Archive for the Week of March 1, 2009 - March 7, 2009
State getting $26.1 million to fight crime
3/6/09, 4:53 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma law enforcement agencies will get $26.2 million as part of the federal stimulus package to keep the war on crime on track during the economic downturn. The Obama administration announced Monday the allocation of $9.8 million to municipal and county governments. The balance of the money - $16.4 million - goes to the state.
Funds going to the state will pass through the District Attorney's Council to a board that will decide which agencies get the Justice Assistance Grants and the amount they will receive. A year ago, the JAG board received only $1.4 million to allocate. A spokeswoman for the DA's Council said the JAG board will meet April 15 to set priorities for awarding the money in crime-fighting efforts.
3 more wells have E. coli
3/6/09, 4:45 p.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Three more private water wells near a town where an E. coli outbreak killed one man and sickened hundreds last summer have tested positive for E. coli bacteria. The findings released Friday by state health officials bring to 20 the number of private wells that have tested positive for E. coli in the Locust Grove area.
Health officials said that out of 10 additional wells sampled in the area, nine of them tested positive for total coliform bacteria and three of the 10 were positive for E. coli. Dozens of wells have already been tested. Investigators had pinpointed a buffet-style eatery called the Country Cottage as the source of the unsolved outbreak, which became the largest in the nation's history for the rare E. coli O111 strain. But last month, Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson suggested that it could have been the result of contamination from nearby poultry farms.
Mental health screenings urged
3/6/09, 4:33 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma secretary of health Terri White says mental health screenings should be among the routine medical tests for young people. White says there are tests for asthma and diabetes and there should be testing of a child's brain. White today joined with mental health advocates and families at
the state Capitol to visit lawmakers and discuss mental health illness prevention and treatment for juveniles.
A recent report by the state Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services shows about 10 percent of Oklahoma children have a mental health disorder. The report says an additional 10 percent have a substance abuse issue. The report says nearly 40 percent of children who need mental health services and 80 percent of with a substance abuse problem aren't getting the care they need.
College savings program expanded
3/6/09, 9:42 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - State Treasurer Scott Meacham has announced the Oklahoma College Savings Plan is being expanded to allow families to open an account through their own financial adviser. Previously, the only way to open a plan was by directly contacting the plan administrator, TIAA-CREF.
Meacham said all of the advantages of the original plan will be included in the new program. He said an investment made prior to April 15 of this year may entitle the contributor to a tax deduction for 2008. The announcement was made Thursday.
Movie with Affleck, Hudson, Alba to be filmed in Oklahoma
3/5/09, 9:02 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - An Oklahoma casting director says a movie slated to star actors Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson and Jessica Alba will be filmed in Oklahoma beginning March 23rd. Chris Freihofer says scenes for "A Killer Inside Me" will be shot in Oklahoma City, Guthrie, Tulsa, Cordell and surrounding areas. He operates Freihofer Casting in Norman. Freihofer says he'll recruit local actors and extras for the film, which will be directed by Michael Winterbottom.
Oklahoma Film and Music Office director Jill Simpson declined to comment on the project, pending approval of the movie's producers. The crime thriller is based on a 1952 novel by Anadarko native Jim Thompson, involving a likable rural sheriff who has the mind of a murderous psychopath.
Lawmakers approve bill to make civil justice changes
3/4/09, 7:07 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The state House has approved a bill that would make a variety of changes in how civil lawsuits are filed and adjudicated. The bill was approved 61-39. It would limit damages for pain and suffering to $300,000 and require a certificate from an expert that a lawsuit has merit before it could proceed in state court. It would also change the guidelines for class-action lawsuits. Similar bills in the past have either been defeated in the Senate or been vetoed by Gov. Brad Henry. The bill is part of the Republican legislative agenda.
Bill to ditch grocery sales tax advances
3/4/09, 2:20 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A bill to phase out the state sales tax on groceries over five years has advanced in the Oklahoma Senate. Some Democrats charged the Republican-sponsored bill is a political ploy. They say the state can't cut taxes and meet basic obligations in a year when lawmakers are grappling with a $900
million shortfall.
Still, the vote was 38-8 for the measure, which also has had support from many Democrats who say taxing groceries is regressive, hurting low-income taxpayers the most.
The tax cut would be $44 million next year and $300 million when fully implemented. The bill, by GOP Sen. Mike Mazzei of Bartlesville, now goes to the House for consideration.
House passes covenant marriage bill
3/4/09, 1:58 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Legislation creating a "covenant marriage" program that supporters say could reduce Oklahoma's divorce rate has been approved by the Oklahoma House. Lawmakers voted 87-9 for the measure by Rep. John Wright of Broken Arrow. It now goes to the state Senate for a vote.
