Archive for the Week of January 1, 2009 - January 10, 2009
Departing health chief gives advice
1/9/09, 5:47 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma's departing health commissioner says the state must continue to focus on preventing chronic illnesses if it is to move out of the bottom tier of states in health rankings.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Dr. Mike Crutcher says the state has been making improvements in such areas as childhood immunizations in recent years. Oklahoma moved up from 47th to 43rd in a recent national report ranking the health of citizens in the 50 states.
The 56-year-old health official says it will take money and behavioral changes to reduce the number of Oklahomans who suffer from such illnesses as heart disease, cancer and stroke. His resignation is effective later this month.
OU, Tulsa on best value list
1/9/09, 5:32 p.m.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - The Princeton Review's list of Top 100 Best Value Colleges for 2009 includes the University of Oklahoma and the University of Tulsa. The survey notes OU received more than $1 billion in private donations during the past 10 years to increase both scholarships and the number of endowed faculty positions.
And the survey says TU is among the lowest-priced selective, independent institutions in the nation. Ninety percent of Tulsa students receive some form of financial aid with packages averaging $22,586. The Princeton Review is an education services company not affiliated with Princeton University.
Council approves public trust
1/9/09, 3:56 p.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - The Tulsa City Council has approved creating a public trust that will own and operate the OSU Medical Center. The hospital is home to Oklahoma State's medical residency program and provides treatment to the indigent. It faced possible closure until the state and OSU promised funding and Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor offered the creation of a public trust to oversee it. The purpose and powers of the trust include supporting the teaching and training of physicians and delivering health-care services to indigent people.
Petition seeking greater education funding passes hurdle
1/9/09, 2:47 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma voters will decide whether schools should get an extra $850 million a year. A petition to fund Oklahoma's education system on a per-student basis that's based upon the regional average has passed its first hurdle. Attorney Amanda Maxfield Green with Helping Oklahoma Public Education says the proposal will appear on the 2010 general election ballot unless a special election is called.
Last month, the organization submitted a petition to the secretary of state with 234,446 signatures on it. The proposal would add an amendment to the state constitution requiring the Legislature to fund education at the same level as surrounding states. On a per-student basis, Oklahoma spends about $6,900 per year. The group says the regional average is $8,300. The State Chamber and Oklahomans for Responsible Government
oppose the measure.
More people will be eligible for Insure Oklahoma
1/9/09, 10:54 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - More businesses and some college students will be eligible for the Oklahoma Health Care Authority's Insure Oklahoma program. The state program helps small businesses with 50 or fewer employees provide health insurance for workers, who also pay a portion of costs. The program will be expanded to include businesses with up to 99 employees and full-time college students ages 19 to 22 with household incomes of up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level.
Lawmakers passed a bill two years ago to expand eligibility to businesses with 250 or fewer employees, and to full-time college students. But the authority had to wait for federal approval. Cindy Roberts is director of program integrity and planning. She says state officials received consent to expand the program last week and the state plans to start enrolling college students and more businesses around March 1st. Roberts says the number of college students who can be served is limited to 3,000.
Bradford comes up short in Heisman winners matchup
1/9/09, 8:45 a.m.
MIAMI (AP) - Sam Bradford won the Heisman Trophy with some of the most impressive statistics put up by a college quarterback. But in the biggest game of his career, he and Oklahoma's high-powered offense looked ordinary. Bradford continued a trend of subpar performances by Sooners quarterbacks in BCS bowl games. He threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns but had a pair of interceptions at critical times in the Sooners' 24-14 loss to top-ranked Florida in the BCS championship game.
OU's BCS losing streak is now five in a row, and Bradford is now on a list of Heisman winners who have struggled with the national title on the line. The championship game was only the third time this season he was held to fewer than 300 yards passing, and his third game with multiple interceptions. There were just enough mistakes to let 2007 Heisman winner Tim Tebow outshine him in only the second meeting ever between two Heisman winners.
Hold that pose: Oklahoma, Florida play for No. 1
1/8/09, 12:00 p.m.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - The time for talk is almost over - Oklahoma plays Florida tonight for the BCS championship. The speedy Gators and the nearly point-a-minute Sooners finally meet on the field in Miami in a game that includes a pair of Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks.
At a photo opportunity yesterday OU coach Bob Stoops posed with the crystal football the winning team takes home. Stoops accommodated all requests until a photographer told him to hold up one finger in a "we're No. 1" pose."Too soon" was Stoops' reply. Kickoff is just after 7 p.m.
