Archive for the Week of September 14, 2008 - September 20, 2008
News Archives (Week of September 14, 2008)
Henry seeks major disaster declaration
9/19/08, 2:38 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Gov. Brad Henry has asked President Bush to issue a major disaster declaration for five northern Oklahoma counties hit by severe storms and flooding since Sept. 11. Federal assistance was sought Friday for individuals and businesses in Alfalfa, Grant, Kay, Major and Woods counties.
About 200 homes and businesses were damaged by heavy rain from Tropical Depression Lowell. He said much needs to be done to help residents of the area to recover. If approved residents would be eligible for assistance for housing repairs or temporary housing. They could also get low-interest loans to repair or replace damaged property, disaster unemployment assistance, and grants for serious needs and necessary disaster expenses unmet by other programs. Henry said more counties may be added to the request after damage surveys are completed.
Commission restores transportation projects
9/19/08, 2:25 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The state Transportation Commission has awarded contracts for about $70 million worth of road and bridge projects that had been deferred because of a projected shortfall in the federal highway trust fund. The commission voted Friday to push forward with the projects after President Bush signed federal legislation to restore $8 billion to the fund that was diverted by Congress in 1998. Bush signed the bill on Monday.
Earlier this month, the commission postponed awarding contracts because of the projected shortfall. Oklahoma and other states tap into the fund to reimburse state spending on federally approved road and bridge projects. Transportation Director Gary Ridley says a shortfall would mean the state will be reimbursed for only part of its spending, creating cash-flow problems.
6 Oklahomans on Forbes' List
9/19/08, 12:25 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Six Oklahomans are on Forbes.com's list of the nation's 400 richest people and for the first time an Oklahoma is in the top 20. Tulsa oilman George Kaiser is among six people tied at 20th on the list with a net worth of 13 billion dollars.
Harold Hamm of Enid is 42nd on the list with 7 billion dollars while Aubrey McClendon and Tom Ward of Oklahoma City are 134th and 155th. McClendon's net worth is estimated at 3 billion dollars and Ward's at 2.7 billion. Lynn Schusterman of Tulsa is on the list with 2.5 billion dollars and David Green of Oklahoma with 1.7 billion. Microsoft's Bill Gates passed investor Warren Buffett for the top spot on the list.
Commission approves reprimand in ethics case
9/19/08, 2:20 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Oklahoma Ethics Commission has agreed on another public reprimand, presumably of a state official, but is not revealing the person's identity until a draft of the reprimand is revised.
The action came at a meeting Friday of the ethics panel, which three weeks ago reprimanded former state House Speaker Lance Cargill, R-Harrah, in a campaign fundraising case. Ethics Commission officials would not discuss any details of the new reprimand, which was voted upon after a closed-door session. In other action, the commission began discussion of proposed ethics rules to be submitted to the 2009 Oklahoma Legislature.
One proposal by a Tulsa attorney would allow companies and corporations to solicit political contributions from their employees twice a year. Another proposal would establish a "no gift list" at the
agency. Legislation to set up such a list was introduced this year, but failed to win legislative approval.
Diarrheal disease reported in 2 counties
9/19/08, 8:50 a.m.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - At least 20 people central Oklahoma have a contagious diarrheal disease but health officials haven't determined what the source is yet. Shari Kinney with the Cleveland and McClain county health departments says 17 cases of Cryptosporidiosis are confirmed in Cleveland County and three more were verified in McClain County.
The disease is caused by a parasite called Cryptosporidium and can cause severe and long-lasting diarrhea. The parasite is commonly found in swimming pools, splash pads and day care centers and is transmitted through the fecal matter of an infected person. Norman Recreation Director Jud Foster says water samples from the splash pad at Andrews Park tested positive for the parasite. However only one-third of the people who became ill visited the splash pad.
3 Oklahomans among those killed in Iraq
9/19/08, 8:45 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The stepfather of an Oklahoma National Guard member who was killed today in a helicopter crash in Iraq says the family wants more answers about what happened. According to media reports, Corporal Michael Thompson of Kingston and two other Oklahomans were aboard a CH-47 Chinook
helicopter when it went down of west Basra, killing seven in all.
