OKLAHOMA CITY – Races for the statehouse on Tuesday saw some surprises.
Sen. Greg McCortney, R-Ada, lost to Republican challenger Jonathan Wingard, of Ada.
McCortney, considered to be more moderate than some of his GOP colleagues, was the Senate Majority floor leader and was slated to become the next president pro tem.
He did not immediately return a message left seeking comment.
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No Democrat, Libertarian or independent filed, so Wingard will represent Senate District 13.
House Appropriations and Budget Chairman Kevin Wallace, R-Wellston, faces a runoff with Republican Jim Shaw, of Chandler, for state representative District 32. They were the top two vote getters in a three-way race.
Wallace was a key player in budget negotiations.
Sen. Cody Rogers, of Tulsa, lost to Republican challenger Aaron Reinhardt, of Jenks, in the Senate District 37 race.
Reinhardt faces independent Andrew Nutter, of Tulsa, in the general election.
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Gov. Kevin Stitt recently campaigned for Rogers, telling supporters that special interest groups were out to get the incumbent, who does not always vote the way Senate leadership wants him to vote.
Rogers recently said he was the target of a smear campaign and dozens of negative mailers had been sent out against him.
Sen. Jessica Garvin, R-Duncan, lost her primary to Kendal Sacchieri, of Blanchard, in Senate District 43. Sacchieri faces a Democrat in the general election.
Garvin said she spent four years doing good work.
“I am really thankful for that opportunity,” she said.
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Garvin was not sad about the outcome and looked forward to spending more time with her family and growing her business.
Sen. Shane Jett, R-Shawnee, narrowly avoided a runoff, winning in a four-way primary that included Ron Sharp, R-Shawnee, who Jett previously defeated.
No Democrat, Libertarian or independent filed for the post, so Jett secured reelection to Senate District 17.
Sen. Casey Murdock, R-Felt, narrowly defeated Republican challenger Cody Anderson, of Ringwood, to secure reelection to Senate District 27.
Molly Jenkins of Coyle was elected to House District 33 after defeating Rep. John Talley, R-Stillwater. No Democrat, Libertarian or independent filed for the post.
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Rep. Jeff Boatman, R-Tulsa, will leave the Legislature, losing his race for Senate District 25.
In the race for House District 98, Rep. Dean Davis heads to a Aug. 27 runoff with challenger Gabe Woolley.
Both are Republicans from Broken Arrow.
The winner will face Democrat Cathy Smythe, of Broken Arrow.
Sen. Blake Cowboy Stephens will face Julie McIntosh, of Porter, in the Republican runoff. They were the top two vote getters in a three-way race for Senate District 3. The winner faces independent Margaret Cook of Tahlequah in the general election.
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Stephens said he was pleased with his performance Tuesday.
“Voters responded to a cowboy who will shoot you straight and has never missed a day of work,” he said.
Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair, secured reelection to Senate District 1 after defeating Houston Brittain of Pryor.
In the race for Senate District 11, Democrat Rep. Regina Goodwin, D-Tulsa, easily defeated Democrat Joe Williams. She will replace Sen. Kevin Matthews, D-Tulsa, who is termed out.
No independent, Libertarian or Republican candidates filed for the seat.
Oklahoma transfer LB Dasan McCullough commits to Nebraska
Oklahoma transfer linebacker Dasan McCullough has committed to Nebraska, he confirmed on Instagram Sunday afternoon.
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The 6-foot-5, 235-pound McCullough spent the past two seasons in Norman with the Sooners. He began his college football career in 2022 at Indiana, where he earned Freshman All-American status.
McCullough will come to Nebraska with one season of eligibility remaining.
McCullough, who played Oklahoma’s versatile hybrid linebacker/safety position called the Cheetah, suffered an injury before the start of Oklahoma’s fall camp this season and missed the first five games. He returned to the field in October and played in the final seven games, the last five of which he started. He recorded 17 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss in 2024.
In 2023 at Oklahoma, McCullough played in 10 games and started seven while making 30 tackles with 3.5 TFLs and three pass deflections.
