Archive for the Week of March 8, 2009 - March 14, 2009
Cutting grocery tax eats into states' coffers
3/13/09, 5:28 p.m.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - States looking to cut grocery taxes are running into a serious obstacle: their own desperate need for income amid the recession. Oklahoma lawmakers are considering eliminating a 4.5 percent grocery sales tax even as they confront a $900 million shortfall. Gov. Brad Henry has dismissed the proposal as "unrealistic" and a state senator even called it a "fairy tale."
The vast majority of states either don't tax groceries, tax them at a lower level than other purchases or offer a credit to offset the tax for some residents. Though just a few pennies on the dollar, grocery taxes can add up. Forty-five states levy a general sales tax, but 30 exempt food to be eaten at home. Other states tax groceries at a lower rate or offer credits or rebates, primarily for low-income taxpayers.
Amtrak's Heartland Flyer hits truck
3/13/09, 5:25 p.m.
GAINESVILLE, Texas (AP) - Four people were hurt when an Amtrak train hit a water tank truck that was blocking the track south of Gainesville. Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari says three passengers with minor injuries were taken to a hospital after the accident Friday morning.
Amtrak's Heartland Flyer was on its way from Oklahoma City to Fort Worth. KTVT-TV in Dallas-Fort Worth reports the driver of the 18-wheeler was also taken to a hospital. The extent of the trucker's injuries wasn't immediately available. Magliari says the locomotive was damaged, so the more than 200 passengers were transported by bus to Fort Worth, about 65 miles south of the accident site. The train did not derail.
More Oklahomans seeking gun permits
3/13/09, 5:23 p.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - The number of Oklahomans applying for a license to carry a concealed firearm has spiked in recent months. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation reports an 87 percent increase in concealed carry permit applications for February 2009 over the same month last year. And gun dealers across the state report an increase in sales of firearms and ammunition.
Gun sales spiked in November with the election of Barack Obama as president and Democrats gaining a majority in Congress. But Oklahoma gun dealers say the spike is turning into a steady climb with political worries about gun rights as well as worries about the economy and increased crime.
Jim Prall at Sports World in Tulsa says he's sold more ammunition in the last three months than all of last year. Mike Mathews at GunWorld in Del City says he's seeing an increase in people scared about rising crime and of the political climate.
Nearly 110 wells tested in E. coli probe
3/13/09, 5:15 p.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - State investigators have tested nearly 110 private water wells as a probe into last summer's deadly E. coli outbreak in a northeastern Oklahoma town nears an end. Of the wells sampled so far near Locust Grove, 20 were positive for E. coli bacteria, but none of those samples turned up the rare O111 strain that killed one man and sickened more than 300 people.
The August outbreak became the largest in the nation for the O111 strain, and the source of the contamination remains a mystery. Previously, investigators had pinpointed the Country Cottage restaurant in town as the source. But last month, Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson suggested it could have been the result of pollution from nearby poultry farms, a claim the industry denies.
Inmate, 23, beaten to death in McAlester prison
3/13/09, 12:23 p.m.
McALESTER, Okla. (AP) - A 23-year-old inmate beaten to death at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary had been put in a cell with convicted killer he had testified against. Prison spokesman Jerry Massie says Paul Duran Jr. fought with one cellmate and then was put in a cell with Jessie James Dalton.
Duran was found beaten to death about 15 minutes later. Massie says the two were not supposed to be put in the same cell and prison officials are trying to determine how it happened. Duran and Dalton were co-defendants in the January 2002 shooting death of Billy Wayne Ray in Oklahoma City. Duran pleaded guilty to a robbery charge and testified against Dalton who was convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole.
Massie says investigators will present their findings to a district attorney who will decide if criminal charges will be filed.
House passes "Oklahoma Salute"
3/13/09, 12:03 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - When Oklahoma school students recite the Pledge of Allegiance each day, state lawmakers want to make sure they also recite the Oklahoma Salute. The Oklahoma House Thursday passed legislation that would ensure students recite both the pledge and the Oklahoma Salute.
