Archive for the Week of April 5, 2009 - April 11, 2009
Board formally hires Cline
4/10/09, 5:45 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Oklahoma Board of Health has formally hired Oklahoma native Terry Cline as the state's new health commissioner. The board voted to name Cline to the job at its meeting on Thursday, effective July 1. A spokeswoman for the Department of Health, Leslie Bennett-Webb, says he'll be paid $194,244 a year. The former head of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Cline currently is the health attache at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. Bennett-Webb says Cline is still in Iraq and is working to complete his mission there. Before that, Cline served as administrator for the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. He also was Gov. Brad Henry's Secretary of Health from 2004 to 2006.
Oklahoma governor declares emergency
4/10/09, 5:35 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Gov. Brad Henry has declared a state of emergency for 31 counties hit by wildfires and severe weather. The declaration came Friday, a day after wildfires injured at least 49 people and destroyed 100 homes.
Sections of east Oklahoma County, including Midwest City, Choctaw and Nicoma Park were especially hard hit. The declaration allows state agencies to make emergency purchases to help speed resources to local jurisdictions. It also is the first step toward possibly seeking federal assistance.
Counties included in the order are Beckham, Blaine, Caddo, Canadian, Carter, Cleveland, Comanche, Cotton, Custer, Garvin, Grady, Greer, Harmon, Jackson, Jefferson, Kay, Kiowa, LeFlore, Lincoln, Logan, Love, McClain, Murray, Okfuskee, Oklahoma, Payne, Pontotoc, Pottawatomie, Stephens, Tillman, Washita.
LeFlore County is also included because of a tornado Thursday night that injured four and damaging several homes.
Ridley named new transportation secretary
4/10/09, 11:46 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Gov. Brad Henry has named state Department of Transportation Director Gary Ridley as his secretary of transportation. Henry named Ridley to the cabinet post on Friday after accepting the resignation of Transportation Secretary Phil Tomlinson.
Tomlinson also serves as Director of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and recently told the governor he wanted to reduce his workload and relinquish his cabinet duties. He will continue to lead the OTA which oversees the state's toll road system.
Ridley is a registered professional engineer and has worked at the Transportation Department for about 40 years. He became agency director in 2001. Ridley will remain ODOT director and assume his cabinet secretary duties immediately. The post requires Senate confirmation.
Oklahoma wildfires destroy dozens of homes
4/10/09, 9:03 a.m
MIDWEST CITY, Okla. (AP) - Firefighters are mopping up today after wildfires that injured at least 34 people and destroyed or damaged more than 100 homes and other structures. Gov. Brad Henry says officials hope to get a better idea of how extensive the destruction is during the day today. The fires began yesterday afternoon along the Interstate 35 corridor in the central part of the state and continued to burn during the night. I-35 was shut down in various locations because of the fires and smoke but was reopened by this morning. Midwest City Fire Marshall Jerry Lojka says more than 50 homes in the city and in Choctaw were destroyed by a fire that apparently began at a wrecker service. He says investigators are still looking for the cause.
Minor injuries, damage reported in tornadoes
4/10/09, 8:33 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Authorities say several people were injured and several homes were damaged when tornadoes touched down in eastern Oklahoma. According to the National Weather Service, a tornado touched
down about 15 miles southeast of Muse in LeFlore County, near the Arkansas state line. Dispatcher Marcy Gouker says four people, including a woman with broken bones, were reported hurt in Big Cedar, but their injuries weren't considered life-threatening. A house also was reported damaged in the area.
In Latimer County, a tornado was reported about eight miles southeast of Wilburton and another was spotted six miles west of Talihina. Officials say two power poles snapped and roofs were torn off of several homes and a barn. Tree and fence damage was found for about a mile seven miles east-northeast of Nashoba. And roofs were torn off several homes and a barn and two power poles were snapped when a twister touched down four miles east of Vinita.
Ottawa County emergency management director Frank Geasland says a funnel came close to the ground in southern Miami but didn't touch down, blowing tin off some barns.
