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Where the Seattle Supersonics will play basketball next year could be decided by 6 p.m. U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman is scheduled to release a ruling then on whether the Sonics must stay in Seattle two more seasons or be allowed to move to Oklahoma City. Stay with NewsOK for the very latest updates.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. announced Tuesday a joint venture in the Haynesville Shale natural gas field that will make the Oklahoma City-company more than $3 billion.

The tornado-ravaged town of Picher appointed a new mayor Tuesday. Tim Reeves inherits a town that at the beginning of his term is looking for ways to close down for good.

The Mayo Hotel in Tulsa, a once-proud landmark turned eyesore, is getting a long-awaited makeover that will result in 72 apartments and 100 hotel rooms being added to downtown.

In OKC today: Mostly sunny. High near 94. South-southwest winds 11 to 18 mph, gusting to 25 mph.

Darnell Mayberry dropped by the OPUBCO Studios to talk hoops. Darnell breaks down the Sonics' draft options. The NBA Draft is Thursday night...

Darnell Mayberry, Mike Sherman, Mike Koehler and I debated the NBA Finals series, Game 6 is tonight. Also, an update on the trial underway in Seattle.

Listen here to the NBA in OKC podcast.

Seattle's mayor said Monday he's hoping the Oklahoma City-based owners of the NBA team will sell the team if they're forced to honor the last two years of a lease at a city arena. Mayor Greg Nickels was the key witness in the first day of a trial that could determine whether the SuperSonics must play here for two more seasons or can move to Oklahoma City this year.

In Picher last night, Angry words over whether insurance proceeds should be deducted from federally funded buyout offers were exchanged Monday evening during a Tar Creek buyout trust meeting. Most residents voiced disapproval of the trust's position over the buyout protocol of residences destroyed in the May 10 tornado that destroyed 114 homes and caused severe damage to 30 others.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. announced a $178 million deal on Monday that will give it more access to the Haynesville Shale natural gas field in northwest Louisiana.

Thunderstorms will continue to develop and move across parts of Oklahoma this morning. Some of the stronger storms will contain hail, strong winds and heavy rain, according to the National Weather Service. Rain may cause flooding of low-lying or poorly-drained areas, especially where repeated thunderstorms occur. Today: Mostly cloudy. Highs in the mid-80s. Easterly winds about 10 mph. Fifty percent chance of thunderstorms.

If you missed it, Jenni Carlson has a good story about the five men who are leading the charge to keep the Sonics in Seattle.

The story breaks down each of the five men:

Gary Nickels, Seattle mayor
Richard Yarmuth, attorney for Howard Schultz
Brian Robinson, Save Our Sonics director
Slade Gorton, City of Seattle attorney
Howard Schultz, Starbucks chairman and CEO

The Oklahoman's Nolan Clay reports The NBA is complaining Seattle is "harassing” NBA Commissioner David Stern. The NBA wants a judge to block Seattle attorneys from questioning Stern. The attorneys are seeking testimony from Stern to gather evidence for a trial against the Seattle SuperSonics owners.

An Edmond police officer found the car belonging to an Edmond woman who has been missing since Wedneday. There was a body in the car, but police would not give any details. The car also was partially burned. The body was taken to the medical examiner's office for identification.

NBA front-office sources told ESPN.com on Thursday that former OU men's basketball coach Kelvin Sampson and the Milwaukee Bucks are discussing an assistant coach's role at the urging of new Bucks coach Scott Skiles.

Today could be a wet — and stormy — one in parts of Oklahoma. Your OKC forecast: mostly cloudy before turning mostly sunny in the afternoon. Highs in the mid-70s. Northwesterly winds 15 to 20 mph. Twenty percent chance of thunderstorms in the morning.

The Transportation Security Administration had to re-screen nearly 700 travelers Monday because of a security breach at Will Rogers World Airport. The security breach was caused when someone found what was thought to be a prohibited item in a restroom.

The Festival of the Arts opens today in downtown Oklahoma City. Here are the facts: the 42nd annual Arts Festival it opens daily at 11 am and runs through Sunday, featuring 144 artists and more than 300 performing artists.

Darnell Mayberry reports it you log onto SuperSonics.com, the official site of the team, you'll see the word Seattle is nowhere to be found inside the actual Web page. Team officials, however, said the Seattle references were omitted on Feb. 28, when the site was relaunched to introduce a new design.

Your OKC forecast: Partly cloudy. Highs in the upper 70s. Northeasterly winds about 10 mph. Twenty percent chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon.

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.