Warrant Officer Brady Rudolf's wife, Jennifer, also confirmed he was on board. The three Oklahomans, along with four soldiers from Texas, were members of Detachment 1, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation based in Lexington. Oklahoma National Guard officials say the unit mobilized in June and left in late August. Thompson's stepfather, Richard Perry, told the Oklahoman the family isn't questioning the military, but wants more information about what happened to Thompson, who was 23.
Military officials say the chopper was flying in formation from Kuwait to Balad and none of the other helicopters reported an attack. A malfunction on the Chinook is suspected. Jennifer Rudolf says her husband was a pilot in the Guard but she didn't know if the 20-year veteran was flying the helicopter that crashed. She says she is proud of him.
Parents seek autism mandate
9/18/08, 4:17 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The parents of autistic children are asking state lawmakers to require health insurers to pay for the diagnosis and treatment of the developmental disorder.
Parents appeared before the House Economic Development and Financial Services Committee Thursday as lawmakers opened hearings into the nature of autism and the availability of treatment options in Oklahoma.
Wayne Rohde, father of a 10-year-old autistic child, says he hopes the hearings will lead to legislation to mandate autism coverage by health insurers. Similar mandates have been passed in 18 other states.
Legislation known as Nick's Law, named for Rohde's son, was passed by the Senate last spring. But the House refused to hear it after opponents claimed the mandate would drive up the cost of health insurance and make it unaffordable.
Democratic chief urges DA probe of Cargill case
9/18/08, 3:59 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - State Democratic Party Chairman Ivan Holmes has asked the Oklahoma County district attorney to look at the possibility of criminal violations in the case that led to an ethics reprimand of former House Speaker Lance Cargill. Cargill was reprimanded after more than $30,000 donated to the
state Republican Party wound up in another committee for use against Democratic legislative candidates. Some contributors complained about the redirection of their donations.
Holmes says a copy of the Ethics Commission report on Cargill's activities has been delivered to David Prater, Oklahoma County's top prosecutor. Republican State Party Chairman Gary Jones notes that Attorney General Drew Edmondson has declined to pursue a criminal case before the state's multicounty grand jury.
3 Oklahomans among those killed in Iraq
9/18/08, 3:13 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - An aide to U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin says three Oklahoma National Guardsmen are among seven soldiers killed in a helicopter crash in southern Iraq. Fallin's spokesman Alex Weintz says four soldiers from the Texas National Guard also were killed in the crash early Thursday. The military did not release the names of those killed pending notification of next of kin.
The military says the CH-47 Chinook was flying in a four-helicopter formation to the U.S. military base at Balad, north of Baghdad, when it crashed shortly after midnight.
Military officials say they suspect a mechanical problem was to blame after ruling out hostile fire. The military says the seven who died were the only people on board.
House-passed resolution honors country star
9/18/08, 10:33 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a measure honoring Oklahoma native Toby Keith for his commitment to members of the Armed Forces. Congressman Tom Cole introduced the House Resolution in June.
It praises the country music star for performing in several United Service Organizations tours overseas. The House passed the measure Wednesday evening.
Keith has participated in USO tours to Belgium, Kosovo, Italy, Germany and Afghanistan, among other places.
Election outcome unpredictable
9/18/08, 9:45 a.m.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - A former White House adviser says the presidential election seems to favor Democrats but that race and a fragile economy could change the outcome. David Gergen spoke to about 600 people at dinner at the University of Oklahoma yesterday. He says Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama are in a virtual tie and the Republican could pull out the win.
Gergen says Obama has a chance to deliver a strong message on the economy but he says many Americans are more comfortable with McCain because of their respect for him. Gergen served as an adviser to Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton. Watch for more on this story from Jason Doyle Thursday night on the Oklahoma News Report.
Part of Roman Nose to be demolished
9/18/08, 8:30 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The state Tourism and Recreation Commission has voted to tear down part of the lodge at Roman Nose State Park near Watonga. The commissioners voted to demolish the 27-room south wing of the lodge.
The wing has been closed since rains from Tropical Storm Erin hit Blaine County in August 2007. Crews sent to repair the water damage found mold and evidence that the lodge is eroding from its footing. The other part of the lodge including the restaurant, meeting rooms and 20 lodge rooms will remain intact.
DHS files found in old filing cabinet
9/18/08, 8:24 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - State Department of Human Services employees are checking old file cabinets after confidential documents were found in a cabinet that was sold as surplus.
