Archive for the Week of August 24, 2008 - August 31, 2008
State set to aid storm victims
8/30/08, 10:30 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Three years after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, emergency response teams from Oklahoma are again preparing to provide disaster relief as another storm threatens the region.
The National Weather Service says Hurricane Gustav is expected to make landfall in the U.S. early next week, most likely in Louisiana. By then, crews from Oklahoma will have been in staging areas for days.
Taylor Kelling, a volunteer with the American Red Cross of Central Oklahoma, was en route to San Antonio yesterday in a Red Cross vehicle filled with supplies. Kelling says no one knows exactly how bad it's going to be or where it's going to hit, but volunteers want to have assets in place just in case. Officials say the Oklahoma National Guard also is prepared to help.
New Mexico painter dies at 84
8/30/08, 10:15 a.m.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Wilson Hurley, one of America's premier landscape painters, has died at the age of 84. Hurley had been diagnosed last year with Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. ALS damages the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, eventually leading to death.
Hurley's wife, Rosalyn, said Friday that Hurley had been painting up until January when the disease began to take its toll on him. She said he died before dawn Friday.
She says his death means the painting world has "lost one of the finest." She says her husband had been a great mentor to many artists over the years.
Hurley was born in Tulsa, Okla., and has paintings hanging in the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, the Oklahoma State Capitol, the Albuquerque Museum and galleries in Santa Fe.
OEA plans push to gather signatures for petition
8/30/08, 9:06 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma Education Association officials plan a push starting this weekend to gather signatures for an initiative petition that seeks to force the state Legislature to increase education funding. Those behind the Helping Oklahoma Public Education initiative petition hope to gather 200,000 signatures by Nov. 3, a total higher than the necessary 138,970 signatures needed to call for a statewide vote to amend the constitution to require more funding for public schools.
State Question 744 would require the Legislature to finance schools at the regional average for per-pupil expenditures. Roy Bishop, the president of the OEA, says petition circulators will be seen at college football games, state fairs and county fairs in the coming weeks. Critics of the proposal say such a change could result in major cuts in state agency budgets or major tax increases, could force school consolidation and would eliminate the Legislature's flexibility on issues.
Enrollment at Oral Roberts U. drops 3 percent
8/30/08, 8:45 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Oral Roberts University officials say enrollment at the private school in Tulsa is down by about 3 percent from the same time last year. That drop is of less than 100 students. The university said in a news release that 3,067 students from 49 states and countries. Oklahoma City businessman Mart Green, the chairman of the ORU board of trustees, says the school is in an era of change. The university says it spent more than $10 million during the summer to renovate dorms, replace roofs and invest in technological
improvements.
The school has been slowly climbing out of debt and a spending scandal involving former ORU President Richard Roberts. Roberts resigned in November after three former professors filed a lawsuit for improper termination that alleged he and his wife, Lindsay, had supported a lavish lifestyle with university money. The couple has denied any wrongdoing. Soon after, ORU revealed it was more than $50 million in debt.
Well water tests positive for bacteria
8/29/08, 12:47 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Well water at a restaurant linked to a deadly E. coli outbreak has tested positive for bacteria. One man has died and about 50 people have been hospitalized with the illness linked to the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove.
State Department of Environmental Quality spokeswoman Skylar McElhaney says DEQ did not specifically test for the strain of E. coli but for a group of bacteria to give officials an idea of whether unhealthy contamination is likely. She says the state Health Department will reanalyze the samples to see if the toxin-producing bacteria is present. The cause of the contamination is unknown. Sewer leaks, runoff from agricultural waste and improper well maintenance and disinfection are common causes of bacterial contamination.
Ethics panel reprimands ex-speaker
8/29/08, 12:32 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Oklahoma Ethics Commission has issued a public reprimand of former House Speaker Lance Cargill for"multiple violations" of ethics rules. The Republicans State House Committee and Oklahoma County Republican Committee also drew a reprimand.
The case revolves around rerouting campaign funds donated to the state party to the county party. Cargill resigned in late January after a serious of revelations about late property tax filings, not filing state income tax returns and the ethics probe.
Cargill issued the following statement: I certainly worked to promote the election of Republicans, but I never intended to violate any rules of the Ethics Commission, and I acted in good faith in regard to the events at issue.Although I disagree with the reprimand, I respect the role of the Commission. It is appropriate that they have investigated so that this matter can now be concluded.