I-35 closed in north-central Oklahoma
4/9/09, 3:52 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Interstate 35 is closed in Payne County in north-central Oklahoma because of a large wind-whipped grass fire. Another grass fire in southern Oklahoma's Carter County was forcing the evacuation of some residents in the area of state Highway 7 on Thursday afternoon. A third grass fire was reported in central Oklahoma's Lincoln County, forcing some evacuations south of the Turner Turnpike and about 2 miles south of Wellston.
The windy conditions are occurring as the eastern half of the state is under a tornado watch. The National Weather Service says there is an enhanced risk for severe weather in the far northeast corner of the state.
Terrill Official English bill different
4/9/09, 3:48 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A national U.S. English association official has endorsed state Rep. Randy Terrill's "official English" measure over a rival proposal. Tim Schultz is director of government relations for U.S. English and says Terrill's plan is unique among 30 other official English proposals enacted into law in other states.
Schultz referred to a provision designed to block federal guidelines that he says pressure states to provide services in languages other than English. The Senate sponsor of the rival "common English" bill has questioned the constitutionality of that provision.
The common English bill passed out of a House committee this week. Terrill's bill is awaiting action in the Senate.
Report on E. coli leaves questions
4/9/09, 3:42 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Oklahoma State Health Board has released a report saying an extensive investigation has failed to determine how E. coli bacteria was introduced into a restaurant where hundreds were sickened and one died.
The 76-page report released Thursday said analysis suggests there was ongoing foodborne transmission of the bacteria at the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove from Aug. 15 to Aug. 24. But the report said that since no specimen of the bacteria was found in the restaurant, investigators couldn't determined how it was introduced or the specific way in which it was spread.
Corrections organizational shake-up suggested
4/9/09, 3:45 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - State Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee has filed an amendment to eliminate the state Board of Corrections and have the governor appoint the state prison director. The director is currently hired by the board. The appointment would be subject to consent of the state Senate. Coffee's proposal comes after corrections director Justin Jones released a report on the cost of closing three state prisons and sending the inmates to private prisons. Coffee had requested the cost analysis. Jones declined comment. Coffee says Jones' release of the report has nothing to do with his proposed changes and that the bill was filed at the request of the state House. A spokeswoman for House Speaker Chris Benge says requested the proposal.
Report: Oklahoma's CO2 emissions increased
4/9/09, 8:40 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - An environmental group says carbon dioxide emissions in Oklahoma are increasing while the rest of the country's output is going down. The Environmental Integrity Project says Oklahoma released 3.1 million tons of carbon dioxide from 2007 to 2008 while the rest of the country had a 3.1 percent drop in emissions. The EIP says the increase in Oklahoma is "massive." It says the rise is due to increased generation of electricity at OG&E's coal units in Muskogee, the Sooner units at Red Rock and AEP-PSO's coal and natural gas units in Oologah. The EIP says the nationwide reduction in carbon dioxide use is due to the economic downturn and mild weather. AEP-PSO spokesman Stan Whiteford says the economy in Oklahoma remained strong during that period and people were still demanding more electricity.
Henry vetoes voter identification bill
4/8/09, 5:18 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahomans will get a chance next year to vote on whether people should be required to produce identification before being allowed to vote. The House today approved a bill, already approved by the Senate, to put this issue on the 2010 ballot.
Lawmakers sent Gov. Brad Henry a bill requiring voter identification, but Henry vetoed it, saying it would create an unnecessary impediment to voting and conflicted with the state constitution.
Tulsa shelters at capacity
4/8/09, 5:17 p.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - The two battered women shelters in Tulsa are filled to capacity and officials are blaming the economy. At Day Spring Villa Women and Children's Shelter assistant director Cindy Meredith says the economy may be causing stress and leading men who are abusers to escalate their behavior. The shelter is turning away two to three women a day and referring them to the Domestic Violence Intervention Services and Call Rape shelter. The DVIS shelter is also full but officials there say they're finding some place to put the women and children. Meredith says national domestic violence hot lines are reporting a 20 percent increase in calls since the recession began. Oklahoma ranks fourth in the nation in the number of women
killed by men.
