Latest Oklahoma Headlines
All the headlines from our Oklahoma Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Okla.-based Insurer Ordered to Pay $10.8M to Policyholder’s Mother
Feb 4 2008 // A federal jury has ordered an Oklahoma City-based insurance company to pay $10.8 million for improperly reducing the benefit owed to the mother of a policyholder who died. American Fidelity Assurance Co. said it was...
Okla.’s Share of Frankel Assets: $2.5M
Feb 4 2008 // Oklahoma will receive $2.5 million of the $72 million in Martin Frankel’s assets seized by the Internal Revenue Service and Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland. Frankel...
Unemployment in Okla. Climbs to 4.3 Percent in December
Feb 1 2008 // Oklahoma’s unemployment rate rose 0.1 percent in December to 4.3 percent, spurred by higher jobless claims in more than half of the state’s 77 counties, according to state officials. About 1.65 million people...
States Aim to Prevent Residential Fires by Requiring ‘Fire Safe’ Cigarettes
Jan 31 2008 // Movies – think Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart in “The Big Sleep” – often make cigarette smoking look glamorous. Of course, in reality, the practice is anything but. In addition to being a leading...
Bill Would Add Boating Under the Influence Violations to Driving Record
Jan 28 2008 // A bill introduced by Oklahoma state Senator Bill Brown would require a conviction of boating while under the influence (BUI) to be made part of an individual’s driving record. The aim of Senate Bill 1140 is to reduce...
Okla. Bill Would Put DUI, DWI on Licenses
Jan 27 2008 // Seeking to reduce drunk driving convictions and alcohol-related traffic fatalities Oklahoma State Rep. Scott Inman, D-Del City, has filed a measure aimed that would require previous DUI or DWI convictions to be noted on...
Okla. Lawmakers Return Donations Linked to Convicted Former Commissioner
Jan 27 2008 // Three Oklahoma state representatives, all Republicans, say they are returning campaign contributions given to them by the son of a man linked to convicted former state Insurance Commissioner Carroll Fisher. Reps. Jeff...
Okla. Bill Aims to Ban Texting, Cell Phone Use by Teens While Driving
Jan 25 2008 // Oklahoma House Democratic Leader Danny Morgan has filed legislation that would make it illegal for teenagers to use cell phones or text while driving. In announcing his bill, Morgan, D-Prague, said he believes the measure,...
Bills Filed in Okla. to Reduce Smoking, Protect Minors From Smoke
Jan 24 2008 // Oklahoma legislators seem to have smoking on their minds. Recently filed bills aimed at smoking issues would require the sales of “fire safe” cigarettes, require insurance companies to provide coverage for...
Three Okla. Lawmakers Return Donations Linked to Former Commissioner Scandal
Jan 18 2008 // Three Oklahoma state representatives, all Republicans, say they are returning campaign contributions given to them by the son of a man linked to convicted former state Insurance Commissioner Carroll Fisher. Reps. Jeff...
Okla. Bill Would Mandate DUI, DWI Convictions on Drivers’ Licenses
Jan 16 2008 // Oklahoma State Rep. Scott Inman, D-Del City, recently filed a measure aimed at reducing drunk driving convictions and alcohol-related traffic fatalities by requiring that previous DUI or DWI convictions be noted on...
Okla. Bill Would Require Cigarettes to Be ‘Fire Safe’
Jan 15 2008 // Oklahoma State Rep. Joe Dorman filed a measure for the upcoming legislative session that would make Oklahoma the 31st state to require cigarettes sold within the state to be so-called “fire-safe cigarettes,”...
Judge Cancels Former Okla. Commissioner’s Tax-Evasion Trial
Jan 14 2008 // A judge in Tulsa is calling off former Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Carroll Fisher’s tax-evasion trial that was to start Feb. 11. Associate District Judge Dana Kuehn says Fisher must have another preliminary...
Declarations
Jan 13 2008 // Very Bad News “America’s job-creators pay attention to the Judicial Hellholes report. This is very bad news for Oklahoma, and it is the latest in a long list of damaging publicity Gov. Henry created for our...
Brown & Brown Acquires Okla.-based Turner & Associates
Jan 3 2008 // Through a subsidiary, Brown & Brown Inc. has acquired Tecumseh, Okla.-based Turner & Associates Insurance Agency Inc., the companies announced. Turner & Associates, with annualized revenue of approximately...
Top Insurance Stories in 2007 in South Central
Dec 31 2007 // Weather, directly or indirectly, was a driving force in the insurance markets for the South Central states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas in 2007. With the exception of Arkansas, throughout the year the South...
Agritourism Grows in Okla.
Dec 28 2007 // Two of Oklahoma’s largest industries, agriculture and tourism, have combined to give local tourist destinations a new level of exposure. The Oklahoma Agritourism initiative, a partnership between the Oklahoma Tourism...
Country Star Toby Keith, Family Win Wrongful Death Suit in Okla.
Dec 27 2007 // An Oklahoma jury awarded country music star Toby Keith, his mother and his siblings $2.8 million in damages from the 2001 collision that killed Keith’s father. A jury returned the verdict against Elias Rodriguez and...
Dec 23 2007 // People The Louisiana Medical Mutual Insurance Co. named Thomas H. Grimstad, M.D., as its new president and chief executive officer. Grimstad will succeed John E. Lemoine, M.D., effective Jan.1, 2008. Since its founding in...
Ice Storms Across Plains, Midwest Ground Airliners, Turn Deadly
Dec 23 2007 // Ice storms slickened roads and sidewalks, grounded hundreds of flights, and cut power to tens of thousands beginning Dec. 9 as the storms swept across the Southern Plains to the Great Lakes. The wintry weather continued...