Said Cargill's attorney, Robert G. McCampbell: At the time of these events, Todd Hiett was the leader of the House Republicans, and everyone agrees that he was the one who solicited the funds. If he should have provided more information about the intended use of the funds, I am mystified why the Commission would reprimand Lance Cargill.I am also disappointed by the Commission's procedure in issuing a public reprimand based upon testimony we have not even seen and without giving us any opportunity to respond. If we had had the opportunity, we would object based upon the facts and the law.Nevertheless, we recognize the Commission's role as the body constitutionally vested with authority in this regard. As the Commission has now concluded the matter, we respect that determination.
Fewer Oklahoma schools fail to make grade
8/29/08, 12:06 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - State education officials say 45 schools in the state failed to make adequate progress for two or more consecutive years. The list of underperforming schools includes 14 in Oklahoma City and 11 in Tulsa. The only other districts with more than one school on the list are Tulsa Union and Cave Springs. The 45 schools needing improvement is down from 53 in 2007.
Schools are judged in math, reading, percent of students taking state exams, and graduation rate for high schools or attendance rate for other schools. Schools that have progressed to the "year four" category on the list have to go through a restructuring plan to try to improve. The plan can include replacing staff, becoming a charter school or allowing the state to take over the school. Schools must meet certain benchmarks for two years in a row to come off the list.
Tax amnesty program set
8/29/08, 11:49 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahomans who owe back state taxes will have a chance to pay the debt without penalty from September 15th to November 14th unless a court acts to stop the program. The two-month tax amnesty program is authorized under a law passed this year by Oklahoma legislators. But a lawsuit pending with the Oklahoma Supreme Court seeks to block it.
Oklahoma City attorney Jerry Fent filed the lawsuit and says the legislation is unconstitutional. He says the state constitution prohibits the Legislature from enacting laws that forgive a debt or liability to the state. Lawmakers say the program could produce a 34.7 million dollar net increase in state revenues.
Tulsa hosts dropout prevention summit
8/29/08, 11:06 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Tulsa governmental and education officials say a dropout prevention summit held there will serve as an impetus to develop ways to keep kids in school. Tulsa became the second city to host such a summit. Thursday's event was held at the University of Tulsa and sponsored by a group called America's Promise Alliance, which was founded by former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
According to Powell's group, Tulsa ranks 12th nationally in the disparity of graduation rates between urban and suburban districts. Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor says the summit was an opportunity for government and education officials to focus on the future of Tulsa-area youth. Representatives from the Tulsa, Union and Jenks school districts spoke at the event about how they try to prepare students to enter college and the work force.
Devon removes some workers from Gulf rigs
8/29/08, 9:35 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Devon Energy has begun removing nonessential workers from its two drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico as Tropical Storm Gustav moves toward the region. Devon spokesman Chip Minty says the Oklahoma City-based company has not decided whether to suspend drilling.
The platforms are on the Gulf of Mexico's continental shelf and are more than 150 miles from the Louisiana coast. Gustav was over Jamaica this morning and is headed toward Cuba. It's expected to make landfall perhaps by next Tuesday anywhere from the Florida Panhandle to east Texas and could be a category 3 hurricane by then.
AG defends immigration law
8/28/08, 4:15 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Oklahoma attorney general's office has filed a brief with the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals defending Oklahoma's tough anti-illegal immigration law. The state is asking the Denver court to reverse a ruling by U.S. District Judge Robin J. Cauthron, who has blocked enforcement of provisions of the law affecting employers.
Cauthron ruled it was "substantially likely" that the law is unconstitutional. Assistant Attorney General Dan Weitman argues in a brief filed this week that Oklahoma had every right to enact a law protecting taxpayers from suffering adverse effects from illegal immigration. Weitman says the statute was carefully crafted so it would not interfere with federal law. Cauthron issued the order prohibiting enforcement of parts of the law in a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups.
State preparing in case of hurricane evacuees
8/28/08, 4:06 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - State emergency management officials are preparing just in case evacuations are ordered along the Gulf Coast because of Tropical Storm Gustav. Oklahoma Emergency Management Director Albert Ashwood says officials are part of twice daily conference calls with officials in Texas.
He says any evacuations would likely go first to points in northern Louisiana, then to San Antonio, Austin and Dallas-Fort Worth areas before evacuees would be sent to Oklahoma.
Ashwood says it'll be another 48 hours before officials have a good idea where Gustav will even make landfall. Gustav has winds approaching hurricane force and forecasters say it could make landfall Tuesday anywhere from Texas to the Florida Panhandle. More on Gustav.
