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.
A Justice Department report was highly critical of the Oklahoma County jail, describing it as a chaotic and largely unsupervised den of violence, abuse and medical neglect. Sheriff John Whetsel said the report was a year old and many of the concerns had been addressed. At least 44 inmates have died in the jail since 2000. Jack Herron, a former associate warden at a federal prison, has been named to take over as jail administrator.
The 2008 Olympics opened in Beijing at 8 p.m. on 08-08-2008.
Democrat Barack Obama put forward an energy plan designed to end U.S. reliance on foreign oil within 10 years. Republican John McCain underscored his support for nuclear power. An Associated Press-Ipsos poll says Obama leads McCain by 6 points, 47 to 41 percent.
The U.S. government owes $455.6 million to Indians suing over decades of mismanagement of their trust funds. Judge James Robertson said the Indians failed to back up their claim for $47 billion in the 12-year-old case.
Up to $1 billion of the $10 billion annual Medicare payments for medical equipment may go to fraud, congressional investigators said.
Democrats in the Legislature are considering whether to legislate cell phone use by drivers, particularly younger drivers.
The Republican nomination for Blaine County sheriff went to incumbent Ricky Ainsworth when his name was pulled from a hopper after a 451-vote tie with Watonga officer Tony Almaguer. A tying vote was cast by a woman who was obliged to insist to precinct officials that she had registered to vote in time. Election officials put her ballot in a sealed envelope while they checked the records and when it was counted the race was a tie.
Two Oklahoma soldiers, Staff Sgt. Hal M. Warner and 1st Lt. Michael C. Behenna, have been charged with murder in the shooting death of an Iraqi detainee.
The Iraqi government could end the year with a $79 billion budget surplus mostly due to oil prices, congressional auditors say.
Osama bin Laden’s driver was convicted of aiding terrorism in a 10-day military trial at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
A cell phone call helped police arrest Laverie Franklin, 21, and Nicco Barnett, 18, in the shooting death of Vanessa Swaissi, an Oklahoma City exotic dancer. Del City police also have decided to seek charges against Barnett accusing him of shooting Anthony Parker in the head during a robbery.
Bioweapons researcher Bruce Ivins was linked to the 2001 anthrax attacks by analysis of cells from the bodies of the five who died. Investigators declared Ivins was solely responsible for the attacks, saying he had access to both the spores and the distinctive envelopes used to mail them.
Thousands of panicked pilgrims stampeded at a remote mountain temple in northern India. Dozens of people plummeted to their deaths, and scores were trampled.
President Bush says North Korea has a lot to do before it can be removed from the terrorist blacklist.
About 2,000 people, including Reggie Jackson, Derek Jeter and Yankees manager Joe Girardi, attended the Edmond memorial service for Bobby Mercer, in a celebration of his goodness.
John Nichols, 93, chairman emeritus of Devon Energy Corp., died after a long illness.
Russian author Alexander Solzhenitsyn died in his adopted home in Vermont at age 89.