Archive for the Week of 6/15/08 - 6/21/08
News Archives (Week of 6/15/08)
Inspection staged at Norman vet center
6/20/08, 3:47 p.m.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - A surprise inspection was conducted at the Norman Veterans Center after veterans and their families complained about conditions. State Department of Veterans Affairs spokesman Scott Clymer says an inspection team from the Federal VA Medical Center in Oklahoma City went to the center yesterday. Several veterans and their families have complained about excessive injuries to residents, understaffing and intimidation by administrators to not file grievances or complaints. Oklahoma Secretary of Veterans Affairs Norman Lamb says his agency has hired a private investigator to write a report about the
center.
9.9 percent tuition increase approved at Oklahoma State
6/20/08, 5:12 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Tuition rates at Oklahoma State University
are going up by nearly 10 percent again for the second straight
year.
Regents who govern the university voted Friday to approve a 9.9
percent increase in tuition and fees for students at the Stillwater
and Tulsa campuses for the upcoming school year.
OSU President Burns Hargis says the increase is needed to keep
up with rising costs for such necessary items as fuel and health
insurance.
After the increase the price of a year's education will be $6,201 for Oklahoma residents and $16,556 for undergraduates from out-of-state. Graduate students from Oklahoma will pay $5,489 while nonresidents will pay $16,220 for 30 credit hours.
Also, today OSU announced that Texas billionaire and Oklahoma State graduate Boone Pickens is making another multimillion gift that will benefit Oklahoma State University. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists Foundation says Pickens will donate 9.4 million dollars to help create a consortium between the foundation and OSU.
The Boone Pickens Digital Geology Fund will pay for graduate geology students at OSU to perform research and create digital maps. The maps will include detailed geologic, scientific and resource information. Pickens has donated hundreds of millions of dollars directly to Oklahoma State in recent years including 100 million dollars in May to endow professors' positions. He also donated 165 million dollars to build several new sports stadiums and renovate the university's football stadium that bears his name. Before that he gave 70 million dollars to split between athletics and academics and the school of geology has also been renamed in his honor.yefor 30 credit hours.
Ito announced today that Texas billionaire and Okla
AG has until July 3rd to outline issues in appeal regarding
immigration law
6/20/08, 8:55 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals gives Attorney General Drew Edmondson until July 3rd to outline issues it will challenge in a decision blocking parts of Oklahoma's immigration law. An Edmondson spokeswoman told the Tulsa World the office is still reviewing U.S. District Judge Robin Cauthron's ruling, which granted an injunction stopping enforcement of sections that would've gone into effect July 1st.
One would require an employer to verify a worker's eligibility for employment within the United States. The other would require businesses to verify the work authorization status of individual independent contractors to avoid state penalties.
Edmondson's office issued notices that it's appealing Cauthron's decisions granting the injunction and denying the defendants request for her to dismiss the lawsuit challenging House Bill 1804. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and several state chambers filed for an injunction alleging that the challenged sections of the law are pre-empted by federal law and are unconstitutional under the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution. The law's author, Moore state Representative Randy Terrill, couldn't be reached for comment.
Mosquito precautions urged after second West Nile case
6/19/08, 5:35 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - State epidemiologist Kristy Bradley is cautioning Oklahomans to protect themselves from mosquitoes and minimize the risk of contracting the West Nile disease. Oklahoma is entering its busiest season for the virus spread by mosquitoes. Most of the state's West Nile cases are reported between July and October.
A 55-year-old Pittsburg County woman was diagnosed with West Nile earlier this month, and Bradley said a 13-year-old Logan County boy has become the second confirmed case of 2008. There were 107 confirmed West Nile cases in the state last year, with eight deaths.
Coburn urged to drop hold on AIDS bill
6/19/08, 2:53 p.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa and others are trying to persuade Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma to drop his hold on a global AIDS bill. Speaking on a conference call Tutu said when the U.S. takes such action other countries follow with their own commitments.
Tutu did not refer directly to Coburn but pleaded with Congress to expedite the passage of the legislation. Others on the call did challenge Coburn directly and said the bill needs to be passed and signed by President Bush before next month.
Coburn declined to comment. Holds are allowed by Senate customs and senators use them to either kill legislation or at least delay it.
