Archive for the Week of 6/8/08 - 6/14/08
News Archives (Week of 6/8/08)
OSBI seeks "person of interest" in girls' killings
6/13/08, 4:52 p.m.
OKEMAH, Okla. (AP) - Authorities are looking for a "person of interest" in Sunday's killings of two young girls near Weleetka. Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown says the man was seen standing beside a pickup truck about the time 13-year-old Taylor Paschal-Placker and 11-year-old Skyla Whitaker were killed.
Brown says several witnesses have come forward with some saying they saw the man as they drove along the road where the girls were found and others saying they heard gunshots. Brown says the man is part American Indian, about 35-years-old and about 6-feet-tall with long black hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. She says the man was standing beside a white Ford or Chevrolet pickup doing something the witnesses couldn't identify.
The two girls were both shot several times while taking a Sunday walk. The bodies were found by Taylor's grandfather after he went looking for them when Taylor failed to answer her cell phone. Funeral services for Taylor were Friday morning and services for Skyla are Friday afternoon.
Election Board postpones Murphy challenge
6/13/08, 4:44 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The state Election Board has postponed hearing a challenge to a Corporation Commission candidate after two members of the three-member board recused themselves. Board members Tom Prince of Edmond and Ramon Watkins of Tulsa each stepped aside Friday from hearing the challenge against Corporation Commission candidate Dana Murphy. They did not give a reason for recusing themselves from the case.
Election Board Secretary Mike Clingman says Gov. Brad Henry will appoint two other people to hear the case with the remaining board member, Susan Turpen of Oklahoma City. The hearing is rescheduled for Monday morning. The challenge was filed by state Rep. Rob Johnson who is opposing Murphy for the Republican nomination for a two-year, unexpired term on the Corporation Commission. Johnson claims that Murphy altered a notarized document by signing her name differently than it appeared on her filing
declaration of candidacy form.
McMahan case goes to jury
6/13/08, 3:23 p.m.
MUSKOGEE - The fate of State Auditor and Inspector Jeff McMahan and his wife, Lori, is now in the hands of the jurors in their corruption trial in Muskogee. The jurors began deliberations at about 3:00 Friday afternoon, after hearing testimony for several days. Federal prosecutors have charged the McMahans with conspiracy, mail fraud and Travel Act violations for allegedly accepting bribes.
According to an indictment, the couple took about $77,600 in illegal "straw donations" in a scheme orchestrated by Steve Phipps. He and former state Senator Gene Stipe owned several abstract businesses that were once regulated by McMahan's office. Oversight of the industry moved to an independent board on January 1st. Under oath, McMahan denied being present during a dinner at a Shawnee restaurant where his wife allegedly was given $10,000 in cash for his campaign.
BIA won't act until court case resolved
6/13/08, 3:35 p.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - The Bureau of Indian Affairs will take no action regarding a dispute between the Cherokee Nation and the descendants of former slaves until a federal appeals court resolves a pending case.
A group of Freedmen descendants are suing the tribe over a March 2007 vote by Cherokee Nation members to remove freedmen descendants from tribal rolls.
Former BIA Director Carl Artman wrote in a May 22nd letter that the case is now being considered by the appeals court in the District of Columbia. He says the ruling will help determine the status and the rights of the Freedmen descendants. Artman wrote the letter to U.S. Representatives Diane Watson, Mel Watt, Barney Frank and John Conyers after they asked him to clarify the BIA's position on the issue. He has since resigned as BIA director.
McMahan testifies at corruption trial
6/12/08, 5:30 p.m.
MUSKOGEE - State Auditor and Inspector Jeff McMahan took the witness stand in his own defense today at the federal courthouse in Muskogee. McMahan and his wife Lori face charges of conspiracy and mail fraud as well as travel act violations to allegedly accept bribes. McMahan broke down in tears as he described his relationship with his wife.
Their relationship was part of today's focus as their trial for allegedly accepting bribes from Kiowa business owner Steve Phipps continued. Phipps earlier testified he gave Lori McMahan expensive jewelry during his campaign fundraising relationship with the couple. On the witness stand yesterday, Lori McMahan claimed she withheld from her husband the real cost of the ring purchase for her by Phipps. When asked about the ring today, Jeff MaMahan testified that he remembered having a conversation about the ring, and told her she needed to give it back and since he didn't see it anymore he assumed she had given it back.
McMahan continually testified he did not know that any of his campaign donations came from straw donor Phipps. The trial continues in Muskogee on Friday.
