Tuesday morning update

davemorris — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:15:49 +0000

Oklahoma Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jeffery Gofton is resigning. State Health Department commissioner Dr. Mike Crutcher confirms Gofton has sent his resignation by e-mail to members of the board that oversees the medical examiner’s office.

Filing period for Oklahoma is Monday through Wednesday this week. Yesterday, 185 candidates filed — 99 fewer than filed the first day of filing for the 2004 presidential election year.

General Motors is closing four truck and SUV plants in the U.S., Canada and Mexico as surging fuel prices hasten a dramatic shift to smaller vehicles. None in Oklahoma. The iconic Hummer brand may be discontinued.

Shuttle Discovery’s astronauts prepared for the first spacewalk of their mission Tuesday and the installation of Japan’s giant lab to the international space station.

A massive blaze that destroyed part of the back lot at Universal Studios was accidentally ignited by workers using a blowtorch on the roof of a movie set building facade.

Arizona State beat Texas A&M 3-0 last night in Game 1 of the Women’s College World Series. The best of 3 final continues tonight at Hall of Fame Stadium.

Today in OKC: Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 90s. Southerly winds 20 to 30 mph.

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Monday morning has been busy

davemorris — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:24:43 +0000

In BEIJING – A high-speed passenger train jumped its tracks and slammed into
another train in eastern China on Monday, killing at least 70 people and
injuring more than 400. Authorities were quoted as saying human error was to
blame.

A California wildfire near Los Angeles has forced about 1,000 from their
homes.

Turning to today’s front page,
abused and neglected children are taken from parents in Oklahoma County at a
rate more than double that of Tulsa County. This is a story by Randy Ellis
that you’ll only find in today’s Oklahoman and on NewsOK. Ellis reports the
monthly average number of foster care children in Oklahoma County was 2,261
last fiscal year, compared with 843 for Tulsa County. You can search through
the DHS Waivers Database on NewsOK.

The 2008 Festival of the Arts has completed its six-day run in downtown
Oklahoma City. It met organizers’ expectations by attracting about 750,000
visitors. The festival featured live performances by local bands, art
galleries featuring artists from across the nation, food booths and a
children’s area.

About 6,000 music fans crowded Norman’s Main Street for the Norman Music
Festival. Headliners included the Polyphonic Spree, British Sea Power and
the Chainsaw Kittens.

In Sports, Oklahoma had four players picked in this weekend’s NFL Draft.
Reggie Smith, Curtis Lofton, Malcolm Kelly and Allen Patrick were the only
Sooners drafted. For the first time since 2001, Oklahoma State did not have
a player drafted.

Your OKC forecast today, expect clear conditions with highs in the 70s.
Looking ahead this week, expect 70s for much of the week.

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Dave Morris » fire

Tuesday morning update

Monday morning has been busy