Operational costs rising
8/28/08, 1:02 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma education officials say schools may see a $78 million increase in operational costs in the 2008-2009 school year, partly because of spiraling fuel prices. Members of the Oklahoma State Board of Education were told during their monthly meeting Thursday that operational costs for the previous year exceeded $264.5 million, including $119 million in energy expenditures, $117 million in food costs and $27 million in fuel costs.
With expenses anticipated to increase by more than $78 million, Oklahoma schools could be looking at operational costs of more than $342.6 million. Fuel costs alone are expected to increase 112 percent.
Kent Tippen, executive director of the Fiscal Services Division of the Education Department, says some the rising costs may drive some districts to consider voluntary consolidation.
Updated: Restaurant linked to E. coli
8/28/08, 8:36 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - State health officials say a Locust Grove restaurant has been linked to a deadly E. coli outbreak. The illness has killed one man and left dozens sick including several children who are undergoing dialysis.
Many of the sick recently ate at the Country Cottage and state epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bradley says the restaurant is"definitely" at least one source of the infection. Bradley also says tests indicate it's likely food was contaminated at the restaurant rather than before it arrived.
Country Cottage spokeswoman Amanda Clinton says the restaurant's owners are distraught and it's not clear if it will open again.
$13.8M set aside for Ark., Okla. storm recovery
8/28/08, 8:28 a.m.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Storm-damaged communities in Arkansas and Oklahoma will be eligible for $13.8 million in disaster funds from the federal government. The money, set aside in the fiscal year 2008 supplemental appropriations bill, will go to the Economic Development Administration's Austin Region.
The Arkansas congressional delegation says the money is specifically set aside for recovery projects in Arkansas and Oklahoma, both beset by tornadoes and flooding since February.
The money will help fund repairs and improvement to public infrastructure that wasn't covered under other disaster programs. In Oklahoma, a tornado ripped through Picher, a fading lead and zinc mining town within a federal Superfund site in Ottawa County. The storm packed winds estimated at 165 to 175 mph and resulted
in the deaths of seven people when it roared through on May 10. Parts of Oklahoma also have faced spring floods and a summertime drought this year.
Updated: E. coli found in 10 patient specimens
8/27/08, 5:25 p.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - State health officials are confirming a type of E. coli bacteria has been found in 10 patients who were sickened by a severe illness in northeastern Oklahoma. The outbreak killed 26-year-old Chad Ingle and at least 41 people have been hospitalized and several children are undergoing dialysis because of kidney failure. Laboratory specimens will be sent to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for further analysis.
Health officials say many who became sick ate at the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove but the restaurant has not been pinpointed as the site of the outbreak. The restaurant is normally closed on Mondays and voluntarily closed yesterday and today as the investigation continues. The illnesses are a very severe and bloody diarrhea with symptoms also including vomiting and severe abdominal cramping.
4 more incumbent sheriffs ousted from office
8/27/08, 5:02 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The number of new sheriffs taking over as their county's top law enforcement officer continues to grow, with four more incumbents being ousted from their posts in this week's runoff elections.
Several incumbents already had lost in July's primary elections and other posts were left vacant because of retirements or resignations.
The Oklahoma Sheriff's Association says Oklahoma will have at least 21 new sheriffs after November and possibly more. Among the four incumbents picked off Tuesday was Woodward County Sheriff Les Morton, who is facing criminal charges of embezzlement for allegedly using his county vehicle and fuel credit card for
personal use. Other incumbent sheriffs who lost in runoffs Tuesday are Le Flore County Sheriff Bob Campbell, Latimer County Sheriff Chris Ford and Pottawatomie County Sheriff Kurt Shirey.
Updated: Russell, Stanislawski winners in Senate contests
8/27/08, 10:58 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - State Election Board Secretary Mike Clingman says he's gotten no requests for recounts despite two very close runoff races. In Tulsa County Gary Stanislawski defeated Cason Carter by 16
votes with a final count of 2,897 to 2,881 for the District 35 seat in the state Senate. Eleven provisional ballots are still to be counted in that race. And in the race for the House District 57 seat in southwestern Oklahoma Harold Wright of Weatherford won by eight votes over Lyle Miller of Clinton. Miller says that at this point he does plan to file for a recount. He has until Friday at 5 p.m. to file.
