Latest Oklahoma Headlines

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

Study Finds Oklahoma’s Earthquakes Strongly Linked to Wastewater Injection Depth

Feb 2 2018 // A huge increase in the number of man-made earthquakes in Oklahoma, is strongly linked to the depth at which wastewater from the oil and gas industry is injected into the ground, according to a new study involving the...

Fire Threat Leaves more than Half of Oklahoma Under Burn Ban

Feb 1 2018 // More than half of Oklahoma is now under a burn ban because of the threat of wildfires.Gov. Mary Fallin on Tuesday issued burn bans until Feb. 16 for 40 of the state’s 77 counties, including those in the Oklahoma...

Winter Wildfires Scorch Western Oklahoma

Jan 30 2018 // Firefighters say wildfires have scorched hundreds of acres in western Oklahoma, damaging fences and equipment but causing no injuries.Capt. Forrest Valentine of the Clinton Fire Department said Sunday firefighters battled...

Driller in Oklahoma Oil Well Explosion Has History of Fatal Accidents

Jan 25 2018 // Ten workers have died over the past decade at well sites linked to drilling contractor Patterson-UTI, the same driller involved in this week’s rig explosion in Oklahoma that killed five workers, federal records...

Oklahoma’s High Court: Oil Company Can Be Sued After Worker Injury or Death

Jan 24 2018 // The Oklahoma Supreme Court has ruled that oil and natural gas companies can be sued when a worker is killed or injured on the job.The state’s highest court struck down a state workers’ compensation law that...

Oklahoma City Agencies, Universal Insurance and Ledbetter, Merge

Jan 24 2018 // Universal Insurance Agency, a First United company, has merged with Ledbetter Insurance Agency LLC. Both companies are located in Oklahoma City.According to the joint announcement from the firms, the merger creates one of...

Five Bodies Recovered After Oklahoma Oil Well Explodes

Jan 24 2018 // The bodies of five people killed in an Oklahoma oil well explosion were recovered on Tuesday afternoon in a building adjacent to the drilling site outside of Quinton, Oklahoma, Pittsburg County Sheriff Chris Morris said at...

Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Tapped to Chair Antifraud Task Force

Jan 24 2018 // Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak has been named chair of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ (NAIC) Antifraud (D) Task Force. He also was named to the International Insurance Relations...

Employees Missing After Oklahoma Drilling Rig Fire

Jan 22 2018 // Drilling contractor Patterson-UTI said some of its employees were missing on Monday after a fire at one of its drilling rigs in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma. The company said it had activated its emergency response systems...

Lawmaker Sues Oklahoma Private Investigation Firm in Spying Case

Jan 22 2018 // An Oklahoma lawmaker who found a tracking device attached to his pickup truck last month is suing a private investigation company and an investigator who works for the company over the device.Discovery of the tracking...

Oklahoma Says Farmowners Insurance Program Insurer, Rockingham, not Licensed

Jan 22 2018 // The Oklahoma Insurance Department says a farmowners insurance program being advertised in Oklahoma is not valid because the insurer, Rockingham Casualty Co., is not licensed to operate in the state.In early January,...

Business Moves

Jan 22 2018 // Ryan Specialty Group LLC, Kerwick & Curran Inc.Ryan Specialty Group LLC has reached a definitive agreement to acquire the assets and operations of Kerwick & Curran Inc. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed....

Drone Owners Warned Against Use near Oklahoma Air Force Base

Jan 19 2018 // Officials at a northern Oklahoma air force base are asking the public to keep recreational drones away from aircraft after a near collision on a training flight.Lt. Col. Eric Schmidt works at Vance Air Force Base. He told...

Oklahoma Says Farmowners Insurance Program Insurer, Rockingham, Not Licensed

Jan 16 2018 // The Oklahoma Insurance Department says a farmowners insurance program being advertised in Oklahoma is not valid because the insurer, Rockingham Casualty Company, is not licensed to operate in the state.In early January,...

GM Seeks OK for Self-Driving Commercial Vehicle Without Steering Wheel for 2019

Jan 12 2018 // General Motors Co. is seeking U.S. government approval for a fully autonomous car – one without a steering wheel, brake pedal or accelerator pedal – to enter the automaker’s first commercial ride-sharing...

Limestone Panels Fall 22 Floors Oklahoma City Street; Cars Damaged

Jan 10 2018 // Engineers are investigating why five limestone panels that had been attached to the building being renovated in downtown Oklahoma City came loose and fell 22 floors to the street below.No one was injured when the panels...

Ex-Employee of Oklahoma Nonprofit Ordered to Pay $3M in Embezzlement Scheme

Jan 9 2018 // A former accountant for the Oklahoma Beef Council has been sentenced for embezzling nearly $2.7 million from the nonprofit.Melissa Day Morton, 46, was ordered to pay $3 million in restitution, The Oklahoman reported. The...

People

Jan 8 2018 // Oklahoma City-based independent insurance agency, INSURICA, has named Mark Bridges to lead its Texas operations as regional president.Bridges is currently the president of INSURICA DFB Insurance Services Inc. (formerly DFB...

Oklahoma Workers’ Comp Commission Aims for Clarity with Organizational Changes

Jan 8 2018 // The Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Commission (WCC) has updated its organizational chart and changed the names of an internal division and a working group. The commission reported that the changes reflect an effort...

Rockingham Group, FarmAssure Launch Oklahoma Farmowners Insurance Program

Jan 5 2018 // The Rockingham Group has partnered with Edmond, Oklahoma-based FarmAssure LLC to offer a Farmowners Insurance Program in Oklahoma. This partnership will offer farm, ranch, and country home insurance in the state.FarmAssure...