Bryan Wells Mark Hancock One allows residents of states that don’t require permits for concealed handguns to keep their arms in Oklahoma. Another alters the Oklahoma Riot Control and Prevention Act to prohibit state officials from seizing guns during a state of emergency. But the biggest and most talked-about gun bill will allow license-holders to […]
Mary Fallin
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Qualifications be damned
Brad Gregg Back in September, Gov. Mary Fallin appointed five members to the state Election Board. State law requires the governor appoint two members and one alternate from one political party, with the third member and second alternate from the other party. Fallin’s appointees must be confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate before the legislative session […]
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Water wait
Gov. Mary Fallin Shannon Cornman The slick print ads and television commercials that have been a hallmark of the fight will cease, at least for a time, Oklahoma Gazette has learned. Amid a pending federal lawsuit, the tribes have inundated the airwaves with commercials and infomercials revolving around their dispute with the city of Oklahoma […]
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Fixing a role in parole
“Tough on crime,” “truth in sentencing” and the “jailhouse” concept for juvenile offenders all play into our overcrowded prisons. It’s time to get away from these useless and expensive concepts and focus more on being “smart on crime.” Campaign contributions from private prison operators have led to a strong “lock them up and throw away […]
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Proceed with caution
Larkin Warner As reported in state Treasurer Ken Miller’s January Oklahoma Economic Report, their mission was to emphasize the positive performance of the state’s economy to officials of the three main bond rating agencies. Oklahoma’s general obligation bond ratings were already relatively high, but even higher ratings would mean lower future borrowing costs. For example, […]
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A Sooner snubbing?
Most were state Democratic movers and shakers: some old-guard stalwarts such as former Attorney General Drew Edmondson, and some new, such as freshman state Rep. Emily Virgin of Norman. But they all seemed excited, almost giddy, as they took photos of one another after arriving at the location President Barack Obama would deliver his speech. […]
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Like a prayer
In a news release, Ritze cited the 2005 assault on a Tulsa reverend; the 2009 killing of an Anadarko pastor; and recent bomb threats against Edmond’s Fairview Baptist Church after its pastor, the Rev. Paul Blair, spoke out against an Oklahoma City Council resolution prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. Conspicuously absent in the release […]
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Drip, drip, drip
The legal battle has ensnared the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, government of Oklahoma City, state Legislature, Gov. Mary Fallin, Choctaw and Chickasaw nations, several officials from southeastern Oklahoma counties and advocates of water rights in that area. Tensions began in 2010, when the Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust, trying to obtain more water for a […]
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Oklahoma is not OK
That’s simply not true; Gov. Fallin has acknowledged that Oklahoma’s per capita gross state product growth over the last decade “was the third highest in the nation at 14 percent.” What is true is that high energy and agricultural prices have fueled the economies of the high growth states. According to the Oklahoma Policy Institute, […]
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There’s something about Mary
“Observers say she’s done so successfully, acting cautiously and avoiding the most polarizing Tea Party issues.” Significantly, Fallin’s office noted the story in a news release, perhaps an indication that the governor is comfortable denying the tea party’s more contentious crusades.