In a second Senate runoff Steve Russell defeated Kyle Loveless for the District 30 seat in parts of Oklahoma and Cleveland counties. In two other House primaries Mike Sanders defeated Chris Cameron in District 59 in northwestern Oklahoma and Seneca Scott defeated Christie Breedlove in Tulsa County. The state Election Board will meet Friday to certify the results.
Updated: Children affected by bacteria
8/27/08, 10:50 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Several children are on dialysis after a severe intestinal illness in northeastern Oklahoma that may be related to E. coli bacteria. Dr. William Banner at Children's Hospital at St. Francis says three children aged 18-months to 12-years are undergoing dialysis and a 15-year-old may soon need the treatment. Banner says two other children were sent to an Oklahoma City hospital for similar treatment.
The illness has killed 26-year-old old Chad Ingle. State health officials are trying to identify the source of the outbreak and whether it's related to E. coli. They have confirmed many of those sick ate at the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove but say it's too early to pinpoint the restaurant as the source.
Russell, Stanislawski winners in Senate contests
8/27/08, 9:00 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Retired Army Col. Steve Russell, a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, is one of two Republicans in today's runoff races to nail down seats in an evenly divided state Senate. Russell, whose unit was involved in the hunt and capture of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, got 67 percent of the vote in his District
45 race against businessman Kyle Loveless.
Meanwhile, in Tulsa County's District 35 race, financial planner Gary Stanislawski defeated attorney Cason Carter by a razor-thin margin. Carter was the top vote getter in the primary. Stanislawski got 50.1 percent of the vote against Carter, a 16-vote win out of nearly 6,000 cast. Since no Democrats filed, the winner of the two GOP Senate runoffs were elected.
Senate Republican leader Glenn Coffee says with the primary runoff completed, the GOP is in, quote, "excellent" shape to take control of the Senate for the first time ever.
Task force studies uninsured Oklahomans
8/27/08, 8:52 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The only doctor in the state Legislature is frustrated with delays in federal funding of state programs that are to reduce the number of uninsured Oklahomans. Representative Doug Cox says the delays are preventing the implementation and expansion of health insurance assistance programs adopted by lawmakers.
The programs include one to help businesses provide insurance for employees and one to help families qualify for government assistance in getting health insurance for children. But Cox says the state has been forced to delay expanding the programs while it waits for authorization by federal officials for additional Medicaid funds for the programs.
More hospitalized after outbreak
8/26/08, 5:50 p.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - State health officials say at least 17 people have been hospitalized and 40 or more cases are being investigated after a severe illness outbreak in northeast Oklahoma. At least one person -- 26-year-old Pryor bank employee Chad Ingle -- has died as a result of the illness. Oklahoma State Department of Health officials are trying to identify it's source and whether it's related to E. coli bacteria.
They have confirmed that many ate at the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove but say it's too early to pinpoint the eatery as the source. Health officials say the restaurant passed a surprise inspection over the weekend, but online health department records show inspectors discovered nine violations, including two that directly relate to causes of food-borne illnesses.
Health Department spokesman Larry Weatherford says it's common for a restaurant to have numerous violations during an inspection and urged patience from an anxious public. The eatery is usually closed on Mondays and voluntarily closed today. Those who were sickened include residents from Bixby, Broken
Arrow, Locust Grove, McAlester, Peggs, Pryor, Sand Springs and Tulsa.
557,000 Oklahomans lived in poverty in 2007
8/26/08, 5:45 p.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - A new survey shows that nearly 16 percent of Oklahomans lived in poverty in 2007.
The figures from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, released Tuesday, found that 557,000 Oklahomans were in poverty even as the state's economy continued to perform well. The 2007 poverty figure was a slight decline from the 17 percent of Oklahomans who lived in poverty in 2006. But even with the slight improvement, the survey showed the state's poverty rate remained above the national average of 13 percent in 2007. The American Community Survey provides statistics on income, earnings, poverty, education and housing, among others.
Updated: 1 dead in Tulsa after bacterial outbreak
8/26/08, 10:55 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - State health officials continue to search for the cause of an illness that's killed one man in northeastern Oklahoma and made dozens of others sick. Family members say the dead man is 26-year-old Chad Ingle. State Health Department officials say the illness may be related to E. coli bacteria and many of the sick ate at the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove.
