Archive for the Week of February 22, 2009 - February 28, 2009
Report shows student poverty increase
2/27/09, 5:20 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A report shows an increase in student poverty in Oklahoma this year. According to state School Superintendent Sandy Garrett, the percentage of state students qualifying for free and reduced
lunches rose about 1 percent over a year ago to 51.2 percent. Garrett said Friday it is tragic so many state students are from homes where parents are struggling to provide food. She said the infusion of funds from the federal stimulus package will help meet the student needs.
According to the report, poverty in Oklahoma City schools increased from 81.9 percent to 85.5 percent, while it declined from 82.9 percent to 76.9 percent in Tulsa, the state's largest school district. Garrett questioned whether the big dip in poverty had actually occurred Tulsa or if there was a lag in paperwork used for the report.
UNM faculty votes no-confidence in former OSU president
2/27/09, 11:15 a.m.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - University of New Mexico faculty members have approved a no-confidence vote against UNM President David Schmidly and two other officials. Schmidly is a former president of Oklahoma State University. The faculty is upset about what they call a topdown management style and the dwindling number of tenure-track professors.
About 500 faculty members voted Wednesday on motions presented by the university's Committee on Governance. Results were made public Thursday. The faculty also cast no-confidence votes against the president of the university's regents, Jamie Koch, and the UNM executive vice
president David Harris. Schmidly issued a short statement saying he is "disappointed" in the no-confidence vote.
Judge declines to dismiss abortion lawsuit
2/27/09, 10:58 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A judge has rejected the state's bid to dismiss a lawsuit challenging a law that would prohibit a woman from getting an abortion unless she first has an ultrasound and the doctor describes the fetus in detail. Oklahoma County Judge District Judge Vicki Robertson, after a lengthy hearing on Thursday, dismissed without comment the state's motion to throw out the case.
Teresa Collett, an outside attorney retained to argue the case, contended the Center for Reproductive Rights had no standing to challenge the law in court. Robertson has issued a temporary injunction blocking enforcement of the law. Another hearing in the case is set for March 30. The plaintiff, which operates a clinic providing abortion services in Tulsa, argues the law violates the Oklahoma Constitution and a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy.
Supreme Court invalidates bonds
2/27/09, 10:22 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Oklahoma Supreme Court has voided bonds for dam and river projects in the state because they violate a prohibition against bills covering more than one subject. Thursday's decision affects low water dam projects as well as projects along the Arkansas River in the Tulsa area. Legislation passed last year included $27 million in bonds for the dam projects, the Arkansas River projects and the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum in Oklahoma City.
Last month, Oklahoma City attorney Jerry F. Fent filed a lawsuit alleging legislation authorizing the bonds violated a prohibition against bills covering more than one subject. In an 8-1 decision, the state's high court agreed and ruled them unconstitutional. But the decision does not affect the American Indian museum project.
Garrett: Accountability a key for stimulus funds
2/27/09, 8:59 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - As Oklahoma schools prepare to receive $287 million from the federal economic stimulus bill, state Superintendent Sandy Garrett says care must be taken in how that money is spent. Garrett told state school board members Thursday that the funds should be used to enhance education reform.
She cited efforts to extend the school day and school year and ensure quality teachers are recruited. She also says she's been told by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan that the federal government considers the $287 million a down payment and that more money will be alloted for education in future years.
State board members received a district-by-district estimated breakdown of funds from the stimulus bill. Garrett says those numbers should be finalized by early March.
25 more wells tested in E. coli probe
2/27/09, 8:43 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - At least 25 more private water wells have been tested near Locust Grove where an E. coli outbreak last summer killed one man and left hundreds sick. State Department of Environmental Quality say the tests are in addition to tests on 74 private wells last week. Of the 74 wells tested - 59 were found to contain total coliform bacteria which is a group of bacteria that indicate environmental pollution. Results of the latest tests are not yet available.
State health officials are still analyzing samples taken from the wells that showed E. coli. They're trying to determine if the bacteria is the rare O111 strain involved in the outbreak at the Country Cottage restaurant. Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson has suggested the E. coli could've been the result of contamination from nearby poultry farms. The poultry industry denies the claims. Edmondson is suing 13 Arkansas poultry companies in federal court, claiming excessive land application of chicken waste is polluting the 1 million-acre Illinois River watershed. A trial is set for September.