The bill allows Oklahoma couples to voluntarily choose to enter into a "covenant marriage," which requires a greater level of commitment and preparation than traditional marriage licenses. Couples are required to receive premarital counseling at least 15 days before applying for a marriage license.
Divorce would be limited to adultery, physical abuse, abandonment, fraud in entering the marriage or if the couple has been separated for 18 months. In 2007, Oklahoma's divorce rate was about 5 divorces per 1,000 Oklahomans.
Mayor criticizes AG's office amid E. coli probe
3/4/09, 1:46 p.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - The mayor of Locust Grove is criticizing Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson for suggesting a deadly E. coli outbreak may have been caused by contamination from poultry farms. The E. coli outbreak killed one man and made hundreds of people sick. It was linked to the Country Cottage restaurant.
Mayor Shawn Bates says Edmondson unfairly attacked the town and hasn't proven anything. Charlie Price, a spokesman for the attorney general, says he is puzzled that Bates would take issue with the state trying to protect the health of the people the mayor represents. Meanwhile state health officials continue analyzing at least 17 samples taken from private water wells in the area that showed E. coli.
Edmondson released a report last month saying the well at the restaurant "is, and has been, contaminated with poultry waste and associated bacteria, including E. coli." The poultry industry denies the claims, saying the tests didn't identify a link between bacteria in water wells and poultry. Edmondson is suing 13 poultry companies saying the waste has polluted the Illinois River watershed.
Salt Plains reopening considered
3/4/09, 1:28 p.m.
CHEROKEE, Okla. (AP) - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials are considering reopening the Great Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge to crystal hunters. The area has been closed since April 2007 when vials of blistering solutions used in World War II-era chemical warfare training kits were unearthed by a Bartlesville Boy Scout.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates that more than $2 million has been spent surveying the area and looking for additional vials. A total of 171 vials have been found and officials say it's unlikely any more are still at the site. A final plan for the area will be given to the wildlife service on April 17 and a decision on reopening it will be made by a Fish and Wildlife regional director in Albuquerque, N.M.
Noted journalist dies
345/09, 11:43 a.m.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - Longtime Oklahoma newspaper reporter, columnist and Western fiction writer Ed Montgomery has died at age 91. Family members say Montgomery died at Norman Regional Hospital
yesterday following a brief illness. Montgomery worked at The Oklahoman and Oklahoma City Times as a
reporter, city editor and state Capitol bureau chief until retiring in 1981. He then went on to write columns and editorials for the Norman Transcript and the Oklahoma Press Association before calling it a career in his late 80s. He was a veteran of World War II and also worked at newspapers in Bartlesville, Clinton and Norman.
He was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in 1986. He's survived by his wife Connie. Funeral services are pending.
Senate approves education audit
3/4/09, 10:18 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Oklahoma Senate has voted to authorize a performance audit of the state Department of Education. Sen. Clark Jolley, an Edmond Republican, says it makes sense that an audit should be conducted of the agency which oversees the largest allocation of state dollars.
Jolley estimates the audit will cost the state $750,000 to $1 million. Some Democrats said an audit is a waste of taxpayer funding unless the Legislature follows the recommendations of an audit. They said legislators have not implemented key recommendations of a costly audit of the state prison system. Next stop for Jolley's bill is the state House.
Oklahoma unemployment benefit up
3/4/09, 9:39 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission has begun providing an additional $25 per week in compensation to the unemployed. The money is the result of an expected $75 million in federal stimulus money. Some states have chosen not to participate in the expanded program for the unemployed because of additional requirements that come with use of the money.
But Employment Commission director Jon Brock says those states are in a different position than Oklahoma. And Gov. Brad Henry says if Oklahoma doesn't take the money there is a chance the state will run out of unemployment funds. He says if that happens businesses would have to pay more in unemployment taxes.
Authorities warn of possible roofing scams
3/3/09, 10:14 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - State and local officials are warning property owners with damage from the Feb. 10 tornadoes and storms to beware of possible roofing scams. State attorney general's spokesman Charlie Price says in some cases the homeowner pays for roofing work but the work isn't completed.
And Price says some work is done poorly and when the roofer leaves the state the homeowner has little or no recourse. Oklahoma City roofing company owner Erik Van De Steeg says some roofers will get a local phone number and buy the name of former roofing company.
Better Business Bureau director Rusty Trail says 27 roofers and general contractors have become members since Feb. 11. He says homeowners should ask how long a roofer has been a member. The tornadoes killed eight people in Lone Grove and caused damage in Oklahoma City, Edmond and in Carter, Coal, Love and Logan counties.
Historian nets $60K from auction of vintage films
3/3/09, 9:49 a.m.
