Latest Oklahoma Headlines

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

Death in the Oilfields: Boom Brings Mounting Risk of Death, Injuries

Dec 28 2018 // Parker Waldridge had worked in the Oklahoma oilfields since he was 16 and acquired the traits that make a good driller: fortitude, intellect and a healthy respect for the power of a runaway gas well.And so, when...

Oklahoma Quickly Becoming a Hotbed for Medical Marijuana

Dec 27 2018 // The rollout of statewide medical and recreational marijuana programs typically is a grindingly slow process that can take years. Not so in Oklahoma, which moved with lightning speed once voters approved medical cannabis in...

Oklahoma’s New License Plate Scanners Flag Uninsured 2,100 Vehicles

Dec 27 2018 // A new program in Oklahoma that uses automatic license plate scanning technology to search for uninsured vehicles has identified about 2,100 possible violators in its first weeks of deployment.The program, which is the...

Oklahoma Seeking Federal Disaster Aid Due to Nov. 3 Storms

Dec 19 2018 // Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin and the Cherokee Nation are asking the U.S. Small Business Administration for a disaster declaration to residents of Cherokee County affected by tornadoes, severe storms and strong winds on Nov....

Feds Investigating Southeast Oklahoma Union Pacific Derailment

Dec 19 2018 // Federal and state agencies are investigating the cause of a train derailment in southeastern Oklahoma.Authorities say 16 railroad cars and a locomotive of a Union Pacific freight train derailed about 6:30 a.m. Sunday in a...

Oklahoma County to Pay $175K to Settle Discrimination Lawsuit

Dec 19 2018 // Oklahoma County has agreed to pay $175,000 to a former county employee who filed a lawsuit alleging that she faced age and racial discrimination and was treated like a “black slave on display at a plantation.”A...

People

Dec 17 2018 // Reliance Partners, which specializes in commercial insurance, added Brandon Richards as chief sales officer and opened a new office in Austin, Texas.Richards is a veteran insurance professional with more than 17 years in...

Lawsuit: Drilling Company Knew Oklahoma Rig Was Unsafe Before Explosion

Dec 13 2018 // Drilling company officials ignored multiple warnings that safety equipment at an Oklahoma gas well was malfunctioning before an explosion that killed five workers and badly injured another, the family of one of the dead...

Rules for Marijuana Edibles Approved by Oklahoma Health Board

Dec 13 2018 // Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin will soon consider food safety rules on marijuana edibles, which advocates say should help bring clarity to the cannabis-infused food market.The Oklahoman reports that the Oklahoma Board of Health...

Spicer Joins Oklahoma Agents Group as Workers’ Comp Program Account Manager

Dec 13 2018 // Nikki Spicer has joined the Independent Insurance Agents of Oklahoma (IIAO) as the association’s new workers’ compensation program account manager. She will be working alongside Susan Starr and is replacing...

Senate OK of Farm Bill Sends It to President Trump Who Is Expected to Sign It

Dec 12 2018 // The House cleared farm legislation that renews agricultural subsidies and food aid for low-income families without a controversial provision backed by conservatives and President Donald Trump that would have toughened work...

Arkansas, Oklahoma Still Recovering From Last Week’s Tornadoes

Dec 7 2018 // Oklahoma and Arkansas continue recovery efforts following a series of tornadoes that ripped through the region last week.An EF2 tornado in Oklahoma’s Lake Tenkiller area destroyed homes, boat docks and buildings....

Utah Lawmakers OK Medical Marijuana Changes Despite Concerns

Dec 5 2018 // Lawmakers in conservative Utah havev passed sweeping changes to a new voter-approved medical-marijuana ballot measure under a planned compromise that secured the support of the influential Mormon church but sparked a...

3 Oil Companies Settle in Class-Action Suit over Oklahoma Earthquakes

Dec 4 2018 // Three oil companies have reached a settlement with plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit over damaging earthquakes in central Oklahoma.The companies — Spess Oil Co., Equal Energy US Inc. and Fairfield Oil and Gas Corp....

Oklahoma Ruling Could Set Precedent for Marijuana Use in Work Comp Cases

Dec 3 2018 // A recent Oklahoma court ruling that permits an injured worker to receive workers’ compensation benefits with a positive drug test could set a precedent for such cases at a time when medical marijuana may soon be...

VW Investors’ $48M Diesel Settlement Receives Preliminary OK

Dec 3 2018 // A U.S. judge in California has granted preliminary approval to a $48 million settlement for investors who said Volkswagen AG made false and misleading statements over its excess diesel emissions.Lawyers for the investors,...

Laughlin Named Chief of Staff for Okla. Insurance Commissioner-Elect Mulready

Nov 29 2018 // Insurance Commissioner-Elect Glen Mulready has tapped Oklahoma native and longtime conservative adviser, Tyler Laughlin, as chief of staff and first deputy insurance commissioner. Laughlin, currently a deputy commissioner...

Kreiter Named Deputy General Counsel at Oklahoma Insurance Department

Nov 19 2018 // Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak has appointed Ron Kreiter as deputy general counsel at the Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID). Kreiter previously worked at the OID from 1980-1987 as an assistant commissioner...

Universal Insurance Adds Anderson in Oklahoma

Nov 15 2018 // Carol Anderson has joined Universal Insurance, a subsidiary of First United Bank, as an employee benefits insurance advisor in Sapulpa, Oklahoma.Operating out of First United Bank in Sapulpa, Anderson will be partnering...

Health Insurer Aetna Faces $25M Verdict in Oklahoma Coverage Case

Nov 9 2018 // A jury has ordered Aetna to pay more than $25 million to the family of an Oklahoma City woman who died a year after the insurance company refused to cover a type of radiation therapy.Jurors found that Aetna doctors...