News

New rules for using pot are on the way

July 18, 2019

State officials are taking steps to make sure Oklahoma’s skyrocketing marijuana industry is conforming to recently passed legislation. “The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) has reinstituted a project management structure to ensure compliance and timely implementation of the changes,” said Tom Bates, Interim Commissioner of Health. That means creating rules, changes in technology and other…

Stitt moves to renegotiate the state’s casino gambling pact

July 18, 2019

Gov. Kevin Stitt wants to renegotiate the gambling compacts between the state and the tribal governments. The compacts expire January 1, 2020. Some tribal leaders don’t want any changes and claim that if they don’t like Stitt’s changes, the pact will automatically continue for another 15 years under the same terms. Attorneys for the state…

Stitt restricts external lobbyist deals

July 18, 2019

With an executive order, Gov. Kevin Stitt, R-Tulsa, is making permanent the restriction on state agencies entering into contracts with external lobbyists. “When taking office, I uncovered that several state agencies were collectively spending more than $1 million annually on contract lobbyists to advocate for their own special interests to the Legislature and the executive…

Silver Dollar City named Top 5

July 18, 2019

BRANSON, Missouri – Silver Dollar City has been named as one of the Top 5 Amusement Parks in the country, according to the national USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. The 1880s-style theme park was chosen as a nominee by a panel of amusement and theme park experts consisting of USA Today editors, 10Best.com editors…

Ruling to stop robocalls to seniors

July 18, 2019

WASHINGTON, D,C. – Seniors may get robocall relief if a new Federal Communications Commission [FCC] ruling prompts phone companies to implement technologies that automatically block them. Dan Weber, an advocate for older Americans, says the ruling is a step in the right direction. The president of the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC] reports that…

Blinded Vets group meets in Tulsa

July 18, 2019

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Blinded Veteran’s Association’s 74th Annual Convention will be hosted at the Tulsa Marriot Southern Hills Hotel August 12-16. The annual event brings together the top leadership of the Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA) along with academics, industry leaders and government officials to discuss issues and challenges facing the disabled…

More meetings on Nov. 12 tax hike

July 18, 2019

Three more public meetings have been scheduled to sell the tax hike proposal by Mayor G.T. Bynum and the City Council. The tax increase, if passed, would run 6.5 years and cost taxpayers $639,000,000.00. The next three meetings all will begin at 6 p.m.. The dates and locations are as follows: July 25, Girl Scouts…

Preventing children from drowning

July 18, 2019

In effort to help prevent injury and drowning, the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) encourages the public to use caution and practice water safety. In Oklahoma, there were 296 drowning deaths reported from 2015-2018. Among adults, the most common places for drowning were natural bodies of water such as lakes, ponds, rivers, etc. One…

Frank Keating is named to the ICD Board of Directors

July 18, 2019

DEERFIELD BEACH, Florida – Former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating has joined the Board of Advisors for Insurance Care Direct (ICD), one of the nation’s largest health and life insurance agencies. Keating’s 30-year career in law enforcement and public service includes service as an FBI agent, U.S. Attorney and state prosecutor, and Oklahoma House and Senate…

Cash customers are going to pay more for the turnpikes

July 11, 2019

The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA) will enforce the third toll increase for the Driving Forward initiative on July 15. However, the planned increase only affects cash customers. Pikepass account holders rates will remain the same. The 2.5 percent increase will take effect on July 15. These toll increases were related to the Driving Forward Program,…