But state epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bradley says a definite source of the illness hasn't been found and an inspection of the restaurant found no problems or violations. Bradley says investigators also are focusing on food distributors and vendors as a possible source. The health department reported the illnesses are a very severe and bloody form of diarrhea, with symptoms also including vomiting and severe abdominal cramping.
Updated: Sulphur council delays vote on town name change
8/26/08, 10:39 a.m.
SULPHUR, Okla. (AP) - Sulphur city council members are delaying a vote on whether to call an election to change the town's name. Sulphur's city attorney told the council Monday night that state law requires that in order to have the proposal on the Nov. 4 ballot, the council had to pass a resolution on Sept. 4. After hearing that, the five council members decided to table the issue until then.
At issue is whether citizens will be allowed to vote on whether to change the Murray County town's name to "Sulphur Springs." City leaders say such a change will boost the town's tourist appeal. City Manager Bill Holley says the town was originally incorporated as Sulphur Springs in 1896. But at that time, U.S. Post Office policy didn't allow a post office site to have two names.
SemGroup creditors want documents
8/26/08, 9:29 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Unsecured creditors of a Tulsa energy company want to see documents about SemGroup LP's energy trading and cash transfers in the days and weeks leading up to its bankruptcy declaration. The creditors have told a federal judge they are interested in seeing documents with information that includes "eve-of-bankruptcy transfers, futures and options trading activities, and insider and affiliate transfers."
SemGroup, an oil and asphalt transportation and storage provider, filed for Chapter 11 protection on July 22 after apparently losing a reported $2.4 billion in the oil futures markets. A U.S. trustee overseeing SemGroup's case already has asked the bankruptcy judge to appoint an examiner to investigate the
company's collapse.
Tribal officials bless new Tulsa arena
8/26/08, 9:12 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Four American Indian tribes have prayed to give their blessings to Tulsa's new BOK Center before its official grand opening this weekend. Tribal officials used pots of burning coals and cedar and giant eagle feathers as they prayed in their native tongues for the long-term success of the arena. Tribes represented at the ceremony were the Osage, Creek, Cherokee and the Otoe represented the Plains Indians. The 178 million dollar, 18,500 seat arena has been under construction since August 31st, 2005.
New cannon facility opened in Elgin
8/22/08, 5:06 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A production facility for a new artillery system for the U.S. Army opened today in Elgin in southwestern Oklahoma. Officials with Maryland-based BAE Systems joined state and local dignitaries for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the plant on the outskirts of the Fort Sill Army Post. The facility will be used to construct initial components for the Non-Line-of-Sight, or NLOS, cannon vehicles.
The company plans to open a separate 150,000-square-foot facility in about a year at Elgin's Fort Sill Industrial Park to be used as the final assembly point for the NLOS cannon vehicle. The plant currently has about a dozen workers and company officials say the second will have about 100 employees. For more on this story go to the ONR Blog.
Colleagues pay last respects
8/25/08, 1:55 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Colleagues of former state Senator Al Terrill were among those paying their respects today as Terrill's body lay in state outside the Senate chamber. The 71-year-old Terrill died last Wednesday at a Lawton hospital after a long illness.
He was a Democrat and served 22 years in the state Senate from 1964 to 1986. He was a majority floor leader and headed several committees including education, rules and municipal government.
Funeral services are set for 1 tomorrow afternoon at the First Baptist Church in Lawton. Guest speakers include former Governor George Nigh and Lieutenant Governor Jari Askins.
Updated: 1 dead in Tulsa after bacterial outbreak
8/25/08, 12:20 p.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - State health officials say one person is dead and dozens of others are sick with an illness that may be related to E. coli bacteria. The state Health Department says in a statement today that 14 people have been hospitalized and 20 or more cases are being investigated.
The statement says an early investigation found that many of those who became sick ate at the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove but a definite source hasn't been identified. Department spokesman Larry Weatherford says there have been discussions the illnesses are related to E. coli but it hasn't been confirmed.
The illnesses are a very severe and bloody form of diarrhea with symptoms also including vomiting and severe abdominal cramping.
Trustee says lawmaker must come up with money
8/25/08, 9:59 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The trustee for state Representative Randy Terrill's 2005 bankruptcy says Terrill needs to turn over $11,301 in assets he failed to report when the case was filed. Bankruptcy trustee John Mashburn also wants Terrill's tax returns for 2004 and 2005 and for him to turn over his campaign contributions and expenditure reports from his 2004 campaign.