Bill addresses child welfare issues
2/27/09, 8:34 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - State lawmakers say legislation focusing on Oklahoma's child welfare system will satisfy almost all the issues raised in a federal court lawsuit against the state. State House leaders have released the findings of a five-month, $400,000 study of the Department of Human Services. Among other
things the audit found that children are removed from allegedly abusive homes almost twice as much as the national average. The audit was ordered after a lawsuit was filed last year on behalf of nine foster children that accused the state of victimizing its foster children. Rep. Ron Peters of Tulsa said Thursday legislation he is
drafting will address 90 percent of the lawsuit's issues. House Speaker Chris Benge of Tulsa says the audit shows lawmakers are being proactive in addressing the problems.
Lawmaker, wife injured in auto accident
2/27/09, 8:26 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A state lawmaker and his wife have been injured in a two-car crash in south Oklahoma City and police are looking for the driver of the second car who left the scene.
Sgt. Jennifer Wardlow says Rep. Mike Christian and his wife Veda were hurt when their car collided with a pickup truck about 8:30 a.m. Thursday. Christian and his wife were taken to a local hospital. Their conditions were not immediately available.
Wardlow says the pickup is a dark blue or black older model Chevrolet or Ford with damage to the driver's side. Details of the accident haven't been released by police. Christian is a first-term Republican from Oklahoma City.
Democrats want ED impact statement
2/26/09, 5:06 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma Senate Democrats say they are amazed that some insurance companies pay for treating erectile dysfunction, while denying coverage for autism. All 22 Democrats in the 48-member Senate signed a letter on Wednesday asking for a cost savings analysis in the event lawmakers barred insurance companies from covering ED if they refused to cover the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders.
The letter was sent to Bill W. Crain, administrator of the Oklahoma State and Education Employees Group Insurance Board. Senate Democratic minority leader Charles Laster of Shawnee said
it's bad public policy to allow insurance companies to pay for Viagra to treat ED when they are not required to cover autism.
Study finds more Oklahoma children in custody
2/26/09, 4:45 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A new report says Oklahoma keeps juvenile offenders in state custody nearly four times longer than the national average. The study by Huskey & Associates found youths convicted of a
crime spend about 430 days in the custody of the state Office of Juvenile Affairs. The national average is 105 days. Illinois is second in the average amount of time juveniles are kept in custody at about 229 days.
Juvenile Affairs Executive Director Gene Christian says he's working to reduce the amount of time juveniles spend in state custody. But he says Oklahoma doesn't have programs to help youths return to their communities and continue receiving treatment. The study is part of a requirement of a recently settled federal
lawsuit over conditions at the L.E. Rader Center in Sand Springs.
Wildfires lead to air quality advisory
2/26/09, 4:12 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The state Department of Environmental Quality is issuing an air quality advisory in 19 counties because of recent wildfires. Environmental program specialist Curt Goeller says low winds leave the smoke, dust and ash hanging in the wind to create air quality problems.
Goeller says he's hoping stronger winds expected Thursday will clear the air. The 19 counties are Atoka, Caddo, Cleveland, Coal, Comanche, Garvin, Grady, Latimer, McClain, McIntosh, Murray, Muskogee, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Pittsburg, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Seminole and Wagoner.
Garrett wants stimulus money for reforms
2/26/09, 3:38 p.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - State education officials hope to use funds from a federal economic stimulus package to expand early childhood education, longer school days in urban districts and an extended school year for others. The state is expected to receive $287 million for programs from pre-kindergarten through secondary education. Federal officials are expected to provide guidance on the new money next week.
State Superintendent Sandy Garrett told the Tulsa World's Washington Bureau that the money could be available in Oklahoma within 45 days - giving her time to prepare local school leaders for what will be expected. Garrett and other education officials met yesterday with Vice President Joe Biden to discuss the package.
Emergency Fund bill dies in committee
2/26/09, 2:17 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Legislation to provide more money to the state's Emergency Fund and speed up disaster recovery payments to cities and counties has died in a state House committee. The measure by Rep. Joe Dorman of Rush Springs was scheduled to be heard Wednesday by the House Rules Committee. But Dorman says the committee's chairman, Rep. Gus Blackwell of Goodwell, pulled the bill.
It called for a statewide vote to amend the state Constitution to authorize constitutional Rainy Day Reserve Fund money to pay state matching funds for federal disaster relief payments. The state pays 12.5 percent of disaster recovery costs and is currently $21 million behind. The measure would also transfer money to the Office of Emergency Management within 30 days after the state determines how much it will owe.
