Archive for the Week of July 13, 2008 - July 19, 2008
News Archives (Week of July 13, 2008)
OSBI to shed light on probe into girls' killings
7/18/08, 4:35 p.m.
OKEMAH, Okla. (AP) - Investigators looking into last month's killings of two girls just outside of Weleetka say they plan to release new details about their investigation. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is planning to hold a news conference on Monday outside the Okfuskee County Courthouse.
They say they will release portions of a 911 call made by one of the girls' family members just after the girls' bodies were discovered. They also plan to discuss some of the investigative techniques being used to track the killer or killers.
The bullet-riddled bodies of 11-year-old Skyla Whitaker and 13-year-old Taylor Placker were discovered June 8 on a gravel road less than a half-mile from the house where they were staying. Authorities say they have no suspect or motive in the killings.
Safety alert issued at OSU after rape, robbery
7/18/08, 4:22 p.m.
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) - Oklahoma State University police have issued a safety alert to faculty and students after a student was raped and robbed at her university apartment. Police are investigating the assault that happened just after midnight Wednesday. The victim says a white man with brown hair and a goatee forced his way into her apartment, sexually assaulted her and then stole a large amount of cash. The assault happened at North University Place Apartment, located just north of the main campus.
Bond issues moves museum closer to reality
7/18/08, 4:06 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Progress is moving quickly on a Native American cultural center to be built at the crossroads of Interstates 35 and 40 near downtown Oklahoma City.
Legislation authorizing the creation of the Native American Cultural and Educational Authority to oversee the project was passed in 1994. Environmental snags and funding shortfalls have caused delays in the project over the last 14 years.
But an infusion of $25 million from lawmakers this year will allow the first phase of the project to be completed by September and the rest by 2012. Bulldozers and earth-moving equipment already are busy moving around a mound of massive red earth along the banks of the Oklahoma River.
Once it's completed, the Native American Cultural and Educational Authority will be a satellite facility of the Smithsonian Institution. Plans call for the cultural center and museum, a Native American artist colony with galleries, a communications center and a 200-room lodge.
American Airline to lay of 1,300 mechanics
7/18/08, 9:32 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - American Airlines executives say 1,300 aircraft mechanics and 200 managers and support workers will be laid off from the company's maintenance organization. The announcement came Thursday as executives in American's Maintenance & Engineering division met at the company's offices in
Fort Worth a day after American's parent, AMR Corp., reported a second-quarter loss of $1.45 billion.
The company earlier announced furloughs of 900 flight attendants and 200 pilots as the high cost of fuel has reduced flight numbers. American employs 7,000 mechanics and other workers in Tulsa, 1,900 in Fort Worth and 900 in Kansas City, Mo., as well as several thousand at various line maintenance stations.
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Divided board hires Regier to lead agency
7/18/08, 8:15 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A divided board has voted to retain Jerry Regier as the interim administrator of a new agency that oversees licensing for construction trades. The Construction Industries Board on Thursday voted 3-2 against a motion to terminate Regier. Regier's hiring to the temporary post was criticized by some
lawmakers who say he's interested only in qualifying for state retirement benefits. Regier appeared before the board earlier in the day and says the criticism is misguided. Board members filed out of the room after the vote and declined comment. Regier says he plans to work to clear up a backlog of reports at the agency until a permanent administrator comes on board.
Mississippi remains most obese state, Oklahoma 9th, CDC reports
7/17/08, 4:50 p.m.
ATLANTA (AP) - A survey of obesity ranks Oklahoma as the 9th most obese state in the nation. The study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 28.1 percent of adults in Oklahoma are obese.
The survey says Mississippi leads the nation with 32 percent of its adults obese. Alabama is second and Tennessee third. Colorado is the least obese with about 19 percent. The results are based on a telephone survey of 350,000 adults and CDC officials believe the numbers are conservative because it's what respondents say about their own height and weight.
Obesity is based on the body mass index which is a calculation using height and weight. A 5-foot, 9-inch adult who weighs 203 pounds would have a BMI of 30, which is considered the threshold for obesity.
Agencies arrest 45 in sweep
7/17/08, 4:42 p.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Federal authorities say 45 gang members and immigration violators are behind bars after a six-day operation in the Tulsa area. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's "Operation
Community Shield" ended yesterday.