LANGSTON, Okla. (AP) - A historian has netted $60,000 from the auction of vintage films depicting the life of blacks in Oklahoma in the 1920s. Currie Ballard, the assistant secretary to the state Senate, first sold a copy of the films to the Oklahoma Historical Society, then had his collection of 29 film reels auctioned at the Swann Auction Galleries in New York. Ballard says the buyer wanted to remain anonymous but that the
films were purchased by an Ivy League university. He calls the six hours of silent films the rarest historical
artifact he had ever owned. The films were made by S.S. Jones, a Baptist circuit preacher during the 1920s and 1930s.
Computer breach could have exposed personal info
3/3/09, 9:18 a.m.
ALTUS, Okla. (AP) - About 1,500 users of the Western Oklahoma State College library may have had Social Security numbers and other personal information exposed because of a computer breach. The junior college told students and staff on Monday that the breach is thought to have occurred on Nov. 11. It wasn't iscovered
until Feb. 18. Campus officials say library users since 2004 had their information placed at risk because of the breach. Officials say they are not aware of any reports of fraud connected with the breach. Kent Brooks, the campus' chief technology officer, says there is no indication any data was compromised, but the opportunity to access that information existed. He says students will be tracked by identification numbers in
the future.
Flaming Lips takes rock song prize
3/2/09, 5:22 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - "Do You Realize" by the Flaming Lips has been named Oklahoma's official state rock song. Flaming Lips is an alternative rock band from Oklahoma City. The announcement was made Monday in the Oklahoma Senate. It won out over more famous songs written or recorded by Oklahomans such as "Heartbreak Hotel," co-written by former Oklahoma school teacher Mae Boren Axton, and recorded by Elvis Presley.
Others nominated included "After Midnight," by Oklahoman J.J. Cale, which was rereleased by Eric Clapton, and "Never Been to Spain," written by Hoyt Axon and recorded by Three Dog Night. More than 21,000 voted online from a list of 10 songs selected by a panel of experts.
Judge tosses former accountant's civil suit
3/2/09, 5:11 p.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - A district judge today dismissed the final portion of a lawsuit brought in 2007 by an ex-Oral Roberts University accountant who claimed he was ordered by former school officials to "cook the books." In earlier hearings Judge Michael Gassett had dismissed former employee Trent Huddleston's claims of fraud and wrongful discharge.
An attorney for ORU says her clients "feel vindicated" by the ruling. An attorney for Huddleston says he planned to appeal the ruling. The ruling leaves one lawsuit pending against ORU that was filed after a financial scandal that led to the resignation of Richard Roberts as ORU president.
Huddleston's lawsuit named Roberts and his wife, Lindsay, as defendants, as well as two-dozen former regents and well-known televangelists. Roberts resigned as president in late 2007, days after Huddleston's suit was filed.
Report: Fewer Oklahomans on probation, parole
3/2/09, 4:48 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A new study shows that while Oklahoma is among the nation's leaders in putting criminals behind bars, it is less effective at utilizing probation, parole and other community-based sentencing. The study by the Pew Center on the States was released Monday. It shows Oklahoma ranks second among the 50 states, with 55 percent of the correctional population in prison or jail.
In the last 25 years, study author Adam Gelb says the state has moved from 19th to second in terms of the percent of its correctional population behind bars. Just as the state's correctional population has spiked dramatically over the last 25 years, so has the amount of money spent on offenders. But with Oklahoma and other states grappling with shrinking budgets, Gelb says now could be the time for legislators and policy makers to examine alternatives to locking up offenders in expensive prison cells.
Okla. governor selects watchdog
3/2/09, 3:33 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Gov. Brad Henry has selected State Auditor and Inspector Steve Burrage to serve as a watchdog on stimulus expenditures. Henry made the appointment Monday, saying he wants to make sure federal stimulus money flowing to Oklahoma will be used efficiently and effectively.
A Web site will be created through the Office of State Finance to track stimulus funds so taxpayers will be able to see how the
money is spent.
Train derails in Grady County
3/2/09, 3:15 p.m.
POCASSET, Okla. (AP) - The Oklahoma Highway Patrols says a Union Pacific train derailed today in northern Grady County after hitting a tractor-trailer rig hauling salt water. Troopers say the locomotive hit the trailer of the semi as it was crossing the tracks about 12:30 this afternoon about three miles north of Pocasset and about 15 miles north of Chickasha. Authorities say the conductor and engineer on the train were hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries while the truck driver apparently escaped serious injury.
Initial reports said 13 cars had derailed but Union Pacific spokeswoman Raquel Espinoza-Williams says two locomotives and 20 cars derailed. She says the train had 46 total cars and was carrying no hazardous material, only general freight, from Wichita, Kan., to Fort Worth, Texas.
