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OKLAHOMA CITY -- A man is in police custody after opening fire at a northwest Oklahoma City apartment complex near Hefner and Council roads. Police said the man started firing multiple shots in the parking lot of the Tammaron Village apartments around 4 p.m. Thursday. Witnesses said the man initially went into the apartment complex's main office. When employees locked him out, he opened fire in the parking lot. As the man was firing shots, another citizen armed with a gun came around the corner and ordered the gunman to put his weapon down. The gunman dropped his weapon and...

Published December 25, 2009 12:15 am - A blizzard for the ages plowed through Norman and much of the state Thursday, leaving about a foot of snow on the ground and stranding motorists and emergency responders all over the city. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol shut down all of the interstates in the state, including Interstate 35 through Norman. White-out Christmas [All Oklahoma Highways Ordered Closed by Governor] By Andrew Knittle A blizzard for the ages plowed through Norman and much of the state Thursday, leaving about a foot of snow on the ground and stranding motorists and emergency responders all...

Transportation stalled; governor declares state of emergency By Staff and Wire Reports Published: 12/24/2009  8:39 AM Last Modified: 12/24/2009  8:43 PM The blizzard that swept through Oklahoma on Christmas Eve was deadly for some travelers and forced many others to change their holiday plans. Three people were killed in a crash on the icy Keystone Expressway west of Sand Springs, and Gov. Brad Henry declared a state of emergency for all 77 Oklahoma counties. A blizzard warning was in effect through 6 a.m. Friday for more than 30 Oklahoma counties, including the Tulsa and Oklahoma City metropolitan areas. The blizzard warning was...

All interstates closed in Oklahoma City [All Highways Closed in Oklahoma Now] FROM STAFF REPORTS Published: December 24, 2009 Blizzard-like conditions and wrecks prompted state authorities to close all interstate highways in Oklahoma City along with the H.E. Bailey and Turner turnpikes. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol closed Oklahoma City interstates about 2:30 p.m. Troopers had previously closed eastbound Interstate 40 at U.S. 81 in El Reno. The H.E. Bailey Turnpike, which is the portion of Interstate 44 extending southwest from Newcastle to the Texas state line, is closed because of the weather, the patrol reported. The Turner Turnpike, which is...

A winter storm bludgeoning Oklahoma today has been responsible for at least three deaths so far, and Gov. Brad Henry declared a state of emergency, officials said. Christmas Eve in OKC All interstates closed in Oklahoma City; H.E. Bailey... 12/24/2009 EL RENO — The Oklahoma Highway Patrol closed eastbound Interstate 40 at U.S. 81 in El Reno because of several weather-related wrecks. Troopers closed... One person died in a weather-related crash on Interstate 44 near Geronimo, Comanche County officials said. At least two people died in a weather-related crash on State Highway 51 near Sand Springs, Assistant Police Chief Mike...

Oklahoma has the unwanted distinction of having the largest revenue shortfall of any state, according to a new report. That reality is illustrated by the state's revenue collections, which are down by more than 25 percent from a year ago. The state last week ordered yet another round of cuts, this time instructing agencies to cut 10 percent from their budgets. A November state budget report by the National Conference of State Legislatures says Oklahoma's 18.5 percent shortfall for the current fiscal year edges out Arizona's 18 percent, with Illinois in third at 16.5 percent. State agencies appeared to be...

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Prosecutors won't file charges against an Omaha business owner who shot and killed a suspected burglar over the weekend. Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine says he believes the shooting was justified. The owner of Bazar Latino who shot the man has not been named. Police say 23-year-old Jesus Franco was found dead Saturday morning. His body was in the snow about 30 feet from a south Omaha business that had reported a burglary. The owner told officers he fired his gun during a confrontation with a suspected burglar, who then fled.

OKLAHOMA CITY - The voters of Oklahoma will have the opportunity to preserve the existing health care system in Oklahoma under legislation sought by three state legislators. State Reps. Mike Ritze and Mike Reynolds and state Sen. Randy Brogdon announced today that they will file legislation enacting the "Freedom of Healthcare Choice Act," allowing voters to preserve the existing healthcare system in Oklahoma regardless of congressional action at the federal level. The legislation will allow a vote of the people to opt out of the proposed federal system. "It's clear the overwhelming majority of Americans want the current doctor-patient relationship...

On December 20, 2009 Republican Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma said before Congress: "What the American people ought to pray is that somebody can't make the vote tonight. That's what they ought to pray. So that we can ... get the middle of America and the middle of the Senate a bill that can run through this country and actually do what we say we all want to do." Although no particular individual was named, it was an attempt to express disapproval for the overwhelmingly Democrat-supported H.R. 3590 Health Care Bill our Government wants to push through Congress before Christmas....