DHS audit finds too many children removed from homes
2/25/09, 5:42 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - An independent audit of the Department of Human Services says Oklahoma children are removed from their homes almost twice as much as the national average. It adds that the number of children in the custody of state child welfare workers places a strain on the state system as well as children and their families.
The $400,000 audit by Hornby Zeller Associates was released Wednesday by House Speaker Chris Benge and other lawmakers. The audit makes 25 recommendations to improve the system. Among them are making sure that children are removed from their homes only if there is an imminent safety threat and that the agency is involved with local law enforcement officials in all removals of children. A lawsuit filed on behalf of foster children last year seeks to overhaul DHS.
Public assistance granted for tornadoes, ice storm
2/25/09, 5:07 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved Gov. Brad Henry's request for public assistance for three Oklahoma counties hit hard by this month's severe storms and tornadoes. Federal officials also granted Henry's request for another six counties to receive public assistance following an ice storm in January.
The designation delivers federal funding to help cities, counties and rural electric cooperatives with infrastructure repairs, debris removal and costs associated with responding to the storms. Carter, Coal and Love counties will get public assistance for the storms and tornadoes.
Comanche, Haskell, McIntosh, Muskogee, Okfuskee and Sequoyah counties will receive public assistance for the ice storm. Four others -- Adair, Cherokee, Delaware and Hughes -- are already approved for public assistance.
Lawmakers allege discrimination in road contracts
2/25/09, 4:31 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Members of the Oklahoma Legislative Black Caucus are accusing the Oklahoma Department of Transportation of racial bias in the awarding of road contracts. Sens. Constance Johnson of Oklahoma City and Judy Eason McIntyre of Tulsa and Rep. Jabar Shumate of Tulsa have filed a complaint
with the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. Johnson says ODOT has awarded no work since October 2007 to
black contractors taking part in the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program. She says lawmakers want all federal funding for public projects in Oklahoma be withheld until either a disparity study is completed
or an independent body is named to oversee ODOT's contract award process. ODOT spokeswoman Terri Angier says the complaint came as a surprise and ODOT will give it serious study.
Ringling police chief, city officials resign
2/25/09, 3:15 p.m.
RINGLING, Okla. (AP) - The entire police force in Ringling has resigned and the mayor, vice mayor and city attorney are quitting as well. Mayor Jerry Reid says his resignation isn't effective until he puts it in writing but he blames part of the dispute on what he calls a "dope problem" in the southern Oklahoma town. Reid says "special interest groups" are upset that there were too many patrolmen on the streets and some are worried because they may have something to hide.
Phone calls to council members Terry Blackwell and Mary Elliot went unanswered today and there was no listing for the third council member, Tony Bortz. A message left at Ringling City Hall was not immediately returned. The Jefferson County sheriff's office will take over patrol
duties until a more permanent solution is found.
Wells test positive for E. coli
2/25/09, 10:48 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Fifty-nine of 74 private water wells in Locust Grove have tested positive for total coliform bacteria, a group of bacteria that indicate environmental pollution. Additionally, 17 of those 59 wells tested positive for E. coli, the state's Department of Environmental Quality said Wednesday. The results come a week after the DEQ tested the wells within a five-mile radius of the northeastern Oklahoma town for possible contamination.
The DEQ acted on information from Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson's office suggesting a deadly E. coli outbreak in the town last summer could have been the result of pollution from poultry farms. The unsolved outbreak that killed one man and sickened hundreds more occured at the Country Cottage restaurant. Earlier this month, Edmondson released a report concluding that the well at the popular buffet eatery "is, and has been, contaminated with poultry waste and associated bacteria, including E. coli." The poultry industry has denied those claims.
Rule requirement delays appropriations meeting
2/25/09, 10:45 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - It could be a late night for lawmakers. A meeting of the powerful House Appropriations and Budget Committee has been delayed to comply with a House rule that requires agendas to be posted 48 hours in advance. The committee was scheduled to convene at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, but Democratic Rep. John Carey of Durant raised an objection before the first bill was heard.
Carey says House rules require that committee agendas be posted 48 hours in advance. The rule was imposed to give lawmakers enough time to examine all legislation that will be considered. The agenda for Wednesday's committee meeting was posted at 8:18 p.m. Monday, meaning the meeting could not convene before 8:18 p.m. Wednesday without violating the rule. Committee Chairman Ken Miller of Edmond says the meeting will now convene at 8:18 p.m.