9.9 percent tuition increase proposed at Oklahoma State
6/19/08, 4:43 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The governing board of Oklahoma State University plans to consider raising tuition by 9.9 percent again next year. It would be the second straight year that students at the Stillwater and Tulsa campuses would have tuition increased by just under 10 percent. The proposed increase would push tuition and fees up by about $560 next school year for in-state undergraduate students that take 30 credit hours. Any tuition increase approved by Oklahoma State's board of regents would have to be subsequently authorized by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
Drought conditions upgraded in Panhandle
6/19/08, 2:50 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Government forecasters have upgraded drought conditions in the Oklahoma Panhandle to "exceptional" and compare them to the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Exceptional is the most severe drought rating. Assistant state climatologist Gary McManus said Thursday the current drought is "analogous" to the Dust Bowl.
He says the difference is that the current drought area isn't as large and conservation practices learned in the 1930s have prevented blowing dust. Ranchers in Cimarron County are selling their cattle because there's no grass for the cattle to eat and they can't afford to feed them. Local residents say state government is ignoring them and they've asked for officials to tour the region. A spokesman for Gov. Brad Henry says no trip is planned but Henry has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help the drought victims.
State land sold to developers planning $750 million resort
6/19/08, 2:33 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Oklahoma Tourism Commission has approved the sale of 90 acres of state park land at Lake Texoma to private developers. The developers are planning a 750 million dollar resort and
living complex on the north shore of the lake. Tourism commissioners voted 7-1 to approve the sale to Pointe
Vista Development that had been in the works for nearly two years. Pointe Vista has already bought 750 acres from the state that's next to the land and hopes to buy about 900 more acres from the Army Corps of Engineers. Pointe Vista plans to demolish the state park lodge and golf course and build the complex with a conference center, hotel and private residences. The lodge closed in December 2006.
Storms do damage in Panhandle
6/19/08, 8:58 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Parts of the Oklahoma Panhandle may have gotten some much-needed rain as severe weather passed through the area, but the thunderstorms also brought damaging winds. Authorities say a carport was destroyed and a mobile home was damaged in Texas County when severe storms rolled through last night. There were no reports of injuries, but strong straight-line winds in Beaver County toppled power poles near Turpin and Bryan's Corner, according to the National Weather Service. A 75-mph wind
gust also was reported in Beaver County.
Tornado warnings were issued for Beaver and Texas counties, and later for Roger Mills County as the storms tracked southeastward into the body of the state this morning. There was no confirmation that any tornadoes touched down. The weather service issued a severe thunderstorm watch for seven counties in southwestern Oklahoma until 8 a.m. Comanche, Cotton, Greer, Harmon, Jackson, Kiowa and Tillman counties are included in the watch.
Henry won't rush auditor appointment
6/19/08, 8:29 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Governor Brad Henry will take his time picking a replacement for Jeff McMahan, who resigned this week as auditor and inspector after his conviction on federal corruption charges. Henry's communication director -- Paul Sund -- said today Henry will make the selection when he feels he has adequately reviewed the applicants.
State Republican Party chairman Gary Jones is letting it be known he'd like to be McMahan's successor. Jones says had McMahan not received illegal contributions from Kiowa businessman Steve Phipps, he would've won the 2002 race. The certified public accountant says he'll seek a meeting with the governor.
Other names that have surfaced as possible McMahan successors are Michelle R. Day, who has been serving as acting auditor and inspector, and Antlers banker Steve Burrage. Day has accounting and law degrees, and has worked for the Oklahoma County district attorney, the Department of Central Services and the Department of Public Safety.
Oklahoma's Promise deadline rapidly approaching
6/18/08, 7:18 p.m.
EDMOND - Time is running out for students to apply for "Oklahoma's Promise," the state's college tuition program. The deadline for eighth, ninth and tenth graders to apply is June 30th.The program picks up the in-state college tuition costs for Oklahoma students, who meet certain academic and financial requirements.
The chancellor for higher education says applications to the program are up this year. “We've seen almost close to 50 percent increase from last year to this year, both in our on-line applications and our regularly submitted applications. So, we're very pleased that clearly there is greater interest from our students and from our parents,” says Chancellor Glen D. Johnson.