The program partners federal, state and local law enforcement to target members of violent street gangs. ICE officials say 15 of the arrests were transnational gang members who are aliens, while 17 gang members were U.S. citizens arrested on state warrants on criminal charges. Another 13 had no known gang affiliation, but were deportable because they were in the country illegally. Along with the arrests, officials seized handguns, cash, cocaine and methamphetamine.
Congressman says disaster declaration expected
7/17/08, 4:30 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma Congressman Frank Lucas says federal officials plan to issue disaster declarations for 14 western Oklahoma counties because of severe drought. Lucas says Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer on Thursday confirmed nine counties in Oklahoma as primary disaster areas.
Lucas says another five counties will be contiguous disaster areas. A federal disaster declaration will make farmers and ranchers eligible for low-interest emergency loans and provide tax breaks to ranchers forced to sell livestock early.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture did not immediately confirm the disaster declaration, but a spokeswoman says a decision was expected Thursday.
Updated: Henry visits dry Panhandle
7/17/08, 8:20 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Governor Brad Henry got a firsthand look today at the toll drought conditions are having on farmers and ranchers in the Oklahoma Panhandle. Henry traveled to Boise City in the western Panhandle to talk to people affected by months of dry weather, extreme heat and high winds.
He collected a $50 "bounty" on himself for not visiting the area during his tenure as governor at the Boise City News. The paper's publisher presented Henry with a check, which the governor is donating to a senior citizens group. Henry has already requested federal aid for nine counties in northwestern Oklahoma, but only Cimarron and Texas counties have been approved.
He says what's needed most is a long, soaking rain. Many have compared the drought to the Dust Bowl era of the 1930s, but modern agricultural practices make it unlikely the devastating dust storms seen more than 70 years ago will occur.
OEA proposing to boost funding
7/17/08, 8:32 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Oklahoma Education Association is working on a proposal for a petition drive that initially would raise 850 million dollars for schools. The project called Helping Oklahoma Public Education - or HOPE - would amend the state Constitution to require the state to increase per-student funding to the regional average.
The OEA says the current regional average is $8,300 spent per student while Oklahoma spends $6,961 per student. The region includes Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico and Texas. Supporters will have to get the signatures of at least 138,970 registered voters on the petition to bring the issue to a tatewide
vote.
Tribal drug use is worse than any other group
7/17/08, 8;09 a.m.
WASHINGTON (AP) - A new Justice Department report says American Indian substance abuse levels are higher than those for any other demographic group. The conclusion reached by the department's National Drug Intelligence Center is part of an assessment of the threat posed from drug trafficking organizations, criminal groups, and gangs that distribute drugs on reservations.
According to the study, Mexican drug trafficking organizations are the main suppliers and producers of the drugs available on reservations. Officials believe these organizations pose the greatest organizational threat to Native American communities across the United States.
The agency predicted that most reservations around the country will experience increased drug availability and abuse in the near future, largely because of poor socio-economic conditions within reservation communities and a lack of resources available for law enforcement, drug treatment programs and drug education campaigns. The study's authors reported the main drugs for which Native Americans sought treatment between 2002 and 2006, with marijuana leading the list.
Taunting message left at crime scene
7/17/08, 8:17 a.m.
WELEETKA, Okla. (AP) - Investigators don't believe a taunting message scrawled into a marker on a roadside memorial cross at the scene of two Weleetka girls' murders is important.
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown says the measage said something to the effect of, quote, "you'll never catch me." Brown says investigators believe kids vandalized the cross to get attention, but the cross has been seized.
Eleven-year-old Skyla Whitaker and 13-year-old Taylor Paschal-Placker were shot to death June 8th at the same Okfuskee County roadside. Investigators have made no arrests and don't have any suspects or a motive for the crime.
A sketch of a "person of interest," who is described as a tall American Indian man with a long ponytail, has produced hundreds of leads but no notable results in the past six weeks.
Henry visits dry Panhandle
7/16/08, 5:10 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Gov. Brad Henry has met with farmers and ranchers in the Oklahoma Panhandle to discuss drought conditions that have compared to the Dust Bowl era. Henry traveled to Boise City Wednesday to talk to people affected by months of dry weather. He has already requested federal aid for nine counties in northwestern Oklahoma.
Henry said the government is doing everything it can to help residents, but the best remedy would come in the form of rain. Extreme heat, dry weather, high winds and other factors have damaged hay forages, livestock, grazing lands, alfalfa and other crops.