The documents were found in a filing cabinet bought by the husband of Oklahoma City businesswoman Kathy Montoya. Montoya says they include reports on neglect cases, sexual abuse cases as well as Social Security numbers and payroll information.
DHS Director Howard Hendrick says the records apparently were overlooked when the file cabinet was sold through surplus because the papers were lodged in the back of a drawer.
Judge dismisses lawsuit against author
9/17/08, 5:10 p.m.
MUSKGOEE, Okla. (AP) - A federal judge has dismissed a libel lawsuit filed against best-selling author John Grisham over a nonfiction book he wrote about the 1982 murder of an Ada cocktail waitress.
U.S. District Judge Ronald White on Wednesday dismissed the lawsuit filed last year by former Pontotoc County District Attorney William Peterson and two former employees of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. The suit was filed against Grisham, his publishing company, and the authors of two other books about the murder and subsequent trials.
The two men originally convicted of murdering Debbie Sue Carter were later exonerated by DNA evidence and freed after 12 years in prison. A key witness for the prosecution later was found to be the actual killer.
Devon restores portion of offshore production
9/17/08, 4:48 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma City-based Devon Energy says it's restored a portion of its offshore oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico. Devon began removing some workers from the rigs before Hurricane Gustav and is now returning those employees now that Hurricane Ike has passed.
Devon President John Richels says damage assessments are beginning and production will be restored when that is complete and repairs are made. The company says about 10,000 equivalent barrels of oil per day has been restored. Devon is the largest U.S.-based independent oil and natural gas producer.
Kansas officials mull Amtrak expansion
9/17/08, 3:33 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - State lawmakers in Kansas are moving forward with a joint feasibility study on expanding an Amtrak route from Oklahoma to Kansas. John Dougherty with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation says Kansas officials are looking at whether to extend passenger rail service into their state.
Several Oklahoma cities also have endorsed the proposed expansion of the existing Heartland Flyer to Kansas City, Missouri, by way of Newton, Kansas. The Heartland Flyer currently has daily service between Oklahoma city and Fort Worth, Texas.
Officials estimate the Kansas study will be finished in six to nine months then it'll be submitted to legislators for consideration. Dougherty says if the Kansas Legislature approves funding the new Amtrak route could begin operating as early as 2010.
Environment secretary vows to finish Tar Creek relocation
9/17/08, 9:08 a.m.
MIAMI, Okla. (AP) - Oklahoma's new secretary of the environment vows to keep the state's commitment to relocate residents living in the Tar Creek Superfund Site. J.D. Strong -- who succeeded Miles Tolbert August 20th -- spoke at the 10th National Tar Creek Conference in Miami Tuesday.
Strong has been Oklahoma's lead man for a 60 million dollar federal buyout of Tar Creek homes and businesses located in Cardin, Hockerville and Picher. Many structures sit atop deteriorating caverns created by lead and zinc mining that ended in 1971. Other homes are threatened by piles of chat, or the gravel-like remains of lead mining.
Residents being bought out are receiving a fair-market value for their devalued homes. The buyout was announced in May 2006, but has been hindered by funding shortfalls of about 30 million dollars. Eight million dollars was made available in May for the project and another 9.5 million came through earlier this month. Strong says all appraisals could be done in 12 months.
Oklahomans taking price increase in stride
9/17/08, 8:58 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahomans have been slow to complain to state officials about the spike in gasoline prices that occurred as Hurricane Ike approached. Attorney General Drew Edmondson said today his office has received only eight telephone complaints about gas price increases and no formal complaints had been filed.
Oklahoma Corporation Commission spokesman Matt Skinner says his office received some complaints and referred them to Edmondson's office. Triple-A spokesman Chuck Mai (May) says he hadn't gotten complaints about prices.
In Arkansas, attorney General Dustin McDaniel said he received more than 1,450 telephone complaints and more than 2,400 people either e-mailed or sent text messages. McDaniel has issued more than 30 subpoenas to gasoline retailers in Arkansas, where prices were bumped to $4.50 at some stations as Ike moved toward the Gulf Coast.
Mai says the average price for regular gas in the state has been hovering around $3.70 the past couple of days. Edmondson says for his office to take official action under the state's Emergency Stabilization Act, an individual has to file a formal complaint.