Legislation by Rep. Lewis Moore of Arcadia would require recitation of the pledge. An amendment by Rep. Ryan McMullen of Burns Flat would also require students to recite the salute. Another amendment by Rep. Mike Brown of Tahlequah requires members of the House to also observe the Pledge of Allegiance and Oklahoma Salute during each business day.
The salute reads: "I salute the flag of the State of Oklahoma. Its symbols of peace unite all people." The measure passed 96-0 and now goes to the Senate.
House passes mandate-free insurance bill
3/12/09, 5:15 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Legislation to authorize low-cost, mandate-free health insurance policies has passed the Oklahoma House. Approved 97-2 Thursday, the bill authorizes the insurance commissioner to let health insurers issue mandate-free policies for people under 40. Oklahoma has 36 health insurance mandates for such procedures as immunizations for children, mammograms, breast reconstruction and prostate cancer screening.
Some lawmakers believe mandates drive up the cost of health insurance. House author Rep. Doug Cox of Grove says it is designed to create affordable health insurance policies and reduce the number of uninsured Oklahomans. About 60 percent of Oklahoma's estimated 600,000 uninsured residents are between 18 and 40. An emergency medicine physician, Cox says young people do not see the value of health insurance.
AG not confident in poultry case appeal
3/12/09, 5:01 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Attorney General Drew Edmondson says he's not confident in the outcome of his appeal on an injunction to stop poultry companies from spreading waste in the Illinois River watershed, but predicts the larger case will be won if it goes to trial. Edmondson was in Denver Wednesday at the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, where the state presented argument before a three-judge panel.
Based on questions judges asked, the attorney general told The Associated Press Thursday he's skeptical whether his appeal will prevail. He sued poultry companies over the effects of chicken waste in the watershed. In September, a judge refused to grant his request for an injunction to immediately stop companies from spreading waste. The judge refused to grant one, and Oklahoma appealed to the 10th Circuit.
Inmate killed at McAlester prison
3/12/09, 5:01 p.m.
McALESTER, Okla. (AP) - Prison officials say a 23-year-old inmate at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester has been found dead following an attack by his cell mate. Department of Corrections spokesman Jerry Massie says prison guards found Paul Duran Jr. dead in his cell about 10 p.m. yesterday.
He says the victim's cell mate, 32-year-old Jessie Dalton, has been moved into segrated housing. Massie says investigators think Dalton beat Duran to death by punching and kicking him. Prison records show Dalton was serving life without parole for an Oklahoma County first-degree murder conviction, while Duran was serving a 28-year sentence for armed robbery.
Massie says authorities will turn over their findings to the district attorney once an investigation has been completed, and prosecutors will decide what charges will be filed.
House passes adult stem cell research bill
3/12/09, 4:01 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Oklahoma House has voted to provide more than $1 million for adult stem cell research. The bill by Rep. John Enns of Enid seeks voter approval of a constitutional amendment allowing 10 percent of the interest earnings from the tobacco trust fund to be used for adult stem cell research.
There are two main types of stem cells used in research - adult stem cells obtained without loss of life and ebryonic stem cells that are obtained through the destruction of embryos. Enns says his bill does not involve embryo destruction.
Enns was in an accident several years ago that confined him to a wheelchair and he is a potential recipient of future stem cell therapies. The bill passed 99-0 Thursday and now goes to the Senate.
House passes Ten Commandments bill
3/12/09, 12:22 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Oklahoma House has passed legislation that authorizes a monument to display the Ten Commandments at the State Capitol. House members approved the bill 88-6 late Wednesday and sent it to the Senate for a vote.
The bill by Rep. Mike Ritze of Broken Arrow would authorize installation of a 3-by-6-foot monument on the Capitol grounds. It would be similar to a granite monument of the Ten Commandments on the grounds of the Texas State Capitol in Austin.
That monument was challenged in a lawsuit that alleged it violated the First Amendment's prohibition against establishing a state religion. But courts have ruled it is not unconstitutional. Ritze says his family will pay the estimated $10,000 cost of the project.