Updated: Tossed piece of tombstone injures trucker
6/12/08, 5:12 p.m.
LOCUST GROVE, Okla. (AP) - A trucking company is offering a 25-thousand dollar reward for information leading to the arrest of the person who critically injured one of its drivers. Gerald Webb of Porum was injured when someone threw a piece of tombstone from a Mayes County overpass and it came through the
windshield of his tractor-trailer. The reward is being offered by Frank Thompson Transport of El Dorado, Arkansas. The incident happened on the Cherokee Turnpike early today just west of Locust Grove.
Tossed tombstone injures trucker
6/11/08, 2:52 p.m.
LOCUST GROVE, Okla. (AP) - Police are looking for the person who threw a tombstone from a Mayes County overpass that crashed through the windshield of a tractor-trailer and seriously injured the driver.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper Betsy Randolph says 66-year-old Gerald Webb of Porum was taken to a Tulsa hospital in critical condition.
Troopers say Webb was westbound on the Cherokee Turnpike about 1:00 this morning just west of Locust Grove when the tombstone hit him. Randolph says no suspects have been identified and no witnesses have been found. She says the investigation is initially focusing on the tombstone including where it was taken from and how long it has been missing.
Oklahoma drops to 43rd in national child health report
6/12/08, 10:20 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A national report that examines the well-being of children has ranked Oklahoma 43rd for key child-health factors. The 2008 Kids Count Data Book released today measures states in 10 categories. It is produced annually by the Maryland-based Annie E. Casey Foundation. Oklahoma's ranking in the report has dropped from 38th in 2003. The state ranked 42nd last year. According to the report, the percentage of Oklahoma children in poverty increased by 26 percent in 2006. Poverty is defined in the report as an annual income of $20,444 for a family that includes two adults and two children.
The state's rankings also dropped in categories including the percentage of children in single-parent families, teen and child death rates, percentage of low birth weight babies and percentage of children living in families with no parent having a full-time, year-round job. Oklahoma's rankings improved in teen birth rate, infant
mortality rate, the percentage of teens not going to school or working and the teen dropout rate.
Auditor's wife testifies she committed crimes
6/10/08, 5:55 p.m.
MUSKOGEE - Lori McMahan, the wife of State Auditor Jeff McMahan, testified late today she was the one who committed crimes, not her husband. And, that he didn't know what she did. But on cross-examination prosecutors challenged that, claiming she lied to FBI investigators. Prosecutors blame those lies on why Lori McMahan didn't get an immunity deal to testify against her husband.
The defense wrapped up its questioning by asking Lori McMahan if the government had offered her immunity from prosecution in exchange for testifying that her husband was at a meeting where she accepted 10-thousand dollars in cash from Steve Phipps, a man whose abstract business the state auditor's office regulated. McMahan testified she didn't take the deal because she didn't remember her husband being at that meeting.
The McMahans are charged with eight federal felony counts in their public corruption trial. They are accused of taking illegal campagin contributions and gifts in exchange for providing political favors.
Investigators: 2 guns used in girls' killings
6/11/08, 5:25 p.m.
WELEETKA, Okla. (AP) - State investigators say they believe two people are responsible for killing two young girls on a country road near Weleetka but they still have no motive. Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown says two different caliber weapons were used to kill 13-year-old
Taylor Paschal-Placker and 11-year-old Skyla Whitaker. Because two weapons were used she says investigators believe there were two killers. She declined to say what type of weapons were used.
Meanwhile OSBI Special Agent Ben Rosser says there is no indication family or friends were involved but investigators are still trying to determine a motive. Rosser says it could be a random thrill killing, an attempted abduction, a case of mistaken identity or maybe the girls interrupted something. The bodies were found Sunday afternoon and the state medical examiner's office says each suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the head and chest.
Auditor's trial delayed by "juror issue"
6/11/08, 12:39 p.m.
MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) - The federal corruption trial of state Auditor and Inspector Jeff McMahan and his wife Lori was delayed this morning by an unspecified juror issue. It wasn't clear what the issue involves but attorneys say court was in recess until 1:30 this afternoon. Lori McMahan tearfully testified yesterday that she committed crimes to help her husband get elected in 2002. She was called as a defense witness and said she offered to"pack my bag and leave" after admitting to McMahan that she took money and jewelry from businessman Steve Phipps.