Water outage closes Capitol offices
9/16/08, 4:42 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Some state Capitol offices have closed early after a water line rupture at a nearby building temporarily interrupted service. A spokeswoman for the Department of Central Services, Gerry Smedley, said Tuesday that a Capitol administrator discovered that some areas of the building were without water at 11:30 a.m.
The interruption was traced back to a nearby Oklahoma National Guard armory, where the water was turned off after a pipe ruptured. Smedley says a four-inch water line above a second-floor office in the armory split open.
Lines that serve the armory also serve the Capitol and some other nearby state buildings The offices of most state House members closed during the outage when bathrooms became inoperable. Service was restored at about 1:40 p.m.
Former state appeals court judge disbarred
9/16/08, 3:35 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The state Supreme Court has disbarred former Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals Court Judge Steve Lile. The Supreme Court found Lile submitted false travel claims and false expense claims while he was judge. The Supreme Court says Lile filed almost weekly travel claims from June to October 2004 saying he was attending conferences, projects or meetings. Instead he was going to see his son in prison or to take care of legal and other issues involving the son. The court says the false expenses claims were for personal purchases made by his assistant. He also was found to have improperly getting involved in his son's drug cases. Lile resigned as a judge in 2005.
OKC instructor named teacher of year
9/16/08, 1:30 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - An eighth-grade algebra and pre-algebra teacher in Oklahoma City has been named Oklahoma's 2009 teacher of the year.
Taft Middle School math teacher Heather Sparks was presented the honor Tuesday during a ceremony at the state fair. She was one of 12 finalists for the annual award from across the state. She will receive a prize package worth $50,000.
Sparks has 15 years teaching experience, 14 of which in Oklahoma City public schools.
Employers lament worker shortage
9/16/08, 12:30 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma employers say the state does not have enough skilled workers to bring their companies up to full employment. Employers told members of the House Economic Development and Financial Services Committee Tuesday that more needs to be done to recruit and retain skilled workers in the state.
Brian Hayden, vice president of Advance Food Co. of Enid, says the company has hired 700 new workers over the past two years and recruits workers from as far away as Puerto Rico. But the company still has 95 job openings that remain unfilled.
Phil Berkenbile, director of the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education, says 12,000 people are on a waiting list to enroll in career and technology courses in the state's CarrerTech system. Berkenbile says students need more flexibility when choosing a career path.
Officials: E. coli outbreak over
9/16/08, 12:22 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - State health officials say they believe the outbreak of a rare and deadly strain of E. coli in northeastern Oklahoma is over. The state Department of Health said Tuesday that the last known case related to the illness was Sept. 6.
One man died and the state Health Department says there are 314
confirmed cases with 65 of those being children. The bacteria was identified as the rare E. coli 0111 and has been traced to the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove. Health investigators have not tied the outbreak to a specific food but have interviewed 1,843 people in an effort to pinpoint the cause.
Oklahoma tag deadline looms
9/16/08, 11:54 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Motorists wishing to keep their current license tag number when new plates are issued must pay $17 before Nov. 1. The state is producing 4 million new license plates featuring artist Allan Houser's "Sacred Rain Arrow" sculpture, which depicts a young Apache warrior shooting an arrow into the sky to further a prayer for rain during a drought.
The cost to reserve the current plate number is in addition to the annual registration renewal fee. Vehicle owners who don't want to retain their current plate number will receive a new plate next year when they renew their tags. The deadline does not apply to owners of personalized plates whose tag renewal procedure won't change.
Flood damage assessments ongoing in parts of Oklahoma
9/16/08, 11:13 a.m.
BLACKWELL, Okla. (AP) - Damage assessment teams are going to work in flooded areas of northwestern and north-central Oklahoma while residents continue cleanup efforts. The flooding came after heavy rains from Tropical Depression Lowell inundated the region for more than two days. More than 100 homes in Fairview were affected by flooding after nearly a foot of rain fell in the area.
Major County Commissioner Kelly Wahl says assessment teams also estimate 100 to 125 miles of roads in the county are damaged. Parts of Blackwell in Kay County were flooded after the Chikaskia River reached 35.2 feet on Sunday - more than six feet above flood stage. Officials say it's too early to put a dollar amount on the damage but say it could easily be several hundred thousands of dollars.
Colleges spend billions to prep freshmen
9/16/08, 8:59 a.m.