House passes official English bill
3/12/09, 8:49 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Legislation that makes English the official language of Oklahoma has passed the state House in spite of opponents who say it is divisive and unnecessary. House members approved the bill 66-32 Wednesday and sent it to the Senate for a vote. Rep. Randy Terrill of Moore authored the bill and says it would prevent the state from having to provide taxpayer-funded services in a language other than English.
Terrill says more than 30 other states have similar bills. But opponents say it demeans the languages of Oklahoma's 39 federally recognized Indian tribes and sends the wrong message to the rest of the world.
Rep. Shane Jett of Tecumseh says the measure is closed-minded and not inclusive. Rep. Jerry McPeak of Warner says it is more about politics than good policy.
Appeals court hears Okla. poultry waste suit
3/11/09, 5:35 p.m.
DENVER (AP) - A federal appeals court is considering whether to allow Oklahoma to stop poultry companies from spreading poultry waste in the Illinois River watershed. A three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver heard arguments in the case today. The judges noted that Oklahoma hasn't proven that bacteria in the watershed are caused by poultry waste.
Attorney Fredrick Baker for Oklahoma says the state doesn't have to prove contamination - only that 345,000 tons of chicken waste dumped there each year "may" cause contamination. Attorney Jay Jorgensen for the poultry companies argued that the state is misplacing the burden on them - not those who apply the waste to their fields. Oklahoma is appealing a federal judge's ruling that cattle and human waste could also be causing the contamination when he denied a request for an injunction. The 10th Circuit judges did not say when they will rule.
Bill calls for confirmation of judges
3/11/09, 5:04 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Legislation calling for Senate confirmation of judges of Oklahoma's workers compensation court has been approved by the state House. Lawmakers passed the bill 62-36 Wednesday and sent it to the Senate for consideration.
Workers comp judges are currently appointed by the governor with no Senate confirmation. Rep. Dan Sullivan of Tulsa says his bill would bring the appointment of workers comp judges in line with the state election board secretary and other officials who also require Senate confirmation.
Opponents say the bill would bring partisanship into the appointment process and require nominees to be scrutinized by the Senate's Republican leaders. Rep. Richard Morrissette of Oklahoma City says the measure is designed to help businesses and insurance companies and not injured workers.
TU slashing overtime, slowing hiring
3/11/09, 4:22 p.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - The University of Tulsa is slashing overtime hours, slowing hiring and postponing merit salary increases in an attempt to offset losses from a plummeting endowment fund. President Steadman Upham says staff members and administrators also will not be paid for summer half-days on Fridays in June and July.
The worst could be yet to come. Upham says earnings on the endowment are drawn on a 12-quarter rolling average, so market fluctuations aren't immediately felt. If the downward trend continues, he says TU could face a $15 million budget reduction in fiscal year 2012. Upham says the cost-saving moves now are intended to offset such a loss in the coming years.
Oklahoma unemployment rate edges up
3/11/09, 11:00 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma's unemployment rate rose to 5.6 percent in January, a strong increase from a year ago but still well below the national rate. State economist Lynn Gray says Oklahoma is feeling the effects of the national economic downturn and more than 7,000 people joined the jobless ranks in the state between December and January. Some states, including California and Michigan, have unemployment rates that have edged up into the double digits. The national rate is expected to exceed 10 percent by year's end. Oklahoma's rate in January of this year was 1.8 percent higher than the rate reported for January 2008. Job losses were highest in the manufacturing sector.
Oklahoma ranks 24th in federal health funding
3/11/09, 10:15 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - A new study shows Oklahoma receives more federal funding than most of its neighbors to help prevent diseases and injuries. The study by Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation shows Oklahoma received $19.10 per person in 2008, ranking the state 24th out of 50. Based on $69 million the state received from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that figure placed Oklahoma above average for the southern region, where states received $18.43 per person.
