Brecheen justifies his objections to the anti-puppy mill bill by writing in the Jan. 11 edition of the Durant Daily Democrat: “Imagine if your cattle, swine, horses or poultry were being subjected to similar invasive inspections under guidelines established by bureaucrats who think meat comes from a plastic wrapped Styrofoam tray. We wouldn’t be too […]
state
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Art suspension
House Bill 1665 suspends for three years the Art in Public Places Act of 2004, which requires 1.5 percent of any construction project costing more than $250,000 go toward funding art pieces in the project. The maximum cost for the artwork is capped at $500,000. HB 1665’s author, Rep. Leslie Osborn, R-Tuttle, said that as […]
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Pass the pitcher
Senate Bill 658, authored by Sen. Clark Jolley, R-Edmond, would allow the sale of strong beer and wine in grocery and convenience stores. However, that bill will now have to wait until the next legislative session, following modification of the bill allowing for a 13-member task force to examine the issues surrounding it. According to […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Uncommonly revealing
above Jason Poll with a bottle of wine at Mahogany Prime In the right hands, the grape is exceptionally good at revealing terroir, or the place the grapes came from, and so lends itself to many stylistic variants. The grape has so many strengths, including approachability, that it is more difficult to explain why worldwide […]
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Can it happen here?
Truth be told, the ingredients are here. A new Republican majority, in charge of all the levers of lawmaking, has made a lot of noise about restoring fiscal sanity. In the meantime, Oklahoma’s Teachers Retirement Fund has a $10 billion unfunded liability. If and when the new majority addresses this issue, the teachers’ unions are […]
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Ethics-schmethics
The Oklahoma Ethics Commission’s deadline has come and gone for filing end-of-year campaign reports, which shows who got paid, who did the paying, where the money was spent, and which Mexican restaurants were frequented by fervent anti-illegal immigration legislators on their campaign’s dime. Y’all got some ’splainin’ to do! The list of those who have […]
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Wait for it …
What could it be? The curiosity served as conversation fodder as CFN intern Bucky pondered the distorted “5320,” on the paperboard coaster underneath his perspiring — ahem — frosty beverage (yes, he’s 21, and then some). So, imagine his amusement upon learning Feb. 14 that partners like the state Department of Health, the Oklahoma Health […]
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Cornett should improve air supply
Modernization is more than new sports teams and convention centers. It’s the creation of an open-minded attitude, a stance that promotes a high quality of life where opportunities are available for all citizens to contribute what they can to the city and be respected, accepted, with equal opportunities to air their thoughts, without being marginalized. […]
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Misrepresenting government spending
According to the Census Bureau, the national average for combined per capita state and local spending (2007) was $9,338, versus $7,519 for Oklahoma. We would have to spend an extra $6.82 billion to reach the national average, $890 million to equal Texas and $3.8 billion to match Colorado (that’s before the 15 percent cut of […]
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Private and public
Three of state Superintendent Janet Barresi’s hires rejected by the Oklahoma State Board of Education in a contentious January meeting will stay on board using private funds to pay their salaries. Meanwhile, Barresi asked Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to look into possible Open Meetings Act violations by the board, alleging the push-back appeared orchestrated […]