Latest Oklahoma Headlines
All the headlines from our Oklahoma Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Insurance Lawsuit Settlement Sends $51M to Oklahoma
Jun 6 2011 // The Oklahoma Insurance Department is processing claims from a $51 million settlement of a lawsuit against an insurance company that went under. The Oklahoman reports that money from the settlement will be sent to doctors...
Oklahoma Workers’ Comp Reform Measure Signed Into Law
Jun 6 2011 // Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin in late May signed a bill overhauling the state’s workers’ compensation system. The 200-page measure – Senate Bill 878 – had bi-partisan support and emerged just three days...
May 24 Oklahoma Tornado Upgraded to EF-5
Jun 3 2011 // The National Weather Service has upgraded a tornado that tore through central Oklahoma on May 24 to EF-5, the highest rating given to tornadoes. The weather service in Norman said the tornado that started in Binger and...
Above Average Number of Tornadoes in Oklahoma This Year
Jun 2 2011 // A meteorologist with the federal government’s Storm Prediction Center said on May 31 that Oklahoma has seen a greater than average number of tornadoes so far in 2011. Preliminary data from the agency show 63 reports...
Supreme Court Rules Former AG Ashcroft Not Liable for Damages
Jun 2 2011 // The Supreme Court this week threw out damage claims against former Attorney General John Ashcroft over an American Muslim’s arrest, but four justices said the case raises serious questions about post-9/11 detentions...
Storm Scientists Assess Year’s Series of Deadly Tornadoes
May 31 2011 // Storm science has greatly improved tornado warnings in recent years. But if that’s led anyone into a sense of security, that feeling has taken a beating in recent weeks. Super Outbreak 2011, on April 25-28, killed...
Okla. Regulator Warns Residents About Risks of Leaving Children in Vehicles
May 27 2011 // Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak warned the state’s residents on Thursday about the fatal dangers of leaving unattended children inside vehicles. Doak said, “2010 was a record year for hyperthermia...
14 Killed as Tornadoes Carve Path Through Midwest
May 26 2011 // A violent storm system rumbled through the central U.S. on Wednesday, spawning tornadoes that turned homes into splintered wreckage, killing at least 14 people over two days and hampering rescue efforts in a city slammed...
Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Declares Emergency Following Tornado Outbreak
May 26 2011 // Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak has issued an emergency order that will enable licensed out-of-state claims adjustors to immediately assist Oklahomans who suffered damage and losses from the May 24 tornado...
Oklahoma Schools Insurance Rates Go Up After Storms
May 23 2011 // More than 400 Oklahoma schools have received notices of expected insurance rate increases averaging 19.5 percent. The notice from the Oklahoma Schools Insurance Group, which provides various types of coverage to 440 of...
Oklahoma Commissioner Urges Passage of Uninsured Motorists Bill
May 20 2011 // Uninsured motorists involved in a traffic accident would be unable to receive compensation for pain and suffering damages under a bill approved in the Oklahoma Senate. The Senate voted 28-20 for SB 272 over the objection...
Oklahoma Senate Approves Massive Late-Session Work Comp Bill
May 19 2011 // The Oklahoma Senate has approved a more than 200-page bill that completely overhauls Oklahoma’s workers’ compensation laws. The proposal emerged in the Oklahoma House just three days before lawmakers are...
Oklahoma Converts to State Based Systems in June
May 18 2011 // The Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) is changing its database systems to State Based Systems (SBS) during the month of June 2011. In order to prepare and complete the implementation, electronic services will have...
Oklahoma Returning Federal Funds for Health Insurance Overhaul
May 17 2011 // The Oklahoma Insurance Department has formally notified federal officials that it is returning nearly $1 million in federal funds targeted for health insurance rate reviews, Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak...
‘Crash Tax’ Regs Still OK in California
May 16 2011 // A bill that would have prevented state and local governments from imposing accident response fees for emergency response in vehicle accidents has died in the Senate Public Safety Committee. Senate Bill 49 would have...
Arthur J. Gallagher Acquires Oklahoma’s Meyers-Reynolds & Associates
May 10 2011 // Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. announced it has acquired Meyers-Reynolds & Associates Inc., a retail insurance broker headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Formed in 1985,...
Oklahoma Boating Under the Influence Bill Goes to Governor
May 6 2011 // Gov. Mary Fallin’s desk in the next stop for legislation that strengthens Oklahoma’s law regarding operation of a boat while under the influence. The measure by Tulsa state Sen. Bill Brown lowers the legal...
‘Exceptional Drought’ Expands in Texas, Oklahoma
May 6 2011 // The severe drought ravaging Texas and other parts of the U.S. Southwest is getting worse, weather experts said Thursday, and little respite is in sight for farmers, ranchers and others whose livelihoods and properties are...
Oklahoma Residents Get $1M in Federal Aid After Tornado
May 5 2011 // The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that more than $1 million in federal aid has been disbursed to Oklahomans recovering from the deadly April 14 tornado that tore through Atoka County. The Oklahoma...
Oklahoma Town Council OKs Kangaroo in City Limits
May 5 2011 // A northeast Oklahoma woman will be allowed to keep a partially paralyzed kangaroo in her house as a therapy animal. The Broken Arrow City Council voted unanimously to create an exotic animal ordinance exemption that will...