Oklahoma also scored higher than all but two of its neighbors, with Kansas and Missouri each receiving $15.14 per person; Texas, $17.16; and Colorado, $17.92. Arkansas came in slightly higher at $19.19, but New Mexico received $30.94 per person, which tracked with the higher rankings of western region states.
To read the full report go to: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation or Trust for America's Health
Senate passes voter ID bill
3/10/09, 8:46 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The state Senate has voted to require Oklahomans to present identification at the polls. The bill requires a photo ID issued by the government or Indian tribe, but allows county voter identification cards to be used as well.
Sen. John Ford, a Bartlesville Republican, says it is not an onerous requirement because people need identification for such things as writing a check or boarding a plane. Democrats say the bill will cause problems for some elderly and disadvantaged Oklahomans who do not have a driver's license or other photo ID. Senate Bill 4 will be considered next in the House.
Bill deregulates public schools
3/10/09, 8:39 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Oklahoma Senate has passed a bill to allow 20 percent of public schools to operate as charter schools, free of many state requirements.
Sen. John Ford's School District Empowerment program now goes to the House for consideration. The Bartlesville Republican says he favors local control of schools.
Opponents say the bill will wipe out reforms from a landmark 1990 school act pushed through by Republican Gov. Henry Bellmon.
State agency responds to AG's remarks
3/10/09, 8:12 p.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - State health officials say they were disheartened to learn Attorney General Drew Edmondson accused the agency of botching its probe into an unsolved E. coli outbreak in Locust Grove.
Edmondson's remarks yesterday came weeks after he suggested the deadly August outbreak at the popular Country Cottage eatery in Locust Grove might have been caused by pollution from nearby poultry farms.
One man died and more than 300 were sickened in the outbreak.
Edmondson alleged the health department publicly said the well at the buffet-style restaurant was not the source of the rare E. coli O111 strain, but told other officials in several meetings that it was the source. Health Department spokeswoman Leslea Bennett-Webb says its final report on the investigation would show that her department went to extraordinary efforts to determine the exact cause. However, she says none of the sources were identified conclusively as the carrier of the bacteria.
State workers rally for better pay
3/10/09, 7:22 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - State workers are asking lawmakers to raise their salaries and provide better job security. About 100 workers rallied at the state Capitol Tuesday. State employees have not had a raise in three years. The Oklahoma Public Employees Union says compensation has fallen 16 percent below the private market and that a long-term compensation plan is also needed.
Scott Barger, deputy director of OPEA, says state workers realize the state is facing a $900 million revenue shortfall next year. But Barger says inadequate salaries for state workers is costing $85 million a year in worker turnover costs. State workers say the salaries of some of them are so low they qualify for food stamps. Others have had to take second jobs to make ends meet.
House passes DHS audit bill
3/10/09, 7:11 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Oklahoma House has voted overwhelmingly to implement recommendations in a critical performance audit of Oklahoma's child welfare system. House members voted 87-8 Tuesday and sent the bill to the Senate.
The bill would phase out emergency public shelters in favor of private facilities for children in Oklahoma City and Tulsa and establish a centralized statewide hot line for reports of abuse and neglect. It also seeks expanded training for DHS workers to better assess risks to a child and offer in-home services to prevent children from being removed from the home needlessly.
The measure's author, Rep. Ron Peters of Tulsa, says the audit revealed that 20 percent of children removed from their home are returned within one week. Peters says that shows a need for more in-home services.
House votes to lower grocery tax
3/10/09, 6:58 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Oklahoma House has approved legislation to phase out the state sales tax on groceries. The House voted 80-16 Tuesday for a measure that would reduce the grocery sales tax. It's similar to a bill passed by the Senate that would phase out the tax over five years. The Senate-approved tax cut would cost $44 million next year and $300 million when fully implemented.
Officials have said it is unlikely because the state faces a $900 million revenue shortfall. The measure by Rep. John Trebilcock of Broken Arrow, House Bill 2204, would lower the state grocery tax each year by one-half a percent, bringing it down from 4 percent in 2010 to 0.5 percent in 2017.