Phipps has testified that he helped illegally funnel money into McMahan's campaign in exchange for political favors. Phipps owned abstract companies which at the time were regulated by McMahan's office. Jeff and Lori McMahan face felony charges including mail fraud, bribery and conspiracy.
$31.2 million in new revenue already spent
6/11/08, 3:30 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A state board headed by Gov. Brad Henry today certified an additional $31.2 million for state lawmakers to appropriate, but Oklahoma's chief financial officer says the money's already been spent. The Board of Equalization certified new general revenue fund money that will be raised due to changes in state law and tax levels by the 2008 Legislature.
The money was certified for the fiscal year that begins July 1st. But Office of State Finance Director Tony Hutchinson says lawmakers already have appropriated the money in a $7.1 billion general appropriations bill for the upcoming year. Most of the new money came from changes in tax laws through compliance initiatives designed to encourage taxpayers to follow the rules.
Floodwaters lead to rescues in Tulsa Co.
6/11/08, 9:45 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Authorities using boats rescued at least 11 people from floodwaters in Tulsa County.
No injuries are reported. Tulsa County deputies pulled two women, a teenage girl and their pets from their flooded home near Sperry where water in the yard was waist- to chest-deep. An Oklahoma Highway Patrol rescue unit saved an elderly man from his car in high water near Skiatook. And OHP troopers rescued another seven people and a dog in western Tulsa County.
Auditor's wife testifies in corruption trial
6/11/08, 9:42 a.m.
MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) - The wife of state Auditor and Inspector Jeff McMahan tearfully testified in her and his federal corruption trial that she committed crimes to help him get elected. Lori McMahan was called as a defense witness and told jurors Tuesday she offered to "pack my bag and leave" after admitting to McMahan what she had done to help him win the 2002 election.
Lori McMahan testified she took money from businessman Steve Phipps and accepted jewelry from him.
Phipps has testified that he helped illegally funnel money into McMahan's campaign in exchange for political favors. Phipps owned abstract companies which at the time were regulated by McMahan's office. Jeff and Lori McMahan face nine felony charges including mail fraud, bribery and conspiracy.
Wheat growers cite lack of rail service
6/10/08, 5:33 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma's wheat growers say they're concerned an above-average crop this year could be hampered by a lack of rail service to move the wheat to market. Oklahoma Wheat Growers Association President J.T. Winters said Tuesday the state's winter wheat production is estimated at over
148 million bushels. The 10-year average is about 138 million bushels. But Winters says several grain elevators across the state remain full because not enough rail cars are arriving to pick up the wheat.
A telephone message left Tuesday with a spokesman for Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway was not immediately returned. The Oklahoma Wheat Commission says about 80 percent of Oklahoma's winter wheat is transported out of state. About half of that is transported by rail to the Gulf of Mexico.
State revenue up in May
6/10/08, 4:43 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - State revenue increased last month thanks to high energy prices and the taxes on oil and natural gas. The state collected 493.6 million dollars in May which is 58.4 million more than May 2007 and 80.4 million more than the official estimate. The increase also ends four consecutive months in which revenue had been falling below the prior-year collections.
State Treasurer Scott Meacham says gross production taxes on oil and natural gas brought in nearly 103-and-a-half million dollars or more than 35 million more than May last year. Meacham says income tax collections were also strong in May to indicate a healthy job market. With one month remaining in the fiscal year the state has collected just more than 83 million dollars above official estimates. But the amount is 26 million dollars below the amount collected last fiscal year.
No suspects in murders of 2 girls near Weleetka
6/10/08, 455 p.m.
OKEMAH, Okla. (AP) - The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation says they have no suspects in the murders of two young girls Sunday afternoon near Weleetka in rural Okfuskee County. The bodies of 11-year-old Skyla Whitaker and 13-year-old Taylor Paschal-Placker were found by Taylor's grandfather when the two
failed to return from a walk.
OSBI Special Agent Ben Rosser told reporters in Okemah today that both girls were shot multiple times. He says they were dead at the scene just a few hundred yards from the grandfather's home. Rosser says it isn't known if the girls were sexually assaulted but he says it's not likely because they were gone only just over
30 minutes before their bodies were found. And Rosser says while there are no suspects it appears the
killer may be a local person because the area is remote and not easily accessible.
Rosser says evidence including DNA and shell casings have been sent to the OSBI lab for testing. He says the type of weapon used hasn't been determined. A $14,000 reward is being offered by the OSBI and area banks for information leading to the killers.
