Oklahoma

Meacham-led Changes Increase Earnings by More Than 50 Percent

08-19-2007 -- OKLAHOMA CITY - Changes made by Oklahoma Treasurer Scott Meacham and the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust Fund Board of Investors in the investment of Oklahoma's share of the National Tobacco Settlement are yielding big results. The board has certified more than $10.3 million in investment income for use combating tobacco addition in Oklahoma.    » read more »

08-19-2007 --Oklahoma's cost of doing business is among the lowest in the nation, as reported in the annual Milken Institute Cost of Doing Business Index, released this week. Oklahoma was ranked No. 40, with a cost of doing business 85.4 percent of the national average.

Hawaii holds the distinction of having the highest cost of doing business at 51.5 percent above the U.S. average. New York and Alaska also were ranked high.    » read more »

August 19, 2007 -- Oklahoma City -- Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry said today that state emergency management officials are already conducting damage assessment surveys of homes and businesses in the aftermath of torrential storms that have battered many sections of the state.

In addition, emergency management officials have been in contact with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) about a likely request for federal assistance.

The Governor stressed that the top priority is to focus on rescue efforts now underway.    » read more »

Oil and Gas Distributor Also Agrees To Make Pipeline Improvements

August 15, 2007 -- WASHINGTON—Two Houston-based oil and gas distributors, TE Products Pipeline Co. LLC and TEPPCO Crude Pipeline, LLC (collectively TEPPCO), will pay a civil penalty of approximately $2.8 million for discharging approximately 6,470 barrels of jet fuel, gasoline and crude oil into multiple waterways in Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma between November 2001 and May 2005, the Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency announced today.    » read more »

August 14, 2007 -- The Department of Defense announced today the death of four soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

They died Aug. 11 in Arab Jabour, Iraq, of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device.

They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

Killed were:

Staff Sgt. William D. Scates, 31, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Sgt. Scott L. Kirkpatrick, 26, of Reston, Virginia.

Sgt. Andrew W. Lancaster, 23, of Stockton, Illinois.    » read more »

August 13, 2007 -- The Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

They died Aug. 12 in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle.

Killed were:

Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey D. Kettle, 31, of Madill, Oklahoma. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, N.C.    » read more »

August 06, 2007 -- The Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

They died on 4 Aug, in Hawr Rajab, Iraq, when the vehicle they were in struck an improvised explosive device during combat operations.

They were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.

Killed were:

Sgt. Dustin S. Wakeman, 25, of Fort Worth, Texas.

Cpl. Jason K. Lafleur, 28, of Ignacio, Colorado.    » read more »

08/07/2007 -- Verizon Business, the successor company to WorldCom Inc., has paid the Oklahoma Department of Commerce (ODOC) more than $11.7 million to fulfill the terms of its deferred prosecution agreement with the state, Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson said today.

In August 2003, Edmondson accused WorldCom of executing a scheme to artificially inflate the value of its stock and bonds by intentionally falsifying information filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Edmondson claimed state investments suffered because of this false information.    » read more »

08/07/2007 -- If Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson calls to verify that you’ve won the lottery, you can bet you’re the target of scam.

Edmondson issued a consumer alert today after his office received a complaint from a consumer who was notified she had won $800,000 in a Reader’s Digest lottery. She then received a call from someone purporting to be Attorney General Edmondson, who said he could verify the legitimacy of her winnings.    » read more »

August 6, 2007 -- AUGUSTA, MAINE – Maine credit regulators issued a cease and desist order on August 3, 2007 prohibiting an unlicensed Oklahoma payday lender from doing any further Internet business with Maine consumers.

The Maine Office of Consumer Credit Regulation (OCCR) ordered United Cash Loans of Miami, Oklahoma to stop engaging in any lending activity with Maine consumers, and to refund any fees paid to date by those consumers.    » read more »

08/02/2007 -- In the midst of the summer travel season, Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson today warned consumers about potentially hazardous tires that are likely on thousands of consumer-driven trucks, sport utility vehicles and vans.    » read more »

July 31, 2007, Oklahoma City -- Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry today announced that Walt Disney World Resort has invited the State of Oklahoma to be the first state-dedicated marketplace experience at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival this fall.    » read more »

07/31/2007 -- Six people arrested during a weekend raid at an illegal race track were charged today in Love County District Court with 12 felonies, including illegal gambling and racketeering.

Jesus Romero, aka Jessie Romero, Geraldo Ruiz, aka Gerardo Ruiz, Martin Treja, aka Martin Trejo, Brandon Hicks, Darl Robert Waterhouse and Michael Phillips are each accused of four counts of commercial gambling, one count of racketeering, one count of conspiracy and seven counts of charging an admission fee to an unlicensed horse racing track.    » read more »

July 13, 2007 -- Oklahoma City -- Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry today asked for another round of federal disaster assistance, this time to help state and local governments with costs associated with flood-damaged roads, bridges and other infrastructure. The Governor has already requested individual assistance for citizens in several hard-hit areas.    » read more »

July 11, 2007 -- (Oklahoma City) In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns, Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry has requested a Secretarial Disaster Designation for all of Oklahoma’s 77 counties for weather that has occurred since January 1. Such a designation is necessary for Oklahoma farmers to have access to assistance from the federal government.    » read more »