Latest Oklahoma Headlines
All the headlines from our Oklahoma Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Northeast Oklahoma Sees Fewer but Larger Poultry Farms
Jan 3 2019 // The number of poultry operators in northeast Oklahoma is dropping but the farms are raising more birds per facility, according to data from the state. The Tulsa World requested 20 years of data on poultry operations from...
Oklahoma’s Midlands Management Corp. Bought by Safety National Casualty
Jan 3 2019 // Midlands Management Corp., a managing general agent, wholesale broker, program administrator and insurance services provider headquartered in Oklahoma City, has been acquired by multi-line specialty insurance carrier...
For Third Straight Year, Oklahoma Sees Decrease in Quakes
Jan 2 2019 // The number of Oklahoma earthquakes registering a magnitude 3.0 or greater has declined for the third consecutive year after state regulators began directing oil and natural gas producers to close some wells and reduce...
Insurance Journal South Central’s Top Stories for 2018: Medical Marijuana, Weather Woes
Dec 31 2018 // At first glance it might seem that 2018 was a “slow news” year in the South Central states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. After all, the region escaped the devastation of a major hurricane, and...
INSURICA Acquires Oklahoma, Texas Firms; Adds Tolentino to Construction Unit
Dec 28 2018 // INSURICA, a privately-owned insurance agency headquartered in Oklahoma City, has acquired two insurance firms and hired Glen Tolentino to its construction practice in the fourth quarter. INSURICA acquired Norman,...
Death in the Oilfields: Boom Brings Mounting Risk of Death, Injuries
Dec 28 2018 // Parker Waldridge had worked in the Oklahoma oilfields since he was 16 and acquired the traits that make a good driller: fortitude, intellect and a healthy respect for the power of a runaway gas well. And so, when...
Oklahoma Quickly Becoming a Hotbed for Medical Marijuana
Dec 27 2018 // The rollout of statewide medical and recreational marijuana programs typically is a grindingly slow process that can take years. Not so in Oklahoma, which moved with lightning speed once voters approved medical cannabis in...
Oklahoma’s New License Plate Scanners Flag Uninsured 2,100 Vehicles
Dec 27 2018 // A new program in Oklahoma that uses automatic license plate scanning technology to search for uninsured vehicles has identified about 2,100 possible violators in its first weeks of deployment. The program, which is the...
Oklahoma Seeking Federal Disaster Aid Due to Nov. 3 Storms
Dec 19 2018 // Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin and the Cherokee Nation are asking the U.S. Small Business Administration for a disaster declaration to residents of Cherokee County affected by tornadoes, severe storms and strong winds on Nov....
Feds Investigating Southeast Oklahoma Union Pacific Derailment
Dec 19 2018 // Federal and state agencies are investigating the cause of a train derailment in southeastern Oklahoma. Authorities say 16 railroad cars and a locomotive of a Union Pacific freight train derailed about 6:30 a.m. Sunday in a...
Oklahoma County to Pay $175K to Settle Discrimination Lawsuit
Dec 19 2018 // Oklahoma County has agreed to pay $175,000 to a former county employee who filed a lawsuit alleging that she faced age and racial discrimination and was treated like a “black slave on display at a...
People
Dec 17 2018 // Reliance Partners, which specializes in commercial insurance, added Brandon Richards as chief sales officer and opened a new office in Austin, Texas. Richards is a veteran insurance professional with more than 17 years in...
Lawsuit: Drilling Company Knew Oklahoma Rig Was Unsafe Before Explosion
Dec 13 2018 // Drilling company officials ignored multiple warnings that safety equipment at an Oklahoma gas well was malfunctioning before an explosion that killed five workers and badly injured another, the family of one of the dead...
Rules for Marijuana Edibles Approved by Oklahoma Health Board
Dec 13 2018 // Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin will soon consider food safety rules on marijuana edibles, which advocates say should help bring clarity to the cannabis-infused food market. The Oklahoman reports that the Oklahoma Board of...
Spicer Joins Oklahoma Agents Group as Workers’ Comp Program Account Manager
Dec 13 2018 // Nikki Spicer has joined the Independent Insurance Agents of Oklahoma (IIAO) as the association’s new workers’ compensation program account manager. She will be working alongside Susan Starr and is replacing...
Senate OK of Farm Bill Sends It to President Trump Who Is Expected to Sign It
Dec 12 2018 // The House cleared farm legislation that renews agricultural subsidies and food aid for low-income families without a controversial provision backed by conservatives and President Donald Trump that would have toughened work...
Arkansas, Oklahoma Still Recovering From Last Week’s Tornadoes
Dec 7 2018 // Oklahoma and Arkansas continue recovery efforts following a series of tornadoes that ripped through the region last week. An EF2 tornado in Oklahoma’s Lake Tenkiller area destroyed homes, boat docks and buildings....
Utah Lawmakers OK Medical Marijuana Changes Despite Concerns
Dec 5 2018 // Lawmakers in conservative Utah havev passed sweeping changes to a new voter-approved medical-marijuana ballot measure under a planned compromise that secured the support of the influential Mormon church but sparked a...
3 Oil Companies Settle in Class-Action Suit over Oklahoma Earthquakes
Dec 4 2018 // Three oil companies have reached a settlement with plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit over damaging earthquakes in central Oklahoma. The companies — Spess Oil Co., Equal Energy US Inc. and Fairfield Oil and Gas Corp....
Oklahoma Ruling Could Set Precedent for Marijuana Use in Work Comp Cases
Dec 3 2018 // A recent Oklahoma court ruling that permits an injured worker to receive workers’ compensation benefits with a positive drug test could set a precedent for such cases at a time when medical marijuana may soon be...