Judge refuses to dismiss case against DHS
1/8/09, 9:12 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - A federal judge today refused to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a national child advocacy group that accuses the state of Oklahoma of victimizing foster children. Attorneys for the Department of Human Services had asked U.S. District Judge Gregory Frizzell to throw out the suit, arguing that
individual child welfare issues are a matter for state -- not federal -- courts to decide. Frizzell declined the motion but gave the plaintiffs until March to spell out what type of relief they are seeking from the court.
New York-based Children's Rights filed the lawsuit on behalf of nine foster children last year. It alleges the state victimizes foster children by not finding safe and adequate homes for them and inadequately monitoring their safety because of an overburdened and mismanaged work force. The group has said it wants a complete overhaul of the state's child welfare system. The lawsuit seeks designation as a civil rights class action.
A separate hearing on the class-action designation could come in the next month.
Underwood, Rascal Flatts are winners at the People's Choice Awards
1/8/09, 8:59 a.m.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Oklahoma native Carrie Underwood brought home three trophies from the People's Choice Awards and the group Rascal Flatts picked up one.
Underwood was chosen the top female singer, top star under age 35 and her song "Last Name" was picked as the top country song during the award's ceremony in Los Angeles. Rascal Flatts with Picher native Joe Don Rooney was named the best group.
Study sees big cost to autism mandate
1/8/09, 8:50 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A study shows an autism insurance mandate would lead to at least a 7.8 percent increase in rates for insured Oklahomans. The report was made by Thomas Cummins, an actuary used by the House and Senate. It suggests the rate increase could be as high as 19.8 percent.
House Speaker Chris Benge, a Tulsa Republican, says the report shows a proposed autism mandate could lead to more Oklahomans not having health insurance. Sen. Jay Paul Gumm, a Durant Democrat, says such an increase has not been experienced in other states that require autism coverage. He presented a report last year quoting an actuary as saying autism coverage increase rates by less than half of 1 percent.
Jobless payments might set record
1/8/09, 8:42 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Officials with the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission say unemployment payments to out-of-work Oklahomans are likely to set a record this week. Unemployment insurance division director Jerry Pectol says $7.6 million has already been paid and he expects the amount to go over $8 million this week.
The commission has already added new phone lines and hired 13 temporary workers to handle an increase in calls. Pectol says some callers have had waits of up to two hours on hold. The maximum benefit for unemployment claims filed after January 1 is $409 and Congress has increased the eligibility for payments from 26 to 39 weeks.
The unemployment insurance program is administered by the state but is funded entirely by the federal government and by premiums paid by employers.
Mississippi has highest teen birth rate, CDC says
1/8/09, 8:33 a.m.
ATLANTA (AP) - The teenage birth rate in Oklahoma is rising and is among the highest in the nation. A report by by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Oklahoma in 2006 had nearly 60 births for every 1,000 women ages 15 through 19. The number is up 10 percent over 2005 but is down by 25 percent since 1991.
Mississippi had the highest rate of teenage pregnancy with 68.4 births for every 1,000 teenage women. The national rate is nearly 42 per 1,000 and the lowest rate was in New Hampshire at 19 per 1,000.
Garrett to act as governor for a day
1/7/09, 6:17 p.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - State school Superintendent Sandy Garrett will be acting governor of Oklahoma for a short time this week. Gov. Brad Henry and Lt. Gov. Jari Askins will be out of state to attend tomorrow's BCS National Championship game between the University of Oklahoma and the University of Florida.
Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee and House Speaker Chris Benge will also attend the game and Attorney General Drew Edmondson is out of the country. That leaves Garrett as the top elected official. Edmondson is due back in the state tomorrow night and will then become acting governor.
New GOP majority announces ambitious plan
1/7/09, 6:15 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Republican leaders of the Oklahoma Senate rolled out an ambitious program on Wednesday that includes legal reform and tax restructuring. Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee says Republicans have a mandate from the people to enact changes and make the state more business friendly.
The Oklahoma City Republican says the GOP will push for a statewide vote on cutting maximum lawyer contingency fees from 50 percent to 25 percent if Republicans are unsuccessful in passing a comprehensive law to reduce lawsuit costs. Other Republican goals include beefing up highway funding, requiring voters to show identification at the polls, expanding health care coverage and shoring up the teacher pension system.
Oklahoma to share in $600M in disaster assistance
1/7/09, 10:16 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma will get more than $6.5 million dollars from the federal government in disaster and social services assistance because of natural disasters last year. Federal Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mike Leavitt announced Tuesday that Oklahoma is one of 19 states and Puerto Rico that will share $450 million in disaster assistance.