Boren won't endorse Obama
6/10/08, 12:29 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Democratic Rep. Dan Boren says he will not endorse Illinois Sen. Barack Obama in the presidential race. Boren is one of 10 superdelegates from Oklahoma. He says he plans to vote Democratic in the presidential election but that he will not endorse anyone in the race. Boren says Hillary Clinton carried his 2nd Congressional District by 66 percent in the state's presidential primary. Statewide, Clinton won the Democratic primary with 55 percent of the vote. But she has suspended her campaign and Obama is the presumptive nominee.
He says he will vote with the rest of Oklahoma's delegation to nominate Obama at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Boren says his district is much more conservative than Obama, whom he described as the most liberal senator in the U.S. Senate. Boren says he has to reflect the people of his district.
Ethics panel considers lawsuit
6/10/08, 12:14 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The state Ethics Commission is still considering suing the Legislature over inadequate funding. Commission Chairman Don Bingham says a lawsuit is being discussed despite a move that freed up an additional $50,000 for the ethics panel. Gov. Brad Henry last week vetoed a requirement for the commission to spend this money on campaign reporting software that commissioners said they didn't need or want. The commission wants at least one more investigator, but lawmakers didn't authorize a new position. For the 2009 fiscal year which begins July 1 the Ethics Commission will get about $667,000, a 30 percent increase. The commission requested about $906,000. Bingham said the commission's budget does not provide enough money to fulfill the requirements established in a constitutional amendment in 1990 that created the present-day agency.
Fort Sill soldier dies in Iraq
6/10/08, 9:48 a.m.
FORT SILL, Okla. (AP) - A 31-year-old soldier from Fort Sill has been identified as the latest U.S. fatality in Iraq. The U.S. Department of Defense says Army Sgt. 1st Class David R. Hurst was killed Saturday in Baghdad when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device. Hurst was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), which is located at Fort Polk, La. According to an Associated Press count, as of Monday, at least 4,094 members of the U.S. military have died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003.
Prosecution rests in federal trial of state auditor
6/10/08, 8:34 a.m.
MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) - Prosecutors in the federal corruption trial against state Auditor and Inspector Jeff McMahan and his wife have rested their case. The attorney for Lori McMahan has indicated she will testify in her own defense, but it is not clear if her husband will do the same. They are charged with nine counts of mail fraud, conspiracy, and taking bribes from Kiowa millionaire businessman Steve Phipps.
Among the final prosecution witnesses was FBI agent Steve Kaitcer, who testified that Jeff McMahan gave conflicting stories about Phipps during three interviews with authorities, conducted at the auditor's office at the state Capitol between August 2006 and August 2007. Phipps testified earlier in the trial that he had helped illegally finance McMahan's campaign, took the couple on trips to New Orleans and bought Lori McMahan jewelry in an effort to receive political favors. Phipps owned abstract businesses which were regulated by the auditor's office. He is cooperating with prosecutors as part of a plea agreement.
Norman Veterans Center probe planned
6/9/08, 5:30 p.m.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - The state will investigate claims of inadequate care at the Norman Veterans Center.
Veterans at the center say there's been a lack of care in several instances because of understaffing and improper health procedures. They also say they've been intimidated to keep them from filing grievances or complaints.
The Norman Transcript reports that Oklahoma Secretary of Veterans Affairs Norman Lamb has told them an independent investigator from the state's Merit Protection Commission will examine their complaints.
Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs Executive Director Phillip Driskill says the investigator will talk to former employees who've left the center within the last six months.
Oklahoma to be highlighted for creativity
6/9/08, 5:22 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahoma's creativity in education will be highlighted in a documentary as part of the Oklahoma Creativity Project. The documentary, called ReCreating America, will be shown nationally on PBS and got a big boost from an Oklahoma foundation, the Presbyterian Health Foundation. Emmy Award winner David Kennard is producing the three-part documentary, with Oklahoma as its focal point.
Among other things, ReCreating America will take a look at creative techiques used in education. The Presbyterian Health Foundation is giving $150,000 to help produce the documentary. Work on the documentary has already begun, but it will be 2-3 years before the program will be seen by the rest of the country.
(above: David Kennard, producer of ReCreating America, a documentary to be produced for broadcast on PBS, discusses the production of the documentary.)
