Rep. Reynolds wants public access to records of criminals
Oklahoma citizens now have to pay for public information that would allow them to know vital information about criminals that have been convicted in the District Court system, said state Rep. Mike Reynolds.
“As lawmakers we preach every year how we are making government more transparent to the public. I have learned that just this past week a new method to fleece the taxpayers has been implemented after being approved by many of the county court clerks in Oklahoma,” continued Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City.
This all started when Reynolds was researching the David Earls case. He was shocked to find out that those public records regarding Earls weren’t available without paying a fee to view them. Earls is the man who was sentenced to one year for raping and sodomizing a 4 year old girl, making national headlines.
Kellpro, a company out of Duncan, Oklahoma, hosts a website (www.odcr.com) that maintains public court records for 61 Oklahoma counties. Research shows that Kellpro will be paid $1.3 million in taxpayer dollars this year for their work regarding this system.
Kellpro was “authorized” to charge the public to view these records by “the Kellpro Users Group”, a group apparently made up primarily of elected county officials. The records, potentially worth millions of dollars, were apparently given at no cost.
“I was also told that hundreds of thousands of dollars would be credited to the counties if Kellpro receives the revenues they expect to from this sweetheart deal,” Reynolds stated.
“This may explain why these counties have refused to participate in the Oklahoma Supreme Court Network website (www.oscn.net), which provides free court records for the large Oklahoma counties that are not Kellpro clients.”
“I have requested that Representative John Wright, chairman of the Government Oversight Committee ask House Speaker Chris Benge to call a special meeting so an investigation can take place.”
Red Cross search committee formed
Nine local people have formed a search committee for the next CEO of the Tulsa Area Chapter of the American Red Cross.
The entire local board of the Red Cross resigned following the dismissal of the local CEO by national officials.
The new board members represent local nonprofits, companies, partner agencies and the American Red Cross itself.
Since the former CEO’s dismissal on July 1, the Tulsa Area Chapter has continued its mission of helping the community prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies. During July, the local Red Cross has responded to more than 20 local disasters - primarily house fires - in many of the 18 counties the local Red Cross serves. Also, nine CPR and first aid classes have been taught.
The members of the committee are:
• Jerry Goodwin, former local Red Cross board chairman and current national Board of Governors member. He is the chair of the search committee.
• Aaron Fulkerson, president & COO, Gabbard & Company
• Allen LaCroix, chief, Tulsa Fire Department
• Ann McKellar, former Tulsa Area Chapter board member
• Debby Hampton, CEO, Center for NonProfits and former CEO of the American Red Cross of Central Oklahoma
• John Points, chairman of the board of the American Red Cross Blood Services, Southwest Region
• Larry Wagner, senior vice president, Human Resources, Bank of Oklahoma
• Leslie Paris, senior vice president, community relations, Bank of Oklahoma
• Travis Campbell, vice president - investor relations, Williams
POPPS to honor teacher Sept. 5
The 10th Annual Power of Prayer Penetrating Schools, Inc. (POPPS) Educator Recognition Event will be September 5 at Eugene Field Elementary School, 2249 South Phoenix Ave. (21st Street and Southwest Boulevard).
Cindi Hemm, 2008 Tulsa Administrator of the Year and principal of Eugene Fields, will be the guest speaker following recognition of educators and churches who have adopted schools which are not school or district sponsored.
The purpose of POPPS is to encourage churches to adopt schools first in prayer, then adopt through the Partners in Education Program or local Adopt-A-School Program.
For more information, go to poppsparty2003@yahoo.com.
Pennwell to launch new magazine
(PRNewswire) - PennWell Corporation announces the launch of Renewable Energy World North America magazine.
The bi-monthly business-to-business renewables-focused magazine joins the company’s well-established Renewable Energy World Network as its latest print publication. The inaugural edition publishes in September and will have an initial readership of 25,000 subscribers in the renewable energy industry. The new magazine complements Renewable Energy World magazine, also a PennWell publication based out of London.
Renewable Energy World North America magazine will be the flagship sponsor for Renewable Energy World Conference and Expo North America. Its website will be RenewableEnergyWorld.com.
With a new U.S. Administration supporting massive government investments and incentives in carbon-neutral renewable energy and infrastructure and with continuing strong support across Canada, the North American marketplace will be advancing into an era of solid growth in green technologies.