Judge upholds sanctions against state
2/25/09, 10:39 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - A federal judge is upholding sanctions against Oklahoma in the state's federal lawsuit against 13 Arkansas poultry companies. Judge Gregory Frizzell agreed with a magistrate's ruling that Oklahoma failed to produce sampling data to the defendants in a timely manner. The magistrate judge ordered the state to pay the poultry companies' attorney fees and costs associated with the state's delay in producing the information.
The state was ordered in January 2007 to turn over certain monitoring and sampling data and in February 2008 the poultry companies filed a motion saying the state failed to comply with the order. A spokesman for Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson says the documents had been produced and there was no intention to not give them to the poultry companies. Edmondson sued the Arkansas poultry companies in 2005 accusing them of polluting the 1 million-acre Illinois River watershed.
Stimulus package to help DHS some
2/25/09, 10:32 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The director of the state Department of Human Services says the federal stimulus package will help reduce a gap in the agency's budget. But Howard Hendrick says the money won't eliminate the agency's funding challenges. DHS had projected a $25 million shortfall in its $559 million budget. Hendrick says the stimulus bill has narrowed the gap to about $7 million.
Most of the money from the $787 billion stimulus package will go directly to programs like child support enforcement and child care development. Hendrick calls the money "a nice addition" but says it won't solve DHS' budget shortfall. He says the budget includes an increase in retirement and health insurance. Also about $91 million are for programs that federal laws and policies prohibit reductions in - such as some child-welfare requirements.
Tobacco funds eyed for med schools
2/25/09, 9:56 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Oklahoma Senate has passed a measure suggesting the board that oversees tobacco settlement funds give money to medical schools at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma
State University. Sen. Brian Crain sponsored the legislation and says it only is a suggestion, not a mandate.
Democratic Sens. Jim Wilson and John Sparks spoke against the plan. The two say the money is intended for smoking cessation programs.
Tobacco trust board spokeswoman Sjonna Paulson had no comment on the Senate action but says the board's plan focused first on tobacco control. She says the board will meet next month to decide how to spend $15.5 million in interest and earnings from the principal in the fund. The bill now goes to the House for consideration.
Study: Better prenatal counseling needed
2/25/09, 8:49 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A new study indicates that most Oklahoma women do not receive sufficient prenatal counseling. The state Health Department surveyed 5,700 women who recently gave birth in the state. The survey said only 15 percent of Oklahoma women received counseling on 16 key topics, including smoking, seat belt use and how long to wait between pregnancies. Health officials say that Oklahoma ranks 40th nationally for infant mortality and exceeds the national average for low birth weight babies.
Henry noncommittal on spending of stimulus funds
2/24/09, 11:45 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - After he and fellow governors meet with the president, Gov. Brad Henry remains noncommittal about how Oklahoma might spend more than $2 billion in federal stimulus dollars.
Henry tells the Tulsa World's Washington bureau that while he appreciates the efforts of President Barack Obama to try and provide a jolt to the nation's economy, there is some concern that states could end up in a bind if they accept some funds from the stimulus package. Henry says it's possible Oklahoma could bypass taking some of those funds if it wouldn't benefit the state's economy, but he didn't think that would happen.
He says that state officials will evaluate all of the details of the bill with an eye toward what is good for Oklahoma.
OSU responds to criticism of vet school
2/24/09, 11:33 a.m.
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) - Officials at Oklahoma State are defending their research methods used on live animals. The response comes after donor Madeleine Pickens said she wants a recent $5 million donation to the OSU veterinary school redirected somewhere else on campus. Pickens says she decided on the change after a student at the OSU Center for Veterinary Health Sciences told her of "barbaric" practices. She says they include the breaking of animal's bones and removing organs as part of teaching and research.
OSU spokesman, Gary Shutt, says the allegation is not accurate and that no animal is subjected to broken bones or organ removal as part of the veterinarian teaching program. And dean Michael Lorenz issued a statement saying the information Pickens received is mostly incorrect. Pickens is the wife of OSU alum and billionaire oilman Boone Pickens who has donated tens of millions of dollars to the university.
House passes sweeping civil justice bill
2/24/09, 9:47 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A divided House Judicary Committee passes legislation today that would make sweeping changes to Oklahoma's civil justice system. Opponents including Democratic state Rep. Richard Morrissette of Oklahoma City say the bill would unconstitutionally place barriers in front of citizens who want to file a lawsuit when they are injured by others.
It's the third straight year in which lawmakers have been asked to pass legislation that, among other things, would cap pain and suffering damages at $300,000 and require a certificate from an expert that a lawsuit has merit before it can proceed in state court.
