Latest Oklahoma Headlines
All the headlines from our Oklahoma Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Oklahoma Workers’ Comp Commissioner Resigns; New Appointees Named
Apr 1 2015 // Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin has accepted the resignation of Troy Wilson Sr., the first chairman of the Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Commission. His resignation is effective May 31. The governor named Dr. LeRoy Young,...
Number of Deaths From Oklahoma Tornadoes, Storms Rises to 4
Apr 1 2015 // The death toll from tornadoes and strong storms last week in Oklahoma has risen to four people. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner had earlier said that one person died when the severe weather struck a mobile home...
More Counties Added to Oklahoma Earthquake Watch List
Mar 30 2015 // Oklahoma officials are expanding the number of counties that are included in earthquake “areas of interest,” and asking nearly 100 companies to prove their oil and gas waste-water disposal wells are not too...
Oklahoma Commissioner: Severe Weather Damaged at Least 1,100 Insured Homes
Mar 26 2015 // Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak announced that more than 1,100 homeowners insurance claims have already been filed following severe weather that marched across the state on Wednesday, March...
Storms Sweep Through Oklahoma with Tornadoes, Hail
Mar 26 2015 // Oklahoma Attorney General Pruitt announced that Oklahoma’s Emergency Price Stabilization Act is now in effect for 25 Oklahoma counties after Gov. Mary Fallin declared a state of emergency due to tornadoes, severe...
Retooled Medical Marijuana Bill Gets OK from Georgia Senate
Mar 26 2015 // After two rancorous years of squabbling, confusion and heated debate, Georgia appears on the verge of having a medical marijuana law after the state Senate passed a sweeping bill Tuesday that would allow cannabis oil to be...
Arkansas, Oklahoma, Warned of Hail, High Wind-Packing Storms
Mar 25 2015 // While there has been a curious lack of tornadoes throughout the country’s midsection, that may soon change, according to federal weather forecasters. A cold front approaching Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri is...
Second Injury Funds: Are They Still Necessary or Just a Drain On the System?
Mar 25 2015 // Second (or subsequent) injury funds (SIFs) have been abolished in 20 states. Alabama and Maine began this movement in 1992, with South Carolina being the most recent convert; each ending its respective program in 2013....
Suits over Texas Softball Team’s Fatal Crash Settled or Dismissed
Mar 23 2015 // Though final report on an Oklahoma bus crash that killed four North Central Texas College softball players is still pending, three lawsuits have been dismissed or settled, though the reasons and terms have not been...
Feds to Release New Earthquake Hazard Map for Oklahoma
Mar 23 2015 // The U.S. Geological Survey is expected to release a new hazard map for earthquakes in Oklahoma. The Oklahoman reports that data collection has continued with the help of the Oklahoma Geological Survey after the state...
Tennessee Weighs Workers’ Compensation ‘Option’ Legislation
Mar 23 2015 // Tennessee may soon have its own alternative workers’ compensation insurance through new legislation by Republican lawmakers known as the Tennessee Employee Injury Benefit Alternative. State Sen. Mark Green and Rep....
Parents Settle with Liquor Store in Oklahoma Teen Drunk Driving Case
Mar 23 2015 // Parents of a 17-year-old Oklahoman who was killed in a traffic accident in 2012 have been awarded $1.5 million in a civil case settlement. The Oklahoman reports that Donna and Duane Kerns have settled with Woodshed Liquor...
Oklahoma Man Pleads Guilty to Workers’ Comp Charges
Mar 18 2015 // A Tulsa County man pleaded guilty to two felony counts of workers’ compensation fraud after charges were brought by Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt’s Workers’ Compensation, Social Security and...
Wildfire Spreads in Western Oklahoma, Homes Evacuated
Mar 18 2015 // Emergency personnel say about a dozen people have been evacuated from their homes because of wildfire that has burned 37 square miles in rural western Oklahoma. Woodward County emergency manager Matt Lehenbauer said on...
Oklahoma Contractor Charged with Defrauding Moore Tornado Victims
Mar 16 2015 // Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt has charged a Tulsa contractor with two felony counts of embezzlement for fraudulent business practices in rebuilding homes damaged by the May 2013 tornado. The AG’s office said...
Parents Awarded $1.5M in Oklahoma Teen Drunk Driving Case
Mar 16 2015 // Parents of a 17-year-old Oklahoman who was killed in a traffic accident in 2012 have been awarded $1.5 million in a civil case settlement. The Oklahoman reports that Donna and Duane Kerns have settled with Woodshed Liquor...
Transportation Network Company Insurance Bill Passes Oklahoma Senate
Mar 12 2015 // A bill addressing the insurance requirements of transportation network companies (TNCs), or rideshare organizations, and their drivers has passed the Oklahoma Senate by an overwhelming majority vote of 40-3. SB 436, the...
Anti-Texting-While-Driving Measure Clears Oklahoma Senate
Mar 12 2015 // A measure making it illegal to text and drive is now one step closer to becoming law in Oklahoma. Senate Bill 821, authored by the Senate Public Safety Committee, would make it illegal to operate a motor vehicle while...
Oklahoma Treasurer: Insurance Bills ‘Shameful’
Mar 9 2015 // State Treasurer Ken Miller says two bills that would keep his office from linking Oklahoma residents with rightful life insurance proceeds are “shameful” and vowed to sue the state if one of the measures...
More than 2.5K Oklahoma Agents Take Earthquake Coverage Class
Mar 9 2015 // With earthquake swarms steadily increasing in Oklahoma, the state insurance department reports that more than 2,500 Oklahoma insurance professionals have completed a one-hour continuing education course on earthquake...