As the intense health care debate currently being waged on Capitol Hill winds down, the traditional collegiality of the Senate appears to be evaporating. Replacing it is a feeling of intense partisanship, which the Washington Post's Ezra Klein calls "heartlessly ferocious." A particularly heated exchange took place last night. As senators prepared for a major vote on health reform, Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma called on Americans to pray that a Democratic colleague would be unable to make it to the floor so that the bill could not reach the needed 60-vote threshold. Coburn, a member of Washington's controversial...

OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma County judge has extended a temporary restraining order that blocks enforcement of a strict abortion law. The law would require doctors to report personal information about women who seek abortions and for the information to be posted on a public Web site.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A man is in police custody after opening fire at a northwest Oklahoma City apartment complex near Hefner and Council roads. Police said the man started firing multiple shots in the parking lot of the Tammaron Village apartments around 4 p.m. Thursday. Witnesses said the man initially went into the apartment complex's main office. When employees locked him out, he opened fire in the parking lot. As the man was firing shots, another citizen armed with a gun came around the corner and ordered the gunman to put his weapon down. The gunman dropped his weapon and...

FORT WORTH -- Good riddance? We can’t recall the last time a company promoted the end of a product. Did Ford extol the Edsel? Coke the New Coke? Yet we have Whataburger buying little ads, setting up toll-free hot lines and Web sites, then paying PR people to call attention to the withdrawal of what is easily the Corpus Christi-based chain’s unhealthiest menu item: The A1 Thick and Hearty Burger. The burger has lost its pizzazz, said a PR person with SPM Communications of Dallas, who is not authorized to be quoted by name, Wednesday night, a North Texas hairstylist...

Sen. Tom Coburn has just demanded that the Senate clerk read the single-payer amendment offered by Sen. Bernie Sanders -- and it's 767 pages. Typically, Senators offering amendments will ask for unanimous consent to avoid reading the entire meausure, but all it takes is one Senator to object to demand its reading, and Coburn objected to Sanders attempt to dispense with the reading of the amendment. To give you a sense of how this could delay things, it took the Senate clerk 18 minutes to get through the first 6 pages of the amendment, which were the table of contents....

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<p>TULSA, OK -- Dr. Oral Roberts died Tuesday in Newport Beach, California due to complications from pneumonia.</p> <p>According to a news release from the family, his son, Richard, and daughter, Roberta, were at his side. The founder of Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association and Oral Roberts University was 91.</p>

TULSA, OK -- Dr. Oral Roberts died Tuesday in Newport Beach, California due to complications from pneumonia. According to a news release from the family, his son, Richard, and daughter, Roberta, were at his side. The founder of Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association and Oral Roberts University was 91. The release says there will be a private family internment and that arrangements for a public memorial service in Tulsa will be announced soon. Here is the rest of the release: "Oral Roberts was the greatest man of God I've ever known," Richard Roberts said. "A modern-day apostle of the healing ministry,...

The exposure of ClimateGate and the impending failure of the Copenhagen climate summit have the global warming community on the ropes. And to add insult to their injury, Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., has taken his one-man truth squad to Copenhagen, to continue to underscore just how absurd the idea of anthropogenic global warming is. That has drawn the ire of the left, which knows it's losing momentum here and abroad as the Copenhagen summit is nearing the end. And that has enticed two prominent left-wing heroes, MSNBC "Countdown" host Keith Olbermann and Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart...

muskogeephoenix.com cannot be posted due to copyright complaint.http://www.muskogeephoenix.com/opinion/local_story_348163221.html

(CBS) Oklahoma resident Donna Jackson faced a life or death situation when an intruder tried to break into her rural-area home last Friday. Home alone, but armed with a shotgun, 57-year-old Jackson called 911 and begged for help, but police couldnt get there before the man was able to break through a glass door with a chair and patio table. Jackson, who stayed on the phone with the 911 dispatcher, can be heard in the call saying, "I don't want to have to kill this man, but I'll kill him graveyard dead, ma'am." When the intruder broke through the door,...

OKLAHOMA CITY – Over 50 percent of 14-24 year olds have experienced some form of digital abuse, and 3 in 10 have sent or received nude pictures through text messages, said state Rep. Anastasia A. Pittman, who plans to file legislation next session to address Oklahoma ’s problem with sexting. Sexting is the sharing of sexually explicit photos, videos and chat by cell phone. More than a quarter of young people have been involved in sexting in some form, an Associated Press-MTV poll found. Pittman said the problem has hit home and has now become a serious problem in our...

