2012 Oklahoma Year in Review

There were a lot of memorable stories in 2012.  Fox 25 has compiled our list of the stories making headlines in 2012.
The year in sports was a major moment for Oklahoma to shine.  The year began with an ending to Oklahoma State's best football season in school history.  The Cowboys won the Fiesta Bowl in January. 
Sports success continued with the Oklahoma City Thunder's rise to claim the Western Conference Finals title.  The team played the Miami Heat for the NBA Championships.  The Thunder would fall to the Heat, but the rapid rise and success of the young team meant millions of dollars' worth of advertising for Oklahoma and Oklahoma City. 
Weather is always a headline in Oklahoma and this year was no exception.  A tornado claimed the life of five people in Woodward.  Later in the year drought helped fuel wildfires across the state.  The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management says the fires are responsible for one death as they scorched nearly 114,000 acres of land; burning through more than 600 homes. 
In March, President Barak Obama made his first trip to the Sooner State.  He was greeted by supporters in Cushing.  The President's stop highlighted the Keystone Pipeline project to connect Cushing with refineries in the Gulf of Mexico.  Despite the crowds of supporters, the President went on to lose every county in Oklahoma during the 2012 general election.  Though Oklahoma's support was not necessary as he went on to win a second term in office.
The year also saw the resignation of the long-time director of the Department of Human Services, Howard Hendrick.  Hendrick stepped down just before lawmakers approved sweeping reforms to the agency that was plagued by questions over child deaths.  Voters would make the final reform happen by approving a constitutional change eliminating the DHS commission and placing the agency's director in the hands of the governor.
A big announcement by federal prosecutors resulted in the arrest of Teddy Mitchell, two of his sons and six others of federal gambling charges.  All the men have pleaded not guilty.  Prosecutors say Mitchell ran a multi-million dollar gambling operation.  His attorney says all the activities were legal.  The federal charges are not connected to the city's investigation into the death of Mitchell's wife Julie. 
The year 2012 will be remembered by one family as the year they lost their daughter.  No one has seen or heard from JaRay Wilson since October.  Her family says she disappeared and investigators fear she may be a victim of human trafficking.  The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotic's Human Trafficking Taskforce took over the case November 1, 2012, after a state law took effect giving the agency jurisdiction over human trafficking cases.    2012 Oklahoma Year in Review

Posted: Monday, December 31 2012, 10:35 PM CST