NEW: NEO president to retire
7/16/08, 3:05 p.m.
MIAMI, Okla. (AP) - Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College President Glenn Mayle is announcing plans to retire on Oct. 1. Mayle said Wednesday he and his wife have lost seven family members in the past 18 months and need time to be closer to their families. Mayle has been president of the Miami college since 1998 and since then has added a new student activities center and music building. NEO plans a a national search for the next president of the two-year college.
Tax collections finish strong
7/16/08, 8:39 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - High energy prices helped fuel a strong finish to the fiscal year as far as state tax collections go.
A report from state Treasurer Scott Meacham says gross production taxes on oil and gas were up $186 million from a year ago, a 29 percent jump.
The increase is in the fiscal year that ended June 30. Net income taxes for the year are down almost $255 million from a year ago, mainly because of tax cuts. But total collections increased enough to permit a $25 million deposit into the state's constitutional Rainy Day Fund, leaving a surplus of almost $83 million for legislative spending next year. The Rainy Day Fund now stands at almost $600 million.
Officials investigate illnesses
7/16/08, 8:25 a.m.
DISNEY, Okla. (AP) - Officials say a boil order remains in effect for residents living in a condominium complex near Disney on Grand Lake. Department of Environmental Quality spokeswoman Skylar McElhaney said 48 people have reported mild to severe symptoms of gastrointestinal illness and at least one person has been hospitalized.
Lauri Smithee of the state Health Department says 128 people who live or stayed at Windmill Run Condominiums and Marina were interviewed and 48 said they didn't feel well. Smithee says four people sought treatment at doctors' offices or emergency rooms, and one was hospitalized.
McElhaney says after officials received complaints on the agency hotline, they did some testing and found the presence of fecal bacteria in initial samples. She says officials haven't confirmed that to be the reason for the illnesses. Residents are being asked to boil for one minute any water that will be used to drink, cook food or wash dishes.
Teachers become nurses as schools get squeezed
7/16/08, 8:16 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma doesn't rate well when it comes to the number of school nurses per student. Federal guidelines recommend schools have one nurse for every 750 students. Oklahoma is one of four states with a ratio of one nurse to every 3,000 students or more. The national average is one nurse for every 1,151 students. Although there is no historical data regarding the number of school nurses nationwide, members of the profession say there are fewer nurses doing more work. Also teachers and other school workers pick up the slack.
Bush's lifting of ban praised
7/16/08, 8:02 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Members of Oklahoma's congressional delegation and oil officials are praising President Bush's decision to lift an executive ban on offshore oil drilling. Devon Energy chief executive Larry Nichols says he hopes the action will encourage Congress to do the same. Both executive and legislative bans must be lifted before offshore exploration can start and Nichols says he now hopes Congress takes a more serious look at the issue.
Representative Mary Fallin and Senator Jim Inhofe also applauded Bush's decision. The order lifted by the president has been in place since 1990 when President George H.W. Bush was in the White House. The bans were put in place to protect environmentally fragile and economically vital areas in states such as California and Texas.
Tulsa superintendent resigns
7/15/08, 8:54 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent Michael Zolkoski has resigned. Zolkoski stepped down from the job during a school board meeting Monday night. He gave 90-days notice and will leave on Oct. 8. The Tulsa Public School Board will settle his contract for $400,000. Zolkoski was unanimously named Tulsa's superintendent in June 2006. He was formerly the top administrator of the Brownsville, Texas, school district.
Zolkoski headed up the state's largest school district, with 42,000 students. He was the choice from an original field of 45 candidates in 22 states. The 60-year-old Zolkoski had been Brownsville's superintendent
since 2003 and has 20 years of experience as a superintendent.
High gas prices create highway funding issues
7/14/08, 5:47 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - High gasoline prices that are taking their toll on motorists are also plaguing agencies in charge of maintaining Oklahoma's roadways. State Transportation Director Gary Ridley said Monday that increased prices and decreased fuel consumption are creating problems with federal funding and securing materials for road projects.
Ridley says a shortfall in a federal trust fund could lead to a $4 billion shortfall nationwide, and that will trickle down to Oklahoma. U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe has said the impact on the state could be $172 million. Ridley says the high price of gasoline is also contributing to a shortage of materials such as asphalt that are needed for road projects. He says refineries are not making as much of the materials because they're focused on maximizing their gasoline production.
