Crime and confidence
Police officers and firefighters would be able to talk to peer counselors without fear of retribution under a bill being considered today in the House.
The legislation would give police and fire counselors the right to keep conversations secret, allowing law enforcement and emergency workers to be honest about traumatic situations they experience on the job.
Rep. Paul Roan and Rep. Glen Bud Smithson, both Democrats and former state troopers, debated in favor of House Bill 1460, saying many police officers are leery of speaking with ministers and psychiatrists about work-related incidents.…
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Tulsa trip turns up owners
Nearly 100 Tulsa television viewers have a little more wealth today after simply calling to see whether the state treasurer’s office has any of their cash or other holdings.
State Treasurer Scott Meacham appeared last night on the newscasts of one Tulsa television station and some of his staff appeared on another Tulsa TV station to invite viewers to call to see if any of their items were in the unclaimed property fund. The fund, which has about $175 million in assets, is managed by the treasurer’s office.…
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Democrats looking for donors
Oklahoma Democrats can help whittle their party’s debt down to five figures. But they have to act quickly.
Party Chairman Lisa Pryor says she has negotiated a settlement agreement with one of the party’s last remaining large creditors to wipe out a $97,000 obligation if the party can come up with $50,000.
The offer expires today.
When Pryor was elected state Democratic Party chairman in May 2005, she found the party was about $540,000 in debt. The latest papers filed with the Federal Election Commission show the party’s debt is $158,592.…
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Treasurer on the road
State Treasurer Scott Meacham and his staff are going on television tonight in Tulsa to try to find the owners of cash and other assets in the state’s unclaimed property fund.
One person in Tulsa has $300,000 in cash and $500,000 worth of stocks in the unclaimed property fund managed by the state treasurer’s office, said Tim Allen, a spokesman for the treasurer’s office.
Another person has $122,000 in cash and another individual has $137,000 in cash in the fund, he said.…
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Celebrating freedom
The House passed a bill today that would implement a Celebrate Freedom Week in public schools surrounding Veteran’s Day.
The legislation, House Bill 1874, would leave the way the Constitution, Declaration of Independence and other historical documents and events are studied up to each school district. But some lawmakers fear this is another mandate on schools and will cut into required class time.
Rep. Ed Cannaday, D-Whitefield, said students can celebrate freedom and America’s historical heritage without desginating a specific week for the lessons, allowing the studies to fall in historical order within a class.…
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