Latest Oklahoma Headlines

All the headlines from our Oklahoma Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Oklahoma Climatological Survey: 61 Twisters Hit the State in May

Jun 17 2019 // Of the two types of weather hazards — floods and tornadoes — that beset Oklahoma in May, flooding won out as the most widespread and damaging, according to the Oklahoma Climatological Survey (OCS).Still, at...

Oklahoma Workers’ Comp Commission to Hire External Consultant for Fee Schedule Review

Jun 14 2019 // The Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Commission (WCC) reports that as a result of the passage of legislative revisions to 2013 workers’ compensation reforms, it is required to review and update the schedule of...

At Oklahoma Trial, J&J Opioid-Sales Tactics Called a ‘Smart Strategy for Drug Dealer’

Jun 13 2019 // Johnson & Johnson used promotional gimmicks for its opioid painkillers that are similar to how criminal drug dealers try to boost sales, a pharmaceutical-industry critic told a judge hearing Oklahoma’s claim that...

U.S. Safety Board: Fatal Oklahoma Well Blast Shows Need for New Rules

Jun 13 2019 // An investigation into an explosion at an Oklahoma natural gas drilling rig that killed five workers last year faulted inadequate training and equipment and called for new regulations, the U.S. safety regulator said.The...

Oklahoma Judge Has Questions About $85M Opioid Settlement

Jun 12 2019 // An Oklahoma judge is declining to approve the state’s proposed $85 million settlement with an opioid maker until he’s assured it complies with a new law targeting such deals.The attorney general’s office...

Doctor in Oklahoma Trial Says J&J Pushed Opioids Even After Abuse Became Known

Jun 11 2019 // Oklahoma’s star witness told a state judge that Johnson & Johnson pressed doctors to prescribe its painkillers even as the potentially fatal addictive threat posed by the drugs became clear more than a decade...

Officials: Around 600 Tulsa, Oklahoma, Structures Swamped by Floodwaters

Jun 10 2019 // About 600 Tulsa County homes and business were inundated during last week’s historic flooding along the swollen Arkansas River, city officials said.Joe Kralicek, executive director of the Tulsa Area Emergency...

ISMIE Mutual OK’d Offer Medical Professional Liability Coverage in Texas

Jun 7 2019 // Medical professional liability insurer, ISMIE Mutual Insurance Co., has been approved as an admitted carrier in Texas.The company said Texas regulators have approved its rate and forms filing, so ISMIE is now able to offer...

Congress Gives Final OK to Stalled Disaster Aid, 4 Month Flood Insurance Extension

Jun 3 2019 // The U.S. Congress on Monday approved legislation providing $19.1 billion in emergency funding for disaster recovery efforts throughout the United States, including Puerto Rico, sending it to President Donald Trump to sign...

Flood Clean Up Begins in Oklahoma; Arkansas Awaits River Crest

Jun 3 2019 // Storm-weary residents in Oklahoma were gutting waterlogged homes Sunday as the Arkansas River continued its slow crest rolling hundreds of miles downstream, even as many kept a cautious eye on this week’s weather...

Oklahoma Heart Hospital Settles Whistleblower Suit for $2.8M

Jun 3 2019 // An Oklahoma hospital has agreed to a $2.8 million settlement in a whistleblower lawsuit in which a former nurse alleged the hospital made false Medicaid claims.Oklahoma Heart Hospital admitted no wrongdoing in paying out...

Oklahoma Lawmakers Pass Workers’ Comp Reform Legislation

Jun 3 2019 // The Oklahoma Senate has approved legislation that makes changes to Oklahoma’s workers’ compensation system that lawmakers say preserve and strengthen reforms adopted in 2013.An increase in benefits paid to...

Rains Ease but Risk of River Flooding in Central U.S. Still High

May 31 2019 // Rain-swollen rivers threatened more flooding on Thursday in Arkansas, Louisiana, Illinois and Oklahoma, as Tulsa’s mayor warned that the decades-old levee system in his city would be at risk even as waters receded...

Severe Weather Impacting Oklahoma’s Canola, Wheat Crops

May 30 2019 // Oklahoma’s canola and wheat harvests could be smaller and come later than expected due to recent severe weather, agriculture officials said.Josh Lofton, the state’s agriculture secretary and Mike Schulte,...

Flooding Persists as River Nears Crest in West Arkansas

May 30 2019 // The Arkansas River neared a historic crest on May 29 in Arkansas’ second-largest city, but officials said the levee system was “performing admirably” from the rush of water coming downstream from...

Father Testifies in J&J Opioid Marketing Trial on Death of His College Football Star Son

May 30 2019 // Austin Box was a home-grown football star at the University of Oklahoma in 2010 when back surgery to repair an injury got him started on powerful opioid painkillers that would end his life at 22, his father testified...

1 Dead After Tornadoes Leave Trail of Destruction Across Indiana, Ohio

May 29 2019 // A swarm of apparent tornadoes so tightly packed that one crossed the path carved by another tore across Indiana and Ohio overnight, smashing homes and blowing out windows. One person was killed and dozens were injured.The...

Oklahoma Says J&J ‘Deceitful’ Marketing Fed Opioid Epidemic; J&J Denies Wrongdoing

May 29 2019 // Johnson & Johnson’s greed for more sales of its addictive opioid painkillers helped create a deadly epidemic in Oklahoma that claimed thousands of lives, and the company should pay billions of dollars as...

Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Puts Hold on Policy Cancellations

May 28 2019 // Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready on May 24 issued a bulletin directing insurance companies to keep coverage in effect for storm victims for the next 30 days.The bulletin was issued following severe weather and...

Weekend Tornadoes Rake Oklahoma, Killing 2, Injuring 29

May 28 2019 // A tornado leveled a motel and tore through a mobile home park near Oklahoma City overnight, killing two people and injuring at least 29 others before a second twister raked a suburb of Tulsa more than 100 miles (160...