Students wishing to apply for "Oklahoma's Promise," formerly known as the "Oklahoma Higher Access Learning Program," or OHLAP, should go to the State Regents for Higher Education's website. www.okhighered.org
They can also contact the financial aid advisor at their school.
Judge rejects Rader Center settlement agreement
6/18/08, 4:08 p.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - A federal judge is rejecting an agreement that would've settled a lawsuit by the federal government against the Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs. Judge Gregory Frizzell says the proposed settlement over conditions at the L.E. Rader Center in Sand Springs doesn't meet the conditions required for a settlement. Frizzell told the U.S. Justice Department to clarify the agreement's status and intent by next Tuesday.
The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division sued OJA in December 2006 claiming juveniles at the Rader Center were subjected to sexual and physical assaults. The agreement includes 90 requirements addressing juvenile safety, suicide prevention, inappropriate sexual behavior, appropriate use of restraint by staff members, mental health services and special education. It would also require a radio tracking system so staff could better monitor bathrooms, sleeping quarters and showers.
Wheat farmers need dry weather
6/18/08, 10:45 a.m.
ENID, Okla. (AP) - Oklahoma wheat farmers are hoping the rain will stop at least long enough for them to finish harvesting what appears to be a very good crop. Butch Meibergen of Johnston Grain in Enid says yields in his area are ranging from 40 to 60 bushels an acre. And Jeff Bedwell with the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service in Garfield County says some farmers could see 70 bushels an acre.
This year's crop is a marked improvement over 2006 when drought devastated the wheat and last year when too much rain, freeze damage and disease hurt the harvest. The latest forecast from the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts a harvest of 157.5 million bushels compared to 98 million last year. Grain elevator operators say all that's needed is a few dry days so the wheat can be harvested but the National Weather Service is predicting a chance for rain through Thursday.
Obama meets with national security advisory group, includes Boren
6/18/08, 10:35 a.m.
WASHINGTON (AP) - University of Oklahoma President David Boren has been named to an advisory committee by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. Boren is part of what Obama calls his Senior Working Group on National Security that will advise him on foreign policy. Obama is to meet with the group today. Boren is a former U.S. senator and governor of Oklahoma.
For more on this story, and to provide a comment, join the Political Pulse blog.
Florida man sentenced for software pirating scheme
6/18/08, 10:18 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A Florida man has been sentenced to six months in prison for his role in a software pirating scheme on the computer system at Oklahoma State University. Gary Leavens was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Oklahoma City. His sentence includes paying more than $35,000 in restitution.
Leavens built the computer server that allowed others involved in the scheme to access OSU's network.
Prosecutors say the group then illegally copied and distributed movies, games, music and computer software.
Oklahoma traffic deaths down
6/17/08, 7:22 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY - The number of deaths on Oklahoma's roads has moved up and down over the years, but the recent trend is encouraging. Thirty-five fewer people died on Oklahoma roads in 2006 than in 2005, and when final totals are released, 2007 is expected to improve even more.
To date the downward trend is continuing in 2008. Through Sunday, the Oklahoma highway patrol reports 276 highway deaths this year, compared to 330 at the same time last year.
Public education efforts have helped put safety on the minds of Oklahoma drivers, and they appear to be paying off with increased seat belt usage.“With our ‘Click it or Ticket’ campaign we've seen seat belt usage increase, and with that we've also seen our fatalities decrease. So, our current seat belt rate is 87.1 percent,” says Oklahoma Highway Safety Office Program Manager Sabrina Mackey.
“Safer roads” is another possibility for the recent declines in road deaths.As the state has increased funding to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, more safety projects have come along, like the widening of roads and erecting of 270 miles of cable barriers in medians.“About half of the 270 miles are actually right now under construction. Also, additionally, we have improved about 360 miles of highway, or road. Whether it's expansion, whether it's shoulder work, whether it's resurfacing, it sometimes can be a great help also,” says Terri Angier, who is the spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.
(Jason Doyle contributed this story)
OKC man put to death for killing Japanese student
6/17/08, 7:15 p.m.
