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Oklahoma House Republicans elect Speaker-Designate

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Oklahoma House Republicans elect Speaker-Designate


OKLAHOMA CITY (KSWO) – The Oklahoma House Republican Party has elected a new speaker designate for the 60th Oklahoma Legislature.

Speaker Pro Tempore Kyle Hilbert was elected by the House to be the next Speaker of the House for the Oklahoma legislature. Hilbert has served as Speaker Pro Tempore of the House since 2022.

“I appreciate my colleagues’ trust and confidence as we take the first step to prepare for the 60th Legislature,” Hilbert said. “The speaker serves at the pleasure of the members, and I’m fortunate to be surrounded by people who want to tackle the hard problems. We have no shortage of challenges facing our state, and by working collaboratively with members from rural, suburban and urban Oklahoma, we can craft policies that make a lasting difference for our constituents.”

Hilbert, 29, if successfully obtains the position when the House convenes next year, would be the youngest House speaker in Oklahoma state history.

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“Fresh ideas, courage, and vigor are what Oklahomans deserve from their leadership. People are frustrated with unresponsive politicians in Washington,” Hilbert said. “If we want to see Oklahoma continue to grow and flourish, I encourage more young, emerging leaders to engage in their communities and in their state. Oklahoma is the best place to raise a family, and I embrace this opportunity to fight for Oklahomans and their families.”

Current House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, congratulated Hilbert on the nomination. McCall is the longest-serving speaker in Oklahoma’s history. McCall cannot run for reelection due to being term-limited.

House Democratic Leader Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City, also released a statement congratulating the new Speaker-Designate.

“Congratulations to Speaker-Designate Rep. Kyle Hilbert on this well-deserved honor and responsibility to serve our state. I look forward to working with him on bettering the lives of Oklahomans in this new capacity,” Munson said. “Over the last several years, Rep. Hilbert and I have collaborated on issues important to all Oklahomans, most recently, addressing deferred maintenance on our RUSO and rural higher education institution campuses.”

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Oklahoma 7-Eleven clerk, mom of 3, fired after shooting customer who attacked her: ‘I need to be here for my kids’

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Oklahoma 7-Eleven clerk, mom of 3, fired after shooting customer who attacked her: ‘I need to be here for my kids’


A brave Oklahoma 7-Eleven clerk was fired for shooting a customer, who tried to strangle her and threatened to “slice her head off” — because she used her own gun, violating the convenience store’s policy.

Stephanie Dilyard, 25, said she was working alone at the Oklahoma City 7-Eleven just after midnight on Nov. 14 when a man came in and tried to pay for a trove of junk food with a counterfeit $100 bill, KOKH reported.

The mother of three said that when she called the man out on the bill being bogus, he began threatening her and became erratic.

Stephanie Dilyard was fired for shooting a deranged customer who attacked her while working alone overnight at 7-Eleven. KOKH Fox 25

“He threatened me, and said he was gonna slice my head off, and that’s when I tried to call the police,” she recalled.

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Dilyard said the brute started hurling objects at her before he rushed behind the counter and put his hands on her.

“I tried to run off, but he grabbed his hands around my neck, and pushed me out of the counter space, and that’s when I pulled out my gun and I shot him,” she said.

The suspect, Kenneth Thompson, fled the store after he was shot in the stomach. The 59-year-old made it a few blocks away from the 7-Eleven before calling 911.

The alleged violent fraudster was taken into custody at the hospital and charged with assault and battery, threatening acts of violence, attempting to pass counterfeit currency, and violating parole on an outstanding felony warrant.

Investigators ruled that Dilyard’s actions were justified under Oklahoma’s stand-your-ground law, which allows people to use deadly force when confronting an imminent threat of death or serious harm.

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While authorities have cleared the 25-year-old mom, her employer fired her just days after the frightening ordeal on Nov. 17.

“They said that they were going to separate from employment because of a violation of policy,” Dilyard, who had been working the overnight shift alone from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. for more than two years, said.

Dilyard, who still had a scratch on her neck and burn marks on her finger from firing the gun, told the outlet that all she cared about when she was getting attacked was getting home to her kids.

“This was a situation where I felt like I was put into a corner between choosing between my job, and my life, and I’m always going to choose my life because there’s people that depend on me. Just, I’m going, I’m going home, you know. I need to be here for my kids,” she said.


A street view showing a 7-Eleven store with a red roof next to a
Investigators ruled that Dilyard’s actions were justified under Oklahoma’s stand-your-ground law, which allows people to use deadly force when confronting an imminent threat of death or serious harm. KOKH Fox 25

She hopes what she endured will drive changes that better protect clerks — especially women — and ensure they aren’t afraid to defend themselves when facing a life-or-death threat.

“If I’ve known that there’s a potential that somebody is for real on taking my life away that I will do whatever it takes, and I hope that women see that, and they’ll do the same thing,” she said.

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“You have a right to defend yourself.”

Since losing her job, Dilyard has launched a GoFundMe to help her family with expenses while she’s out of work and said she had zero regrets for defending herself.

“We have no security, and we are not allowed to carry self defense weapons, including mace,” she wrote. “That’s is why I decided to carry in the first place.”

“I never expected for me to be in this situation, but I did what I had to do to go home to my kids. I was a good employee, committed and determined, but in-between a rock and a hard place I had to make a quick decision—lose my life, or lose my job,” she added.

The Post has reached out to 7-Eleven for comment. 