OKLAHOMA CITY –State Reps Mike Reynolds and Mike Ritze announced today they plan on filing legislation to help facilitate removal of judges who give child rapists and murderers “slap on the hand” sentences. Representative Ritze, R-Broken Arrow said “After Oklahoma made national headlines with the sentence of child rapist David Earls by District Judge Tom Bartheld, you would have thought other Oklahoma judges would have begun to understand that the public will not put up with their bleeding hearts.” “It seems Judge Kellough must live in a different world”, added Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City . “When a jury recommends Life in...

MARLOW, Oklahoma – A small force in Stephens County is already under investigation by state and federal authorities but new controversy is brewing as two more Marlow police officers are accused of criminal conduct. One officer has resigned, another is still on the force, but together they join the growing list of Marlow cops accused of corruption. In Stephens County, many share the district attorney's opinion of the Marlow Police department. "I don't completely trust some of the officers at Marlow," said District Attorney Bret Burns. The D.A., who has already asked the FBI and OSBI to investigate the department...

Candidate apologizes for predawn robocalls By Andrew Knittle December 02, 2009 01:15 am — If you got an early morning robocall on Tuesday courtesy of R.J. Harris, a challenger to incumbent U.S. Rep. Tom Cole for Oklahoma's fourth district, you weren't alone. Starting at 6 a.m. Tuesday morning, Harris, R-Norman, said robocalls made by automated calling service Robotalker began staggering out to about 3,000 Norman-area residents. "Obviously, that wasn't supposed to happen," he said. "It was a software malfunction and we apologize to anybody who was called." Harris, who also apologized on his campaign Web site on Tuesday, said about...

Lugging blankets, sleeping bags and folding chairs, supporters began camping out in front of Hastings Books in Norman by mid-afternoon, settling in for a night that threatened temperatures in the 20s and only a slight relief from winds. It’s all to make sure they get the former vice presidential candidate’s autograph today on their copies of "Going Rogue.” The signings will begin at 7 p.m.

An update from Oklahoma : Oklahoma law passed, 37 to 9, had a few liberals in the mix, an amendment to place the Ten Commandments on the front entrance to the state capitol. The feds in D.C., along with the ACLU, said it would be a mistake. Hey this is a conservative state, based on Christian values...! HB 1330 Guess what.......... Oklahoma did it anyway. Oklahoma recently passed a law in the state to incarcerate all illegal immigrants, and ship them back to where they came from unless they want to get a green card and become an American citizen....

When viewers tune into watch CNBC's "The Kudlow Report," they may not anticipate a host interrupting conservative Republican Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla. But on CNBC's Nov. 24 "The Kudlow Report," fill-in host Simon Hobbs attempted to do just that. Hobbs, a regular on CNBC Europe, suggested there was nothing to emails unveiled after a hacker allegedly accessed the Climate Research Unit at University of East Anglia in Britain. These emails showed an effort by scientists, some on the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), to manipulate data to strengthen the claim of anthropogenic global warming. "You're well-known as...

ACORN’s San Diego office isn’t the only place its been careless with sensitive documents. Late last year, ACORN abandoned an office in Oklahoma. In its haste to vacate the office–and skip out on the landlord’s claim of back-rent–ACORN abandoned piles of documents, as well as a computer. Below is a copy of ACORN’s “Oklahoma Power Plan,” a long-term political plan to reshape politics in the Sooner State. (Document at link) The “Power Plan” is a very interesting document. First, it provides another example for how ACORN’s political operation thinks strategically. The plan is focused on impacting state legislative races to...

Brooke Phillips, a pregnant Nevada brothel worker who appeared in an HBO reality series "Cathouse," and another 22-year-old mom-to-be, had been fatally shot before firefighters discovered their bodies in a burning Oklahoma City home, investigators said last Friday. Oklahoma City Police Department spokesman Sgt. Gary Knight said Nov. 13 the Medical Examiner's Office determined that Brooke Phillips and Milagrous Barrera — both 22 years old and pregnant — had died of gunshot wounds.

<p>Contact your Senators and let them know what you think!</p> <p>U.S. veterans or subsidies for United Nations (U.N.) bureaucracy.</p>

NORMAN, Okla. -- An Oklahoma state senator plans to offer a bill in the spring legislative session that would give the state of Oklahoma the power to opt out of federal requirements for carrying out the newly amended hate crimes law. State Sen. Steve Russell, R-Oklahoma City, said the newly passed Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which extends hate crimes law protections to include actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability, oversteps the bounds of the federal government and hinders free speech and religious freedom. “The federal government should not be creating...