The bankruptcy case was reopened when information surfaced that Terrill didn't disclose his campaign owed him money. Terrill's attorney says he's been in touch with Terrill and they will be responding to the requests. Terrill is the author of a sweeping anti-illegal-immigration law and has said his opponents in the Hispanic community are using the bankruptcy as a political ploy.
1 dead in Tulsa after bacterial outbreak
8/25/08, 9:53 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - State health officials say one person is dead and dozens of others are sick with an illness that may be related to E. coli bacteria. State Health Department spokeswoman Leslea Bennett-Webb says at least 10 people were taken to a Tulsa hospital after eating at a restaurant in Locust Grove. A spokeswoman at St. Francis Hospital confirms one person has died. That person's name hasn't been released. Bennett-Webb says 12 to 20 other people in Beggs, Pryor and Bixby were treated at various other hospitals. She says there have been discussions the illnesses are related to E. coli but it hasn't been confirmed. She says the illnesses are a very severe and bloody form of diarrhea.
US grain exports snagged by infrastructure delays
8/25/08, 9:45 a.m.
UNDATED (AP) - As the worldwide demand grows for American wheat and corn many grain elevator managers are finding it difficult to transport it. Mark Hodges of the Oklahoma Wheat Commission says he's seen mounds of grain sitting on the ground waiting to be shipped because there aren't enough rail cars to haul it. And the situation may get worse because of a large harvest expected this fall. The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts farmers will produce the second largest corn crop and fourth largest soybean crop in
history.
Students due compensatory services
8/25/08, 9:23 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - State education officials say Tulsa Public Schools may have to compensate special education students who didn't receive services they were entitled to at the troubled Tulsa Academic Center.
The state Department of Education has told school officials that the district violated a host of requirements in the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The Tulsa district now has a series of deadlines over the next two months to respond to the state's findings and to develop plans for improving services, documentation and discipline procedures for all special education students. In mid-March, the Tulsa World began a series of stories documenting teacher, parent and student accounts of overcrowding and frequent violence at the alternative school.
Sulphur springs for a new name
8/25/08, 9:16 a.m.
SULPHUR, Okla. (AP) - The city council has called a special meeting to consider calling an election to change the name of the city from Sulphur to Sulphur Springs. Should the city council approve the proposal, it will be on the Nov. 4 general election ballot, said Shannon Couch, city clerk. The meeting is scheduled tomorrow evening. The community already calls itself "Sulphur, City of Springs," and American Indians have long called the area in Murray County where Sulphur stands "the land of rippling waters." The community, which is about 85 miles south of Oklahoma City, has a population of 4,785. City leaders say a proposed name change will benefit tourism to Chickasaw National Recreation Area and Turner Falls Park, both popular recreation areas. The community was originally incorporated as Sulphur Springs in 1896.
Car tags available on Web
8/25/08, 8:56 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Thousands of Oklahomans are bypassing the state's 300 tag agent offices by going online to renew their car tags. The head of The Oklahoma Tag Agent Group, Jeff Segell, says the Web site gets about 10,000 hits a month. It's estimated that 5 percent to 10 percent of those visits turn into transactions.
Segel says the group has been discussing ways to publicize the Web site more. He says a lot more people would use it if they knewit was out there. The Web site is www.oktagagent.com. Visitors can download motor vehicle forms and get information from the Tax Commission and the Public Safety Department. Segell says those renewing their tags online are sent the decals and paperwork by mail. Vehicle owners pay the postage.
Drillers, city of Tulsa reach agreement on stadium
8/25/08, 8:28 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - The city of Tulsa has reached an agreement in principle with the Tulsa Drillers to build a new downtown stadium for the minor-league baseball team. Mayor Kathy Taylor and team owner Chuck Lamson announced the deal Saturday morning. The city and team had been negotiating for more than eight months.
The stadium will be located in the city's Greenwood District next to the planned John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park. It should open by 2010. Taylor has estimated the stadium will cost $60 million to build. She says the stadium will be financed through $30 million in private donations and through tax money generated from a tax assessment in a business improvement district created last month by the Tulsa city council.
Okla. state worker temporarily gets 6-figure bonus
8/24/08, 9:15 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - State officials say an error resulted in an Oklahoma state employee temporarily receiving a longevity bonus of $850,000 in February. Jo Harris, who has worked for seven years for the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission in McAlester, was supposed to receive an $850 bonus, but a misplaced decimal point turned that into a six-figure windfall.
