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Oklahoma Lawmaker Proposes 3D-Printed Homes Study To Address Affordable Housing

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Oklahoma Lawmaker Proposes 3D-Printed Homes Study To Address Affordable Housing


For many Oklahoma City families, buying a home is not an option. 

One lawmaker wants to study creative 3D technology to reduce construction costs. Some state leaders are optimistic about its possibilities. 

They hope to use the technology to solve Oklahoma’s lack of affordable housing. Greg Shinn with the Oklahoma City Housing Authority pointed to the data. 

“There’s a huge gap,” said Shinn, talking about the demand for affordable homes. “It feels like it’s overwhelming.” 

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The OKC waitlist for public and Section 8 housing lists more than 29,000 families. “They’re considered severely cost-burdened,” Shinn said. 

He said many Oklahoma families face imminent chances of homelessness.  

“It takes one medical bill; your car breaks down,” Shinn said. 

Shinn’s office assists people with affordable housing – but it can’t keep up. “It’s just not enough when you look at these numbers,” Shinn said. 

Rep. Mickey Dollens, (D-Oklahoma City), is exploring private-sector solutions. “There’s an innovative technology that shows a lot of promise,” Dollens said. 

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Dollens proposed an interim study to study the laws, regulations, and repairs needed to allow 3D-printed homes to be built at affordable prices. “Consider all the different ways that we could go about building these,” Dollens said. “This is gonna prove very beneficial for smaller houses.”  

Safety is on Dollens’s mind. He said the goal is to build quality homes without the high price tag. “We don’t wanna cut any corners,” Dollens said. 

 Dollens said limiting corporate control is also important. “A prohibition on any corporate ownership on these homes going forward,” Dollens said. 

Shinn said housing investment saves taxpayers’ money and creates jobs. “Those are lasting jobs because the housing will be sustainable,” Shinn said. “Things we never dreamed of are possible now.” 

However, Shinn believes the financial security of its people measures the health of a community. “We all benefit from that,” Shinn said. 

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Dollens said the results of this study will direct them on their legislative priorities next session. Dollens said a company out of Austin, Texas called Icon is leading the way for 3D-printed homes. 





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Neighbors sift debris, help each other after suspected Purcell tornado

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Neighbors sift debris, help each other after suspected Purcell tornado


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PURCELL — Jennifer Fox had just fed the pigs behind her house early in the morning Thursday, Jan. 8, and began getting ready for work before she and her two sons heard something hit her bedroom window.

“I said, ‘Is it hailing?” she said. “My oldest looked out the window and he saw our awning across the back. He said, ‘Mom, the awning’s gone.”

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Fox looked out the window and saw debris everywhere. She said she didn’t hear tornado sirens, but she and her sons immediately took shelter in a closet. By that time, the suspected tornado had already passed through her neighborhood off of Johnson Avenue in Purcell.

At first, Fox didn’t think there was a tornado and attributed the damage and debris to strong winds.

But just one street over, the roof of one house had been destroyed. When she looked at the house behind hers, Fox said she knew a tornado had hit her neighborhood.

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“I was thankful at the time,” she said. “I told my kids, I said, ‘It could’ve been a lot worse.’ We weren’t prepared, obviously. I really felt like it just barely missed us.”

Severe weather passed through central Oklahoma early Thursday morning, bringing reports of damage from a possible tornado in Purcell. The National Weather Service in Norman reported on social media that survey teams have found at least EF1 tornado damage in the Purcell area.

The Purcell Fire Department reported a tornado touched down in the city, causing roof damage to nine homes, a semi truck rollover accident on Interstate 35 with one injury and widespread power outages, downed trees and powerlines.

On Norte Street in Purcell, the suspected tornado wiped out the roof of a newly-built home, throwing debris onto the road, including a Christmas tree and blue ornaments. The houses across the street and next door were untouched.

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Community members and local high school students gathered pieces of trash, plywood, insulation and other debris and hauled them off.

Next door to Fox, a man and a woman removed debris from their yard that appeared to have blown over from Fox’s house. Like a puppy, a tall brown horse followed the man as he picked up each piece of trash. Across the street, cattle laid in the middle of a field and watched as one person after another drove into the neighborhood to lend a hand.

About five miles northeast of Fox’s house, the suspected tornado knocked over a few powerlines near Purcell’s football stadium. A tree fell onto a small white house and took the tin roof off a large warehouse.

Ron Musgrave, the warehouse’s owner, lives six miles north of Purcell. He said he learned his property was damaged through a local news broadcast.

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“They had the people out front and they had the helicopters, so I could see it,” Musgrave said. “They were flying over here. There’s a football field, and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh. If that’s the football field, that’s my warehouse.”

The retired home builder and property owner said he keeps building supplies in his warehouse and a black and white cat who’s in charge of exterminating any trespassing mice.

The cat was happy to see Musgrave as he surveyed the water damage inside of the warehouse. Though there was some wet spots, the roof took most of the impact.

“It’s a project,” Musgrave said with a smile. “I am down for it.”

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Severe weather damage reported in Shawnee, Norman

Tree damage was reported in Cleveland County at 156th Street and East Tecumseh Avenue, according to Alyse Moore, Cleveland County communications director, along with damage to a car port and barn at 800 Moffatt Road north of Lexington.

Storm damage was also reported in Shawnee. Social media posts show damage to the Holiday Inn Express and Walmart Supercenter off of Interstate 40.



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Oklahoma Sooners add transfer portal offensive lineman to the roster

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Oklahoma Sooners add transfer portal offensive lineman to the roster


The Oklahoma Sooners made an under-the-radar transfer portal addition on Wednesday, bringing back a player who spent two seasons in Norman before transferring out last year.

Former Central Oklahoma offensive lineman Kenneth Wermy will be returning to play for OU out of the portal. Wermy played for the Sooners in 2023 and 2024 before spending 2025 at the NCAA Division II level with the Bronchos. He’ll add depth to an offensive line group that is in need of it after recent portal departures.

Wemry is a local product from Cache, Oklahoma, and he stands at 6-foot-5 and weighs 315 pounds. The Sooners have been busy adding big names in the transfer market, but with a week and a half left until the portal closes, the focus may soon turn to retention and building back depth on the roster.

Oklahoma had a busy portal day on Wednesday, adding Wermy and former Michigan linebacker Cole Sullivan. However, Oklahoma also lost three players to the portal, in linebacker Sammy Omosigho, defensive back Jaydan Hardy, and wide receiver Zion Ragins.

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X@Aaron_Gelvin.





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Oklahoma bill aims to ban obscene materials in public school libraries

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Oklahoma bill aims to ban obscene materials in public school libraries


A local lawmaker is introducing a bill to prohibit obscene materials in Oklahoma public school libraries.

Rep. Chris Banning, R-Bixby, filed legislation this week, House Bill 2978, that would update state law and prohibit the acquisition of materials that meet Oklahoma’s legal definition of obscenity.

The bill removes references to subjective community standards and relies on established statute, according to Banning.

“This legislation provides a straightforward statewide rule that helps ensure school libraries stay within the definition of education,” Banning said. “According to Black’s Law Dictionary, education is defined as providing proper moral, intellectual and physical instruction.”

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