McALESTER, Okla. (AP) - An Oklahoma City man was put to death tonight for killing a Japanese exchange student when he threw a firebomb into his ex-girlfriend's apartment complex. Terry Lyn Short received a lethal injection of chemicals at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester and was pronounced dead at 6:08 p.m. About a dozen people witnessed Short's execution. Strapped to a stainless steel gurney and covered with a white sheet, he declined to make a final statement. His sister, Trina Hartshorn, sobbed quietly as the execution began. Short appeared to stop breathing, and the color slowly drained from his face as he laid still on the gurney.
Afterward Hartshorn said her brother had made peace with God and was in a better place. Short was convicted of killing 22-year-old Ken Yamamoto more than 13 years ago. Yamamoto lived one floor above Short's ex-girlfriend and died after Short threw a gasoline-filled bottle into her apartment that ignited the building. Myles Martin, Yamamoto's host brother, says Yamamoto didn't deserve to die such a horrible death.
Oklahoma-grown tomatoes safe to eat
6/17/08, 4:55 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Add Oklahoma to the list of states where tomatoes have been deemed safe to eat during the current salmonella outbreak. The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday added Oklahoma to its list of states that have not been associated with the outbreak that has sickened at least 277 people across the country.
Oklahoma Agriculture Secretary Terry Peach praised the action as a way to help those selling homegrown tomatoes through farmer's markets and food cooperatives in the state. However, he cautioned that not all tomatoes in Oklahoma grocery stores, restaurants and other retail outlets are safe. Only 39 states have had their tomatoes deemed safe.
Ethics funding special session sought
6/17/08, 4:47 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The chairman of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission has formally requested a special session of the Legislature to address the agency's funding woes. Commissioner Don Bingham of Tulsa made the request in a letter to Gov. Brad Henry. Bingham says the Legislature has failed to adequately fund the ethics panel as required by the Oklahoma Constitution.
He urged the governor to call a special session to compel lawmakers to give the agency more money. The commission previously warned it may file a lawsuit against the Legislature over the funding issue. Officials complain that the Ethics Commission has the same staff it started with almost two decades ago and needs an additional investigator and other personnel to fulfill its duties.
Henry seeks federal aid
6/17/08, 4:44 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Gov. Brad Henry is seeking disaster assistance for farmers in nine northwestern Oklahoma counties suffering from drought and extreme weather conditions. Officials say damage has been caused to hay forages, grazing lands, alfalfa and other crops by a combination of heat, dry weather, high winds and stressful moisture conditions.
The governor sent a letter seeking assistance to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer. The request is for farmers and ranchers in Cimarron, Texas, Beaver, Harper, Woodward, Ellis, Roger Mills, Dewey and Woods counties.
Vance contractor lays off 30 workers
6/17/08, 4:35 p.m.
ENID, Okla. (AP) - The primary contractor at Vance Air Force Base has laid off 30 workers and another round of cuts could be on the way. CSC Applied Technologies says the cuts in aircraft and base maintenance jobs are related to a decline in flight hours at the Enid base.
Jerry McCune of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union says another round of 40 layoffs are expected in October. CSC has not confirmed those layoffs. The Defense Department awarded CSC a $482 million contract in February to continue providing aircraft maintenance and base
operating services at Vance. CSC has been the primary contractor at Vance since December 2002 and employs about 900 people at the base.
GRDA announces opening of floodgates
6/17/08, 4:22 p.m.
DISNEY, Okla. - Due to recent heavy rains, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this afternoon opened five floodgates at the Pensacola Dam near Disney, discharging 23,684 cubic feet per second (cfs) of water. The Grand River Dam Authority today announced that crest predictions issued earlier by the United States Army Corps of Engineers for 752.80 for Grand Lake on Wednesday and 632.50 yesterday for Lake Hudson remain in place.
The Grand River watershed consists of approximately 12,000 square miles of runoff in parts of Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Of that total, over half—7,000 square miles—is uncontrolled runoff, meaning there is no reservoir to control it above the Pensacola Dam.
However, the remaining 5,000 square miles of runoff passes through the John Redmond Dam, located near Burlington, Kansas, prior to reaching the Grand River system in Oklahoma.
Families begin to lose hope girls' killer will be caught
6/17/08, 9:58 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Some members in the families of two girls who were shot to death near Weleetka say they're losing hope the killer will be caught. The bodies of 13-year-old Taylor Paschal-Placker and 11-year-old Skyla Whitaker were found along a remote country road last Sunday. No arrests have been made and emotions in the community are turning from shock and fear to frustration. Taylor's uncle Joe Mosher says he hopes investigators aren't at a dead end. He says after more than a week and no arrests the family is starting to worry.