Oklahoma airport revenue could take hit
7/14/08, 12:00 p.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Oklahoma's major commercial airports are beginning to feel the effects of cuts in flights made by airlines. The national airlines are reducing flights because of record high fuel prices.
Both Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City and Tulsa International saw slowdowns in the number of passengers in June. Boardings at Will Rogers were up just 1.1 percent to 181,588 while the number of passengers at Tulsa International fell by 4 percent to 150,291.
Governor to tour drought area
7/14/08, 11:32 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Gov. Brad Henry plans to fly to the Oklahoma Panhandle on Wednesday to tour drought-stricken areas of Cimarron County. Henry's schedule calls for him to land in Boise City about noon.
After a visit to town square and the courthouse, he will begin a driving tour of area ranches. He will be accompanied by Agricultural Secretary Terry Peach.
Henry has requested federal disaster aid for Oklahoma farmers and ranchers in nine counties in northwestern Oklahoma. The severity of the drought in the area has been compared to the Dust Bowl days of the 1930's.
Bobby Murcer dies after bout with cancer
7/14/08, 11:30 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY - With his family surrounding him, New York Yankee great Bobby Murcer of Oklahoma City died on Saturday after a 19-mong battle with brain cancer. He was 62.
Murcer was first diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in December, 2006. He continued to stay active even as he underwent surgery and treatment. Murcer's book, "Yankee for Life," was released on May.
Murcer played football and baseball Southeast High School in Oklahoma City, and had signed a letter of intent to play football at the University of Oklahoma before he signed a professional contract with the Yankees.
Originally a shortstop, moved to centerfield and was touted as the "next Mickey Mantle" when he joined the Yankees in 1965. He played two stints with the Bronx Bombers in a career that also saw him play for the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs. In his 17-year major league career, Murcer hit .277, with 252 home runs and 1,043 runs batted in. He was an All-Star in five straight seasons, from 1971-75. His career was interrupted in 1967-68 for military service.
Following his playing career, Murcer became a Yankee broadcaster and served in that capacity until his death. He also served as Assistant General Manager of the Yankees and as President of the Oklahoma City 89ers in 1990-92. Murcer won three Emmy awards as a broadcaster and was considered one of the most popular players in the history of the storied Yankee franchise.
Commissioner of Baseball Bud Selig said of Murcer: "All of Major League Baseball is saddened (today) by the passing of Bobby Murcer, particularly on the eve of this historic All-Star game at Yankee Stadium, a place he called home for so many years. Bobby was a gentleman, a great ambassador for baseball and a true leader both on and off the field. He was a man of great heart and compassion."
Murcer is survived by his wife of 41 years, Kay, his children Tori and Todd, and his grandchildren. A family service will be held within the next few days.
School chiefs stay on job about 5 years
7/14/08, 9:55 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Keeping school superintendents is become more and more difficult both in Oklahoma and nationwide. State Education Department data shows school superintendents typically stay at a school about 5½ years in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma City School District is averaging a new
superintendent every 2.2 years while Tulsa gets a new school leader about every 3.1 years.
Muskogee has the quickest turnover in the state averaging a new superintended every 1.4 years. State schools Superintendent Sandy Garrett says one reason for the quick turnover is the increase in state and federal regulations plus tight budgets.
Police note increase in thefts
7/14/08, 9:12 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Police say attempts to steal gasoline are rising as the cost of fuel soars and the economy stumbles. And officials say property crime is likely to increase as conditions worsen.
Oklahoma City police Sgt. Paco Balderrama says police have already noticed an increase in attempts to steal gas in recent months. He says that if there's a demand for something and it goes up in value, then people who are of a criminal nature are going to try to take advantage of that.
Attempts to steal gas bottomed out a few years ago after local gas stations, in cooperation with a request made by police, began to require pre-payment at the pumps. Now, police are seeing an increase in attempts to siphon gas out of other people's gas tanks.
Violence affects 1 in 6 couples
7/14/08, 8:48 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Rising poverty and drug abuse are being blamed for an increase in incidents of domestic violence that now affects one out of every six couples in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services says reports of domestic abuse rose 40.9 percent from 1993
to 2007, but experts fear many more cases go unreported.