When word began to leak in grocery stores of the canned pumpkin shortage plaguing this holiday season, baking enthusiasts hoped the chatter was a joke. And others, like Mike Sherrod, owner of the Pink Elephant Cafe, 301 E. Main St., couldn't stifle their amusement, exploding into full-throttle laughter when approached with the news. Reality check: Those empty shelves aren't a mean trick or a byproduct of haphazard stocking. This year, America is rationing its canned pumpkin. "It's the Great Pumpkin Pie Shortage of 2009," Sherrod said between laughs. "Maybe I should have invested in pumpkin futures." The culprit: Mother Nature....

ENID, Oklahoma (Reuters) - To the untrained eye, Pollard Farms looks much like any other cattle ranch. Similar looking cows are huddled in similar looking pens. But some of the cattle here don't just resemble each other. They are literally identical -- clear down to their genes. Of the 400-some cattle in Barry Pollard's herd of mostly Black Angus cattle there are 22 clones, genetic copies of some of the most productive livestock the world has ever known. Pollard, a neurosurgeon and owner of Pollard Farms, says such breeding technology is at the forefront of a new era in animal...

I support the kind of health care reform that will lower costs and increase accessibility to quality, affordable care. Unfortunately, what Speaker Pelosi rammed through the House today does nothing to curb rising costs. Instead, her bill seizes control of the health care industry and puts it in the hands of the federal government, introduces job killing taxes on individuals and small businesses, and accelerates deficit spending and the accumulation of national debt. Late Saturday night, I voted against Speaker Pelosi’s massive federal takeover of health care because I do not believe it is the right prescription for Oklahomans. After...

Tulsa Businessman Wins Mayoral Election Posted: Nov 10, 2009 7:21 PM * Tulsans have selected Republican Dewey Bartlett as their next mayor. NewsOn6.com TULSA, OK -- Tulsans have selected their next mayor and he is a Tulsa businessman. The results are in and the win goes to Republican Dewey Bartlett. “I am so very pleased, so very happy and very humbled by what the citizens of Tulsa have now given me -- the responsibility of leading this city,” said Dewey Bartlett, (R) mayor-elect. It's Bartlett's second run for mayor and supporters of the local oilman are gushing. He previously served...

The race to become Tulsa's new Mayor ended less than an hour after the polls closed Tuesday evening when Democrat Tom Adelson conceded to his Republican foe, Dewey Bartlett, Jr. The office of the city's chief executive was up for grabs because incumbent mayor Kathy Taylor (D) announced in June that she would not run for re-election so she could concentrate on the city's financial stability. Mark Perkins, an independent candidate, also conceded to Bartlett about 8:15 p.m. The other independent in the race, Lawrence Kirkpatrick, has not issued a statement at the time of this writing. Bartlett, a business...

Rep. Dan Boren (D-Okla.), who voted against the Pelosi health-care reform bill that was approved by the House yesterday, said he did so because it raises taxes and will lead to a single-payer health care system in the United States. The bill—the “Affordable Health Care for America Act”—passed the House late on Saturday evening. The final vote was 220 to 215. Thirty-nine House Democrats voted against the proposal and only one Republican, freshman Rep. Joseph Cao of Louisiana, voted for it. In town hall meetings in August, Boren told constituents he would not support a health care bill that raised...

More than a month after a new fiscal year began Oct. 1, the House and Senate are still pressing to pass a group of bills to improve veterans’ benefits and health programs, rolling them together in “omnibus” legislative packets. The omnibus bills can then be shaped by final compromises between the two chambers and passed relatively quickly, often by voice vote, so lawmakers can move on to other business. Standing athwart those plans this month, however, is Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., a family physician whose top goal as a lawmaker has been to slow the rising tide of debt caused,...

Jason Hunt transferred to Texas to be closer to his family. As a boy, Jason Hunt once had to wear silver caps on his front teeth. When he was too timid to smile, his sister, appealing to his love of video games, asked him to show his Ninja Turtle teeth. "He was so embarrassed and such a shy boy," recalled his sister Leila Willingham, 30, of Frederick, Okla. "That was the only way I could make him smile." In high school, Hunt refused to dissect a cat for a class assignment. He was so upset that his mother had to...

