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Oklahoma County helps 400 clear outstanding warrants at event

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Oklahoma County helps 400 clear outstanding warrants at event


Organizers of Oklahoma County’s latest warrant clearance event already are looking forward to the next one in February.

Bob Ravitz, Oklahoma County chief public defender, said county prosecutors, public defenders and court officers from the city of Oklahoma City served nearly 400 people, nearly doubling the number of those they helped during a similar October event.

Persons who showed up to the mid-December event sought to either clear outstanding warrants by getting back on court dockets issued after they missed hearings or by agreeing to pay off owed fines and fees through payment plans set up by court officials.

Josue, of Oklahoma City, came to the event to clear an outstanding warrant he faced after failing to pay a ticket he had been issued for driving a vehicle with a bad headlight that he said he quickly replaced after being stopped.

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“Honestly, I don’t remember getting the ticket. It was from 2022, they said,” he explained as he waited in line to visit with someone to get the matter resolved.

He learned there was a warrant for his arrest after trying to get his license renewed.

While it was taking a little bit of his time to get the issue resolved, Josue wasn’t complaining.

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“They are moving as fast as they can, given the numbers of people who showed up. It is definitely worth it,” he said, adding he also was appreciative participants were being treated to a free lunch from Big Truck Tacos. “This is nice. I appreciate it.”

Also waiting in line was Allena, a woman who came to the clearance event after hearing about it from a neighbor.

“I knew I had a traffic ticket I hadn’t taken care of, so I decided to come down here and see what they could do for me,” she said. “If it will keep me out of jail because I missed my court date, it will be worth it to me.”

Josue and Allena did not provide their last names.

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Municipal, district judges join court clerks to deal with issue

December’s warrant clearance event involved judges from Oklahoma County District Court, a city of Oklahoma City court judge, clerks and other associated personnel.

“When people take accountability for their actions, I think that it encourages them to be able to successfully complete what they have in front of them,” said District Court Judge Amy Palumbo. “They will be able to focus on making healthy choices, maintaining gainful employment and being productive members of our community.”

District Court Judge Cindy Truong said she had been told more people are making rescheduled court dates after participating in warrant clearance events.

“I think it saves taxpayers money any time that we can get people in and clear a warrant without having them being arrested and held in the county jail,” Truong said. “When they are arrested, they can lose their job, lose custody of their kids and even face evictions.

“Being arrested costs them more money, too,” she added. “Everybody wins.”

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The Dec. 15 event helped 397 people, with more than 200 of those waiting when doors to the building where the event was held were opened at 9 a.m., Ravitz said.

An additional six attorneys beyond the six public defenders and two assistant district attorneys already working the event were summoned from Oklahoma County’s courthouse later in the day to help handle the crowd, he said.

Beyond that, representatives of Oklahoma County’s Diversion Hub, The Education and Employment Ministry and other organizations that provide services to city and county residents also set up tables where clearance participants could learn more about what they offered.

“We are probably pushing 300 right now,” Ravitz said at 11 a.m., adding the turnout surprised him.

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“We are really helping people. I saw one lady who was facing a prostitution charge, and they were able to work that case out with her,” Ravitz said. “She was crying, she was so happy.

“We are able to do a whole lot, for a whole lot of people.”



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Oklahoma City police investigating early morning shooting

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Oklahoma City police investigating early morning shooting


Oklahoma City police are investigating an early morning shooting that left one man injured in northeast Oklahoma City.

Around 3 a.m. on Thursday, emergency crews were called to a reported shooting near Kelley and Wilshire Blvd.

Investigators say the shooting occurred between a couple inside the home, adding that the woman shot the man.

However, police say they are trying to determine if the shooting was accidental.

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The victim was rushed to the hospital for treatment.

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The woman has been taken into custody for questioning, but it is unknown if she will face charges just yet.



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North Carolina, Oklahoma advance to the Men’s College World Series finals

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North Carolina, Oklahoma advance to the Men’s College World Series finals


Oklahoma is just three outs away from steamrolling through the right side of the bracket and knocking out Georgia to reach the championship finals.

To prepare, let’s take a look at what arms we should expect for the Sooners just like we did for the North Carolina earlier.

