Vicki Behenna was elected Oklahoma County district lawyer Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. (Megan Prather)
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Democrat Vicki Behenna defeated Republican Kevin Calvey in a hotly contested race for Oklahoma County district lawyer Tuesday.
All through her marketing campaign, Behenna touted her credentials as a former federal prosecutor concerned within the conviction of Oklahoma Metropolis bomber Timothy McVeigh. A withering TV advert within the closing days of the marketing campaign painted Calvey as too erratic to carry the place of district lawyer.
With all precincts reporting, Behenna received 54.4 % of the vote to Calvey’s 45.61 %.
“There’s part of me that wishes to begin crying, however there’s part of me that’s so grateful that you just all in Oklahoma County imagine in me and imagine within the mission of justice that you just made me the primary feminine district lawyer,” Behenna stated at her watch celebration Tuesday evening.
Behenna instructed supporters she took her time in making a call on whether or not to run.
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“I imply, I’m trying across the room proper now, individuals who got here to me in April of final 12 months saying, ‘Vicki, it is advisable to run for district lawyer.’ I took me a very long time to achieve this determination,” she stated. “I really feel so humbled that folks imagine in me and imagine in my integrity and have elected me to this place.”
Behenna will succeed David Prater, who introduced his retirement final 12 months after 16 years within the place.
Within the advert that aired on native tv stations, Behenna used Calvey’s previous feedback about abortion within the Oklahoma Legislature towards him.
“If I weren’t a Christian, and didn’t have a prohibition towards suicide, I’d stroll throughout the road and douse myself in gasoline and set myself on fireplace!” Calvey shouted in 2015 whereas serving as a state consultant.
Behnna additionally hit Calvey laborious on his previous statements about prosecuting regulation enforcement throughout an Oct. 12 debate hosted by NonDoc. Calvey stated he wouldn’t prosecute officers within the capturing dying of Stavian Rodriguez. Prater charged 5 officers with first-degree manslaughter within the November 2020 capturing.
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“Fairly actually, Mr. Calvey’s statements are pandering to regulation enforcement, with a purpose to get their vote,” Behenna stated within the October debate. “No one of their proper thoughts who has ever prosecuted a case would take a look at a video on TV and determine that these expenses weren’t correct. That’s what makes him so harmful as a district lawyer.”
A number of unfavorable headlines additionally plagued Calvey, who superior to the overall election by beating Oklahoma County Assistant DA Gayland Gieger in an August runoff. Days earlier than he confronted Gieger, The Oklahoman reported Calvey was below investigation by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation concerning the alleged use of public funds for marketing campaign expenditures.
In a wierd press convention Aug. 22 exterior Prater’s workplace, Calvey blamed Prater for the investigation and for leaking it to media. Prater crashed the press convention and denied speaking to journalists in regards to the inquiry.
Within the days main as much as Tuesday’s election, Calvey returned cash from a donor who has been accused of molesting youngsters and it awaiting a retrial, in keeping with a report in The Oklahoman.
The 56-year-old Calvey is the present Oklahoma County District 3 Commissioner, however he elected to not run for an additional time period in that place this 12 months. He’s additionally a member of the Oklahoma County Legal Justice Authority, which has come below fireplace for its administration of the Oklahoma County Jail. The jail has seen 28 deaths within the final two years because the belief took over its day-to-day operations.
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Behenna served on the staff of federal prosecutors that convicted Timothy McVeigh in 1997. Outdoors the courtroom, Behenna additionally defended her son who was convicted of murdering Ali Mansur Mohamed throughout the occupation of Iraq in 2008. Michael Behenna maintained his innocence however was later despatched to army jail. He was pardoned by former President Donald Trump in early 2021.
Extra lately, Behenna labored in non-public apply specializing in white collar protection, authorities relations and well being care circumstances.
