.Politics » State

Gov. Mary Fallin’s Thanksgiving Day Statement

Chris Casteel — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 20:48:43 +0000

OKLAHOMA CITY – Governor Mary Fallin today released the following Thanksgiving Day statement:

“I continue to be thankful for the opportunity and the honor to serve as Oklahoma’s governor, as well as for my wonderful family and friends.

“Like Americans everywhere, I am also thankful that we live in a nation that cherishes liberty and for the brave men and women of our military who protect our freedoms.

“As we approach Thanksgiving Day, I’m wishing all Oklahomans a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday season.”…

Gov. Mary Fallin to Speak in Prime Time Tuesday at Republican National Convention

Chris Casteel — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 13:58:27 +0000

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin has been given a speaking slot on Tuesday at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, FL.
In a message sent from her campaign account, the governor said she will talk about Oklahoma’s success.
“My message will be simple: the U.S. must focus on policies that allow hardworking families and businesses _ not government bureaucracies _ to thrive.
“In Oklahoma, we’ve pursued policies that set the stage for success and job growth in the private sector. We’re not interested in more government handouts. The results of our pro-jobs agenda speak for themselves.
“We are currently experiencing:
“An unemployment rate of only 4.9%, the lowest in the country for any state with a population of 2 million people
“The addition of 47,000 new jobs, ranking Oklahoma #1 in the nation for manufacturing jobs created, and #3 overall
“The growth and restoration of our Rainy Day Savings Account that has increased from under $3.00 in 2011 to over $577 million today.”

Fallin spokesman Alex Weintz said the governor’s speaking slot is expected to be about 7:50 p.m. central time on Tuesday.

He said she would talk about Oklahoma’s economic prosperity resulting from the hard work of people in energy and other fields.

The convention officially begins Monday night and will end Thursday with a speech by presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

Fallin will be speaking on the same night as several other GOP governors. Here is the schedule for that night:

7:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Convention convenes

Presentation of Colors

Pledge of Allegiance

National Anthem sung by Philip Alongi

Invocation

Video

Remarks by Janine Turner

Video and remarks by Mayor Mia Love (Saratoga Springs, UT), U.S. congressional candidate

Remarks by former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum

Segment to be announced

Remarks by U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte (NH), accompanied by Jack Gilchrist

Remarks by Governor John Kasich (OH)

Video

Remarks by Governor Mary Fallin (OK)

Video

Remarks by Governor Bob McDonnell (VA), accompanied by Bev Gray

Remarks by Governor Scott Walker (WI)

Video

Segment to be announced

Remarks by Governor Bobby Jindal (LA)

Videos

Remarks by Sher Valenzuela (small business owner, candidate for DE Lt. Governor)

Remarks by Governor Susana Martinez (NM)

Video

Remarks by Governor Chris Christie (NJ)

Benediction and adjournment

Election Day Polling Places

Chris Casteel — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 15:01:15 +0000

It is election day. If you have any question about your polling places, you can look here.…

Alec Baldwin Says Arts Funding Helping Oklahoma Despite Sen. Coburn’s Opposition

Chris Casteel — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:44:40 +0000

Actor Alec Baldwin spoke at the National Press Club in Washington on Monday about arts funding in the United States, arguing that the country does not spend enough. He listed some of the Capitol Hill friends and foes of government funding for the arts and mentioned Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Muskogee, as one who is “not as wonderful as we would like him to be on the issue of the arts.”
Baldwin then read some of the funding received last year by Oklahoma City-area arts organizations from the National Endowment for the Arts:
_ Two grants totaling $40,000 for the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition;
_ $45,000 for the Lyric Theater;
_ $773,000 for the Oklahoma Council of the Arts;
_ $20,000 for the Oklahoma Historical Society
Baldwin said, “I just want to mention, we find it not enjoyable but ultimately necessary to point out to some of these folks that there are constituents of theirs in their own congressional districts _ or statewide in the Senate _ who the NEA is bringing some wonderful, wonderful arts-related programming, and events, shows, what have you, and educational opportunities for young people there under the umbrella of the National Endowment for the Arts.”…

C-SPAN in Oklahoma City This Week for Some Local History

Chris Casteel — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:53:12 +0000

The public affairs channel C-SPAN, which provides gavel-to-gavel coverage of Congress along with a broad array of government- and history-related programming, is in Oklahoma City this week preparing some features on the city’s history and literary life.

The producers and organizers have an interesting agenda for the productions, which will air during a special Oklahoma City feature weekend of May 5th and 6th on C-SPAN2’s BookTV and C-SPAN3’s American History TV.

Here are some of the highlights, provided by C-SPAN:

· Interview with Bruce Fisher, son of Ada Lois Sipuel. Sipuel attempted to enroll at the University of Oklahoma Law School in 1946, helping to the lay the foundation for Brown v. Board of Education.

· Tour the Oklahoma City National Memorial with the memorial’s director, Kerrie Watkins. Watkins explains the history of building the memorial and explains future plans for the memorial to the victims.

· Hear historian Blue Clark explain the significance of Indian relocation to Oklahoma’s history. Clark discusses the tribes that came into the state from across the country, as well as his family’s own relocation experience.

· Interview with Mayor Mick Cornett at Chesapeake Energy Arena about Oklahoma’s professional basketball team, the Thunder, and its impact on the city post-Hurricane Katrina.

· Tour the Oklahoma State Capitol building with tour guide Bill Parks. Learn about the history of the building, and how Oklahoma City became the state’s capital.

