Latest Oklahoma Headlines
All the headlines from our Oklahoma Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Oklahoma’s CompSource Mutual Insurance Assigned ‘A’ Rating by AM Best
Dec 11 2020 // AM Best has assigned a Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and a Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a” to CompSource Mutual Insurance Co. (CompSource Mutual), based in Oklahoma City. The outlook assigned...
Oklahoma Seeking to Make J&J Pay $9.3B to End Opioid Crisis in State
Dec 10 2020 // Oklahoma has asked the state Supreme Court to order Johnson & Johnson to pay more than $9.3 billion to cover the entire anticipated cost of combatting the state’s opioid crisis, arguing in its appeal that a lower...
Appeals Court OK’s Suit Over Mississippi School Funding Disparities
Dec 10 2020 // A federal appeals court has affirmed that Mississippi parents may pursue a lawsuit that says the state allows grave disparities in funding between predominantly Black and predominantly white schools. The 5th U.S. Circuit...
Quinn to Chair Oklahoma Senate Insurance Committee
Dec 8 2020 // Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat, a Republican, has appointed Senator Marty Quinn, R-Claremore, chair of the Senate Retirement and Insurance Committee. Other Republican members appointed to the committee...
Sentry’s Insurance Business Transfer Plan OK’d to Advance in Oklahoma
Dec 3 2020 // Wisconsin-based Sentry Insurance (Sentry) has gained approval from the Oklahoma Insurance Department to submit its Insurance Business Transfer (IBT) Plan to the District Court of Oklahoma County. This is the second IBT...
China Renews OK of Oceanwide’s Stalled $2.7 Billion Purchase of Genworth
Dec 2 2020 // U.S.-based Genworth Financial Inc. reported that Chinese officials have renewed their approval of China Oceanwide Holdings Group’s acquisition of Genworth’s Delaware-domiciled insurer, allowing the deal to...
$17M Award for Woman Injured at Walmart OK’d by W. Virginia High Court
Nov 30 2020 // The West Virginia Supreme Court has affirmed a jury verdict of nearly $17 million for a woman who was injured when Walmart staffers tried to detain a shoplifter. The court rejected the retail giant’s appeal on Nov....
COVID-19 Vaccines Could Be Sent to States Within 24 Hours of FDA’s OK: Official
Nov 25 2020 // The first Americans could receive a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as Dec. 11, the chief scientific adviser for the U.S. government’s vaccine program said on Sunday. “Within 24 hours from the approval, the vaccine...
Antidiscrimination Rules for Businesses OK’d by Georgia County Commissioners
Nov 23 2020 // A middle Georgia county has approved an anti-discrimination ordinance that would govern businesses, despite opposition from some. Macon-Bibb commissioners voted 5-4 in favor of the proposal on Tuesday, sending it to Mayor...
Oklahoma Places New Restrictions on Bars, Restaurants Amid Virus Surge
Nov 17 2020 // Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has announced new restrictions on bars and restaurants and plans to require mask wearing inside state buildings, the first state restrictions imposed since the economy reopened in May, as...
Oklahoma Ice Storm Damage Up to $27M; Disaster Declaration Requested
Nov 16 2020 // Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has requested a federal major disaster declaration from last month’s ice storm that caused an estimated $27 million in damages in 13 central Oklahoma counties. Stitt said in a press release...
Johnson Controls, Manpower to Pay $40K in Oklahoma Harassment/Retaliation Suit
Nov 10 2020 // Johnson Controls Inc. (JCI) and ManpowerGroup US Inc. (Manpower) have agreed to settle a federal lawsuit charging the companies with sexual harassment and retaliation against a worker at a JCI plant in Norman,...
5 more Louisiana Parishes OK’d for Federal Disaster Assistance
Nov 10 2020 // The federal government has approved Louisiana’s request for FEMA individual assistance for five more parishes that were affected by Hurricane Delta, the governor’s office announced. The parishes are Beauregard,...
Voters OK’d Local Measures to Fight Climate Change
Nov 5 2020 // Local governments are increasingly taking it upon themselves to address climate change. Denver voters on election day passed Measure 2A, which would raise city sales tax by 0.25% starting in January with the goal of...
Amini, General Counsel of Oklahoma Insurance Department to Retire
Nov 5 2020 // Gordon Amini, general counsel of the Oklahoma Insurance Department, will retire at the end of the year. During his 43-year career as corporate legal and regulatory counsel, Amini was a member of the Oklahoma Bar...
Business Moves
Nov 2 2020 // National AmWINS, CRC, Heffernan Wholesaler insurance brokers AmWINS and CRC, along with independent agency Heffernan Insurance Brokers, are the charter members of a new alliance to accelerate technology improvements in the...
Oklahoma Governor Declares State of Emergency in 47 Counties Due to Ice Storm
Oct 30 2020 // More than 350,000 homes and businesses in Oklahoma were without electricity on Oct. 28 as cleanup continued from an ice storm that ravaged much of the state. By midmorning on Oct. 28, more than 356,000 homes and businesses...
Tyson Gets OK to Use Employees, Technology for Safety Inspections at Meat Plant
Oct 28 2020 // Tyson Foods said on Tuesday it plans in January to have company employees take on duties from more than a dozen federal inspectors at a large Kansas beef plant, after getting a U.S. government waiver. Tyson said the change...
3.2-Magnitude Quake Shakes Area on Oklahoma-Kansas Border
Oct 26 2020 // A magnitude 3.2 earthquake shook an area on the Kansas-Oklahoma line on Oct. 22, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The tremor struck at 8:17 p.m. and was centered in a remote area 22 miles (35 kilometers) northwest of...
Self-Driving’s Latest Turn: GM’s Cruise Seeks OK for Cars Without Steering Wheel, Pedals
Oct 22 2020 // Self-driving car maker Cruise said on Wednesday it and majority shareholder General Motors Co. would seek U.S. regulatory approval in coming months to deploy a limited number of Cruise Origin vehicles without steering...