Local & Regional

By Associated Press

Oklahoma City, OK – Lawmakers eye use of mobile technology in schools

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) State lawmakers are exploring ways to bypass traditional textbooks and promote the use of mobile technology like laptop computers and electronic reading devices by Oklahoma students.

State Rep. Don Armes requested the study, which was conducted Wednesday by the House Education Committee.

By Associated Press

Oklahoma City, OK – Execution set for Okla. death row inmate

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals has set Jan. 6 as the execution date for Oklahoma death row inmate Billy Don Alverson.

The court set the date Wednesday for the 39-year-old Alverson. The attorney general's office requested it on Nov. 1 after the U.S. Supreme Court denied Alverson's final appeal.

By Associated Press

Tahlequah, OK – Decision allows Cherokees new gaming opportunity

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (AP) A decision by the U.S. Department of the Interior means the Cherokee Nation now is eligible to conduct gaming activities on newly acquired trust lands.

Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk announced Wednesday the approval of the acquisition of 17 acres of land into trust for the Cherokee Nation. The land is located within the tribe's former reservation in Oklahoma.

By John Durkee

Tulsa, OK – Hear a recap of this morning's top local stories from KWGS:

By KWGS News/Muskogee Police Corporal Pedro Zardeneta discusses the case

Muskogee, OK – A Muskogee pre-schooler is stabbed to death with a pair of scissors. Police are holding an 18-year-old in what may have been a home invasion gone terribly bad.

Muskogee Police Corporal Pedro Zardeneta says officers are still sorting through all the details to figure out what happened.

The incident took place last night at a home on Muskogee's north side

By KWGS News

Tulsa, OK – Two dozen people are left homeless by a fast moving apartment fire in Tulsa. The blaze happened yesterday at the Overlook Apartments near 61st and 33rd West Avenue.

Tulsa Fire Department Spokesman Tim Smallwood says fire apparently started in a first floor apartment and spread rapidly to the roof where it was fanned by strong winds.

No one was injured.

By KWGS News

Tulsa, OK – West Tulsa's A-B-I Industries will add an additional 108 employees over the next five years. The company's President, Bruce Barron, made the announcement this morning. He says they will focus on the truck equipment market.

A-B-I will be a part of the Oklahoma Quality Jobs Program, which offers tax incentives and credits to businesses meeting the program's job creation criteria.

By Associated Press

Tulsa, OK – Outgoing AG: No quick resolution to pollution case

TULSA, Okla. (AP) If Oklahoma's new attorney general or governor decide to drop a lawsuit accusing poultry companies of pollution, the outgoing attorney general predicts the case will be picked up by other interested parties.

Outgoing Attorney General Drew Edmondson says he's confident the litigation won't be resolved quickly. And he says if the matter is abandoned the case could be advanced by towns, landowners, tribal entities, canoe operators or others.

By Associated Press

McAlester, OK – Soldier from McAlester dies in Afghanistan

McALESTER, Okla. (AP) The Department of Defense says a 26-year-old solider from McAlester has died while serving in Afghanistan.

The military said Tuesday that Army Sgt. Jason James McCluskey died Thursday from wounds suffered during a firefight with insurgents at Zarghun Shahr in Afghanistan's Mohammad Agha district.

By Associated Press

Kildare, OK – 7 hurt in bus-truck accident in north-central Okla.

KILDARE, Okla. (AP) At least seven people, including five students, were hurt when a pickup truck collided with a school bus in the north-central Oklahoma town of Kildare.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says the injured children were treated at a Ponca City hospital and released following the 3:36 p.m. accident on Tuesday.