vanoss vs. Dale, Noon

Latta vs. Merritt, 1:30 p.m.

Friday’s Games

At Yukon High School

Howe-Riverside winner vs. Hartshorne-Fairview winner, 10 a.m.

Vanoss-Dale winner vs. Latta-Merritt winner, Noon

Saturday’s Game

At OG&E Coliseum

Championship, 11:45 a.m.

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Oklahoma

Nigel Pack, Xzayvier Brown combine for 44 points, lead Oklahoma past Texas in overtime

Published

24 hours ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

Nigel Pack, Xzayvier Brown combine for 44 points, lead Oklahoma past Texas in overtime

AUSTIN — Nijel Pack scored 23 points, Xzayvier Brown added 21 points, and Oklahoma beat Texas 88-85 in overtime in the final regular season game of the season for the two Southeastern Conference sides.

Pack was 7 of 14 from the field and 3 of 7 behind the arc. He scored nine points during a 14-2 second-half run that turned a tie game into a 12-point lead for the Sooners (17-14, 7-11) with fewer than seven minutes remaining. Brown was 8-of-18 shooting with four steals and led with 12 in the first half. Tae Davis added 14 points and nine rebounds.

The Longhorns (18-13, 9-9) held a 40-36 lead at halftime. They were led by Jordan Pope’s 30 points on an inefficient 8-of-25 shooting but was 7 of 18 from behind the arc. Dailyn Swain added 18 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and three steals. Tramon Mark had 17 points. Matas Vokietaitis had 14 points and six rebounds.

The Sooners led by six with 36 seconds to go in regulation, but fouled Mark twice, including on a 3-point attempt that followed a turnover. Mark made all five free throws to make it a one-point game with 15 seconds left.

A pair of free throws from Davis put the Sooners up three. But Brown fouled Pope on a 3-point attempt, and Pope made all three free throws to tie the game and send it to overtime.

Pope had five in overtime and Mark three for the Longhorns, but Derrion Reid’s five points for the Sooners, including a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left, put the game out of reach.

Texas lost four of their final five games to finish as the No. 10 seed in the SEC tournament.

Up next

Oklahoma will head to the SEC tournament as the 11 seed to face No. 14 seed South Carolina in the first round on Wednesday.

Texas faces No. 15 seed Mississippi on Wednesday.

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Oklahoma

Authorities searching debris after suspected tornadoes kill 6 in Michigan, Oklahoma

Published

2 days ago

March 7, 2026

Press Room

Authorities searching debris after suspected tornadoes kill 6 in Michigan, Oklahoma

A volunteer works to clear debris a day after a storm whipped up a tornado through the area, in Union City Mich. on Saturday.

Nam Y. Huh/AP

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Nam Y. Huh/AP

Authorities in southern Michigan on Saturday were searching through rubble and debris after suspected tornadoes tore through the region and killed four people, including a 12-year-old boy, during powerful storms also blamed for two deaths in eastern Oklahoma.

First responders from multiple agencies were in the Union Lake area near Union City searching for more possible victims and clearing roads, authorities said. Photos and videos posted on social media showed flattened homes and knocked down trees in a lakeside neighborhood.

A person walks through a house in the community of Sunshine Hills outside of London, Kentucky. A tornado struck the neighborhood of Sunshine Hills just after midnight on May 17, 2025 in London, Kentucky. (Photo by Michael Swensen/Getty Images)

Severe thunderstorms that began in northern Indiana appeared to spawn multiple tornadoes in southern Michigan on Friday, said Lonnie Fisher, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, which sent teams to the region Saturday to evaluate the damage and confirm tornadoes.

“Mostly likely there were three distinct tornadoes, but we won’t know 100 percent for sure until they finish the survey,” Fisher said Saturday, adding that the storms rapidly intensified in southern Michigan after hitting northern Indiana.

The threat of severe weather continued Saturday in the nation’s midsection, with strong thunderstorms possible stretching from Texas and to the northeast all the way to Ohio and western parts of Pennsylvania and New York.

Three people were killed and 12 were injured in the Union Lake area, according to the Branch County Sheriff’s Office.

Lisa Piper stood on her back deck and took video of a terrifying scene that played out on the other side of frozen Union Lake as a funnel cloud formed and then dropped toward the ground. Trees were torn from their roots and debris flew into the air.

“It’s lifting houses!” she said. As the devastation continued, she exclaimed: “Oh my heart is pounding. Oh, I hope they’re OK.”

Volunteers work to clear branches and tress felled by a storm that whipped up a tornado a day earlier, in Union City, Mich. on Saturday.

Nam Y. Huh/AP

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Nam Y. Huh/AP

About 50 miles (81 kilometers) southwest of Union Lake, the Cass County Sherriff’s Office said a 12-year-old boy died and several other people were injured during a possible tornado. Sheriff Clint Roach said in a Facebook post that Silas Anderson’s parents found him injured and provided first aid, but he later died at a hospital.

Disaster relief workers were going door to door in the Union City and Three Rivers areas to offer meals and clean-up supplies, state officials said. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she would be declaring a state of emergency in Branch, Cass and St. Joseph counties.

In Oklahoma, just south of Tulsa, a tornado in Beggs was blamed for the deaths of two people in a house on Friday, the Okmulgee County Sheriff’s Office said. Two other people were taken to a hospital.

The tornado cut around a 4-mile (6.4-kilometer) path of damage in Okmulgee County including Beggs, some 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Tulsa, said Jeff Moore, the county’s emergency manager. Large trees were toppled and power outages were reported.

Suspected tornadoes also were reported in northern parts of Tulsa, where a building at the Tulsa Tech Peoria campus was damaged.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said Saturday that he declared a state of emergency in several counties to free up support and resources for affected areas.

The Oklahoma deaths came a day after storms killed a 47-year-old woman and her 13-year-old daughter in Fairview in the western part of the state. Authorities said they were found dead in a vehicle.

In an eerie scene captured on video Thursday, a first responder drove straight at a storm near Fairview, where flashes of lightning illuminated a giant funnel that appeared to reach the ground. That storm, among the first outbreaks of severe weather on the verge of the spring storm season, was filmed by a camera mounted on the deputy’s car.

The National Weather Service said strong storms and flash flood risks on Saturday stretched from the Great Lakes to Texas. A tornado watch that was issued for a large portion of Arkansas and parts of Texas and Louisiana expired in the morning.

Family friends of Kristie and James Sexton, help look through the debris of Sexton's home after a tornado passed through the area, Saturday, May 17, 2025, in London, Ky. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The spring storms come near the start of what many call tornado season, which generally begins at various times in different parts of the U.S. Experts recommend a few simple safety steps to take before tornadoes hit, including having a weather radio and a plan for where to take shelter.

In parts of the southern U.S., the weather pattern is also expected to usher in extremely warm temperatures for this time of year by the weekend.

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