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Oklahoma’s USDA state director visits Fairfax

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Oklahoma’s USDA state director visits Fairfax


FAIRFAX — Numerous residents of the Fairfax area welcomed U.S. Department of Agriculture official Kenneth Corn to town Nov. 30, to celebrate the award of $687,000 in federal grant funding to the nonprofit community development group Friends of Fairfax.

Corn is a former member of the Oklahoma Senate who currently serves as state director for the USDA’s Rural Development agency.

The grant will finance the rehabilitation of a downtown building to be used as a complex that will house an art gallery and artist studios. The project is intended to help spur wider interest in redevelopment of downtown Fairfax. The town of about 1,100 has notoriety on its side right now. It is the place where many key elements of the story told by Martin Scorsese’s new movie, “Killers of the Flower Moon” took place.

Today’s residents of the Fairfax area would like to put the evils of the “Osage Reign of Terror” behind them, but they would also like to be able to establish a niche for their community as the place where one goes to find out more about an important American cautionary tale and the lessons it offers for those who would better understand the interactions of Native Americans and white settlers.

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“One of the things that’s important to the president is that we’re making investments in rural communities,” Corn said regarding the Biden administration’s priorities for grants like the one that Friends of Fairfax has been awarded. He recalled that the Fairfax grant was processed on a short time frame, and it wasn’t initially clear if it would be approved.

“It was funded at the highest level that we gave this year in Oklahoma,” Corn said. “We think it’s important that we revitalize Main Street. This fits perfectly with all the media that has come with the new movie. We want to be a partner in any way we can.”

Corn made a presentation to Kay Bills, of Friends of Fairfax, regarding the grant. In addition to the presentation and a meal, the Nov. 30 event in Fairfax featured a “smudging” ceremonial activity that involved the use of smoke to purge places and people of adverse influences.

Jerry Butterbaugh, also a member of Friends of Fairfax, spoke briefly to Corn regarding the good that has been done in Osage County as a result of $100,000 provided several years ago by USDA and used by the Osage County Industrial Authority to make small, low-interest loans for business development. The gathering Nov. 30 to celebrate the new grant being awarded took place at a Main Street building owned by Butterbaugh and his wife.

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Oklahoma 8-year-old girl missing, father dead after SUV crash in Texas flood

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Oklahoma 8-year-old girl missing, father dead after SUV crash in Texas flood


An 8-year-old Oklahoma girl is still missing in Texas after floodwaters carried away the family SUV on Christmas Eve.

According to local reports in Sherman, Texas, the SUV ran off the road into a drainage ditch before succumbing to the flood. The Sherman Police Department said six people were inside the vehicle when it crashed.

Four family members were rescued. CBS News reported that the missing girl’s father, Will Robinson, did not survive. Robinson was a coach for the Durant High School Lady Lions basketball team.

By the afternoon of Christmas Day, searchers had covered seven miles of creek in the area without success.

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“We are shifting our focus into the county, targeting some possible locations where we have not looked to as yet,” the department wrote on Facebook Wednesday. “Our search will continue until dark today, then we will resume searching again (Thursday) before daylight.”



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Oklahoma 111-65 Omaha (Dec 22, 2024) Game Recap – ESPN

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Oklahoma 111-65 Omaha (Dec 22, 2024) Game Recap – ESPN


NORMAN, Okla. — — Raegan Beers matched a career high with 28 points, and No. 10 Oklahoma rolled past Omaha 111-65 on Sunday.

Beers, a 6-foot-4 center, made 11 of 13 field goals and grabbed nine rebounds to help Oklahoma win its fifth straight since an overtime loss to Duke.

Skylar Vann had 12 points, eight rebounds and eight assists and Kiersten Johnson added 12 points for the Sooners (11-1). Oklahoma scored at least 100 points for the third time this season after entering the day ranked fourth nationally with 90.7 points per game.

Ja Harvey scored 21 points and Cora Olsen added 15 for Omaha. The Mavericks (8-5) had won seven straight since a 79-77 loss to Wisconsin, but gave up a season-high point total against the Sooners.

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Oklahoma led 52-34 at halftime, with Beers producing 15 points and six rebounds.

The Sooners exploded in the third quarter, outscoring the Mavericks 35-25 to take an 87-59 lead. It matched the most points Oklahoma has scored in a quarter this season. The Sooners made 14 field goals and five 3-pointers in the period.

Takeaways

Omaha: Aside from Harvey, none of the Mavericks could get going. Harvey made 8 of 14 field goals while the rest of the team made 15 of 52.

Oklahoma: The Sooners continued to bully opponents in the paint and beat them with pace. They outrebounded the Mavericks 57-33 and forced 20 turnovers.

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Key moment

Oklahoma set the tone from the beginning by scoring the game’s first eight points. The Sooners led 26-10 at the end of the first quarter.

Key stat

Omaha made just 2 of 21 3-pointers while Oklahoma made 13 of 35.

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Omaha hosts North Dakota on Jan. 2. Oklahoma hosts New Mexico State on Dec. 29.

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Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball



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Oklahoma Sooners add another transfer portal quarterback

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Oklahoma Sooners add another transfer portal quarterback


The Oklahoma Sooners made a splash via the transfer portal when they added former Washington State quarterback and the top player in this year’s portal class, John Mateer. But the Sooners weren’t done at quarterback, adding Western Carolina signal caller Cole Gonzales.

Gonzales started 22 games in three seasons with the Catamounts, completing 63.5% of his passes for 6,445 yards, 49 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions. On non-sack rushing attempts, Gonzales averaged 5.4 yards per carry and ran for 701 yards and three touchdowns.

In 2023, he was the 2023 Southern Conference Player of the Year and was a two-time first-team All-Conference selection. Last year, he completed 66.1% of his throws for 2,547 yards, 26 touchdowns and threw just six interceptions in 11 games. That year, Gonzales threw for five touchdown passes three times and six games with more than 250 yards passing.

In 2024, he completed 61.7% of his passes for 2,545 yards and 12 touchdowns and threw seven interceptions this season. Gonzales was really efficient in the deep passing game, with a 45.5% completion percentage on throws greater than 20 yards down the field. That was good for sixth in the FCS among quarterbacks with at least 44 pass attempts on deep throws.

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In the 2024 season opener against N.C. State, Gonzales threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns, completing 62.9% of his passes. He also carried the ball six times for 78 yards, according to Pro Football Focus, who removes sacks from rushing totals.

Against Furman, in week eight of the 2024 season, Gonzales threw for 620 yards and five touchdowns.

In Gonzales, the Sooners add more quarterback depth to the roster to go along with Mateer, Michael Hawkins Jr., and 2025 signee Jett Niu. He’ll have one year of eligibility remaining in 2024.

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 John on X @john9williams.





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