The Sooners have leaned heavily on their freshmen pitching trio in Cord Rager, Xander Mercurius and Nick Wesloski throughout Omaha. The first two went at least seven innings, while Wesloski tossed 5.2 innings on Wednesday. Even though they used relievers LJ Mercurius and Jackson Cleveland in the first two games, neither pitched more than two innings nor allowed a run. 

If LJ, who entered for Wesloski on Wednesday, finishes the game, he will have gone 3.1 innings.

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That sets up Oklahoma very well to matchup with UNC, which went 3-0 and also hasn’t used many arms up to this point. 

If OU does win, expect Rager, Xander Mercurius and Cleveland to be ready to go. Rager, who hasn’t pitched since their first round game against Alabama on Saturday, June 13, would have a full week of rest.



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Rep. Kevin Hern wins Oklahoma GOP nomination for U.S. Senate, governor’s race heads to runoff

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Rep. Kevin Hern wins Oklahoma GOP nomination for U.S. Senate, governor’s race heads to runoff


U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern easily won Oklahoma’s GOP nomination for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, and the race for a new governor in the deeply conservative state began with Republicans Gentner Drummond and Mark Mazzei advancing to a runoff.

In a primary that again tested President Donald Trump’s status as Republican Party kingmaker, both Hern and Mazzei carried his endorsement in their bids to win open races for two of Oklahoma’s biggest offices. With nearly all the votes counted, Drummond, the state’s attorney general, was narrowly ahead of Mazzei, a former state senator.

The primary had Republicans picking their preferred successor to outgoing Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt and a nominee for the Senate seat once held by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Democrats haven’t won a Senate seat in Oklahoma since 1990.

Hern’s most serious potential GOP rivals stayed out of the Senate race after Trump endorsed him even before Mullin was confirmed as a replacement for fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Hern received more than 50% of the primary vote to avoid a runoff.

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He struck a somewhat bipartisan tone in speaking with reporters after winning big, touting his experience as a House member working on issues such as trade and energy. He promised to represent conservative principles and “Oklahoma ideologies” in the Senate and noted he already has relationships with senators.

“We have a lot of friends in a lot of different states, including blue states,” Hern said.

READ MORE: Live Results: Oklahoma midterm primaries

Trump endorsed Mazzei last month in a hotly contested race that also had other major candidates, including former Oklahoma House Speaker Charles McCall and Chip Keating, a former state public safety director who is the son of a two-term governor.

Drummond told reporters at his watch party that he had expected a runoff after Trump endorsed Mazzei and suggested that Trump could reconsider his endorsement of Mazzei, saying, “who knows?”

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“Mr. Mazzei got a bump, but now he’s got to earn the rest,” Drummond said.

Trump repeated his endorsement of Mazzei on his Truth Social platform on Monday. Mazzei told supporters Tuesday night, “All I can say is, ‘Wow.’

“Eighteen months ago when we started this adventure, no one thought this was possible,” he said. “The political insiders said we had no chance. We started at zero, but who in here actually had faith we could get the job done and get in the runoff? You did.”

Mazzei also boosted his campaign with personal funds — nearly $10.9 million, or almost 95% of the $11.5 million he raised, according to campaign finance reports. Drummond put $2.5 million from his own pocket in raising about $7.2 million. Together, Drummond, Mazzei, Keating and McCall contributed $22.5 million of their own funds to their campaigns, or 72% of their combined fundraising of more than $31 million.

READ MORE: Oklahoma begins choosing a new U.S. senator and governor in crowded primary

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The winner of the GOP runoff will face Oklahoma House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson, who won the Democratic nomination Tuesday by a wide margin.

In a solidly Republican state, the races for two of Oklahoma’s biggest offices set off a political scramble. To replace Mullin in the Senate through this year, Stitt appointed Republican Alan Armstrong, an energy executive, but state law prohibited him from seeking a full term.

In November, Hern will face the winner of a Democratic runoff between N’Kiyla Thomas, a nurse and community activist, and Jim Priest, an attorney and minister.

The governor’s race is open because Stitt is finishing his second four-year term and cannot serve a third under the state constitution. Trump has seemed eager for him to go.

As head of the National Governors Association, Stitt drew Trump’s ire earlier this year over a dispute over invitations to White House events at the group’s annual meeting. The fallout led to Trump attacking Stitt on social media as a “RINO,” meaning Republican in Name Only.

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