Prison closing discussion surfaces
4/8/09, 5:15 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee says there are no plans to close any prisons this year, despite his request for an analysis on the cost of doing so. Coffee confirmed yesterday that he requested a study of how much it would cost to shutter state facilities from the Department of Corrections. He says the priority is to try and save money.
The analysis looked at the cost of closing the Oklahoma State Reformatory at Granite and prisons at Stringtown and Helena. In a response to Coffee's request, DOC director Justin Jones concluded the cost to the state would be more than $23 million, counting recent capital improvements. The DOC study placed the cost of closing Granite at $9.6 million; $9.5 million for the James Crabtree Correctional Center in Helena and $4.7 million for the Mack Alford Correctional Center in Stringtown.
Coffee said it would be "virtually impossible" to close a prison facility this year even if there was a plan, which he said did not exist. Earlier yesterday, a Senate spokesman disputed published reports connecting the Senate leadership to possible prison closings.
Residents vote to dissolve school district
4/8/09, 5:10 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Voters in the Picher-Cardin school district have voted to dissolve the district. The district is within an Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site and a combination of decades of lead and zinc mining and last year's killer tornado have devastated Picher. The proposals to shut down the district passed 55-6 - or 90 percent to 10 percent.
About 49 students will now attend school in either the Commerce or Quapaw school districts. In other elections Edmond Mayor Dan O'Neil was defeated for re-election by attorney and banker Patrice Douglas. Mustang voters approved a $56.5 million bond issue to redesign the high school campus and add classrooms and a cafeteria at two other schools.
Cimarron Public Schools patrons approved a $1.16 million bond issue to build a junior high wing and other projects. In Waukomis voters approved a one-cent sales tax dedicated to helping fund emergency services and voters in Covington voted 58-3 for a one-cent sales tax to pay for police protection.
Freeze may adversely affect wheat crop
4/7/09, 9:58 am.
ENID, Okla. (AP) - It will be at least a week before Oklahoma wheat farmers know how much damage an early spring freeze has done to this year's winter wheat crop. Oklahoma Wheat Commission director Mike Schulte says the cold weather probably will have a large impact.
Statewide winter wheat production has been up and down in recent years. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says 166.5 million bushels were harvested last year. That's nearly double the 98 million bushels collected in 2007 and more than double the 81.6 million bushels harvested in 2006 when the state had a devastating drought. The 2007 crop was in good shape until an April freeze caused some damage. Then heavy rains at harvest kept many farmers from getting combines in their fields.
Health leaders trumpet Insure Oklahoma
4/7/09, 9:42 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Insure Oklahoma program is getting a boost from health officials who say it represents the best way to provide medical coverage to uninsured Oklahomans. The dean of the University of Oklahoma College of Public Health, Gary Raskob, said in a news conference Monday that the key to improving the state's poor health ratings is rooted in having more people insured. Raskob, Oklahoma Health Care Authority CEO Mike Fogarty and state Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland briefed reporters as part of a conference on ways to reduce the estimated 640,000 Oklahomans who do not have health insurance. Insure Oklahoma provides government subsidies to help small businesses get health coverage for their employees.
Committee creates new English bill
4/7/09, 9:37 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A state House committee has created a new bill that would make English the official language of Oklahoma. The House Judiciary Committee voted 7-2 Monday for the legislation and sent it to the House floor for a vote.
The measure was created when its author, Rep. Randy Terrill of Moore, substituted official English language in a Senate-passed bill that originally dealt with open meetings.
Terrill says the bill is identical to a measure already approved by the House and sent to the Senate that calls for a vote of the people. He says it will keep the issue alive in case the House bill fails in the Senate. Some Democrats on the committee objected to the measure and the procedure used to create it.
Voters across Oklahoma head to polls
4/7/09, 9:33 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Voters are heading to the polls in communities across Oklahoma to elect mayors, school board members and other community leaders. Voters will determine a host of other issues, including school and city bond projects and amendments to city charters. In Edmond, voters will choose from mayoral candidates Patrice Douglas and Dan O'Neil, and decide on five changes to the city charter. Mustang residents will vote on a proposed $56.5 million school bond project, while voters in Midwest City will cast ballots on a proposed $23.8 million school bond issue. Polls will remain open until 7 p.m.
