President Obama, Vice President Biden Make Tax Returns Available
You can find them here.…
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Oklahoma City Woman’s Death Focus of DOT Video
The 2008 death of an Oklahoma City woman is the focus of a new U.S. Department of Transportation video about the dangers of distracted driving.
Linda Doyle was 61 when she was killed in a car crash in Oklahoma City; her car was struck by a vehicle driven by a man who ran a red light while talking on his cell phone.
Doyle’s daughter, Jennifer Smith, has become an advocate for cell-free driving and formed a group called FocusDriven. She testified at the Oklahoma state Capitol in 2009 for legislation to restrict cell-phone usage by motorists.…
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Where Do Your Tax Dollars Go?
The White House has created an exercise for those wanting to calculate how much of their tax money goes where.
President Barack Obama said, “The American people deserve to know exactly how and where their tax dollars are being spent. The first official taxpayer receipt will give American families the ability to see exactly where their tax dollars are going. This new tool reflects our commitment to changing the way Washington works and making government more accountable to America’s families.”…
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Vilsack and Jackson: Competing Views on Rural America
Matt Dempsey, the Republican press secretary for the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee, put together this interesting video using recent testimony from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson. The two administration officials give differing views on the state of rural America. Vilsack, the former governor of Iowa whose current job is focused on rural America, would seem to have experience and statistics on his side.
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Coburn to Give Weekly Republican Address
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Muskogee, will give the weekly Republican address this week to respond to President Barack Obama’s weekly address.
Given the president’s focus this week on cutting federal spending, and his schedule next week to tout his plan, he may give his weekly address on that topic.
Coburn and Obama have been good friends for years, but, needless to say, they don’t see eye to eye on a lot of spending issues.
The weekly addresses, generally delivered on the radio, are given on Saturday mornings.…
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Inhofe, Boren Comment on Tornado Deaths, Damage
Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, and Rep. Dan Boren, D-Muskogee, commented this morning about the tragic loss of life in southeastern Oklahoma.
“Today, I will be assessing the damage left behind by yesterday’s tornado,” said Inhofe. “Tornado season is always difficult, especially when there is a loss of life. Our prayers are with those who have experienced loss, and I will be working with FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, Representative Dan Boren, Governor Mary Fallin, and Oklahoma Emergency Management Director Albert Ashwood to provide whatever assistance is possible.”
Boren said, “Oklahomans unfortunately have long been aware of the threat that severe weather poses, but the destruction and tragedy that is all too often left behind is never any easier to bear.…
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Congressman Lucas Adds More Town Hall Meetings
U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas will hold a round of town hall meetings next week. You can find a list of those here.
For the week of April 25, Lucas, R-Cheyenne, will be in these towns:
APRIL 25
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
OKEENE TOWN HALL MEETING
Okeene Community Center
116 West E Street
12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
WATONGA TOWN HALL MEETING
Watonga City Hall, Grand Ballroom
117 North Weigle
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
HINTON TOWN HALL MEETING
Fire Station Community Room
115 South Broadway
4:00 p.m.…
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Senate Committee Hears About Hydraulic Fracturing
My colleague Jay Marks has an interesting story today about the oil and gas industry’s effort to make public the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing operations.
The U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a hearing today about the process, and state officials gave different viewpoints on whether more federal government regulation is needed.
Josh Fox, the director of the movie “Gasland,” a scathing documentary about natural gas drilling and fracking, was at the hearing, and said afterward that the committee should have heard from citizens who had been affected by drilling operations.…
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Oklahoma City Council members sworn in
Ward 2 Councilman Ed Shadid and Ward 5 Councilman David Greenwell were sworn in this morning as the newest members of the Oklahoma City Council. Both men received standing ovations from a capacity crowd at City Hall.
Returning council members Meg Salyer, who represents Ward 6, and Patrick Ryan, who represents Ward 8, were sworn in afterwards.
Shadid’s first action was to ask for a two-week continuance to an item that would have given a new nonprofit organization to be led by current Assistant City Manager Cathy O’Connor $424,000 in public funding to start a “one-stop shop” for economic development.…
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Jeff Cloud to Testify at Senate Hearing on Hydraulic Fracturing
The Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee has scheduled a hearing for Tuesday on hydraulic fracturing, the process used to free natural gas and oil from rock. The well completion process, which involves the use of water, sand and chemicals, has become controversial in states like New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland, where natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale has boomed in recent years. Critics charge that the process could pollute ground water and that more federal regulation is needed. The oil and gas industry says “fracking” has been used safely for decades.…
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