Another $150 million will be shared by four states to help recover from Hurricanes Rita and Katrina. Oklahoma was hit by numerous natural disasters in 2008 including ice storms, a tornado that hit Picher, storms and flooding and a continuing drought in the Panhandle.
The money is to provide individuals and families with social services and health services including mental health services. It's also to help states repair, renovate and build health care and mental health facilities; child care centers and other social service facilities.
Oklahoma moves up educational ranking
1/7/09, 9:57 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma moved up three spots in a national ranking of states' public education systems, but still falls below the national average. Education Week's annual "Quality Counts" report ranks Oklahoma 25th overall, with a "C" grade of 76.1, slightly below the national average of 76.2. Oklahoma ranked 28th overall in last year's report.
This year's report graded all 50 states and the District of Columbia in six categories -- students' chance for success; transitions and alignment; school finance; K-12 achievement; standards, assessments and accountability; and the teaching profession. Oklahoma ranked 15th nationally in transitions and alignment, which measures how well the states transition students from early childhood education to college readiness, the economy and the work force.
The state earned a "D-plus" and ranked 41st overall in the category that analyzes school spending patterns and how equitably that funding is distributed among districts. Oklahoma's adjusted per-pupil expenditures was $8,255 compared to a national average of $9,963. Oklahoma also ranked 48th among states.
Coffee becomes first GOP Senate pro tem
1/7/09, 8:43 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Glenn Coffee of Oklahoma City has been installed as the first Republican to hold the No. 1 leadership position in the Oklahoma Senate. Coffee was elected Senate president pro tem on Tuesday at a one-day organizational meeting of the 2009 Oklahoma Legislature. Republican Chris Benge of Tulsa will return as speaker of the House when lawmakers begin considerating legislation on Feb. 2.
The GOP gained a majority in the 48-member Senate for the first time in history by picking up two seats at the November general election. Republican senators now outnumber Democrats, 26-to-22. They hold a 61-40 advantage in the House after gaining four seats last year. Coffee said his goals include improving education and health care and making changes in the civil justice system and the workers' compensation system.
Cherokee Nation honoring Bradford with T-shirts
1/6/09, 12:39 p.m.
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP) - Cherokee Nation officials will be giving away T-shirts with the University of Oklahoma logo and quarterback Sam Bradford's name and jersey number written in Cherokee at the BCS National Championship game in Miami.
The Tahlequah-based Indian tribe says it wants to acknowledge the accomplishments of OU's Heisman Trophy winner, who is a member of the Cherokee Nation.
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith will wear the T-shirt while attending Thursday night's game between OU and Florida at Dolphin Stadium.
Newspaper lays off 28
1/6/09, 12:22 p.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - The Tulsa World, Oklahoma's second largest newspaper, is laying off 28 employees, 26 of those in the newsroom. In a statement to employees Tuesday, Publisher Robert E. Lorton III said that the "media business is not immune from economic realities, as evidenced by recent layoffs seen at our local TV and radio stations." The World has been the city's only daily newspaper since the afternoon daily, the Tulsa Tribune, closed in 1992. Managing Editor Susan Ellerbach says the total cuts represent about 5 percent of World Publishing Company's employees.
Study faults Oklahoma on overseas voting
1/6/09, 11:59 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A new study faults Oklahoma's absentee voting process and says the state doesn't provide enough time for military personnel stationed overseas to vote. Oklahoma is one of 16 states and the District of Columbia whose absentee voting systems were found to be deficient.
The "No Time to Vote" study was released Tuesday by the Pew Center on the States. Pew researchers said states can make changes to improve their systems, such as allowing write-in voting or permitting election materials to be transmitted electronically.
Oklahoma Secretary of State challenges appeals court decision
1/6/09, 9:32 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma's Secretary of State has asked the 10th U.S. Circuit of Appeals to reconsider a decision that struck down a law barring nonresidents from circulating ballot petitions. Last month's ruling by the court's three-judge panel concluded Susan Savage failed to prove it is necessary to ban nonresident circulators to protect the integrity of the process.
The panel said the law violates the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Savage said the integrity of the process is more likely to be abused by circulators from out of state. She challenged the basis for the decision and requested that all 12 judges of the court or the original panel rehear the case. The law was challenged by a group known as Yes on Term Limits Inc., which wants to use out-of-state professional petition circulators to gather signatures for a term-limits proposal.
GOP to formally take over state Senate
1/5/09, 5:50 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Republicans will make history Tuesday when the Legislature holds an organizational meeting to install new leaders and ratify last November's election results.
Senator Glenn Coffee is poised to become the first Republican president pro tem of the 48-member Senate, and Representative Chris Benge is set to return as speaker of the 101-member House.