Renewable Energy World North America magazine will cover utility-scale renewable power generation, including wind, solar, biomass, geothermal and hydroelectric sources. The magazine will also cover the world of finance, critical to the success of renewable energy project developers, technology companies and innovators. And it will offer interviews, profiles, industry news and data all presented in a visually unique design.
The magazine’s editorial team will be led by David Wagman, who spent four years at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, has been chief editor of Power Engineering magazine since 2006 and is co-chairman of Renewable Energy World Conference and Expo North America. Joining David are Jennifer Runyon, managing editor, Graham Jesmer, news editor, and Stephen Lacey, podcast producer and editor from RenewableEnergyWorld.com; Peter Singer, editor in chief of Photovoltaics World magazine; and Nancy Spring, senior editor of Power Engineering magazine.
For more information about the new magazine or the Renewable Energy World Network, visit www.renewableenergyworld.com/.
Pat MacDonald will speak Aug. 1
Pat MacDonald will speak at the August 1 meeting of Writers of Inspirational Novels (WIN) on the topic “Hook ‘em with Babies.”
This interactive power point presentation will help writers create realistic kid characters using pediatric developmental milestones.
MacDonald, writing as Patricia Davids, recently retired after 35 years of nursing and now writes full time. She has nine published novels from Steeple Hill books and has four more in the works. She enjoys traveling and speaking to groups about her two passions: writing and kids.
WIN, the Tulsa-area chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers, meets the first Saturday of the month from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Jenks Public Library, 523 W. B Street, Jenks. Visitors are welcome.
For more information, contact Gina Conroy at pres@win-acfw.com, or visit the WIN
website at www.win-acfw.com.
State’s obesity rate is in the top six
A recent report released from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated Oklahoma is one of the six states with an adult obesity prevalence of 30 percent or more.
According to the report, U.S. adults who are obese increased to 26.1 percent in 2008 compared to 25.6 percent in 2007.
Janice Hermann, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension nutrition specialist, said obesity is a major risk factor for many diseases including heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
“This study shows the obesity problem is getting worse and if these trends continue it’s likely the costs of healthcare and obesity related diseases will increase,” Hermann said. “It’s important we educate Oklahomans about living healthy lifestyles so we can become a healthier society.”
The USDA’s MyPyramid and Dietary Guidelines provide dietary and physical activity recommendations for health as well as weight loss. The MyPyramid’s Web site is www.mypyramid.gov.
Hermann said the amount of food a person needs from each MyPyramid food group will depend on age, gender and level of physical activity.
“The MyPyramid’s Web site will also provide dietary recommendations to help with weight loss,” she said. “In addition to good nutrition, physical activity is important.”
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity on most if not all days of the week is important for health benefits. To prevent weight gain it recommends 60 minutes and 60-90 minutes each day to lose weight or maintain weight loss.
Aglow Community Lighthouse meets
Tulsa Aglow Community Lighthouse gathers on the second Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the Martin Regional Library, 2601 S. Garnett Road, in the lecture meeting room.
Aglow Int’l is a transdenominational Christian women’s ministry which operates in 176 nations. In addition to reaching out to the community, Aglow’s mission is to help restore and mobilize women and men around the world, promote gender reconciliation in the body of Christ as God designed, and to amplify awareness of global concerns from a Biblical perspective.
For more information, go to www.aglow.org.
Freedom21 Conference Aug.13-15
Chuck Baldwin, State Sen. Randy Brogdon, Tom DeWeese, State Rep. Charles Key, Amanda Teegarden and other will be speaking about “The Growing American Tyranny and How to Stop It” during the 10th Annual Freedom21 National Conference, Aug. 13-15 in Midwest City.
The event is sponsored by the American Policy Center and Freedom21 Inc. Co-sponsors include the American Heritage Research, American Land Foundation, Camp American, Committee for a Construction Tomorrow, Constitutional Alliance, Eagle Forum, EdWatch, Freedom Advocates, Gun Owners of America, Institute for Principled Policy, Liberty Coalition, National Center of Constitutional Studies, OK-SAFE, Inc., Secure Arkansas, Sovereignty International, Stewards of the Range, Take Back Kentucky and The August Review.
The conference is at the Reed Conference Center of the Sheraton Midwest City Hotel, 5750 Will Rogers Road, Midwest City.
