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Oklahoma leaders condemn political violence after Charlie Kirk was shot and killed in Utah

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Oklahoma leaders condemn political violence after Charlie Kirk was shot and killed in Utah


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Oklahoma lawmakers, state officials and university organizations are condemning political violence after conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah on Sept. 10.

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The 31-year-old’s death was confirmed by President Donald Trump on Truth Social after Kirk was shot at the university. The president ordered all U.S. flags in the country to be lowered to half-mast until Sunday evening.

Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt shared a photo of himself and Kirk on social media, saying, “The world will be a darker place without him here.”

Oklahoma Attorney General Genter Drummond, who’s running for the Republican bid for governor, said he’s devastated for Kirk’s family and prays for their comfort.

“Politically motivated violence has become a deadly epidemic in this country,” Drummond added. “There is never justification to extinguish a life over political disagreements.”

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U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, Oklahoma’s Republican junior senator, said Kirk was a “true friend, a fearless patriot and a loving husband and father.”

Kirk spoke at the Oklahoma State University’s campus in April during his “The American Comeback” tour, which hosted free events across the nation.

In a statement before Kirk was confirmed to have died, the Oklahoma Federation of College Republicans said the organization has immediately taken measures to enhance the security of its events across the state.

“The incident serves as a stark reminder of the divisive and often hostile environment in which we operate,” the organization said. “We must come together as a community to end the culture of death and hatred that has plagued our nation.”

Former Oklahoma House Speaker Charles McCall, a Republican gubernatorial candidate from Atoka, said Kirk was “a steadfast conservative voice and tireless advocate for American values.”

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“He had an incredible impact on the rising generation of voters, inspiring young Americans to stand strong for faith, family, freedom, and the principles that make our nation great,” McCall, who’s running for governor, said on social media. “Our prayers are with his family, friends, and all who were impacted by his service. We will honor his legacy by continuing the fight for the values we hold dear.”

Oklahoma Congressman Josh Brecheen, a Republican, said he prays “hearts in our nation would be stirred to repentance over hatred towards others.”

Congressman Kevin Hern, who also represents Oklahoma in the U.S. House, said on social media Kirk had “played an important role in recruiting young voters to the conservative movement.”

“Political violence is meant to silence the voice and will of the people,” said Hern, a Republican. “Rest assured, anyone who has heard of Charlie Kirk knows that the movement he inspired will never let the evil actions of a coward stop the advancement of civility, liberty and patriotism that he helped ignite.”

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Oklahoma House Minority Leader and Democratic candidate for governor Cyndi Munson said she prays for Kirk’s family and the U.S., adding, “We must do better.”

“I know for certain one does not have to agree with a person to pray for their life and their family,” Munson, a Democrat from Oklahoma City, said on social media. “I pray for Charlie Kirk’s family and send my deepest condolences. I also pray for our country. We must do better.”

Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell said on social media he met Kirk years ago, adding that he’s praying for Kirk’s wife, children and loved ones.

“He was a strong, consistent voice for what he believed in and inspired a generation of young Americans to get civically involved,” Pinnell said.



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Oklahoma State on Verge of Elimination from Bowl Contention

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Oklahoma State on Verge of Elimination from Bowl Contention


Oklahoma State is set for more Big 12 action this weekend, but it could make the inevitable official.

On Saturday, OSU will head to Lubbock to face No. 14 Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are coming off their first loss of the season but still have arguably the best team in the Big 12. As one of the frontrunners for the conference’s spot in the College Football Playoff, they shouldn’t have many issues taking care of business against an OSU team that hasn’t won a Big 12 game since 2023.

Along with being on a years-long drought in conference play, the Cowboys haven’t beaten an FBS team since September 2024. With this being the eighth game of the season, that also means OSU is down to its final hopes of making a bowl game.

Of course, the Cowboys have effectively been out of bowl contention since losing to Tulsa. While at that point there were still plenty of games left to play, that loss showed that OSU might not be ready to compete with anyone of note. 

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That assumption turned out to be entirely correct, as OSU hasn’t had another game within one possession since that loss to its in-state rival, which also led to the firing of Mike Gundy. While falling out of bowl contention seemed inevitable for the Pokes for much of the season, this weekend could be when it officially becomes reality.