Ex-candidate pleads guilty to cheating customers
4/7/09, 8:41 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A former candidate for state insurance commissioner has pleaded guilty to cheating customers who gave him items to sell on the Internet site eBay. Forty-seven-year-old Douglas Barry pleaded guilty Monday to violating the Oklahoma Consumer Protection Act and was ordered to pay $14,221 in restitution. Barry was also placed on four years probation.
Prosecutors say Barry operated You Bring It, We Sell It in Warr Acres where customers would bring him items that he placed on eBay for sale. He was accused of not giving customers their money from the sales. Barry was the Republican candidate for insurance commissioner in 2002. He lost to Carroll Fisher.
Defense secretary weighs in against cannon
4/7/09, 8:29 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe is vowing to fight cuts in the Department of Defense budget that includes the elimination of a mobile cannon that was to be partially assembled in Elgin. Defense Secretary Robert Gates today announced cuts to the Non-Line-of-Sight cannon vehicles and other weapon systems at a briefing in Arlington, Va. Gates says the cannon doesn't reflect the lessons of counterinsurgency and close-quarters combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A production facility for the NLOS artillery system opened last year in Elgin on the outskirts of Fort Sill. The facility was for construction of initial components of the vehicles and was expected to employ 100 people. In a statement from Afghanistan, Inhofe called the cuts"unbelievable" and "unconscionable" and blamed President Obama.
Congressman Tom Cole says he's not surprised by the cuts and said Obama can't charm the country's enemies out of their opposition to the United States. Rush Springs state Rep. Joe Dorman says he'll work to make sure a replacement program is located in the town.
Carrie Underwood wins ACM entertainer of the year
4/6/09, 9:53 a.m.
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Oklahoma native Carrie Underwood becomes the first female act to win entertainer of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards since the Dixie Chicks did it back in 2000. Underwood's victory tonight interrupted Kenny Chesney's four-year streak of winning the award. If Chesney had won, he would have tied Alabama for most wins in a row.
Underwood became only the seventh female act to win it, putting her alongside Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Barbara Mandrell, fellow Oklahoman Reba McEntire, Shania Twain and the Dixie Chicks. The entertainer of the year trophy is the highest honor at the ACM Awards. McEntire was the event's host for the 11th time.
Education deregulation bill being considered
4/6/09, 9:43 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Debate is going on at the state Capitol about a bill that would allow Oklahoma school districts to decide which state education policies they follow. Supporters of Senate bill 834 say it will unburden school districts from costly mandates and allow them more flexibility. But opponents say it could lead to problems with teacher pay, teacher certification and other issues. The full House will consider the measure, which passed the House Common Education Committee last week. The Senate passed the measure 26-to-21.
State School Superintendent Sandy Garrett said she supports deregulation of school districts and will work with the measure's sponsor, Bartlesville Sen. John Ford Ford, on the bill. Garrett says she's concerned the measure wouldn't require schools to have librarians and counselors. She says regardless of state laws, schools will be subject to federal regulations if they take federal funds.
Jackson, Metallica, Run-DMC headed to Rock Hall of Fame
4/4/09, 10:45 p.m.
CLEVELAND (AP) - Oklahoma native Wanda Jackson was honored tonight as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recognized its 2009 induction class in Cleveland. Tonight's ceremony marked the first time the show was open to the public, and nearly 5,000 fans partied in the balconies as 1,200 VIPs dined below at tables costing as much $50,000 each.
The 71-year-old Jackson was dubbed the "Sweet Lady with the Nasty Voice." She got her start as a country singer, who dressed in skirts and high heels, rankling some hardcore fans. While touring with Elvis Presley in the 1950s, Presley persuaded her to give rock songs a try. Singer Rosanne Cash, who presented the award to Jackson, said Jackson could really rock and still kept her femininity intact. Cash called her the prototype for so many female singers.
Jackson was joined in the induction class by rockers Metallica and Jeff Beck; rap pioneers Run-DMC; soul singer Bobby Womack and rhythm and blues group Little Anthony and the Imperials.