The measure would also change guidelines for class-action lawsuits and cap punitive damages at $2 million.Supporters have said the changes are needed to stop frivolous lawsuits and lower the cost of medical malpractice insurance and liability insurance carried by businesses. The bill's author is Republican Rep. Dan Sullivan of Tulsa. The measure passed 8-3 and now heads to the House floor for debate and a vote.
State to get $175 million for Medicaid
2/24/09, 8:38 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma is in line to soon receive up to $174.8 million in federal funds for its Medicaid program as part of the federal stimulus program. President Barack Obama told the nation's governors on Monday that states will be able to access the first two quarters of their allotted federal match for Medicaid for the 2009 fiscal year beginning Wednesday.
The funding would help pay for health care for families hit hard by the economic crisis and some of the nation's most vulnerable citizens. According to a release by the White House, Oklahoma's Medicaid installment under the stimulus bill is $174.8 million. States will need to meet federal Medicaid guidelines to spend the money.
House passes bill to support OSU medical center
2/24/08, 8:29 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - State lawmakers have approved a plan to provide necessary funding to keep open the Oklahoma State University Medical Center in Tulsa. The state House on Monday voted unanimously to provide the first payment of $5 million to the cash-strapped medical center to help with operating costs and its residency program.
The funds are part of a public-private agreement reached with local and state leaders last year. Under the plan, the state will contribute $5 million per year for the next five years that will be matched by at least $7 million annually in private funds raised in the Tulsa community. The funds will go to the OSU Medical Authority, which will then contract with the city of Tulsa Trust for the operation of the
hospital with St. John Medical Center.
Committee passes "modernization" bills
2/23/09, 5:20 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A state House committee has adopted measures that its authors say will modernize state government and make it more transparent. The House Government Modernization Committee passed the bills without opposition Monday and sent them on to the House for debate
and a vote.
One bill by House Speaker Chris Benge of Tulsa would require competitive bids for printing state statutes in hardcover volumes. Benge says that since 1971, state law has required a lone sole-source vendor to print the volumes, West Publishing Co.
Another bill by Rep. David Derby of Owasso would create a new chief information officer who would consolidate state government's various technology functions. A third bill by Rep. Jason Murphy of Guthrie would place state worker purchases with state-paid purchase cards online for public viewing.
Barge tonnage drops at Port of Muskogee
2/23/09, 1:45 p.m.
MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) - Barge tonnage at the Port of Muskogee dipped to its lowest level in three years in 2008, and port officials say 2009 isn't looking much better. Port Director Scott Robinson says January was the second lowest month on record for tonnage coming through the port along the Arkansas River Navigation System. Robinson says only one barge of steel was shipped out in January, where typically the port handles 15 to 16 barge loads of steel in a month. Last year, nearly 700,000 tons of steel, asphalt and other products moved through the port. That was down nearly 13 percent from 2006. Robinson cited high water levels, uncertainty about the economy and the bankruptcy of Tulsa-based SemGroup, which was a large shipper.
House sitting on $6.9 million surplus
2/23/09, 1:29 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - At a time when the state is facing severe budget problems, a fund the Oklahoma House uses to pay for office furniture, computers and electronic reader boards is flush with nearly $7 million in surplus money. But there's little chance lawmakers will donate the money to the state general fund to help with other uses like education and roads.
Leaders of the Republican majority that controls the House say the extra money will be needed eventually for remodeling and infrastructure repairs. But Democratic leaders say they are shocked at the budget surplus and wonder what GOP leaders are doing to tighten their spending belt.
Similar to state agencies, the Legislature receives state appropriations to pay its employees and operating expenses. The state House's $6.9 million surplus amounts to more than a third of its annual appropriation of $19.2 million.
Concrete shakes loose from Oklahoma bridges
2/23/09, 1:27 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - In the four years since a Texas woman was killed when a piece of concrete fell from an interstate bridge and crashed through her windshield, more than two dozen other people have filed similar claims against the state. Although no deaths were reported, information provided to The Associated Press under an open records request shows 26 people have filed claims against the state involving falling concrete since Osborn's fatal accident in June 2004.
In all but two of the cases, the state denied the claims, usually saying the claimant failed to show the state was actually negligent. Injuries were claimed in two cases. Transportation officials say they are required to inspect bridges every two years, and if they do that and find no indication of loose concrete, they are not liable for damages if a chunk of that bridge should fall.
Federal Highway Administration data for 2008 show that 5,566 or 24 percent of Oklahoma's 23,587 bridges are structurally deficient, second only to Pennsylvania.
