Latest Oklahoma Headlines
All the headlines from our Oklahoma Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Oklahoma State Lawmaker Wants Study on Arkansas River Flooding
Jul 8 2019 // Oklahoma State Rep. Lonnie Sims (R-Jenks) a before and after study of the recent catastrophic flooding that occurred in his state. Sims serves District 68, which includes Creek and Tulsa Counties.He has requested an...
Oklahoma Oil Rig Count Down 27% Year Over Year
Jul 2 2019 // The number of working oil rigs in Oklahoma is down more than a quarter from this time last year, amid a nationwide decrease. Oilfield services firm Baker Hughes reported 102 rigs operating in the state on June 28. The...
US Government Wants Some of Oklahoma’s $270M Purdue Pharma Settlement Money
Jul 1 2019 // The U.S. government wants a portion of Oklahoma’s $270 million settlement with Purdue Pharma that stemmed from the state’s ongoing lawsuit against opioid makers. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid...
Data: Oklahoma Highway Patrol Writing Fewer Tickets, Warnings
Jul 1 2019 // The number of tickets written by Oklahoma Highway Patrol officers is continuing to fall after the agency lifted a cost-saving measure that capped how many miles troopers can drive each shift, according to state ticket...
Opioid Lawsuits Unlikely to Top Tobacco Settlements
Jun 25 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...
Oklahoma Judge Approves Revised $85M Opioid Settlement With Teva
Jun 25 2019 // An Oklahoma judge has approved a revised $85 million settlement with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. resolving claims by the state’s attorney general that the drugmaker helped fuel the U.S. opioid epidemic. The...
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...