State revenue collections plunge
3/10/09, 5:22 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - State revenue collections have dropped significantly in Oklahoma, reflecting the effects of the national recession.
A report released Tuesday by state Treasurer Scott Meacham showed revenue collections in February were down 21.6 percent from the same month a year ago. Sales, income and oil and natural gas tax collections fell by double digits and the sales tax dropped by 2.4 percent.
Meacham says the state budget picture has tightened, but reserves should help the state pay its bills for the rest of the
fiscal year that ends June 30.
I-40 makes list of bad roads
3/10/09, 10:35 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Truckers participating in a magazine survey said Interstate 40 through Oklahoma City is one of the worst roads in America. Parade magazine polled drivers with a Tennessee-based trucking
company. They say I-40 is rough and potholed. Driver Paul Griesbach said Oklahoma has the roughest stretch of the highway, and said driving it was like riding on a washboard.
State Transportation Department spokeswoman Brenda Perry said the state will use money from the federal economic stimulus package to do some work on the west end of I-40. Oklahoma is expected to receive about $340 million to be used for road and bridge projects. Officials are planning $72 million worth of improvements on I-40, using stimulus funds to start those projects this summer.
To read the survey go to: Parade magazine
Edmondson: Health Department 'botched' probe
3/10/09, 10:33 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Attorney General Drew Edmondson says the state Health Department "botched" its probe into a deadly E. coli outbreak in August in Locust Grove that killed one person and sickened more than 300 others.
Edmondson told the Tulsa World the Health Department publicly said the well at the Country Cottage restaurant was not the source of the rare E. coli O111 strain, but told other officials in at least three meetings that it was the source. He says the statements were made by Dr. Kristy Bradley, state epidemiologist, Edmondson said.
The Oklahoma State Department of Health did not respond specifically to Edmondson's allegations, but issued a statement outlining their efforts and findings. A spokeswoman for the agency says no E. coli O111 was identified in samples from the restaurant's well, ill food handlers or other sources. The agency did not respond to the newspaper's request for a response from Bradley.
State has high risk for child homelessness
3/10/09, 10:18 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - A new study released today shows Oklahoma is among four states in the country that have the highest overall risk for child homelessness. In its state-by-state report card on the subject, The National Center on Family Homelessness ranks Oklahoma No. 31 overall based on its performance in four areas. Those include extent of child homelessness adjusted for population, child well-being, risk for child homelessness and state policy and planning efforts.
Dubbed "America's Youngest Outcasts," the 220-page study estimated that more than 1.5 million children living in families had no place to call home between 2005-2006. Also during that period, about 75 percent of the country's identified homeless children lived in just 11 states. The report estimated nearly 5,600 homeless children in Oklahoma, and found that one in 21 children in the state do not know where they will get their next meal. In terms of the risk for child homelessness, Oklahoma comes in 47th.
Only Georgia, Louisiana and Texas fared worse. In the overall rank, Connecticut had the best rating, while Texas earned the lowest.
To read the full report go to: National Center on Family Homelessness
Henry signs bill to aid hospital
3/9/09, 4:08 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Gov. Brad Henry has signed a bill to help preserve the Oklahoma State medical program and the OSU Medical Center in Tulsa.
The measure makes a $5 million appropriation to the financially troubled OSU hospital as part of a plan for the state to provide a $25 million subsidy to the Tulsa facility over five years. The bill, signed Monday by the governor, attempts to ease the problem of uncompensated care in the Tulsa area.
Under the proposal, Ardent Health Services is donating to OSU facility to a local trust that will contract with St. John Health System to operate it. The Kaiser Family Foundation is donating matching funds to provide insurance coverage for Tulsa area residents.
OSSAA executive secretary fired
3/9/09, 4:00 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The governing body for high school sports in Oklahoma has fired its executive secretary, saying he misappropriated money. The board of directors of the Oklahoma Secondary School
Activities Association fired Danny Rennels in a unanimous vote during a special meeting. The association said in a statement Monday that Rennels diverted association funds for personal use and used association credit cards for personal purposes. He did not immediately return calls for comment. The association did not say how much money was involved.