McCullough, who was a star recruit and ranked No. 61 nationally in the 2022 class, comes from a football family. His dad, Deland McCullough, played running back in the NFL and is currently Notre Dame’s associate head coach and running backs coach.
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While Deland spent three seasons as the Kansas City Chiefs’ running backs coach from 2018-20, Dasan played his high school ball at Blue Valley North High School in Overland Park, Kansas. Deland became Indiana’s associate head coach and running backs coach in 2021, and Dasan, then an Ohio State verbal commit, flipped to Indiana not long after.
Dasan followed his father to Bloomington and made an impact right away. He played in all 12 games with four starts and racked up 51 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, four sacks and four pass deflections. He gained Freshman All-American honors and a Big Ten honorable mention selection.
— Steve Marik, Inside Nebraska staff writer,
Analysis
McCullough is a versatile backend defender that can play a variety of roles in Nebraska’s defense.
A rare blend of size and athleticism at 6-5, McCullough shows good speed and change-of-direction ability for his size. Has high-end instincts and IQ, which shows up in zone coverage and reacting against the run. Has had some intriguing flashes as a pass-rusher, but largely relies on athleticism to get into the backfield, still developing consistent pass rush moves.
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Technically sound tackler, though lean he’s got wiry body strength. Consistent aggression could improve as could hip fluidity. Athletic enough to hold his own in man coverage, technique can continue to improve, better in zone at this point in his career.
In Nebraska’s scheme, McCullough can play all three linebacker positions, rover or even safety if needed. He’s likely best at inside linebacker with a few pass-rush opportunities.
This addition provides Nebraska defensive coordinator John Butler something of a chess piece to move around his defense.
— Tim Verghese, Inside Nebraska recruiting analyst
Additional analysis
McCullough is a versatile and sizable defender who played both a traditional linebacker position and Oklahoma’s “cheetah” spot, which is roughly equivalent to the nickel. He also saw some periodic snaps as an edge rusher for the Sooners during his two years in Norman.
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McCullough at his best against the run, as he takes good pursuit angles, fills gaps responsibly and is a reliable tackler. That said, he’s intelligent and instinctive in zone coverage and can generally be trusted to hold his own in man-to-man matchups against tight ends and running backs.
McCullough ought to be quite the chess piece in John Butler’s defense, and could truly thrive in Lincoln depending on the Huskers’ specific vision for his diverse skill set.
— OUInsider writer Parker Thune
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Central Arkansas Bears (3-8) at Oklahoma Sooners (11-0)
Norman, Oklahoma; Sunday, 1 p.m. EST
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BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Sooners -28.5; over/under is 145.5
BOTTOM LINE: No. 14 Oklahoma hosts Central Arkansas after Jeremiah Fears scored 30 points in Oklahoma’s 87-86 victory over the Michigan Wolverines.
The Sooners have gone 6-0 at home. Oklahoma has a 2-0 record in games decided by less than 4 points.
The Bears are 0-6 on the road. Central Arkansas ranks fourth in the ASUN with 23.8 defensive rebounds per game led by Brayden Fagbemi averaging 4.6.
Oklahoma averages 82.0 points, 5.2 more per game than the 76.8 Central Arkansas allows. Central Arkansas averages 9.0 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.5 more made shots on average than the 6.5 per game Oklahoma allows.
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TOP PERFORMERS: Fears is scoring 17.9 points per game with 3.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists for the Sooners.
Layne Taylor is scoring 17.0 points per game and averaging 4.4 rebounds for the Bears.
LAST 10 GAMES: Sooners: 10-0, averaging 80.9 points, 29.3 rebounds, 14.1 assists, 10.1 steals and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 47.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 68.5 points per game.
Bears: 3-7, averaging 73.0 points, 34.3 rebounds, 14.3 assists, 8.8 steals and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 38.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 75.7 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – The Oklahoma City Fire Department responded to a commercial fire near the area of NW 10th and N Western Avenue.
OKCFD were at the scene of a commercial fire around 7 p.m. Saturday night, when they arrived there was heavy smoke visible from multiple floors of a boarded up building.
One adult female was found in the building and taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
At this time no cause has been reported.
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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KFOR.com Oklahoma City.
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