Latest Oklahoma Headlines
All the headlines from our Oklahoma Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Federal Disaster Assistance Approved for 6 More Oklahoma Counties
Jun 25 2019 // Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt says six more counties in the state have been approved for disaster assistance by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Stitt announced on June 20 that individuals and business owners affected...
Billions at Stake from Opioid Suits but Damages Unlikely to Top $200B Tobacco Windfall
Jun 21 2019 // An Oklahoma case, the first of more than 1,600 lawsuits filed by U.S. state and local governments against opioid makers to go to trial, could serve as a key benchmark for governments hoping to recoup costs associated with...
Retired Judge to Mediate Dispute Over Oklahoma Opioid Settlement Funds
Jun 20 2019 // A former Oklahoma State Supreme Court justice will attempt to resolve a dispute over how to disburse an $85 million settlement of a state lawsuit with Teva Pharmaceuticals. Cleveland Count District Judge Thad Balkman said...
Federal Flood Assistance OK’d for 4 More Oklahoma Counties
Jun 20 2019 // Federal disaster assistance has been approved for four more Oklahoma counties affected by severe storms, flooding and tornadoes last month. Gov. Kevin Stitt said the Federal Emergency Management Agency had added Cherokee,...
Oklahoma Governor, GOP Leaders Say Opioid Drug Settlement Violates Law
Jun 17 2019 // Oklahoma’s governor and Republican legislative leaders are raising concerns about the state’s proposed $85 million settlement with an opioid manufacturer that has yet to be approved by a judge. Gov. Kevin...
Oklahoma Climatological Survey: 61 Twisters Hit the State in May
Jun 17 2019 // Of the two types of weather hazards — floods and tornadoes — that beset Oklahoma in May, flooding won out as the most widespread and damaging, according to the Oklahoma Climatological Survey (OCS). Still, at...
Oklahoma Workers’ Comp Commission to Hire External Consultant for Fee Schedule Review
Jun 14 2019 // The Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Commission (WCC) reports that as a result of the passage of legislative revisions to 2013 workers’ compensation reforms, it is required to review and update the schedule of...
At Oklahoma Trial, J&J Opioid-Sales Tactics Called a ‘Smart Strategy for Drug Dealer’
Jun 13 2019 // Johnson & Johnson used promotional gimmicks for its opioid painkillers that are similar to how criminal drug dealers try to boost sales, a pharmaceutical-industry critic told a judge hearing Oklahoma’s claim that...
U.S. Safety Board: Fatal Oklahoma Well Blast Shows Need for New Rules
Jun 13 2019 // An investigation into an explosion at an Oklahoma natural gas drilling rig that killed five workers last year faulted inadequate training and equipment and called for new regulations, the U.S. safety regulator said. The...
Oklahoma Judge Has Questions About $85M Opioid Settlement
Jun 12 2019 // An Oklahoma judge is declining to approve the state’s proposed $85 million settlement with an opioid maker until he’s assured it complies with a new law targeting such deals. The attorney general’s office...
Doctor in Oklahoma Trial Says J&J Pushed Opioids Even After Abuse Became Known
Jun 11 2019 // Oklahoma’s star witness told a state judge that Johnson & Johnson pressed doctors to prescribe its painkillers even as the potentially fatal addictive threat posed by the drugs became clear more than a decade...
Officials: Around 600 Tulsa, Oklahoma, Structures Swamped by Floodwaters
Jun 10 2019 // About 600 Tulsa County homes and business were inundated during last week’s historic flooding along the swollen Arkansas River, city officials said. Joe Kralicek, executive director of the Tulsa Area Emergency...
ISMIE Mutual OK’d Offer Medical Professional Liability Coverage in Texas
Jun 7 2019 // Medical professional liability insurer, ISMIE Mutual Insurance Co., has been approved as an admitted carrier in Texas. The company said Texas regulators have approved its rate and forms filing, so ISMIE is now able to...
Congress Gives Final OK to Stalled Disaster Aid, 4 Month Flood Insurance Extension
Jun 3 2019 // The U.S. Congress on Monday approved legislation providing $19.1 billion in emergency funding for disaster recovery efforts throughout the United States, including Puerto Rico, sending it to President Donald Trump to sign...
Flood Clean Up Begins in Oklahoma; Arkansas Awaits River Crest
Jun 3 2019 // Storm-weary residents in Oklahoma were gutting waterlogged homes Sunday as the Arkansas River continued its slow crest rolling hundreds of miles downstream, even as many kept a cautious eye on this week’s weather...
Oklahoma Heart Hospital Settles Whistleblower Suit for $2.8M
Jun 3 2019 // An Oklahoma hospital has agreed to a $2.8 million settlement in a whistleblower lawsuit in which a former nurse alleged the hospital made false Medicaid claims. Oklahoma Heart Hospital admitted no wrongdoing in paying out...
Oklahoma Lawmakers Pass Workers’ Comp Reform Legislation
Jun 3 2019 // The Oklahoma Senate has approved legislation that makes changes to Oklahoma’s workers’ compensation system that lawmakers say preserve and strengthen reforms adopted in 2013. An increase in benefits paid to...
Rains Ease but Risk of River Flooding in Central U.S. Still High
May 31 2019 // Rain-swollen rivers threatened more flooding on Thursday in Arkansas, Louisiana, Illinois and Oklahoma, as Tulsa’s mayor warned that the decades-old levee system in his city would be at risk even as waters receded...
Severe Weather Impacting Oklahoma’s Canola, Wheat Crops
May 30 2019 // Oklahoma’s canola and wheat harvests could be smaller and come later than expected due to recent severe weather, agriculture officials said. Josh Lofton, the state’s agriculture secretary and Mike Schulte,...
Flooding Persists as River Nears Crest in West Arkansas
May 30 2019 // The Arkansas River neared a historic crest on May 29 in Arkansas’ second-largest city, but officials said the levee system was “performing admirably” from the rush of water coming downstream from...
