Tuesday energy update
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State lawmakers praise Bush’s move to lift ban on offshore drilling
- Oklahoma lawmakers praised the move by President Bush to lift the executive ban on offshore oil and gas drilling Monday, but the political stalemate over expanding domestic production showed no sign of ending.
- Money Magazine’s annual list of the 100 best places to live in the United States came out yesterday. norman ranked No. 6. Edmond, No. 52.
- Jack Money reports Quest Resource Corp. owns about 78,000 new acres in the Marcellus Shale natural gas field in the Appalachian Basin in West Virginia and Pennsylvania.
- And Don Mecoy reports more than 2,000 foreign investors may have been swindled of up to $45 million in a Ponzi scheme orchestrated by a Tulsa oil and gas company, plaintiffs alleged Monday in court documents filed in Tulsa County District Court.
- Today in OKC: another typical summer day. Highs around 90. Winds around 10 mph. Highs increase to the mid 90s later this week.
This Bud’s for… InBev
Anheuser-Busch, the maker of Budweiser and Bud Light, has agreed to a takeover by a giant Belgian brewer, a union that creates a global beer leader and brings to an end one of the most iconic names in American business. The deal, still is subject to shareholders’ and regulators’ approval, would create the world’s largest brewer and create the fourth-largest consumer product company worldwide.
Scrambling to bolster eroding investor confidence, the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department announced steps to brace slumping mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The plan, unveiled Sunday, is intended to signal the government is prepared to take all necessary steps to prevent the credit market troubles that erupted last year with losses from subprime mortgages from engulfing financial markets.
Oklahoma City native Bobby Murcer, a longtime New York Yankees player and broadcaster, passed away at Mercy Hospital Saturday at the age of 62. A five-time All Star outfielder and three-time Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, Murcer was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in December of 2006.
You can find a Bobby Murcer photo gallery and virtual guest book online at NewsOK. And columns from Jenni Carlson, Berry Tramel and John Rohde.
The Oklahoman and NewsOK also rank the 50 greatest baseball players from Oklahoma, tomorrow is baseball’s all-star game, at Yankee Stadium, no less.
Today in OKC: Mostly sunny. Highs about 90. Southeasterly winds about 10 mph.
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OKC’s NBA team staying in Northwest Division
The Oklahoman’s Darnell Mayberry reports Oklahoma City’s NBA team will
remain in the Northwest Division. Darnell says according to league sources,
the NBA will not realign any divisions or teams to accommodate the
relocation of the Sonics to Oklahoma City. Whenever the team lands in
Oklahoma, either next season or in 2010, it will continue in its current
division, which includes Utah, Portland, Minnesota and Denver.
Elsewhere, crude oil prices surged above $117, setting a new record high
today.
A strong aftershock shook Southern Illinois today, three days after a
magnitude 5.2 quake rattled the region.
The Festival of the Arts begins tomorrow in downtown Oklahoma City. You can
find a complete schedule at NewsOK, including the menu for the food court.
And speaking of the Festival of the Arts, let’s talk weather:
Today in OKC: Highs in the lower 80s. Southerly winds 10 to 15 mph. Tonight,
Twenty percent chance of thunderstorms, some become severe.
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Gas reaches new record
Here are a few headlines for this morning.
From The Oklahoman’s Jack Money: AAA puts the average price for gas in the Sooner State at about $3.31 a gallon. The old record was about $3.29 set nearly a year ago.
The Seattle SuperSonics’ Oklahoma-based owners will have a financial package deal from their home state when their request to move the team to Oklahoma City is taken up today during a meeting of NBA owners. NBA owners meeting in New York are scheduled to vote on whether to approve relocating the SuperSonics to Oklahoma City.
Residents across the Midwest were awakened by a 5.2 magnitude earthquake that rattled skyscrapers in Chicago’s Loop and homes in Cincinnati.
The U.S. Spring Canoe/Kayak Olympic Trials are today through Sunday at the Oklahoma River. Tickets are $10 for adults. Weather could be a factor on the trials. Temps today should be in the 60s with winds 20-30 mph. The remainder of the weekend looks better.
Bill Self staying in Kansas
A quick afternoon update…
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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