Latest Oklahoma Headlines

Disasters Put Oklahoma $21M in Debt

Feb 23 2009 // From ice storms to tornadoes, from floods to wildfires, Oklahoma has amassed $21 million in disaster debt the past two years while enduring a record number of deadly catastrophes that have destroyed roads, bridges and...

Oklahoma Boating Under the Influence Measure Goes to Full Senate

Feb 20 2009 // The Oklahoma Senate Appropriations Committee has approved legislation that would lower the legal blood alcohol concentration limit for the offense of boating under the influence from 0.10 percent to 0.08 percent. Senate...

Okla. Bill Requiring Senate to OK Work Comp Judges Moves Ahead

Feb 20 2009 // A resolution calling for a vote of the people to determine if gubernatorial Workers’ Compensation Court appointments in Oklahoma should require Senate confirmation passed a House Committee, the state House of...

55 Wells Around Northeast Oklahoma Town to Be Tested for E. Coli

Feb 19 2009 // The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality said it is testing 55 private water wells within a five-mile radius of the northeastern Oklahoma town of Locust Grove to ensure the safety of drinking water in the area. The...

Attorney Contingency Fee Cap Bill Passes Oklahoma House

Feb 19 2009 // Oklahomans would be able to vote to reduce the cap on plaintiff attorney contingency fees, allowing the injured party to retain more of their award, if legislation approved by the House of Representatives is placed on the...

Post-Tornado Emergency Ruling Aims to Bring Adjusters to Oklahoma

Feb 17 2009 // Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland declared a state of emergency following the recent deadly tornadoes and severe weather in her state. The declaration enables emergency claims adjusters to be licensed temporarily...

Merchants Insurance Group’s New E&S Subsidiary OK’d in 10 States

Feb 13 2009 // Buffalo, N.Y.-based Merchants National Insurance Company, a wholly-owned excess and surplus lines subsidiary of Merchants Insurance Group, began accepting new business on Feb. 1, 2009. The company reported as of that date...

Oklahoma Town Surveying Damage After Twisters Kill 8

Feb 12 2009 // Insurers such as Zurich and Farmers have announced they are sending catastrophe response teams to Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, areas pummeled by severe weather earlier this week. Especially hard hit by a cluster of...

Former Oklahoma Commissioner Pleads No Contest to Bribe Charges

Feb 11 2009 // Former Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Carroll Fisher has pleaded no contest to accepting bribes and has been ordered to spend six months in a private lock down facility, where he will be eligible for a work release...

Oklahoma Bill Requiring Liability Cover for Contractors Moves Ahead

Feb 11 2009 // The Oklahoma Senate General Government Committee has approved legislation sponsored by Sen. Debbe Leftwich that would require contractors to have general liability and workers’ compensation insurance before they can...

Rhode Island Judge Asked to OK Club Fire Settlement Plan

Feb 10 2009 // Lawyers for the survivors and relatives of the 100 people killed in a nightclub fire almost six years ago asked a judge Friday to approve a formula to distribute proceeds from a $176 million settlement. The lawyers said in...

Feds OK Exemptions from Stricter Anti-Lead Toy Safety Rules

Feb 9 2009 // Librarians, clothing makers, craft sellers and thrift-store owners received a reprieve Friday from federal regulators who moved to quell confusion over a new product safety law. The Consumer Product Safety Commission...

Structural Problems Force Businesses Out of Oklahoma Building

Feb 9 2009 // Occupants, including an insurance company, are being asked to move out and the public is being barred from one of Norman, Okla.’s tallest building due to structural problems The Financial Center, constructed in 1972,...

Feb 8 2009 // 1 in 4 About one in four Oklahoma drivers is uninsured, the fourth-worst rate in the nation, according to the Insurance Research Council, which studied data from 2007. The study found 24 percent of drivers in Oklahoma were...

Oklahoma Bill Targets Political Donations of Workers’ Comp Attorneys

Feb 6 2009 // Legislation filed by Oklahoma state Rep. Dan Sullivan would ensure that unethical lawyers cannot siphon money from injured workers for political donations, according to the Oklahoma House of Representatives. “Lawyers...

Okla. AG ‘Not Optimistic’ About Settlement in Poultry Pollution Case

Feb 6 2009 // Oklahoma’s attorney general says he remains hopeful, but not optimistic, about a pretrial settlement in the state’s federal lawsuit against more than a dozen poultry companies accused of polluting the one...

Third Earthquake Recorded In Southeastern Oklahoma

Feb 4 2009 // For the third time in less than a week a small earthquake has been recorded in Oklahoma, but geological experts say these occurrences are not uncommon or cause for alarm. The U.S. Geological Survey reported a magnitude 3.2...

Small Quake Reported in Oklahoma; Second in a Week

Feb 2 2009 // A small earthquake has been recorded near Carney, Okla., in northwest Lincoln County. The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake struck at 6:57 p.m. Jan. 29 with a preliminary magnitude of 2.4. A magnitude 2.5 to 3 quake is...

Attorneys for Former Okla. Commissioner Seek Governor’s Testimony

Feb 2 2009 // Defense attorneys for former state insurance commissioner Carroll Fisher want to call Gov. Brad Henry as a defense witness when Fisher’s bribery trial begins Feb. 23. Henry’s name appeared on a witness list...

Earthquake Reported in Central Oklahoma

Jan 29 2009 // The U.S. Geological Survey is reporting an earthquake southwest of Oklahoma City. The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 3.4 and no injuries or damage were reported. The U.S.G.S. say the earthquake was felt about 5:19...