Tea Party Express Oklahoma City Photos from November 4, 2009

Sanford Bishop (GA-2) WASHINGTON OFFICE 2429 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC 20515-1002 Phone- (202) 225-3631 Fax- (202) 225-2203 ALBANY OFFICE 235 Roosevelt Avenue Albany Towers, Suite 114 Albany GA 31701 Phone: (229) 439-8067 Fax: (229) 436-2099 COLUMBUS OFFICE 18 Ninth Street, Suite 201 Columbus, GA 31901 Phone: (706) 320-9477 Fax: (706) 320-9479 THOMASVILLE OFFICE 137 East Jackson Street, Thomasville, GA 31792 Phone: (229) 226-7789 Fax: (229) 226-7860 Contact him http://bishop.house.gov/display.cfm?section_id=13 Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sanford-Bishop-Jr/18910585219 Dan Boren (OK-2) Muskogee Office 431 W. Broadway Muskogee, OK 74401 (918) 687-2533 (918) 686-0128 fax Claremore Office 309 W. 1st Street Claremore, OK 74017 (918) 341-9336...

President Barack Obama named University of Oklahoma president David Boren co-chairman of his Intelligence Advisory Board today. But at the tail end of his speech announcing the decision, Obama had this to say: “I thank David for agreeing to serve in this capacity, even as he continues to lead the University of Oklahoma.” Obama added: “And we are sorry about (Sam) Bradford’s shoulder.”

Three Republican lawmakers on Wednesday endorsed Doug Hoffman's third-party campaign for the special House election in New York -- a slap in the face to the party's leadership and the current top brass at the National Republican Congressional Committee. Endorsing Hoffman in the 23rd District contest were Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina, Reps. Dana Rohrabacher of California and Tom Cole of Oklahoma, who also served as NRCC chairman from 2006 to 2008. The party's preferred candidate is GOP nominee Dede Scozzafava. Hoffman's name will appear on the upstate ballots as the Conservative Party nominee. The nods from the three...

A stop livestock movement exercise is taking place on the Oklahoma/Kansas border on Oct. 22. The goal is to practice stopping animal movement across borders during times of contagious animal disease. Traffic will be screened at two border locations; one three miles north of Turpin on Highway 83 and the other at the intersection of Highways 160 and 183 near Sitka, Kansas.

A $29 billion trail from the Federal Reserve's bailout of Wall Street investment bank Bear Stearns ends in a partially deserted shopping center on a bleak spot on the south side of Oklahoma City. The Fed now owns the Crossroads Mall, a sprawling shopping complex at the junction of Interstate highways 244 and 35, complete with an oil well pumping crude in the car park -- except the Fed does not own the mineral rights.

Oklahoma is getting about $12 million to fight homelessness in the state. Funds will be used for the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program, which targets those who are newly or nearly homeless and are having trouble coming up with this month's rent, are behind on their utilities, or need help with a car payment. OKLAHOMA CITY -- A common criticism of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has been that too much of the money is going to support or expand social programs. No wonder, then, that some people roll their eyes over the fact that $1.5 billion in...

Note: Photo and video included. SNIPPET: "Chadwick Everett Baker, 33, Arrested In Connection With Incident In SE OKC" SNIPPET: "Bomb technicians said the devices were fake but were made to look like pipe bombs."

By Andrew W. Griffin Oklahoma Watchdog Posted: October 16, 2009 Andrew@oklahomawatchdog.org TULSA, Okla. – Former Fourth Congressional District Rep. J.C. Watts told a group of fellow Republicans Thursday night during a “Get Out the Vote” rally, “I’ve been accused of not being black enough.” And, “I’ve been accused of not being pure enough,” he told the gathering hosted by Better Business Bureau President Rick Brinkley and Oklahoma GOP Chairman Gary Jones. The audience included Attorney General candidate Ryan Leonard and Dewey Bartlett, running for Tulsa mayor. Watts, a former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback, said his experience in Congress shaped him and...

OKLAHOMA CITY — The mother of an Oklahoma boy who says he was locked in apartment closets over four years was charged Thursday with 29 counts of child abuse for allegedly torturing and imprisoning him. snip........ McCall was convicted of second-degree manslaughter in New York in 1996 in the death of her 2-year-old daughter and served six months jail time.

OKLAHOMA CITY — As more and more cities and states pass laws banning the use of cell phones – including texting – while driving, this “nanny statism” has finally struck lawmakers in Oklahoma. And that’s unfortunate. Oklahomans tend to pride themselves on the fact that more government intervention is not a good idea. Good old-fashioned common sense is usually acceptable and reasonable laws are followed. Banning cell phones and texting while driving is unreasonable, in the eyes of the Oklahoma Watchdog. Rep. Sue Tibbs, a Tulsa Republican who serves on the House Public Safety Committee, is planning to introduce a...