Local & Regional

By Associated Press

Oklahoma City, OK – Lawsuit: Charity leader took bribes, hid porn

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Feed The Children says the charity's ex-president took bribes, hid hard-core pornographic magazines and committed other misdeeds.

The charity is making the allegations in a countersuit filed against 69-year-old Larry Jones, who filed a wrongful-termination lawsuit against Feed The Children and its board of directors on Nov. 10, four days after he was fired.

By Associated Press

Tulsa, OK – Former employees sue Arrow Trucking after shutdown

TULSA, Okla. (AP) Some former employees of Arrow Trucking Co. have sued the company after it suddenly suspended operations last week and laid off workers.

The federal lawsuit claims the Tulsa-based company violated laws that govern mass layoffs and business closures. Philadelphia attorney Charles Ercole, who is representing more than 30 former Arrow employees, filed the lawsuit Monday in U.S. District Court in Tulsa.

By Associated Press

Tulsa, OK – Census numbers suggest lottery could produce more

TULSA, Okla. (AP) U.S. Census figures suggest that while Oklahoma receives a decent return from its lottery, it could produce more if some rules are changed.

The figures indicate the Oklahoma Lottery's profit margin of 36.1 percent was the eighth-best among the nation's 42 state lotteries, but its $72.5 million in net proceeds ranked 33rd.

By Associated Press

Owasso, OK – Okla. company voluntarily recalls beef products

OWASSO, Okla. (AP) An Owasso company is voluntarily recalling about 248,000 pounds of beef it says might be contaminated with a strain of E. coli bacteria.

National Steak and Poultry and the U.S. Agriculture Department announced the recall on Thursday. The company says on its Web site the beef products "could potentially be implicated in an outbreak" of illnesses related to E. coli O157:H7.

By Associated Press

Tulsa, OK – TULSA, Okla. (AP) A judge has set a May 17 trial date for a man accused of fatally shooting a Tulsa businessman. Terrico Bethel pleaded not guilty Monday in the September 2008 shooting death of Neal Sweeney, a former University of Tulsa football player.

___

Information from: Tulsa World, http://www.tulsaworld.com

By Associated Press

Omaha, NE – Indian tribes buy back thousands of acres of land

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) Native American tribes tired of waiting for the U.S. government to honor centuries-old treaties are buying back land where their ancestors lived and putting it in federal trust.

Information The Associated Press obtained from the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs under the Freedom of Information Act shows tribes have put more than 840,000 acres into trust from 1998 to 2007.

By Associated Press

Oklahoma City, OK – OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Despite the announced departures of other Democrats in Congress, Oklahoma's only Democratic congressman says he plans to campaign to keep his seat.

U.S. Rep. Dan Boren tells The Oklahoman's Washington bureau that he's not surprised some moderate Democrats are retiring. He says the political environment is a contributing factor to those decisions to step down and that some of the older Democratic House members would "rather leave on a high note."

By Associated Press

Oklahoma City, OK – 6 state agencies develop plans regarding furloughs

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) As state revenues continue falling, six state agencies have developed plans for employee furloughs.

The state Office of Personnel Management has approved the furlough plans for the Office of Juvenile Affairs; the Department of Tourism and Recreation; the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry; the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System, the Office of Disability Concerns and the Pardon and Parole Board.

By Associated Press

Oklahoma City, OK – Crews making progress clearing Okla. roads

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) State highway officials say roads in northeastern Oklahoma were snow-packed Saturday as crews hurried to clear highways hit hard by a record-setting snowstorm.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation urged drivers to still be careful, as ice remained on highways in some areas.

The agency said it was working nonstop and had made progress clearing lanes in the central and eastern parts of the state.

By Associated Press

Sand Springs, OK – Driver in wreck that killed 3 arrested

TULSA, Okla. (AP) A Stillwater man involved in a wreck that killed a Sand Springs family has been arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana and driving with a canceled license.

Authorities arrested 20-year-old Steven Wade Jameson after the Christmas Eve wreck that killed 42-year-old Michael Mulanax, 41-year-old Angela Mulanax and their son, 18-year-old James Mulanax.