The Oklahoman’s John Rohde has confirmed that Kansas basketball coach Bill Self will remain as the Jayhawks coach. Self met with Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins on Wednesday and again on Thursday to discuss Self’s contract and the coaching vacancy at Oklahoma State.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday he sees no chance that the number of U.S. troops in Iraq will drop to 100,000 by the end of the year.

American Airlines cancelled 900 flights today, bringing its total to more than 2,400 flights since Tuesday. Tens of thousands of customers were stranded and the airline said it will take several more days before operations are returned to normal.

Safety inspections have also grounded hundreds of United, Southwest and Delta flights in recent weeks. Alaska Airlines and Midwest Airlines canceled two dozen flights Thursday after grounding MD-80 planes for inspection.

Expect highs tomorrow in the 60s. Expect highs over the weekend to be in the 60s as well.

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Enough ranting, here are some quick headlines:

American Airlines canceled more than 900 flights Thursday to fix faulty wiring in hundreds of jets, marking the third straight day of mass groundings as company executives offered profuse apologies and travel vouchers to calm angry customers.

Drama in Norman yesterday as Malcolm Kelly prepared to impress NFL scouts. The Oklahoman’s Jake Trotter reports Kelly was upset after running a pedestrian 4.68 seconds in the 40-yard dash. He placed blame on the OU strength staff and accused them of failing to notify him they were changing surfaces.

NewsOK.tv’s Damon Fontenot filed two video reports from Pro Day in Norman yesterday:

- Running for your Life: With everything on the line, former Sooners receiver Malcolm Kelly posts sub-par numbers in Wednesday’s workout for NFL scouts.

- Malcontempt Malcolm: Former OU receiver Malcolm Kelly is disgusted with the conditions provided for his Pro Day workout.

Good stuff.

Yesterday also saw the latest round of a verbal battle between state Rep. Sally Kern and members of the gay community. PFLAG, a gay rights group released a 40-minute audio recording of a meeting between members of the group and Kern in hopes of shedding light on the content and context of that meeting. The group originally described the meeting as cordial. Kern later said she would not meet with them again.

In weather, more warnings and watches around the state today. Here’s what to expect: Partly cloudy. Highs about 70. Southwesterly winds 20 to 30 mph, gusting to 45 mph in the afternoon. Twenty percent chance of thunderstorms.

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A severe storm system is shoving its way through Oklahoma this afternoon, bringing high chances for flooding in a state that’s already drenched.
Damaging wind, hail and tornadoes are also a possibility today. The storm system isn’t expected to leave the state until Thursday evening.

American Airlines canceled more than 1,000 flights Wednesday, more than one-third of its schedule, as it spent a second straight day inspecting the wiring on some of its jets – the same issue that caused it to scrub hundreds of flights two weeks ago. The nation’s biggest airline had already canceled 460 flights on Tuesday, stranding thousands of travelers. Federal inspectors found problems with wiring work done two weeks ago, although the airline says passenger safety was never jeopardized.

Oklahoma freshman Blake Griffin announced Wednesday that he will return to OU for his sophomore season rather than make himself eligible for the NBA Draft.

Meanwhile, tormer Oklahoma wide receiver Malcolm Kelly didn’t have the pro day performance Wednesday that he wanted. And he’s putting some of the blame on OU. Kelly, who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.68 seconds, said he wasn’t told by the OU strength staff until this morning that the location of the pro day had been moved from Astroturf in the Mosier Center to field turf inside the Everest Indoor Training Center.

Ray Harper has resigned as Oklahoma City University’s basketball coach, after guiding the Stars to consecutive NAIA titles and three straight national championship games.

If big bucks are needed to fend off Oklahoma State and keep Bill Self as the Jayhawks’ basketball coach, wealthy Kansas donors seem ready to reach for their wallet.

That’s it for now. Stay with NewsOK for the latest news and information.

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