Survey: Outlook bleak for Midwest, Plains economy
3/2/09, 9:50 a.m.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - A new survey of business leaders showed a small improvement in the economy of nine Midwest and Plains states, but the outlook remains bleak. Creighton University economics professor Ernie Goss says companies producing durable goods continued to cut jobs in February and international sales remained weak.
In February, the overall index for the Mid-America Business Conditions survey increased slightly for the second straight month, to 34.6 from January's 33.5. But the index remained below 50 in negative territory. The survey states are Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
Wheat crop threatened by dry conditions
3/2/09, 9:43 a.m.
WOODWARD, Okla. (AP) - Wheat producers in northwest Oklahoma say a lack of rain is causing poor conditions for the wheat crop there. Without significant rainfall in the next 10 days, Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Terry Peach says the state's average wheat production could drop from 140 million bushels to 80 million or less.
Wheat currently is at a critical stage known as "hollow stem," which occurs when the developing head is still below the soil surface. Rain is critical to further growth. According to the National Weather Service in Norman, there is no rain predicted in the area for the next several days. Woodward, Harper and Ellis counties all have received less than one-half inch of rain so far this year.
Missing disk returned to Muskogee
3/2/09, 8:59 a.m.
MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) - A computer disk containing personal information on about 4,500 Muskogee utility customers has been returned to city officials after more than eight years. A citizen who found the "zip" disk noticed an official city label and returned it.
City Clerk Pam Bush says she believes the disk inadvertently ended up with surplus equipment and was sold at an auction. City officials say the disk contained billing information on about 4,500 utility accounts, including some social security numbers, and that they are attempting to notify the former account holders.
City officials say they do not believe any of the data on the disk was used for inappropriate or illegal purposes.
Report: Hundreds of dropouts not reported
3/2/09, 8:27 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - A published report says more than 1,000 dropouts in Oklahoma aren't being reported by the state Department of Education because of the way the agency defines its dropout rate. According to the Tulsa World's analysis of Education Department data, although the department counts each dropout, it doesn't include all of them when calculating a school's dropout rate if the student hasn't reached the ninth grade or is 19 years or older. As a result, more than 1,030 dropouts in Oklahoma were left out of the 2006-07 dropout rate calculations.
Education Department spokeswoman Shelly Hickman says the education department follows state and federal regulations regarding its dropout rate calculations. She says middle school children are not able to drop out and that if they are not attending school, they are considered truants. But thousands of middle school students do drop out each year and many states include them in their calculations.
HUD allocating $120 million to Oklahoma
3/2/09, 8:22 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Department of Housing and Urban Development says nearly $120 million will be allocated to the state of Oklahoma for community development, Native American programs and efforts to prevent homelessness. Oklahoma will get $119.4 million of the $10.1 billion allocated through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. About $1 billion of the money will go to promote stable communities and help housing markets that have heavy concentrations of foreclosures.
Oklahoma will receive more than $8 million of that money, $4.33 million of which will go to a non-entitlement program. Other allocations include more than $8.1 million for homelessness prevention projects; $25.1 million for public housing projects; $37 million for Native American housing programs and another $25 million for the Tax Credit Assistance Program. The state also will receive more than $10.7 million for project-based rental assistance.
Broadcasting pioneer Paul Harvey dies at age of 90
3/2/09, 8:15 a.m.
CHICAGO (AP) - ABC Radio Networks says broadcasting pioneer and Oklahoma native Paul Harvey has died at the age of 90. Network spokesman Louis Adams says Harvey died Saturday at a Phoenix hospital, surrounded by family. No cause of death was immediately available.
The news commentator and talk-radio pioneer had a staccato style that made him one of the nation's most familiar voices. He was forced off the air in 2001 because a virus weakened a vocal cord. But he returned to work in Chicago and was still active as he passed his 90th birthday. Known for his resonant voice and trademark delivery of "The Rest of the Story," Harvey had been heard nationally since 1951, when he began his "News and Comment" for ABC Radio Networks.
Harvey was born Paul Harvey Aurandt in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A high school teacher took note of his distinctive voice and launched him on a broadcast career.
Broken Arrow mulls layoffs amid economic crunch
3/2/09, 8:12 a.m.
BROKEN ARROW, Okla. (AP) - City officials in Broken Arrow are mulling layoffs for city employees as part of a move to trim about $2 million from its budget. Officials said Friday they have begun listing potential
cost-cutting measures for each city department, including job reductions. A final decision on any cutbacks will be made in late March. Meetings were held Friday with all city employees to discuss the city's financial situation. The city has 652 employees. Officials say they don't know how many positions would be affected if reductions are approved. The list of proposed cost-cutting moves is scheduled to go to the city council for review at its March 17 meeting. The final action, including any job cuts, will be voted on in a special meeting March 24.
