Latest Oklahoma Headlines
All the headlines from our Oklahoma Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Damages Mount from Fires Across Oklahoma
Mar 9 2009 // A fire burned down about two-thirds of a city block in Weleeta Okla., one of several that broke out across Oklahoma last week. No serious injuries have been reported. The fire, which is still under investigation, burned...
Declarations
Mar 9 2009 // Tools to Intervene “The Texas insurance companies remain well-capitalized. … There has been no bankruptcy filing by the parent company. In the event of any changes in the status of the parent company, our state...
States Gear Up for Stimulus Package
Mar 9 2009 // Impact on Insurance Industry May be Minimal, Experts Say The $787 billion stimulus package passed by Congress looms as the largest mountain on the country’s newly changed economic landscape. But despite hope that the...
Okla. Bill Broadens Liability Immunity for Volunteer Medical Professionals
Mar 6 2009 // Legislation to make it easier for health care professionals to volunteer their time has been passed by the Oklahoma House of Representatives and now heads to the Senate. House Bill 1481, by state Rep. Sally Kern, would...
City Fighting Workers’ Comp Claim of Oklahoma Firefighter
Mar 4 2009 // City officials in Edmond, Okla., are challenging court rulings in favor of a firefighter who claims his colon cancer is a work-related injury because of the smoke, hazardous materials and chemicals he was exposed to on the...
Legislation Seeking to Reduce Oklahoma’s Uninsured Passes House
Mar 4 2009 // A comprehensive plan to provide Oklahomans with increased access to affordable, quality health care and private insurance passed the state’s House of Representatives. House Bill 2026, by House Speaker Pro Tem Kris...
Oklahoma Democrats: GOP Is Protecting Insurance Companies
Mar 2 2009 // Oklahoma Senate Democrats are charging that Republicans are taking the side of insurance companies over the needs of their constituents. Democratic leaders held a news conference Feb. 26 to decry decisions by GOP leaders...
Poultry Litter Fight – Oklahoma Wells Test Positive for E. Coli
Feb 27 2009 // Fifty-nine of 74 private water wells in Locust Grove, Okla., have tested positive for total coliform bacteria, a group of bacteria that indicate environmental pollution. Additionally, 17 of those 59 wells tested positive...
Comprehensive Tort Reform Measure Moves to Oklahoma House
Feb 25 2009 // A comprehensive lawsuit reform package seeking to reduce the number of frivolous lawsuits in Oklahoma passed House Committee and now moves to the full House of Representatives. The legislation includes a full slate of...
Oklahoma Bill Would Strengthen Penalties Against Unlicensed Drivers
Feb 24 2009 // Oklahoma Senate Bill 1170, by State Sen. Debbe Leftwich, which increases the penalty for a person who causes the injury or death of a person while driving with a license that has been suspended, revoked, canceled or...
One Quarter of Oklahoma Bridges Structurally Deficient
Feb 24 2009 // In 2004, a football-sized piece of concrete fell from a bridge and crashed through Yvonna Osborn’s windshield while she was driving home on Interstate 35 in Oklahoma. The 52-year-old Irving, Texas, mother of two died...
Disasters Put Oklahoma $21M in Debt
Feb 23 2009 // From ice storms to tornadoes, from floods to wildfires, Oklahoma has amassed $21 million in disaster debt the past two years while enduring a record number of deadly catastrophes that have destroyed roads, bridges and...
Oklahoma Boating Under the Influence Measure Goes to Full Senate
Feb 20 2009 // The Oklahoma Senate Appropriations Committee has approved legislation that would lower the legal blood alcohol concentration limit for the offense of boating under the influence from 0.10 percent to 0.08 percent. Senate...
Okla. Bill Requiring Senate to OK Work Comp Judges Moves Ahead
Feb 20 2009 // A resolution calling for a vote of the people to determine if gubernatorial Workers’ Compensation Court appointments in Oklahoma should require Senate confirmation passed a House Committee, the state House of...
55 Wells Around Northeast Oklahoma Town to Be Tested for E. Coli
Feb 19 2009 // The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality said it is testing 55 private water wells within a five-mile radius of the northeastern Oklahoma town of Locust Grove to ensure the safety of drinking water in the area. The...
Attorney Contingency Fee Cap Bill Passes Oklahoma House
Feb 19 2009 // Oklahomans would be able to vote to reduce the cap on plaintiff attorney contingency fees, allowing the injured party to retain more of their award, if legislation approved by the House of Representatives is placed on the...
Post-Tornado Emergency Ruling Aims to Bring Adjusters to Oklahoma
Feb 17 2009 // Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland declared a state of emergency following the recent deadly tornadoes and severe weather in her state. The declaration enables emergency claims adjusters to be licensed temporarily...
Merchants Insurance Group’s New E&S Subsidiary OK’d in 10 States
Feb 13 2009 // Buffalo, N.Y.-based Merchants National Insurance Company, a wholly-owned excess and surplus lines subsidiary of Merchants Insurance Group, began accepting new business on Feb. 1, 2009. The company reported as of that date...
Oklahoma Town Surveying Damage After Twisters Kill 8
Feb 12 2009 // Insurers such as Zurich and Farmers have announced they are sending catastrophe response teams to Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, areas pummeled by severe weather earlier this week. Especially hard hit by a cluster of...
Former Oklahoma Commissioner Pleads No Contest to Bribe Charges
Feb 11 2009 // Former Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Carroll Fisher has pleaded no contest to accepting bribes and has been ordered to spend six months in a private lock down facility, where he will be eligible for a work release...