UNDATED (AP) - A new study has found that one-third of American college students have to take remedial classes before enrolling in college coursework. The study by the group Strong American Schools estimates 43 percent of community college students and 29 percent of students at public four-year universities require remediation. It found four in five Oklahoma community college students need remedial coursework. Remedial courses are typically noncredit and can cost students as much as $2,000 per student in community colleges and $2,500 in four-year universities.
Keetoowah trust land request still alive
9/16/08, 8:39 a.m.
MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) - The acting head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs says he'll decide whether to put 76 acres into trust for the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokees in Oklahoma. The Keetoowah is a federally recognized tribe but without a land base in trust. It's headquarters in Tahlequah is within the jurisdiction of the
Cherokee Nation.
The Keetoowah's most recent application for land being placed in trust was denied by director Jeanette Hanna of the BIA's Eastern District Office in Muskogee. Hanna believes the Cherokee Nation must agree in order for the Keetoowahs to have land placed in trust. Officials with the Interior Board of Indian Appeals disagree with Hanna's interpretation leading acting BIA director George Skibine to step in and say he'll make the decision.
Violent crime up in OC, down in Tulsa
9/16/08, 8:42 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Violent crime was up slightly in Oklahoma City and down slightly in Tulsa during 2007. Statistics from the FBI and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation show the number of murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults in Oklahoma City were up 0.07 percent. The total number of violent crimes rose from 4,301 in 2006 to 4,612 last year. In Tulsa reports of violent crime fell 0.05 percent - from 4,816 in 2006 to 4,552 in 2007. Nationwide the number violent crimes fell by 0.7 percent.
Officials say Oklahoma banks are solid
9/15/08, 4:15 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Officials say Oklahoma banks are in good shape and will not be significantly affected by the credit crisis that led to the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers. Oklahoma Banking Commissioner Mick Thompson says state banks are diversified and were not heavily involved in the subprime mortgage
market, which led to problems in other states.
Officials say the state's economy is strong, fueled by high oil and natural gas prices. They point to higher tax collections and high employment as evidence that Oklahoma is escaping problems that have hit the national economy. Widespread bank failures are expected in some states, stemming from bad loans and declines in the housing market. Housing prices are still climbing in Oklahoma, which had its share of bank failures in the 1980s after the collapse of oil prices.
Terrill challenges trustee's demand
9/15/08, 3:42 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - State Representative Randy Terrill is challenging a bankruptcy trustee's order that he turn over $11,301. Trustee John Mashburn says when Terrill filed for bankruptcy in 2005 he failed to list money his campaign owed him as an asset. But Terrill attorney Jeffrey West says in a motion filed Friday
that the lawmaker loaned the money to his campaign a year before filing for bankruptcy. West says Terrill never received or expected any repayment.
Terrill is a Republican from Moore and is chairman of the House of Representatives' Revenue and Taxation Committee. He faces Democrat Troy Green in the November general election. Terrill is the author of sweeping anti-illegal-immigration legislation and contends political opponents in the Hispanic community are behind the scrutiny over his bankruptcy. He declared bankruptcy three years ago over less than $80,000 in debt.
Shelter for Ike evacuees in OKC closed; never used
9/15/08, 10:18 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Oklahoma City shelter for Hurricane Ike evacuees is closing without being used. State Emergency Management Department spokeswoman Michelann Ooten says none of the shelters in Texas for hurricane evacuees are at capacity, so the Oklahoma City shelter will not be needed. She says all of the supplies and other resources that were waiting at the former Lucent Technologies center are being moved out of the facility. The shelter had housed about 1,800 evacuees from Louisiana earlier this month following Hurricane Gustav.
OSU reports more than 3,000 enrolled freshmen
9/15/08, 9:40 a.m.
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) - Oklahoma State University says that 3,073 new freshmen have enrolled at the school for the current semester. OSU officials say the average ACT score for members of this year's freshman class is 24.7, with 36 being a perfect score. Seventy-seven percent of OSU's freshmen are from Oklahoma. The total enrollment on OSU's five campuses in Stillwater, Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Okmulgee is 32,178. OSU officials also say the six-year graduation rate on the main campus in Stillwater is 60.1 percent, which is the highest in the university's history. The 4-year graduation rate is 32.1 percent and the 5-year graduation rate is 53.8 percent, which officials say are the highest at OSU in 30 years.