The House and Senate will convene at noon to elect officers, then will meet in a joint session to ratify election results.
Officials warn of horse disease
1/5/09, 5:42 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - State agriculture officials are warning horse breeders in the state of a rare and contagious disease that can cause infertility in mares. Spokesman Jack Carson says Contagious Equine Metritis has been confirmed in Kentucky and one Oklahoma mare has been in contact with an infected stallion.
State Veterinarian Becky Brewer says the disease is no threat to humans but could affect the horse industry. Brewer says the disease is spread between animals during breeding and breeders should be sure their artificial insemination equipment is thoroughly cleaned and disinfected after each use. Infected horses can be successfully treated with antibiotics.
Islamic group demonstrates at Capitol
1/5/09, 5:41 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - More than 200 demonstrators, mostly Islamic Americans, condemned Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip Monday as they marched in a circle outside the state Capitol. The "Peace Vigil for Gaza" demonstration was sponsored by CAIR-OK, which is affiliated with the Council on Islamic American
Relations, an Islamic civil liberties group.
Protesters chanted "stop the killing" and "free, free Palestine" and carried signs denouncing Israeli actions in Gaza. President Bush and other U.S. elected officials have said Israel had every right to defend itself after it was attacked by Hamas missiles from Gaza. U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin, R-Oklahoma City, says Hamas can end the violence by stopping its Rocket assault on Israel. CAIR-OK leader Razi Hashmi says Fallin does not understand the merits of taking a neutral stand in the conflict.
Commission awards Interstate 35 work
1/5/09, 1:15 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The first phase of a widening and improvement project along Interstate 35 in Norman has been launched by the Oklahoma Transportation Commission. The commission Monday approved a $35.3 million project to improve about five miles of the highway between Norman and Oklahoma City. The rest of the $200 million project will be built in phases over the next six or seven years.
Transportation Department Director Gary Ridley says traffic volume along I-35 in Norman is above the highway's capacity and that the widening project is long overdue. Ridley says between 70,000 and 80,000 vehicles use the highway every day. He says the current four-lane highway will be expanded to at least six lanes and as many as eight lanes in some areas.
Inspectors shut down 107 elevators
1/5/09, 9:55 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - State Labor Department officials say more than 100 elevators in the state have been shut down because of safety hazards. Safety Standards division director Tom Monroe says 107 elevators were closed in the last fiscal year. And he says some of the elevators were so dangerous that only "by the grace of God" no one had been killed.
He says inspectors found one case of a forklift rigged to work like an elevator. Monroe says the problem is so large because until 2006 there was no law requiring elevators be licensed and inspected - although Oklahoma City and Tulsa have their own inspection programs.
Monitoring devices installed on state vehicles
1/5/09, 9:49 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - New technology is allowing administrators to keep a close eye on state-owned vehicles. The Department of Central Services is attaching diagnostic devices on vehicles that will allow them to track every minute of the day and even alert drivers if they're speeding or facing a breakdown.
The devices will be hooked up to 1,100 vehicles the agency leases to various state agencies. DCS also is offering to provide the service for a monthly fee to thousands of other state vehicles owned by agencies. Under the Automatic Vehicle Location system, agencies can get data on vehicle locations, potential engine problems, odometer readings, engine idle times, gas mileage and other things.
Salvation Army Fund exceeds goal
1/5/09, 8:56 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - The Salvation Army's 2008 Neediest Families Fund has exceeded its fundraising goal and reached a new high for helping families during the holiday season. Tulsans raised $414,456 for the alvation Army fund, well past the $300,000 goal.
Salvation Army officials say the amount raised was well beyond their expectations given the current economic recession, and it's all thanks to the giving nature of the Tulsa community. The fund began in 1928 as the Santa Pal project by The Tulsa Tribune. Since then it has grown and evolved into the Neediest Families Fund, which was taken over by the Tulsa World after the Tribune closed in 1992.
Since its start at the Tulsa World, the fund has quadrupled its total amount raised each year from more than $93,000 in 1993.
Agency seeks 436 new workers
1/5/09 8:43 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The state Department of Human Services is seeking 436 new full-time workers in its budget request for the upcoming year - more than any other state agency. But DHS submitted its budget requests last fall before state financial officials projected a decline in state revenue for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
Projections indicate revenue will decline about $309 million in the upcoming fiscal year, shrinking the amount lawmakers will have to spend to $6.8 billion from $7.1 billion in the previous fiscal year. The DHS budget request includes 126 new caseworkers and comes as state officials await the results of an independent performance audit ordered by the Oklahoma House last year. The results are expected before lawmakers convene the 2009 Oklahoma Legislature on Feb. 2.