Latino groups praise injunction
6/9/08, 11:45 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Latino groups are praising a federal judge's decision to block enforcement of parts of a state law that targets illegal immigrants. The Rev. Victor Orta of the Coalition of Latin American
Ministers said Monday that momentum against the law, House Bill 1804, is building. Orta says the law sends a negative message that immigrants aren't wanted in Oklahoma.
Franco Cevallos of the Hispanic Action Coalition says Latino workers are good for the state's economy. Without them, Cevallos says, building projects have been slowed or stopped and stores have closed. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Robin J. Cauthron issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting enforcement of provisions of the law that subject employers to penalties for failing to comply with a federal employee verification system.
(above: Members of the coalition supporting Federal Judge Robin Cauthron's decision to order a preliminary injunction against House Bill 1804 spoke at the state Capitol Monday.)
Lightning strike knocks out KOSU Radio tower
6/9/08, 12:45 p.m.
STILLWATER - KOSU Radio remains off the air in northeastern Oklahoma after a Memorial Day weekend lightning strike delivered a fatal blow to the transmitter and antenna of the station's 1100 foot tower at Ketchum, southeast of Nowata. The loss of the Ketchum transmitter and antenna has left 1.5 million people in the northeastern part of Oklahoma, southeastern Kansas and southwestern Missouri unable to hear KOSU's signal. The Ketchum tower feeds translators in south Tulsa and Okmulgee. KOSU's tower between Edmond and Guthrie is unaffected.
Inspection and repair has been delayed because of windy and stormy weather in the area since the damage to the tower was detected. KOSU Director Kelly Burley says he hopes a crew can pull the ruined transmitter and antenna on Tuesday, and work to get the tower back on-line before another round of storms makes the hour and a half journey to the top of the tower too dangerous. If the weather does not cooperate, Burley says it may be the end of June before the Ketchum tower will be transmitting again.
During this last legislative session, KOSU received flat funding from the legislature, and there is no cash reserve to pay the expected $50,000 cost of repairing the antenna. Burley hopes that the station's listeners in northeastern Oklahoma will help defray the costs of the repair.
Storms with rain roll across Oklahoma
6/9/08, 9:40 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Thunderstorms rolling across Oklahoma brought more rain, strong winds and left power outages across Oklahoma. Just under 4,400 outages were reported by Oklahoma Gas & Electric with just over 3,800 of those in the Oklahoma City metro area. Public Service Company of Oklahoma has had outages in Cheyenne, Leedy, Butler and the Hammon area. The rain is to continue moving to the east and flood watches are in effect for much of the eastern half of the state through early Monday afternoon.
Collinsville woman captures "Miss Oklahoma" title
6/9/08, 8:19 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Kelsey Cartwright of Collinsville, a student at Oklahoma City University, is crowned tonight as Miss Oklahoma. The 20-year-old, who qualified for the state contest as Miss Keystone Lake, will receive a $16,000 college scholarship for winning. Cartwright is a dance management major at OCU.
Two recent winners of the Oklahoma pageant have gone on to be crowned as Miss America -- Jennifer Berry of Tulsa in 2005 and Lauren Nelson of Lawton in 2006.
Cartwright's platform issue is open adoptions and during the talent portion of the pageant, she performed a lyrical dance entitled "I Want You To Meet Me." Her parents are William and Kelli Cartwright. Tiffany Tolbert of Verdigris, a Tulsa Community College student who holds the Miss Tulsa title, finished as the runner-up in the pageant and will receive an $8,000 scholarship.
Year-round schools get attention
6/9/08, 8:05 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Some Oklahoma public schools are offering students year-round schools, a model that one principal says has significant advantages. Sequoyah Elementary Principal Montie Koehn says the shorter, eight-week summer means students return more ready to learn. Despite the label "year-round," students attend the same number of days of school as those on traditional calendars.
The proper name is continuous learning, because the schedule scatters breaks more evenly throughout the year. The schools offer free, optional classes during the breaks, which usually last two weeks.
Proponents of year-round schools nationwide say students benefit academically from staying in school more consistently. And academic ratings of most Oklahoma City and Tulsa schools on the extended calendar outpace the averages for their respective districts.
Report: Most Oklahoma bodies of water are polluted
6/8/08, 4:45 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The vast majority of lakes, streams and rivers in Oklahoma do not meet federal water quality standards for pollution. That's according to a draft report released last week by state
environmental officials. The report, prepared by the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, lists only five bodies of water in the state that are clear of harmful levels of pollution. Still, that's better than in previous years.
