Latest Oklahoma Headlines
All the headlines from our Oklahoma Topic Page, ordered by recency.
4.0 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Central Oklahoma
Aug 11 2016 // The U.S. Geological Survey says an earthquake that rattled central Oklahoma on Aug. 10 had a preliminary magnitude of 4.0. It struck shortly after 6 a.m. with an epicenter in Luther, about 23 miles northeast of Oklahoma...
Business-Backed Group Pushes for Workers’ Comp Opt-Out in Illinois
Aug 8 2016 // An Illinois think tank has issued a report expressing support for a workers’ compensation opt-out system, stating that it would give employers the ability to lower costs and allow for a more flexible workforce. In...
Fire Damage at Oklahoma Power Plant Could Reach $200M
Jul 25 2016 // Officials say the cost of damage from a fire at the Grand River Dam Authority’s main generating facility in Chouteau, Okla., could reach $200 million. GRDA spokesman Justin Alberty says the July 1 fire’s total...
Oklahoma High Court: Workers’ Comp Icy Sidewalk ‘Slip and Fall’ Claim Compensable
Jul 25 2016 // The Oklahoma Supreme Court reversed the decision of an Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Commission administrative law judge and ruled that a workers’ comp claim for a slip and fall on an icy sidewalk next to an...
Oklahoma Labor Department: OSHA Penalties to Rise Aug. 1
Jul 25 2016 // The Oklahoma Department of Labor is warning businesses in that state that civil penalty amounts assessed by federal safety regulators for workplace safety violations are going up beginning Aug. 1. The Oklahoma DOL says...
Oklahoma Company Recalls Hot Dogs, Corn Dogs over Listeria Fear
Jul 21 2016 // More than 372,000 pounds of hot dogs and corn dogs made by an Oklahoma company are being recalled over concerns of listeria contamination. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says Alstus, Oklahoma-based Bar-S Foods is...
Can States Stop Man-Made Earthquakes?
Jul 21 2016 // Stopping an earthquake before it starts? It sounds like a feat possible only for a superhero. But in Kansas and Oklahoma state policymakers are showing that insofar as humans are causing earthquakes, they can stop them,...
Fire Damage at Oklahoma Power Plant Could Reach $200M
Jul 18 2016 // Officials say the cost of damage from a fire at the Grand River Dam Authority’s main generating facility in Chouteau, Okla., could reach $200 million. The Tulsa World reports that GRDA spokesman Justin Alberty says...
Emergency Declared in Oklahoma After Severe Storms
Jul 18 2016 // Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin has declared a state of emergency for 35 Oklahoma counties following three days of severe storms, strong winds, tornadoes and flooding. The executive order signed Friday allows state agencies to...
Oklahoma Regulators Probing Oil, Gas Activity Near Site of New Quakes
Jul 14 2016 // Oklahoma’s oil-and-gas regulators are investigating a recent cluster of earthquakes recorded near Blanchard, about 30 miles south of downtown Oklahoma City, including three of magnitude 3.0 or higher. The Oklahoma...
Vandals Cause $80K in Damage to Oklahoma Grain Elevator
Jul 14 2016 // Enid, Okla., police are asking for the public’s help to find whoever caused $80,000 in damage at an area grain company. KOCO-TV reports that someone went into a grain elevator through an unlocked door, opened 190...
Oklahoma Labor Department: OSHA Penalties Rising Aug. 1
Jul 13 2016 // The Oklahoma Department of Labor is warning businesses in that state that civil penalty amounts assessed by federal safety regulators for workplace safety violations are going up beginning Aug. 1. The Oklahoma DOL says...
More Quakes Strike in Oklahoma a Day After Nearly 12 Rattle State
Jul 11 2016 // Several earthquakes have rattled parts of Oklahoma a day after nearly a dozen of the temblors hit the state. The U.S. Geological Survey says a magnitude 3.3 quake hit Saturday near Langston in central Oklahoma around 11:20...
Workers’ Comp Disability Guidelines Withdrawn from Guidelines.gov
Jul 7 2016 // The Work Loss Data Institute (WLDI) has withdrawn its Official Disability Guidelines from the National Guideline Clearinghouse, a public resource for evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, operated by the U.S....
Quake Rattles Portions of North Central Oklahoma
Jul 5 2016 // An earthquake has rattled part of north central Oklahoma. The U.S. Geological Survey says a 3.1 magnitude earthquake was recorded at 12:32 p.m. Sunday about five miles northwest of Yale in Payne County. The earthquake was...
Governor of Oklahoma Seeks Disaster Declaration for June Flooding
Jul 5 2016 // Gov. Mary Fallin has asked for a federal disaster declaration in three Oklahoma counties as a result of severe storms and flooding in June. Fallin announced last week that she’s requesting individual assistance for...
Oklahoma High Court Validates Workers’ Comp Icy Sidewalk ‘Slip and Fall’ Claim
Jun 30 2016 // The Oklahoma Supreme Court has reversed the decision of an Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Commission administrative law judge (ALJ) and ruled that a workers’ comp claim for a slip and fall on an icy sidewalk...
Aetna’s Purchase of Humana OK’d by Illinois Insurance Regulator, with Condition
Jun 28 2016 // The Illinois Department of Insurance has approved Aetna Inc.’s proposed $34 billion acquisition of Humana Inc. provided it is approved by the U.S. Department of Justice, according to an order dated June 23 posted on...
States Faced with Massive Well Cleanup from Oil Bust
Jun 20 2016 // The worst oil bust since the 1980s is putting Texas and other oil producing states on the hook for thousands of newly abandoned drilling sites at a time when they have little money to plug wells and seal off environmental...
Have Injured Workers Benefited from Oklahoma’s Opt-Out Plans? It Depends, Study Says
Jun 20 2016 // A recent analysis of the workers’ compensation “opt-out” system in Oklahoma concludes that employer-run plans for injured workers may offer benefits that are equal to or better than those provided by...