Vicki Behenna was elected Oklahoma County district lawyer Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. (Megan Prather)
Stein holds on in county assessor race
Republican incumbent Larry Stein held on to defeat Democrat Nick Singer within the race for Oklahoma County assessor. Stein picked up 55 % of the vote to 45 for Singer.
The Oklahoma County tax assessor is answerable for setting property values, each business and residential, within the county.
Stein was first elected in 2018, narrowly defeating former Democratic Rep. Mike Shelton. Among the many points Stein campaigned on was the modernization of his workplace.
“We’re setting the usual for know-how, and due to that know-how we’re saving taxpayers cash day by day as a result of we’ve got 52 fewer staff than the Tax Fee estimates we’d must deal with the duties that we tackle,” Stein instructed The Oklahoman.
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Singer is a realtor and govt director of Oklahoma Progress Now, a progressive coverage group.
Freeman wins ninth time period as treasurer
Republican incumbent Oklahoma County Treasurer Butch Freeman received a ninth time period in workplace Tuesday, defeating Democratic challenger Brandon Kirkpatrick.
Freeman, who was first elected in 1993, obtained 55.3 % of the vote to 44.7 for Kirkpatrick, who grew up in Oklahoma Metropolis and Edmond and is a enterprise individual, in keeping with his web site.
Singleton defeats Kirby in decide race
Challenger Angela Singleton defeated incumbent Affiliate District Decide Richard Kirby, successful 58.7 % of the vote to 41.3 for Kirby.
Singleton graduated College of Oregon regulation college in 2011 and labored as an assistant district lawyer in Oklahoma County previous to working for decide. She prosecuted homicides and different violent crimes whereas working within the Oklahoma County DA workplace.
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Kirby was first elected as an affiliate district decide in Oklahoma County in 2007, and he initially served because the supervising decide for juvenile courts and later probate, adoptions and guardianships.
Savage wins District 7 decide race
In a battle of two Oklahoma County particular judges, Kathryn Savage defeated James Siderias.
Savage obtained 65 % of the vote to 35 % for Siderias with about 96 % of precincts reporting.
Savage has been a particular decide since 2017 and beforehand labored as an assistant district lawyer in Pottawatomie and Muskogee counties.
Siderias has been a particular decide since 2020 dealing with youngster abuse and intercourse abuse circumstances.
Since a historic season for Oklahoma City a year ago, this team has fortified itself on several fronts just under 40 games into the 2024-25 season.
From rounding out its defense with veteran Alex Caruso, bringing on Isaiah Hartenstein to provide some rebounding padding to letting the young guns grow and blossom into their game, the Thunder has many strengths.Another massive strength of theirs this season has given them many opportunities to come back from deficits and come out on top in tight games.
There are two ways to create more opportunities for shots on the basket outside of solid team defense. The first—rebounding. Without staying afloat on the defensive boards, that is a recipe for disaster and hands the opponent easy shots on goal after the rebound and deflates a defense if it’s repeated. The second—generating turnovers.
That is what Oklahoma CIty is excelling at this season. Their rebounding troubles a year ago eventually seeped in to its playoff performance and was a large part in its ultimate exit against the Dallas Mavericks. The Thunder is still in the bottom half of the league in rebounds per game this season, but that’s a massive improvement from its bottom-four placement a year ago.
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With that improved, the Thunder already gain an upper hand. But coupled with how often this team generates turnovers defensively along with greatly limiting its own turnovers has landed them in the top five of field goals attempted per game.
Through 39 games, Oklahoma City has tallied just 474 turnovers to place second in the NBA in that category. Inversely, the Thunder comfortably lead the league in steals with 451 on the season, or 11.6 per game. Naturally, Oklahoma City leads the league in both points off turnovers and opponent points off turnovers.
It’s a game-changer to have this success in taking care of the ball while also the whole team acting as a ball hound. If the Thunder sustains this, it’s difficult to see anyone in the Western Conference besting them as of now.
Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.
PROVO, Utah — Trevin Knell scored 13 of his 18 points before halftime and reserve Dallin Hall scored 14 points and BYU ended its three-game losing streak by beating Oklahoma State 85-69 on Tuesday night.
Richie Saunders scored 12 points and Egor Denim and Keba Keita each scored 10 points for the Cougars (11-5, 2-3 Big 12).
Jamyron Keller and Bryce Thompson scored 15 points apiece and Abou Ousmane 13 for Oklahoma State (9-7, 1-4).
The Cougars built a 17-6 lead and never trailed. BYU went on an offensive onslaught and outscored the Cowboys 25-9 in a 10-minute span and led 42-15 after Dawson Baker made two free throws with 3:23 before halftime. BYU went to the break shooting 15 for 25 and led 46-26.
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But after an 8-of-31 (25.8%) shooting performance in the first half, Oklahoma State started on a blistering 22-5 run in the first 6 1/2 minutes of the second half and drew within 51-48 on 8-for-10 shooting with Keller going 3 for 3 from 3-point range.
BYU regrouped and went on an 11-2 run for a 62-50 lead with 10:28 left and stayed ahead by double digits for the remainder.
Oklahoma State hosts Colorado on Saturday. BYU will make the 45-minute drive north on Interstate 15 to face Utah in Salt Lake City on Saturday.
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New Orleans looks to normalcy as it mourns New Year attack victims
Normalcy has begun to return to a stricken yet defiant New Orleans – after a U.S. Army veteran drove a truck into dozens of New Year’s Day revelers.
In the wake of the New Year’s Day terrorist attack on the famed Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Gov. Kevin Stitt has issued an executive order creating an advisory council of first responders and intelligence personnel in hopes of better protecting Oklahomans and state infrastructure from such an attack.
Stitt issued an executive order on Monday concerning the Secure Oklahoma NOW (Not on Our Watch) Initiative. He said Oklahoma Commissioner of Public Safety Tim Tipton would lead the advisory council.
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In one of the largest domestic terrorist attacks in U.S. history, 168 people and three unborn children died as a result of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, something Stitt noted.
“Sadly, Oklahomans are familiar with the devastating impact terrorists can have on our communities,” he said. “It’s our responsibility to stay vigilant and prepared. The Oklahoma Department of Public Safety will bring together experts from law enforcement, emergency management, and public safety to develop a comprehensive guide to protect our high-value targets and major events, ensuring we are always one step ahead.”
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In addition to Tipton, the advisory council will feature the state’s secretary of public safety, Tricia Everest, who will supervise the initiative. Other members will be a sheriff from a county with a population above 500,000, a sheriff from a county with a population below 500,000, a police chief from a town or city with more than 100,000 residents, a police chief from a town or city with fewer than 100,000 residents, a chief from a university police department and a representative from the Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security.
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The only two counties with a population of more than 500,000 are Oklahoma and Tulsa counties. Only four Oklahoma cities — Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Norman and Broken Arrow — have a population above 100,000.
The 12-person council also will include the president of the Oklahoma Fire Chiefs Association or their designee, the director of the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management or their designee, the director of the Oklahoma Counter Terrorism Intelligence Center or their designee and one at-large member appointed by the governor.
The council will create and publish a written guide of minimum security and safety protocols for use by public and private stakeholders responsible for managing large-scale events. According to Stitt’s order, the guide should reflect best practices and emerging strategies in public safety.
The first meeting of the council must be by Feb. 27, according to the order, and the first edition of the guide is scheduled to be published and submitted by May 30, with updates to be made annually.
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“In our world today, it’s more important than ever to make sure our law enforcement is prepared for any situation,” Everest said. “We have been able to mitigate multiple threats with our effective partnerships between local, state and federal law enforcement. I appreciate the governor’s efforts to streamline those partnerships and ensure Oklahomans are safe regardless of the situation.”
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