Mark Derichsweiler, an engineering manager in the DEQ's water quality division, says it's the first time any Oklahoma waters monitored by the state have met all of the federal water quality standards. Four of the five bodies of water are near Lake Hudson in northeastern Oklahoma. They are Spring Creek, Fourteen Mile Creek, Saline Creek and Five Mile Creek. The other is East Fork Creek, a branch of the Glover River in southeastern Oklahoma, he said. According to the report, 94 percent of lake acres do not meet federal water quality standards and almost 80 percent of rivers in Oklahoma have some form of pollution as determined by federal and state benchmarks.
CDC: Salmonella illnesses spread to 16 states
6/8/08, 3:17 p.m.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - Federal health officials say today that salmonella food poisoning first linked to uncooked tomatoes has spread to 16 states, including Oklahoma. Investigations by the Texas and New Mexico Departments of Health and the U.S. Indian Health Service have tied 56 cases in Texas and 55 in New Mexico to raw, uncooked, tomatoes. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that an additional 50 people have been sickened by the same Salmonella "Saintpaul" infection in 14 other states.
CDC spokeswoman Arleen Porcell says investigators are trying to determine if raw tomatoes also are responsible for the illnesses in those states.
The source of the tomatoes responsible for the illnesses has not been pinpointed, but health officials in Texas and New Mexico said none of them was grown in those two states. Porecell says at least 23 people have been hospitalized and no deaths have been reported. Patients have ranged in age from 1 to 82.
Supreme Court caseload down
6/8/08, 1:56 p.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Legislative reforms and mediated lawsuits are responsible for a decline in the number of appeals and court actions handled by the Oklahoma Supreme Court over the past few years. The Tulsa World examined eight years of Supreme Court filings, opinions and settlement conferences from records obtained through the Open Records Act. Between 1999 and 2006, the total number of cases handled by the
Supreme Court declined 28 percent from 1,874 cases to 1,354. At the same time, the number of opinions rendered by the court on a yearly basis also dropped.
In 2006, the court rendered 99 opinions. The court has rendered as many as 250 opinions in one year, which was 2000. Chief Justice James Winchester says the decline could be caused by the focus on mediation and because of legislative reforms.
Going Green
OSU considering temporary move to four-day work week (6/4/08)
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) - Oklahoma State University could switch temporarily to a four-day work week as university officials look for ways to reduce energy costs. Under the proposal, OSU employees would work four 10-hour days instead of the standard five 8-hour days from July 7 through Aug. 10. After that, the campus would revert to a five-day work week. The fall semester at OSU will start on Aug. 18.
The proposal will be discussed as an informational item when the university's regents meet on June 20. Last week, OSU President Burns Hargis said an energy conservation plan at the school already has resulted in a savings of about $1.4 million for OSU. Hargis says more than $1 million of those savings came on OSU's main campus in Stillwater from last October through February.
Hargis says OSU has saved about $1.4 million in energy costs (5/29/08)
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) - Oklahoma State University President Burns Hargis says an energy conservation plan at the school has resulted in a savings of about $1.4 million for OSU. Hargis says more than $1 million of those savings came on OSU's main campus in Stillwater from last October through February. In a message sent to the university community on Wednesday, Hargis urged recipients to continue energy-saving efforts through the summer. Hargis says it should be routine for those at OSU to turn off lights, computers, monitors, speakers, fans and other electrical devices when leaving for the day.
City residents produce less carbon (5/29/08)
WASHINGTON (AP) - A report released today shows that while cities are hot spots for global warming, people living in them turn out to be greener than their country cousins. According to the study done by researchers at the Brookings Institution, each resident of the largest 100 largest metropolitan areas is responsible on average for 2.47 tons of carbon dioxide in energy consumption each year, 14 percent below the 2.87-ton U.S. average. Those 100 cities still account for 56 percent of the nation's carbon dioxide pollution, but their greater use of mass transit and population density reduce the per person average.
Lexington, Ky., had the biggest per capita carbon footprint: Each resident on average accounted for 3.81 tons of carbon dioxide in their energy usage. At the other end of the scale was Honolulu, at 1.5 tons per person.
Oklahoma City had the eighth biggest per capita carbon footprint.
State agency starting campaign about air pollution (5/27/08)
OKARCHE, Okla. (AP) - The state Department of Environmental Quality plans to launch a campaign in an attempt to persuade Oklahomans that air quality, which long has been an issue in urban areas, now has become a rural problem. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in March tightened its standard for ozone, a pollutant that is formed from industry and vehicle emissions when they combine during hot and still weather, forming smog.