Authorities are looking for a man they call a "person of interest" in the case. He's described as American Indian, about 6-feet tall with black hair in a ponytail. The man was seen near a white pickup around the time and location where the girls were shot.
Wheat farmers need dry weather
6/18/08, 10:45 a.m.
ENID, Okla. (AP) - Oklahoma wheat farmers are hoping the rain will stop at least long enough for them to finish harvesting what appears to be a very good crop. Butch Meibergen of Johnston Grain in Enid says yields in his area are ranging from 40 to 60 bushels an acre. And Jeff Bedwell with the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service in Garfield County says some farmers could see 70 bushels an acre.
This year's crop is a marked improvement over 2006 when drought devastated the wheat and last year when too much rain, freeze damage and disease hurt the harvest. The latest forecast from the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts a harvest of 157.5 million bushels compared to 98 million last year. Grain elevator operators say all that's needed is a few dry days so the wheat can be harvested but the National Weather Service is predicting a chance for rain through Thursday.
Tulsa alternative school harshly criticized
6/17/08, 10:03 a.m.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - A Tulsa alternative school that opened last year is harshly criticized as a "dumping ground" for problem students. The comments are in a summary of an investigative report on conditions at the Tulsa Academic Center. It says the school is completely inadequate in its response to serious and repeated problems at the school. It calls staffing levels, classroom materials, record-keeping, oversight and treatment of special education students "poor," "unacceptable," "insufficient," "unorganized" and"incomprehensible."
The 18-page summary is from a 33-page report prepared by the attorney for the Tulsa school board. School board President Gary Percefull says the full report won't be released because it includes confidential information about employees. He says some employees may be demoted, disciplined or asked to resign.
Short to die for firebomb killing
6/17/08, 8:46 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - An Oklahoma City man is scheduled to die tomorrow for the firebomb killing of a Japanese student 13 years ago. Forty-seven-year-old Terry Lyn Short is set to receive a lethal injection at 6 p.m. at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester for the January 1995 killing of Ken Yamamoto.
Yamamoto was studying at Oklahoma City University when Short threw a firebomb into the south Oklahoma City apartment of his ex-girlfriend, who lived below Yamamoto. Short will be the first execution in Oklahoma since August 21st, when Frank Duane Welch was executed for the killing of a Norman woman.
Executions were suspended nationwide after the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments over the use of lethal injection by two Kentucky inmates. The high court ruled earlier this year that the procedure is constitutional.
Short acknowledged during a clemency hearing last month that he threw the firebomb, but said didn't intend to kill Yamamoto and didn't know him. Yamamoto fell through the floor of his apartment as he tried to
escape the burning building.
Updated: Shell casings believed linked to girls' murders
6/16/08, 5:45 p.m.
OKEMAH, Okla. (AP) - Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Ben Rosser says shell casing found near the bodies of two young girls near Weleetka are believed to be linked to the killings. The casings were found near the bodies of 13-year-old Taylor Paschal-Placker and 11-year-old Skyla Whitaker after the bodies were found last Sunday.
No arrests have been made but the OSBI is looking for a man described as an American Indian, about 35-years-old and 6-feet tall with long dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. The man is called "person of interest" and was reported by witnesses to be standing near a white pickup truck in the area where the bodies were found at about the time of the killings. Investigators are also re-interviewing family and friends and chasing down dozens of leads to locate a suspect. Meanwhile some of the victims' family members are beginning to
lose hope that a killer would be caught.
Oklahoma Department of Commerce boosts business at conference
6/16/08, 6:04 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY - For the third straight year, the State Commerce Department is holding its "Taking Care of Business Conference,” bringing business and civic leaders together to learn ways to stimulate development of Oklahoma companies.While it's nice to have new businesses move into Oklahoma, it's more important for the economy to expand the current employment base. “Eighty five percent of all new jobs are created by existing companies,” says Vikki Dearing, the Oklahoma Commerce Department’s Director of Business Solutions.