Buddhist statue planned in Tulsa
3/9/09, 4:01 p.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - The Tam-Bao Buddhist Temple in Tulsa is planning to build a 49-foot-tall granite statue of the Buddhist goddess Quan Am. The statue would stand on an 8-foot foundation and would be 57 feet tall - or about 3 feet shorter than the landmark praying hands statue at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa.
Temple officials say they want to attract people who are interested in Buddhism and believe the statue will also beautify the city. Quan Am is considered the embodiment of compassionate love and kindness.
Henry to sign bill to save OSU Medical Center
3/9/09, 10:15 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Gov. Brad Henry plans to sign a bill Monday that will help preserve the Oklahoma State University medical program and the OSU Medical Center in Tulsa. Henry announced Saturday he will sign House Bill 1127, which appropriates $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. Henry will sign the measure Monday during a ceremony in the state Capitol Blue Room.
Report on probation, parole ignites old debate
3/9/09, 9:47 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A report showing Oklahoma lags behind other states in utilizing probation, parole and community-based sentencing has ignited an old debate on a continuing prison overcrowding problem.
According to a study by the Pew Center on the States, Oklahoma is among the nation's leaders in sending people to prison, but ranks among the worst in using alternatives to prison.
The report touched a nerve with Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee, who denounced it as not giving the state credit for diverting people from prisons through drug courts. Adam Gelb of the Pew Center's Public Safety Performance Report, said in the last 25 years there has been a significant shift toward imprisonment in Oklahoma.
The report said Oklahoma ranks 43rd among the states in the number of people placed on probation or parole from its correctional population. It said prison spending has climbed from $113 million to $518 million over the last 2 1/2 decades, counting federal facilities.
To read the full report go to: The Pew Center on the States
ODOT employees get pay raise
3/9/09, 8:39 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Nearly 90 percent of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation's 2,400 employees received pay hikes in recent months, including more than 50 who received pay increases of at least $10,000.
A Tulsa World analysis of Office of State Finance Data shows 51 ODOT employees received a pay boost of at least $10,000 since June, and nearly 600 workers got raises of at least $5,000.
ODOT officials say the raises came after a market study showed that some ODOT employees earned much less than their counterparts in the private sector or neighboring states. Raises averaged about 7 percent, though five employees saw their overall pay increase more than 40 percent. Increases went to workers with varying positions, from accountants and engineers to attorneys and welders. Some engineering managers, transportation managers and transportation specialists received some of the largest pay adjustments. Some of their raises totaled more than $11,000.
Nearly 20 percent in state lack health insurance
3/9/09, 8:26 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Insurance industry experts say nearly 20 percent of Oklahoma's population has no health insurance, and about half the uninsured are between the ages of 18 and 32. Although this age group is generally considered healthy, Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland says rates on individual policies with lower monthly rates often have high deductibles ranging in the thousands of dollars. She says confusion about plans, a hands-off attitude toward health care and a lack of urgency contribute to the problem.
Oklahoma was ranked 43rd in overall health and 42nd in the nation for health insurance coverage nationally in the 2008"America's Health Rankings" report. The report compiled data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other agencies.
Earthquake reported in OKC
3/8/09, 3:29 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - An earthquake measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale has been recorded with an epicenter near south Oklahoma City. The U.S. Geological Survey says the earthquake struck about 8:06 a.m. Sunday, with its epicenter about 3.1 miles below ground level near SE 15 and South Bryant Avenue. Metro-area officials say there were no reports of injuries or damage, but dispatchers received reports from across the metro from people who felt the tremor.
Most came from southeast Oklahoma City, Midwest City and Del City. Del City fire Capt. Rick Pride says the quake startled firefighters in his station, who felt the temblor. The quake was at least the fifth earthquake people have felt in Oklahoma during 2009. Others were reported in Pittsburg, Grady, Coal and Lincoln counties.
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.