State officials caught the error in time, meaning the $850,000 never left state coffers. State Treasurer Scott Meacham says one safeguard in the state's financial system flags agency transactions above a certain amount so they can be reviewed by an auditor. Officials canceled Harris' original paycheck and issued a new one with the correct bonus amount, but not before telling Harris about the mistake and asking her to keep an eye on her personal bank account.
ExpressJet follows Frontier out of Tulsa airport
8/24/08, 8:06 p.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - For the second time this year, an airline is ending its service to Tulsa International Airport. ExpressJet Airlines' final flight from Tulsa is scheduled for this afternoon. The Houston-based regional carrier has said it will end its service from Tulsa to Albuquerque, N.M., and three California destinations this weekend. Earlier this summer, ExpressJet ended its daily service between Tulsa and two Texas towns, San Antonio and Austin.
Jim Ream, ExpressJet's president and chief executive officer, says rising fuel prices have made the cuts necessary. Frontier Airlines ended its three daily round-trip flights between Tulsa and Denver earlier this year, also citing fuel costs. Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines says it will begin twice-daily flights between Tulsa and Denver on Nov. 2. However, Southwest also says it will cut two Tulsa flights in
January by reducing the number of daily round trips to Phoenix and St. Louis from three to two.
Sullivan says federal immigration bill possible
8/24/08, 7:30 p.m.
BROKEN ARROW, Okla. (AP) - U.S. Rep. John Sullivan of Oklahoma thinks it's possible that Congress could soon begin developing a guest-worker bill to address illegal immigration concerns. The Republican from Tulsa told an audience at a Broken Arrow Chamber of Commerce breakfast yesterday that he expects movement on the issue after the presidential election in November, no matter which candidate wins.
Sullivan says a proposal being considered is for a card for illegal immigrants who want to work in the U.S. He says the program could include some sort of biometric identification and a background check. He says those with a card could work in the U.S. and would also pay taxes. Sullivan says such a card would allow the bearer to travel in and out of the U.S. but would not grant citizenship. Sullivan says the rhetoric surrounding the issue from both sides needs to be toned down.
ORU officials seek support
8/24/08, 6:15 p.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Oral Roberts University officials asked students, faculty and staff to support a new financial plan that will allow the evangelical school to emerge from its struggles a stronger institution.
Interim President Ralph Fagin told those attending the university's weekly chapel service yesterday that the mission of the university hasn't changed, but the way to get there has.
The school has been slowly climbing out of debt and a spending scandal involving former ORU President Richard Roberts. Roberts resigned in November after three former professors filed a lawsuit for improper termination that alleged he and his wife, Lindsay, had supported a lavish lifestyle with university money. The couple has denied any wrongdoing.
Soon after, ORU revealed it was more than $50 million in debt. After Richard Roberts' departure, Oklahoma City businessman Mart Green donated $70 million to the university. Fagin says that more than 600 donors have helped whittle the debt down to about $18 million.
Ethics Commission seeks more funding
8/24/08, 6:00 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma Ethics Commission members are hoping the state Legislature will approve emergency funding that will allow them to hire more staff and purchase equipment and furniture.
Commissioners yesterday approved a budget request of $380,000 for the 2010 fiscal year. Of that, $323,000 would go toward paying the salaries and benefits of five new employees.
State Rep. Ken Miller, the chairman of the House Appropriation and Budget Committee, says that any agency request to nearly double the size of its staff is a, quote, "tall order." The agency already has approved pay raises of 30 percent for its seven-member staff for the 2009 fiscal year that began July 1. About $90,336, or 60 percent of the additional $150,000 the Ethics Commission received this fiscal year, went to the salary increases.
Commission Chairman Don Bingham says most of the staff had gone at least 10 years without pay increases, except for occasional statewide cost-of-living increases.
Cameron University throws centennial celebration
8/24/08, 5:52 p.m.
LAWTON, Okla. (AP) - Cameron University's yearlong centennial celebration has started. The university in Lawton held a birthday party of sorts on Friday night at Cameron Stadium, complete with a parachute exhibition, fireworks and performances of songs and dances by Comanche Nation members. Country music group The Oak Ridge Boys also performed at the event.
Cameron President Cindy Ross says the celebration had a little something for everyone. The university was founded in 1908 as Cameron State School of Agriculture, one of six agricultural high schools in the state. Cameron became a junior college in 1927 and was given the authority in 1966 to award four-year degrees. The university is named for E.D. Cameron, Oklahoma's first state schools superintendent.