· Interview with Oklahoma historian Currie Ballard about his discovery of rare film taken of Oklahoma’s African American communities dating back to the 1920s. Ballard’s remarks are filmed in Langston, a historic African American community where his family has roots.

· Visit Oklahoma University’s Political Communication Center and the Julian P. Kanter Political Commercial Archive to learn how political television commercials have changed over time and hear how political commercials reflect the changing landscape of American politics.

· Interview with Norman, Oklahoma mayor Cindy Rosenthal at the Carl Albert Center. Mayor Rosenthal takes us through the papers of several U.S. Senators and Congressmen as well as talks about Carl Albert, Speaker of the House under Richard Nixon from 1971-77.

· Tour the Oklahoma History Center where we look at rare items in their collection, including a bison skin teepee and one of only two copies of a Certificate of Friendship offered to Indian leaders by Lewis and Clarke.

BookTV programming highlights:

· Interview with Full Circle Books owner Jim Tolbert about the literary scene in Oklahoma City as well as the state of the independent book business.

· Hear “Winning the West with Words” author and Oklahoma City University professor James Buss examine narrative, rhetoric and language used by Anglo-Americans to justify westward expansion and the removal of Native Americans.

· Listen to “Race and the University: A Memoir” author George Henderson recount his experience as the third African American professor hired at the University of Oklahoma and the obstacles he had to overcome.

· Interview “A Nation in Transition” author Michael Lovegrove about the story of Douglas Henry Johnston, the governor of the Chickasaw tribe during the critical transitional time of the early 19th century.

· Tour the University of Oklahoma’s Special Collections at Bizzell Memorial Library.

· Interview with “The Triumph of Voting Rights in the South” author Keith Gaddie about the history of voting right in the South and its effect on the current political climate. Gaddie is a professor at the University of Oklahoma.

· Hear Dr. Joe Foote, Dean and Edward L. Gaylord Chair in the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma, talk about the state of journalism today and the role it will play in the future.

Gov. Mary Fallin will welcome C-SPAN to town on Thursday, April 12, at a press conference at the state Capitol. The public is invited to the press conference, which will be held at 11 a.m. in the Blue Room on the second floor.

Oklahoma’s Super Tuesday Results on State Election Board Web Site

Chris Casteel — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 15:33:40 +0000

The Oklahoma State Election Board has a much-improved format for election results and you can see the results from Tuesday here. It is easy now to find county numbers and the vote is broken out by congressional district as well, which is important for the presidential primaries because some delegates are allotted by those districts. There are new viewing options, such as multi-county results. Hats off to State Election Board secretary Paul Ziriax for the expanded format.…

Washington Post Looks at Washington, Oklahoma

Chris Casteel — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 13:24:48 +0000

In a front page story on Friday, a Washington Post reporter gives his view of life in Washington, Oklahoma as Super Tuesday nears.…

Gingrich Adds More Oklahoma Supporters

Chris Casteel — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 21:55:06 +0000

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich announced more Oklahoma endorsements on Wednesday. Here are the names announced by his campaign less than a week before Oklahoma voters go to the polls as part of the Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses.

Republican Majority Leader Tad Jones (Claremore)
State Representative Todd Thompson (Ada)
State Representative Mike Jackson (Enid)
Former State Representative Robert Worthen (Oklahoma City)
State Senator Rob Johnson (Yukon)
Former Cleveland County Republican Party Chairman Aaron Curry
Former Oklahoma County Republican Party Chairman Steve Curry
State Senator Bryce Marlatt (Woodward)
State Representative Leslie Osborne (Chickasha)
State Representative Don Armes (Faxon)
State Representative Dan Kirby (Broken Arrow)
State Senator Greg Childers (Del City)
Norman City Councilman Hal Ezell
State Senator Kim David (Wagoner)
State Representative Colby Schwarz (Yukon) …

Lawmakers Want More Info on Lesser Prairie Chicken Listing

Chris Casteel — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:29:35 +0000

Led by Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Tulsa, members of Congress from Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico and Kansas are asking U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar for more information about how the Lesser Prairie Chicken became the focus of possible federal protection.
Lawmakers from the states sent a letter on Monday requesting that Salazar explain why the bird’s priority number underwent a “dramatic shift,” going from 8, which is low, to 2, in December 2008. That was in the last few weeks of former President George W. Bush’s administration.
Some lawmakers are concerned that the prairie chicken will be listed as an endangered or threatened species in September, a move that could eventually severely curtail oil and gas drilling and other activity in the bird’s habitat.
The lawmakers’ letter asked Salazar to provide them the information within two weeks.

Santorum rally site changed

Michael McNutt — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:22:55 +0000

The site for the rally for Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum has changed.

It will be at the Magnuson Hotel and Meridian Convention Center, 737 S. Meridian Ave. It’s just south of Interstate 40.

The venue was changed because of the overwhelming response, according to the Oklahoma Republican Party’s website. It originally was scheduled at the nearby H&H Shooting Sports Complex.

The time remains the same at 9 a.m. There is no charge to attend the rally.

Santorum’s visit today comes two days after he swept victories in Minnesota, Missouri and Colorado. The sweep of the three contests again puts the former senator from Pennsylvania in position to contend for the Republican nomination, analysts say.

His Oklahoma visit today is arranged by the Oklahoma Republican Party, which is not endorsing any contender. It has invited all GOP residential candidates to the state.

After his Oklahoma City visit, Santorum will go to Tulsa. He is scheduled to appear at 1:30 p.m. at the Mabee Center at Oral Roberts University.

- Michael McNutt, Capitol Bureau