Sitting at 1-6, the Cowboys would need to rattle off five straight wins to get to bowl eligibility. Considering they will start that journey as nearly 40-point underdogs in Lubbock this weekend, it’s safe to say that won’t happen.

While this is the reality OSU football is in at this point, it’s still a stark reminder of how quickly things can change in college football. Just two years ago, OSU won 10 games, made the Big 12 title game, which led to an appearance in the Texas Bowl, marking the Pokes’ 18th straight bowl appearance.

The last time OSU missed bowl games in consecutive seasons was 2000-01, when Bob Simmons’ final season and Les Miles’ first season at the helm both ended with losing records. Of course, Gundy missed a bowl game only twice in his 20 full seasons as the Cowboys’ head coach, but this year likely would have been his third had he gotten the opportunity to see it through.

While nothing about OSU’s outlook will change on Saturday when the Cowboys are likely eliminated from bowl contention, it is still a reminder of how far the program has fallen.

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Thunder receive NBA championship rings, raise title banner: Check it out

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Thunder receive NBA championship rings, raise title banner: Check it out


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The 2025-26 NBA season started Tuesday night in Oklahoma City as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder hosted Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets.

Before tip-off, the Thunder celebrated their 2024-25 NBA championship season and raised their first title banner since the organization moved to Oklahoma City.

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OKC players were greeted by NBA commissioner Adam Silver as they were introduced to the home crowd and received their championship rings.

Here’s how the players reacted to the championship rings and banner being raised:

Thunder receive championship rings, raise title banner

Here’s a detailed view of the Thunder’s new bling:



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Interim study held over misuse of ALPR cameras

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Interim study held over misuse of ALPR cameras


OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — An Oklahoma Representative says the state’s Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) are being misused by law enforcement.

When News 4 spoke with Rep. Tom Gann (R-Inola) in August, he claimed law enforcement was abusing the purpose of ALPRs, which is used to make sure Oklahoma drivers are insured.

Gann and others presented how ALPR cameras are infringing on peoples 4th Amendment right.

He says if action isn’t taken soon on governing how law enforcement is using these cameras, the citizens of Oklahoma will end up paying for it.

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“These are serious violations of people’s rights and this comes from a lack of internal controls,” Gann said. “We have feds using local cops passwords to do immigration surveillance with flock cameras. It is the fact that he can pass his password around to anybody he wants to, to get onto this system is a problem. We need internal controls otherwise we create more victims with these flock cameras.”

License plate readers have been legal in Oklahoma since 2018.

The cameras intention was to enforce the Compulsory Insurance Law, making sure drivers aren’t on the road without insurance.

“Under the appropriate use, this is a good thing,” Shena Burgess, Attorney said. “We want people to have insurance. If people have insurance, then our insurance rates go down. I was all for that part.”

Oklahoma’s Uninsured Vehicle Enforcement Diversion (UVED) Program says these cameras have helped greatly, drastically reduced the number of uninsured drivers on the road.

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Over the past seven years, we’ve realized a significant reduction in uninsured vehicles operating on Oklahoma roadways. UVED offers Oklahomans a chance to achieve compliance without law enforcement interaction, without criminal charges, without court costs, and without time
lost from work, school, or home.

Spokesperson for Uninsured Vehicle Enforcement Diversion (UVED)

However, Burgess says those cameras are being used for much more.

“The Tulsa County Sheriffs Office testified in a federal court that they use the Automated License Plate Readers all the time, for purposes that have nothing to do with whether or not the vehicles have insurance,” Burgess said.

Gann says this has led to instances where law enforcement have pulled over the wrong person thinking they were a suspect in a crime.

“We have victims of mass surveillance out there already,” Gann said. “When tag numbers are misread, you have people like this, where her and her 12 year-old sister were held at gunpoint because of a misread on a tag.”

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He also mentions that this is a violation of your 4th Amendment right.

“The 4th Amendment offers security to a person when they place themselves in a constitutionally protected area albeit home, office, hotel room or automobile,” Gann said.

Burgess says this is a major concern for her, and what this could mean for future court cases.

“Once challenges start happening, civil lawsuits are going to follow,” Burgess said. “It is going to be our citizens who end up paying for this.”

The meeting was supposed to be a joint study between Gann and Rep. Tim Turner (R-Kinta), but Gann told Turner he would be taking up the allotted time, so Turner decided to withdraw his study.

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They say they will continue to work toward a solution over the misuse of ALPR cameras.



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