The Oklahoma Department of Commerce even helps bring back employees to help fill jobs left open because of Oklahoma's relatively low unemployment rate, like in the city of Ada.“We go out and find people who are from Ada to come back to Ada, because they would be the most, well, they would be the easiest to convince that Ada was a good community to work in,” says Ada Jobs Foundation President and CEO Michael Southard. As Oklahoma continues to grow, so will the efforts to help existing businesses expand.
Late taxpayers can pay without penalty under amnesty program
6/16/08, 5:35 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - In an effort to collect some past due taxes the state is offering a chance for delinquent taxpayers to pay some of their bills without penalty. A bill passed by the Legislature and signed by Governor Henry allows delinquent taxpayers to pay their late taxes between September 15th and November 14th this year with no penalty.
The taxes include income, mixed beverage, gas and diesel, gross production and excise, franchise, sales, use, withholding and privilege. The law applies to taxes due before January 1st of this year. Property taxes are NOT included in the program. State officials hope the amnesty program will bring in about 32 million dollars.
Oklahoma selected for Medicare project
6/16/08, 4:45 p.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Federal health officials are in Oklahoma to unveil a new Medicare project designed to encourage the use of certified electronic health records. The acting administrator for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services said Monday the program provides incentive payments to physicians for using the electronic records. The goal of the program is to improve patient care by using the latest
technology to reduce medical errors. Oklahoma is one of only 12 locations across the country to be
selected as a test site for the new program. Over the five-year demonstration project, financial incentives
will be provided to as many as 1,200 Oklahoma physicians. Payments can be up to $58,000 per physician or $290,000 per practice.
State Auditor and Inspector resigns
6/16/08, 10:20 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY - State Auditor and Inspector Jeff McMahan has resigned from office, after being convicted of conspiracy and bribery on Saturday. Governor Brad Henry received McMahan’s resignation letter Monday morning. The governor will now begin the process of appointing a new state auditor and inspector.According to the Governor's Communications Director Paul Sund, “Gov. Henry believes it is critical to restore public trust in the auditor’s position, and he will move carefully and as expeditiously as possible to select an individual who can do just that.”
The panel deliberated about 13 hours over the course of two days before finding McMahan and his wife, Lori, guilty on one count of conspiracy and two counts of accepting bribes. The McMahans will remain free on bond pending a pre-sentencing investigation. U.S. District Judge James Payne will sentence them.
The governor also said he'll appoint a successor as quickly as possible. The McMahans were accused of taking illegal campaign contributions from Kiowa businessman Steve Phipps during McMahan's 2002 campaign. Altus state Representative David Braddock co-chairs the special investigative committee looking into McMahan's possible impeachment in the state House. He says he anticipates the committee will meet soon to discuss their next move.
State workers facing economic crisis
6/16/08, 9:29 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - State employees who have received only two pay raises in the past seven years say the rising cost of fuel and other goods is making it difficult for them to make ends meet. The state reimburses employees for the use of their personal vehicles on the job but uses rates set by the Internal Revenue Service, which state workers say have become inadequate as the price of fuel tops $4 a gallon.
Both of the two most recent raises received by state employees came in election years. In this election year, the 10,000-member Oklahoma Public Employees Association sought a $2,700 pay raise that would have cost about $90 million a year to fund. But Oklahoma lawmakers, citing tight revenues and a slowing economy, did not include a pay raise for the state's approximately 34,000 employees in the $7.1 billion budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1st.
Debbie Elledge, a 22-year state worker who currently is secretary to the chief medical officer at the state Department of Corrections, says that since the last pay raise in 2006, the consumer price index has risen 11.32 percent.
Sonics vs. Seattle trial begins
6/15/08, 2:25 p.m.
SEATTLE (AP) - One of the most anticipated trials in Seattle history is set to begin Monday. The six-day, non-jury trial in federal court will settle the final two years of the SuperSonics' lease at KeyArena. Sonics owner Clay Bennett has gained the NBA's approval to move the team to his hometown of Oklahoma City, but Seattle argues its lease forces the franchise to play two more seasons before departing. The contentious showdown has turned personal between the principals.
The court will distribute 44 courtroom seats for each morning and afternoon session through a public lottery, to satisfy those curious to see firsthand if their city will lose its oldest professional sports team after 41years.
