on January 13, 2008M at 12:55 am
Sometimes it’s easy to miss an event, so here’s a look back at the past week or so to help bring you up to date.
Oklahomans will be given an opportunity to vote for designs on the state’s first new general-issue license plate in 15 years. Preliminary designs include the Capitol dome’s “The Guardian” statue, Will Rogers and Buffalo Bill.
Howling winds, pelting rain and heavy snow pummeled California, toppling trees, flipping big rigs, cutting power to more than a million people and forcing evacuations in mudslide-prone areas.
Although Oklahoma City is waiving the fee charged for burn permits — as much as $85 — until March 2, those seeking to get rid of ice storm debris by fire will still have to obtain a burn permit from the fire department and follow all of the other safety rules involved.
Advancements in technology have made it possible for police to issue traffic tickets with a handheld computer, import data from a driver’s license, take photos of the driver and car, file the ticket with the local court system and get officers back on the street in record time. Tulsa will launch its system in June, with Oklahoma City following in the fall.
A New Jersey company, Community Education Centers Inc., is considering locating a 500-bed private prison in Lindsay, if a large enough parcel of land can be located and purchased.
The second annual Staples National Small-Business Survey indicates 51 percent of small-business professionals say their work life has become a part of their dreams, and nearly 70 percent of them have put their “work dreams” into action after awakening.
The state kicked off a $1.5 million anti-tobacco advertising campaign, “Tobacco stops with me,” as the beginning of a three-year effort to reduce the use of tobacco in Oklahoma.
A reward of $10,000 has been offered by Rice University in Houston for information leading to the discovery of Matthew Wilson of Haworth, who was reported missing Dec. 14.
New trends popping up to keep the excitement in maintaining fitness include such things as sword-fighting, a blend of yoga and cycling, and training in how to walk around in four-inch stiletto heels.
The Oklahoma City School District suspended Superintendent John Porter. An investigative report by former U.S. Attorney Robert McCampbell contained 21 allegations, including 16 pertaining to misuse of taxpayer funds and five for personal misconduct. Oklahoma City School Board Chairman Cliff Hudson offered to resign if suspended district Superintendent John Porter would do the same. Hudson said his offer was for the good of the city school system. Porter said, “I’m not resigning.” Porter asked his backers to call their elected officials to show their support for him.
A Shawnee woman undergoing treatment for second- and third-degree burns over 30 percent of her body died at Integris Baptist Medical Center. Max Knowlton, 35, also of Shawnee, is accused of setting his mother, Kathryn Knowlton, 56, on fire. He was being held in the Pottawatomie County jail.
Members of a bipartisan panel met on the University of Oklahoma campus and told presidential candidates that America is on the brink of decline and they must end political bickering and unify to solve the nation’s problems. More than 1,000 people attended the event, which lasted about an hour and was organized by OU President David Boren and former Georgia Sen. Sam Nunn.
Gov. Brad Henry led an Oklahoma delegation at the U.S. Mint in Denver, where the first Oklahoma-theme quarters were struck. Between 300 million and 500 million coins will be made, with circulation beginning Jan. 28.
About 3.1 million people ages 12 to 25 have used cough and cold medicine to get high — a number comparable, the government reported, to use of LSD and greater than that of methamphetamines among the same age group.
Nine American soldiers were killed in the first two days of Operation Phantom Phoenix, a new offensive to root out insurgents holed up in districts north of Baghdad, the U.S. military reported. The toll marked some of the deadliest days for U.S. forces in Iraq since last fall.
American planes also carried out one of the most intense air strikes of the Iraq war when they dropped 40,000 pounds of explosives on suspected al-Qaida havens south of Baghdad.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton powered to victory in New Hampshire’s Democratic primary, defeating Sen. Barack Obama and resurrecting her bid for the White House. Sen. John McCain defeated his Republican rivals to move back into contention for the GOP nomination.
Officials canceled the 65th Annual Golden Globe Awards presentation, a casualty of the ongoing entertainment writers’ strike.
Love County voters approved a measure allowing the sale of liquor by the drink, leaving only Garvin County the only county on Interstate 35 that doesn’t sell alcohol at licensed restaurants’ bars.
The state Transportation Department reported that December’s icy weather did not delay work on the $34 million interchange reconstruction project at N 36 and Interstate 235. The work is ahead of schedule and is still expected to be finished between this coming fall and winter.
University of Oklahoma College of Public Health dean Gary Raskob said dieters can benefit greatly by losing just 5 percent of their weight, and recommends setting realistic goals for the new year.
Kanye West’s mother, a former resident of Oklahoma City, most likely died of heart disease coupled with complications after surgery, but the exact cause of death can’t be known, officials said.
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