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Why Oklahoma HC Brent Venables Said John Mateer Was ‘Really Good’ vs. Missouri

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Why Oklahoma HC Brent Venables Said John Mateer Was ‘Really Good’ vs. Missouri


NORMAN — There were plenty of lowlights from John Mateer’s outing against Missouri on Saturday.

Of the 30 passes the Oklahoma quarterback threw, 16 of them went incomplete. He also nearly threw an interception early in the second half, when the Sooners led by just one score.

His final passing line — 14-of-30 for 173 yards and two touchdowns — wasn’t flashy. But it was good enough for No. 8 OU to beat the No. 22 Tigers 17-6.

“(He was) really good,” OU coach Brent Venables said. “Had to earn everything he was given. Made some really good plays. Every single one of his yards were earned, hard-earned yards.”

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While Mateer was inconsistent, he made key plays when the Sooners needed them most.

Oklahoma punted on its first three drives and had minus-7 total yards of offense after the first quarter. 

The Sooners were in danger of going three-and-out again on their fourth drive. But on third-and-7 from OU’s 13-yard line, Mateer hit wide receiver Isaiah Sategna in stride on a slant route, and Sategna took it 87 yards to the end zone for a touchdown.

“Really good job by John standing in there delivering the throw, and then Isaiah just turned on the burners going up the sideline,” OU offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle said. “Really good execution on that play.”

Mateer said, “Really good design that Arbuckle came up with and we got man (coverage) like we wanted. And I knew there was a ‘backer underneath I had to navigate, and I did. Luckily, put it on his nose and he was able to run.”

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Just a few minutes later, Mateer took advantage of favorable field position.

After a short Mizzou punt, the Sooners started their drive at the Tigers’ 35-yard line. Mateer led a seven-play scoring drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Javonnie Gibson.

Mateer’s two touchdown passes were enough on a day where the Sooners’ defense allowed Missouri to score just twice on two field goals.

“I’m incredibly proud of him,” Arbuckle said. “I’m proud of the way he leads, I’m proud of the way that he plays. Are there always things we can be better at? Absolutely. But John Mateer, he’s a great ball player.”

Neither offense played pretty football in the second half.

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Oklahoma compiled only 138 total yards, and Missouri had even fewer at 122. Mateer completed only six of his 13 pass attempts, throwing for just 49 yards in the final 30 minutes.

Still, Mateer was crucial in helping OU salt away its win.

The Sooners scored just three second-half points, but they were able to register nine first downs, thanks largely to short passes and runs for decent gains. Mateer ended the game as OU’s leading rusher, finishing with 60 yards on 18 carries, and the quarterback’s legs allowed the clock to keep moving in the low-scoring contest.

“You just gotta put your head down and take a hit, you know?” Mateer said. “So I did it, and it was fun.”

Mateer still hasn’t been at his best since returning from injury against Texas on Oct. 11. The quarterback hasn’t thrown for more than 250 yards in a game since the Sooners’ win over Auburn on Sept. 20. He has thrown four touchdowns and four interceptions in the six games since the surgery on his right hand.

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Still, there has been progress lately.

Mateer threw multiple touchdown passes on Saturday for the first time since OU’s season opener against Illinois State. He has also gone two games without turning the ball over. And, most importantly, Mateer has led the Sooners to three wins in a row, keeping them in the picture for the College Football Playoff.

Mateer has slowly but steadily improved in the back half of the season, and that gives Arbuckle confidence as OU prepares for LSU, its final opponent of the regular season.

“I mean, playing insanely tough, not turning the ball over, doing the little things that it takes to win and being a great teammate and a great leader,” Arbuckle said. “That’s how I’ve seen him progress and I expect nothing different from him as soon as we go back to work tomorrow. And I’m excited to watch him attack it.”



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First Native woman drives Oklahoma’s iconic Sooner Schooner, a covered wagon mascot

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First Native woman drives Oklahoma’s iconic Sooner Schooner, a covered wagon mascot


For the first time in its 60-year history, the Sooner Schooner, the University of Oklahoma’s iconic covered wagon mascot, is being driven by a Native American woman.

Brianna Howard, a junior at OU and a citizen of the Choctaw Nation, first drove the Schooner onto the field during the football team’s season opener against Illinois State.

“I only had a minute to get on the Schooner, get the reins and go,” Howard said Saturday before the Sooners’ game against Missouri in Norman. “I didn’t have enough time to get too nervous. When I went out there, it was amazing. I could not even hear the audience I was so zoned into driving.”

Members of the RUF/NEKS and the all-female spirit group Lil’ Sis take care of the Schooner and its ponies, and they take turns driving it during the game.

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Members of the Oklahoma spirit groups drive the Sooner Schooner after a touchdown against Missouri during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in Norman, Okla.

Alonzo Adams / AP


First introduced in 1964, the Sooner Schooner is pulled across the field before the game and after Oklahoma scores by matching white ponies named “Boomer” and “Sooner.”

Because the scaled-down Conestoga wagon is reminiscent of those pioneers used while settling Oklahoma Territory in the late 1800s, Howard acknowledged that some see the Schooner mascot as a symbol of oppression against Native people. But she said to her, driving the wagon represents taking ownership of that symbol.

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“I know that for me, it’s a representation of taking back something that was used to oppress my people and my culture, and now that I’m in charge, it’s giving us the power,” she said. “Not everyone’s going to see it that way, and that’s OK.”

Jack Roehm, a senior at OU and president of the RUF/NEKS, drove the Schooner during Saturday’s game against Missouri and described the Sooner Schooner tradition as one of college football’s most unusual.

“It’s a historic tradition after every score having the ponies run across the field,” Roehm said. “There’s nothing like it in college football.”



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