Government

EDMOND — In an election year in which voters will replace the governor and possibly reshape the state Legislature, the race for lieutenant governor has been nearly invisible.Candidates are working hard for the job, traveling the state and raising money. The hardest part might be convincing people to pay attention.“It’s an important position,’’ candidate Matt Pinnell said Monday at a forum sponsored by the Edmond Republican Women’s Club.Pinnell, of Tulsa, is one of four Republicans seeking the job. Current Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb is term-limited and running instead for governor.Click here to link to the article on NewsOK. Some stories require an Oklahoman subscription to read. … [Read more...] about Lieutenant governor candidates discuss importance of office

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority on Tuesday voted to seek a low-interest federal loan to fund a portion of the Gilcrease Expressway.Oklahoma Turnpike Authority Executive Director Tim Gatz said the agency will seek about $100 million through the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program to cover the remaining costs for the $300 million project, which will connect the expressway in north Tulsa to Interstate 44 in west Tulsa. The funds, which would be loaned at a low interest rate, would be repaid with revenue generated from tolls, he said.Board member Carl Gibson said the TIFIA loan requires a six- to nine-month application process use but will be “incredibly cost effective.”The OTA has agreed to contribute up to $125 million while other partners have agreed to provide about $71 million, Gatz said.Jack Damrill, a spokesman for the OTA, said the roadway will be a stand-alone project, meaning its revenues will not be used to … [Read more...] about Turnpike Authority to seek federal loan to fund remaining portion of Gilcrease Expressway extension

NEW YORK (AP) — A reporter for The Associated Press was grabbed by the shoulders and shoved out of an Environmental Protection Agency building by a security guard Tuesday for trying to cover a meeting on water contaminants in which some reporters were welcomed and others were not.An aide to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt later called to apologize to AP reporter Ellen Knickmeyer and said the incident is being looked into. Knickmeyer, who said she was not hurt, was later let into the meeting when the EPA reversed course and opened it to all reporters.Representatives from CNN and E&E News, which covers energy and environment issues, were also initially barred from the meeting.Even for an administration with a contentious relationship with the press and a president who has put the phrase "fake news" into the lexicon, Tuesday's events were unusual.Pruitt had convened what he called a national summit on dangerous chemicals that have been found in some water systems. Some 200 people … [Read more...] about EPA blocks some media from summit, then reverses course

Miscues by the Tulsa County Assessor’s Office have resulted in the failure to collect tens of thousands of dollars in property taxes, a review by the Tulsa World has found.The World found county officials for years missed the sale of one south Tulsa shopping center at a price that was more than twice its previous tax roll valuation. The review also found nearly a dozen properties, including the same south Tulsa shopping center, should have been assessed a city sinking fund levy, but weren’t.One school official estimated the loss in tax dollars to his district alone at $100,000.An official with the Tulsa County Assessor’s Office was at a loss to explain the missed reappraisal and sinking fund levies. However, he promised a comprehensive review would be undertaken.“We’ve got over 80 employees and 267,000 accounts and millions of data points and there is human error and it happens once in a while, but not very often around here,” said Patrick Milton, … [Read more...] about A county assessor error costs schools thousands. Jenks shorted about $100,000 due to mistake.

U.S. Sen. James Lankford continued to warn of Russian intervention in U.S. politics while discounting suggestions President Donald Trump, his family or his 2016 campaign team were involved in any wrongdoing. “This is a rabbit hole,” Lankford told Fox News’ Bret Baier after the release of Senate Judiciary Committee transcripts of hearings on a 2016 meeting involving Donald Trump Jr., his brother-in-law Jared Kushner and others, including some Russians promising dirt on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.“I know Democrats are trying to be able to make something of this,” Lankford said. “They’re constantly trying to ... say there must be something here that we can stir up, or at least just create an accusation that has the appearance of it.”Democrats and other critics of the president note the younger Trump answered “I don’t know” or words to that effect more than 200 times during the interview, and consented … [Read more...] about D.C. Digest: Lankford defends Trumps after latest disclosures; Bridenstine talks climate change

OKLAHOMA CITY — It would take an act of the Legislature to take back the $30 million it gave the Oklahoma State Department of Health to rectify a financial crisis that did not exist, state Finance Secretary Clark Jolley and others said Thursday.Jolley, former Senate Appropriations Committee chairman, was asked about the matter following Wednesday’s release of a multicounty grand jury report.The scathing report detailed a troubling pattern of lies and incompetence that led to the agency's requesting and receiving a $30 million supplemental appropriation and laying off 198 people.The report said state laws didn’t address the financial mismanagement as a crime. The multicounty grand jury did not issue any indictments.“If this was a public company with shareholders and a board of directors, people would have civil liability and this would constitute criminal behavior,” said Trent England, Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs executive vice president. … [Read more...] about Legislative action needed to recoup $30 million from state Health Department