To register, go to www.freedom21.org. The cost is for the full conference (plus meals) is $245 (after July 31 it goes to $295).
A full conference without meals is $95 and a student ticket without meals is $45.
This is the first time the conference has been held in Oklahoma.
Gun Owners of America to honor Coburn
Gun Owners of America will present U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn a “Friend of the Second Amendment Award” in appreciation for the amount of work that he has done to defend constitutional liberties.
The presentation will be made at an Aug. 14 dinner at the Southern Hills Marriott, 1902 E. 71st St. The cost is $75 ($130 per couple). Reservations are due by Aug. 1.
Coburn will speak about what is going on in Congress concerning gun rights, and what gun owners can expect in the coming months from the Obama Administration and the anti-gun congressional leadership.
This year Senator Coburn led, and won, the fight to repeal the National Parks Service gun ban. Coburn believes that Americans should not be forced to sacrifice their Second Amendment rights when entering national parks.
Coburn has worked to protect the Second Amendment rights of veterans, repeal the gun ban in the District of Columbia, and to block anti-gun bills like a new semi-auto ban and legislation that would close gun shows.
Call 703-321-8585 or visit www.gunowners.org/okcoburn to RSVP.
Owen Laughlin is running for state treasurer
Former State Sen. Owen Laughlin has filed with the Ethics Commission to explore a run for State Treasurer.
Laughlin said he has been prayerfully considering a run for State Treasurer because of the huge waste he saw during his tenure in the State Senate.
“I have been appalled in the last few years at the enormous waste in state government,” Laughlin said. “It is literally robbing our school children, our road building, and every other necessary endeavor of government. Now is the time to mount an all out war on waste in government.
“I believe that the treasurer of the State of Oklahoma is uniquely positioned to attack these abuses and to prevail. I am therefore announcing that I am exploring a run for treasurer of the State of Oklahoma.”
Oklahoma City Businessman Brad Yarbrough will serve as his campaign chairman. Yarbrough has been an entrepreneur in the oil and gas Industry and other business in Oklahoma and was appointed by former Gov. Frank Keating to establish the Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives. He was recognized nationally for his leadership during the Clinton and Bush administrations for his work to promote partnerships between faith-based groups and government to help the needy.
“This is an era of unprecedented government spending. It is our money. We deserve a treasurer with the highest ethical and professional standards to guard the public purse. Owen is that person I trust and in whom fellow Oklahomans can put their trust,” Yarbrough said.
Owen Laughlin graduated from Southern Nazarene University in 1973 with a BA degree in political science and from Oklahoma City University in 1976 with a juris doctor degree in law. In 1996, he was elected to the Oklahoma State Senate from 10 counties in Northwest Oklahoma and the Panhandle, a district that covers 1/6th of the State. He became co-floor leader of the Senate during the two years that the Senate was tied, and was noted for his ability to bring both sides together for the good of the State.
Laughlin was in the banking business for 20 years. He is also a certified flight instructor, an attorney and he manages real estate interests. The National Republican Legislators Association named him 1999 National Legislator of the Year.
He and his wife, Charlette, have made Woodward their home for 32 years. They have been married for 35 years and have four children ages 23 to 30. For more information on the campaign go to voteowenlaughlin.com .
Southwood hosts a back to school event August 1
Southwood Baptist Church will host a back to school event August 1, with free school supplies and backpacks for the first 1,000 kids in grades K-12.
Southwood Baptist Church is located at 4020 S. 102nd E. Ave. This is on 41st Street between Highway 169 and Mingo Road.
Medical professionals will be administering immunizations and parents are encouraged to bring their children’s immunization records. Free hearing screenings, children’s haircuts and a book fair will also be offered. Refreshments and children’s activities will be provided for all who attend. The event will run from 9 a.m. to noon.
For more information call the church office at 665-3744 or Angie Boatman at 497-0882.
Wycliffe group to build a center in war ravaged area
Wycliffe Associates, an international organization that mobilizes volunteers and resources in support of Bible translation efforts, has announced plans to help construct a Bible translation center in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a war-ravaged Central African nation that has been described as “the site of one of the world’s worst ongoing humanitarian crises” by the Belgium-based Crisis Group.