The federal agency now says that smog is dangerous at lower levels than previously thought. EPA spokesman Dave Bary says that under the new standard, nine Oklahoma counties -- Comanche, Canadian, Oklahoma, Creek, Kay, Mayes, Cherokee, Tulsa and Ottawa -- will not be in compliance with the law. High ozone levels considered unhealthy for children, older adults and anyone prone to respiratory problems. Officials at the state environmental department say more Oklahoma counties might also have health risks due to ozone.
Stretching Your $$$
Spam sales on the rise (5/29/08)
MILWAUKEE (AP) - As food prices rise, consumers are turning more to lunch meats like Spam and other lower-cost foods to extend their already stretched food budgets. One 33-year-old Oklahoma mother is among those who now are using more inexpensive foods. April Smith of Broken Arrow says that this summer she will feed her two boys, ages 11 and 8, more ramen for lunch. She says that they usually eat the noodle soup on Saturdays, but since ramen costs about a dime per pack, they'll now get it twice a week. Smith says she'll throw in some leftover frozen vegetables to make it more nutritious. The U.S. Agriculture Department says that food prices are increasing faster than they've risen since 1990, at 4 percent last year. The cost of many staples are rising even faster, with white bread up 13 percent last year, bacon up 7 percent nd peanut butter up 9 percent.
More Oklahoma News:
OAPB award winners announced (6/9/08)
CATOOSA - OETA won two first place awards and several other awards at the Oklahoma Associated Press Broadcasters annual awards banquet Friday night in Catoosa. Duane Jones won first place for General News Photography and Dave Tamez took first in the feature photography category. The others from OETA earning recognition were Susan Miller, Boots Kennedye, Derek Watson, Randy Hayes, and David Crow.
Tulsa becomes SuperSonics' new minor league affiliate (6/11/08)
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - In the midst of their bid to relocate to Oklahoma, the Seattle SuperSonics' NBA Developmental League affiliate is moving to the Sooner State. The NBA announced the move today as part of an expansion and realignment of the minor league circuit. Starting next season, the SuperSonics will be linked with the Tulsa 66ers instead of the Idaho Stampede.
Tulsa will also continue to serve as the minor league club for the Milwaukee Bucks, but no longer will be linked to the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks. The addition of new NBDL franchises in Reno, Nevada, and Erie, Pennsylvania, brings the D-League's total number of franchises to 16.
The Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs own their own NBDL franchises, while each of the other 14 D-League teams are tied to two NBA teams apiece.
Oklahoma county gets new wheels (6/10/08)
OKLAHOMA CITY - The Oklahoma County Sheriffs department unveiled its new tool to keep aw enforcement safe during a standoff. The "Bearcat" is an armored vehicle meant to give S.W.A.T. teams more protection while responding to an emergency situation. It also serves an an intimidation tactic against possible suspects in a hostage situation. Oklahoma County Sheriff John Whetsel says the "Bearcat" will be a shared asset among law enforcement agencies. It is the first of its kind in the state. Whetsel says the vehicle cost $232,000 dollars and was paid for with federal grants and money seized from drug busts.
Earthquake recorded near Carney in Lincoln County (6/10/08)
CARNEY, Okla. (AP) - A magnitude 3.1 earthquake has been recorded in the area around the incoln County town of Carney. Geophysicist Jim Lawson with the Oklahoma Geological Survey says the quake happened just before 6 p.m. Monday and was not widely felt by residents. Lawson says at least eight other quakes were reported Sunday and Monday in addition to four smaller ones that were recorded last week near the junction of Interstates 40 and 44. The largest earthquake ever recorded in Oklahoma struck on April 9, 1952, and registered a magnitude 5.5 and left moderate damage in Oklahoma City, El Reno and Ponca City. A quake of magnitude 2.5 to 3 is the smallest generally felt by people.
Join the ONR Camera Corps by sending us your photos for our web site and The Oklahoma News Report. If you have a newsworthy digital photograph to share (including weather) , e-mail it to:ONR@oeta.tv(and please be sure to give us your name, hometown, when it was taken and a brief description of what your picture shows).
Follow the 2008 elections on the Oklahoma Votes 2008 web site and join the conversation in the Political Pulse blog!
The Oklahoma News Report web site is undergoing a makeover. Check back often for new features and a new look.