NH lawmaker wants to reaffirm state sovereignty
2/23/09, 12:58 p.m.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - Oklahoma is one of several states following the lead of a New Hampshire lawmaker who is warning the federal government not to step outside its limited role. New Hampshire Republican Dan Itse used a repudiation of federal overreaching written by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson in 1798
as a basis for a resolution reasserting his state's sovereignty. Oklahoma is one of at least 10 states that have introduced similar bills to push back against Congressional authority. Sen. Randy Brogdon of Oklahoma has introduced a bill in the Sooner State and described Itse's resolution as "poetic." Brogdon's bill already has passed the House, and he says he expects it to clear the Senate as well.
Data shows sex offenders moving into rural areas
2/23/09, 1243 p.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - An analysis of state Department of Corrections data shows registered sex offenders who once lived in Tulsa are moving to rural counties. The analysis by the Tulsa World shows others appear to be moving underground. In recent years, the state has imposed tough residency restrictions on sex offenders, prohibiting them from residing within 2,000 feet of schools, parks or day care centers.
Since 2005, just before those laws took effect, the number of registered sex offenders in Tulsa has dropped from almost 600 to about 350. Meanwhile, of the 443 sex offenders registered in bordering counties like Rogers, Creek, Wagoner and Osage counties, 60 of them lived in Tulsa County in 2005. Osage County Sheriff Ty Koch says sex offenders are moving to rural areas because they can't find a place to live under the statutes in the cities.
State troops await call
2/23/09, 12:09 p.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Military officials in Oklahoma say they haven't learned yet whether the state's troops will be part of the troop buildup in Afghanistan. About 38,000 U.S. troops are in Afghanistan, and President Barack Obama has pledged to send another 17,000 to augment that force. About two-thirds of the additional troops already have been identified.
Last week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates ordered the deployment of 8,000 Marines from Camp Lejeune, N.C., to Afghanistan by late spring. He ordered another 4,000 troops from Washington to deploy by midsummer. The remaining 5,000 additional troops to support those combat
forces will receive deployment orders at a later date. Oklahoma National Guard spokesman Col. Pat Scully says there's been no word yet from the Pentagon on whether any of the state's Guard troops will be needed.
Donations from ORU alumni up after scandal
2/23/09, 10:23 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - First-time donation levels among Oral Roberts University alumni are at their highest in more than 10 years, even as the school tries to rebuild its image. According to ORU Alumni Foundation data, during a 15-month period ending in January, almost 2,400 alumni of the private university gave almost $1.2 million. The number of first-time donors increased by almost 200 from November to December and rose to 585 in January. That's the highest total since 1998.
ORU was caught in scandal in late 2007, when three professors filed a wrongful termination lawsuit. Soon after, then-ORU President Richard Roberts resigned as president amid allegations he and his wife spent school money on home remodels, lavish vacations and a stable of horses for their daughters. Roberts has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. Donations totaling $80 million from the family of Oklahoma City businessman Mart Green has helped stabilize ORU, which has a new president in former pastor and evangelist Mark Rutland. ORU also has a new board of trustees and a shared governance system.
PSO says bills will be lowered during next year
2/23/09, 9:36 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Customers of Public Service Company of Oklahoma will have their bills reduced by more than $14 a month during the next 12 months.
Company spokesman Stan Whiteford says PSO, which is owned by American Electric Power, is paying less for natural gas. He says that, and a federal ruling on how AEP allocates its profits from trading margins, means the utility will reduce its electric bills by an additional $130 million. Whiteford says the cost reductions should be reflected in March bills.
Natural gas has dropped from a cost of $12 per one million per British thermal unit last spring to a little more than $4 per Btu this year. He says a residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt hours per month would have an average bill reduction of $14.56. Such a customer would have paid $82.28 a month before the reduction.
OG&E to request rate increase
2/23/09, 9:18 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. officials say a rate hike they plan to seek will push consumer electric bills up by an average of $7 a month. OG&E spokesman Brian Alford said Monday that the utility will ask the Oklahoma Corporation Commission for a rate hike of between $100 million and $110 million. The request will be formally filed on Thursday.
Utility officials expect commissioners to rule on the request in August and the company hopes the proposed hikes can be implemented in September. Alford says the higher rates are needed to replace infrastructure like utility poles and transmission lines and to invest in new technology, including renewable energy like wind power.
OG&E is the state's largest electric utility with 770,000 retail customers in Oklahoma and western Arkansas.