The conflict in the DRC has resulted in the loss of some three million lives over the past five years. And according to the Crisis Group, as many as 1,200 people are dying each day in the DRC “from conflict-related causes” that include disease and malnutrition. The United Nations estimates life expectancy rates at age 45 for men and age 48 for women.
Amidst the continuing violence, Wycliffe Associates is seizing what is believed to be a narrow window of opportunity to establish a permanent language translation center in the city of Bunia, located in the northeastern part of DRC. “The violence has quieted in the Ituri region of the DRC and Bunia in particular,” says Bruce Smith, president and CEO of Wycliffe Associates. “There’s a window of peace, of security. If we move quickly, we can establish a permanent translation center. The Christians of the Democratic Republic of Congo are begging for this opportunity not to be missed.”
The new translation center, located at Shalom University, will facilitate the translation of the Bible into five new languages, making it accessible to an estimated 1.6 million people for the first time in history. And the translation center will provide national translators access to certain language groups in areas that are inaccessible to expatriates because of security concerns.
Wycliffe Associates believes that making the Scriptures accessible to a larger segment of the population can also help stem the tide of violence in the DRC. “Missionaries tell us again and again that conflict subsides when people begin to absorb the Bible in their own heart language,” says Smith.
Efforts are underway to raise $100,000 for the construction of the facility, while Wycliffe Associates has provided 50 percent of the funding for the library at the translation center. In addition, DRC nationals have made and donated 50,000 bricks to the project and assembled a labor force to begin construction. A team of Wycliffe Associates volunteers has also traveled to Bunia to do construction work on the center.
“With a lull in the violence in a major region of the country, workers are available right now, and the price of building materials has dropped dramatically,” says Smith.
During 2008, some 4,124 Wycliffe Associates volunteers served in 49 countries as part of the worldwide Bible translation team. Wycliffe Associates plans to mobilize more than 4,800 volunteers to serve in 41 different countries this year to build and renovate facilities, construct roads and airstrips, teach Vacation Bible School, help with language development and office work, oversee projects, use their computer skills, and much more.
For more information, visit www.wycliffeassociates.org or call 1-800-THE WORD (1-800-843-9673).
Brogdon to speak to GOP women
State Sen. Randy Brogdon, R-Owasso, will speak to the After 5 Republican Women’s Group at 6:30 p.m. July 27 at Cowboy Sharkie’s Restaurant, 5840 S. Memorial Drive.
Brogdon is an announced candidate for governor in 2010.
Dinner is at 6 p.m. and the program begins at 6:30 p.m.
Armadillos are not just highway victims anymore
The range of armadillos has been moving northward for decades, and while many are found lifeless along roadways, the remainder can be found foraging on insects and digging up people’s property.
“One of the most common wildlife damage complaints during the summer months concerns armadillos,” said Dwayne Elmore, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension wildlife specialist. “Armadillos usually cause problems during the late hours of the night as they digs for insects and larvae in lawns.”
The animals can be seen year-round but are most active during the warmer months. Elmore, an assistant professor in the OSU department of natural resource ecology and management, explains there are a few reasons for this.
First, lawns are usually mowed so there is little vegetation to impede foraging. Second, homeowners begin irrigating their lawns, which results in the soil being loose and easy to dig. Finally, the irrigation keeps larval insects close to the soil surface.
“Once armadillos find a suitable foraging spot, they normally return repeatedly,” Elmore said.
When it comes to control, exclusion fences may work for small garden beds, but lawns are typically too large for this option. Also, modification of the habitat, such as removal of ground vegetation can work, but this solution is not ideal because usually the vegetation is ornamental.
“Homeowners might consider decreasing irrigation of their lawn, an attempt to interrupt the foraging cycle of the armadillo,” Elmore said. “This will sometimes provide relief and may work for drought-tolerant lawns.”
Trapping is the primary control method as there are no known repellents that are effective on armadillos. Soil insecticides will reduce the food source but also eliminates bugs that are beneficial to local ecosystems. Shooting the armadillo is generally effective, but the activity is limited by local ordinances within city limits.
“Fortunately, armadillos are quite easy to trap,” Elmore said.
After identifying an area that is popular amongst the armadillo population, a live-catch trap should be set in the area. No bait is needed but funnels can be used to direct the animal to the trap.
The traps should be closed during the day and checked early in the morning. There is no special permit needed for individuals to control armadillos in Oklahoma. Once trapped, the armadillo should be humanely euthanized.