Julie Young, coordinator for Trauma and Prevention Services for the agency, says the reporting of abuse has increased thanks to education. Young says state groups are increasing trauma services because there are few in the state and have recently established domestic violence trauma centers and child trauma centers. Many nonprofit groups are also reaching out to abuse victims by offering counseling services and establishing homes for victims.
BOK Center nears completion
7/14/08, 8:24 a.m.
TULSA - The $178 million project in downtown Tulsa began nearly 3 years ago. Today, the creation of famed architect Cesar Pelli is nearly complete. Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor has announced the opening act for Tulsa’s new arena will be the Eagles on September 6, 2008.
Other acts slated for the upcoming year include Kenny Chesney and LeAnn Rimes on September 10, Rascal Flatts on September 25, Neil Diamond on October 21, Carrie Underwood on October 29 and Celine Dion on November 13.
A series of events will lead up to the opening concert. One of them includes a traditional Indian Blessing of the facility. Also, Oklahoma’s own Garth Brooks will take part in the ribbon cutting ceremony on August 30, however he has yet to set a concert date with the BoK.
(Angela Rosecrans provided this story.)
More Oklahoma News:
Peach of a year for growing peaches 9/18/08)
PORTER, Okla. (AP) - Fair weather has made 2008 a peach of a year for growing peaches. And that's a factor that will play a role in what promises to be some of the most successful state peach festivals in recent years. At the Porter Peach Festival, which kicks off today, the local peach harvest is ripe and better than it has been in five years. Because there was an adequate amount of rain and no big freeze in Porter this year, the peaches are faring well. Kent Livesay, owner of Livesay Orchards, says peach crops for the last five years have suffered from freezes, drought and hail storms. Livesay lost about 40 percent of last year's crop because
of a late freeze. Livesay Orchards, about three miles south of Porter, will be the only local peach orchard supplying fruit to the festival this year.
Wal-Mart kicks off locally grown program in Tulsa (7/16/08)
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Wal-Mart is announcing plans to buy more produce from Oklahoma farmers as part of its "Locally Grown" program. The Arkansas-based retail giant started the program nationwide recently and says it will keep prices down while supporting local economies and cutting its shipping and fuel costs. Officials say buying from local farmers also adds to a consumer's peace of mind, especially after the recent salmonella outbreak in the U.S. that affected more than 1,000 people. Wal-Mart plans to put signs in its stores pointing out locally grown produce.
List says OCU, UCO great to work at (7/15/08)
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Two Oklahoma colleges ranked favorably in several categories used by The Chronicle of Higher Education in its list of Great Colleges to Work For. Oklahoma City University ranks among the top five colleges in more than two-thirds of the categories. The University of Central Oklahoma is among the best in eight categories. The human resources consulting firm ModernThink LLC surveyed more than 15,000 administrators and faculty and staff members at 89 four-year colleges - 39 public and 50 private - in March and April. The Chronicle's report, published in this week's edition, lists the top five colleges in each category but does not list the colleges that did not make the top five. OCU made the list for small colleges - those with 499 or fewer employees. UCO is among medium colleges with 500 to 2,499 employees.
Norman sixth best place to live (7/14/08)
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - A personal finance magazine ranks Norman as one of the top 10 places to live in the United States and Edmond is in the top 100. Money magazine rates Norman as the sixth-best place to live based on a strong local economy, good schools and access to art and entertainment opportunities. Edmond ranks 52nd on the list. The magazine released the list today on its Web site and rates Plymouth, Minnesota, as the best place to live in the U.S. The magazine bases its rating on job opportunities, good schools
and low crime, recreational opportunities, as well as the housing market and general cost of living.
Homicide toll down in Tulsa (7/14/08)
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - The number of homicides so far this year in Tulsa is down by about a dozen compared to last year at this time. Police have investigated 23 homicides so far in 2008, compared with 36 this time last year. Police Maj. Matt Kirkland said the current pace of homicides in Tulsa is the slowest since 2002, when 21 people had been killed by July 13. He said that in previous years when the pace of homicides started slowly, it ended with totals in the 30s or low-40s. A Tulsa World review of state Medical Examiner's Office and Health Department records, as well as police reports, shows that 64 homicides took place in the city last year. Kirkland said he believes that the Tulsa Police Department has cut into the number of homicides with task forces it has implemented in recent years.