U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman is effectively giving presenting lawyers a shot clock. She is allowing each side a total of 15 hours over six days to present its case. It all ends June 26th, with Pechman issuing a written verdict soon after that.
Agency asks court to revisit ruling
6/15/08, 8:15 a.m.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System wants the state Supreme Court to reconsider allowing former state Senator Gene Stipe to keep his full retirement benefits. The agency filed a petition for a rehearing in the case, saying the court's decision has undermined the public's confidence in the judicial system and trivialized the lawful duties of legislators.
Stipe resigned from the state Legislature in March 2003 after a career in the House and Senate that spanned more than 50 years. A few weeks later, he signed a federal plea agreement stemming from allegations he funneled more than $245,000 in illegal contributions to the unsuccessful 1998 congressional campaign of Walt Roberts.
Last month, the state's high court said a provision in the plea agreement stated that Stipe's conduct didn't relate to or arise from his duties as a public official. But the agency has argued that he violated his oath of office and should forfeit a portion of his state pension that wasn't vested when a law dealing with oath of office violations took effect.
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.
More Oklahoma News:
Sonic announces major expansion (6/20/08)
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma City-based Sonic Corporation is planning to add 1,000 of its drive-in restaurants across the nation with up to 50 in the Chicago area. Sonic vice president for development Drew Ritger says the first Sonic in the Chicago area will be in suburban Country Club Hills. Developer John Cywinski says the plan is to heavily penetrate the Chicago market. Sonic currently operates about 3,350 restaurants in 37 states.
Oil and gas industry aids Okla. personal income growth (6/19/08)
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Continued expansion of the oil and gas industry helped personal income in Oklahoma grow by nearly 1 percent in the first quarter of 2008, slightly below the national rate of 1.1 percent, according to estimates from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Thursday's report showed that Oklahoma, with personal income of $128.5 billion in the first quarter, ranked roughly in the middle of the country at 28. North Dakota had the highest personal income growth at 7.6 percent, due to a jump in corn, soybean and wheat prices that benefited the state where crop production dominates the farm sector. But that same jump in grain prices chipped away at personal income in Arkansas, where the farm sector is dominated by the poultry industry, causing the state to be ranked last in the country.
University of Central Oklahoma breaks ground on forensic science institute (6/18/08)
EDMOND - The University of Central Oklahoma today broke ground on its building which will house UCO's Forensice Science Institute. The institute will provide training for current and future law enforcement agents in Oklahm and around the nation. UCO's President, Roger Webb, said that criminals and terrorists don't stop, and neither should efforts to give the best training possible to law enforcement and forensic specialists. The new complex will be 35,000 square feet and should be completed in the fall of 2009.
'August: Osage County' takes best-play Tony (6/16/08)
NEW YORK (AP) - An Oklahoma native picks up a major honor Sunday night at the annual Tony Awards."August: Osage County," Tracy Letts' scabrous tale of a dysfunctional Oklahoma family, was named best play and also picked up two acting rizes as well as an award for direction. Letts was born in Tulsa. He says the show's producers did an amazing thing by deciding to produce an American play on Broadway with theater actors.
The win was not unexpected since "August" already has won most major theater awards including the Pulitzer Prize for drama and the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award. Deanna Dunagan, who portrays the play's acidulous matriarch, took the actress prize while Rondi Reed, who plays her flighty sister, won in the featured category. Anna D. Shapiro, who directed the production, which came from Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company, also triumphed.
Toby Keith fund-raiser brings in $709,000 (6/17/08)
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - Toby Keith's annual fundraiser for a charity benefiting families of children with cancer raised $709,000 this year. The money goes to Ally's House which is a charity started by Keith after original band member Scott Webb's 2-year-old daughter, Allison, died of kidney cancer in 2003. The charity helps families pay for prescriptions, rent or mortgage payments, utilities and gasoline. Keith hopes to eventually build a center near an Oklahoma City hospital to provide lodging. Five years of private concerts, auctions and golf tournaments have raised more than 2.3 million dollars. About 750 celebrities and guests attended the "Diamonds and Denim" private concert, party and auction earlier this month. Two dinners with Keith sold for $35,000 each and the opportunity to be in one of Keith's music videos brought in a donation of $25,000.
