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Today In The News
ConocoPhillips says it’s cutting 10 percent of jobs: The Houston-based energy company says it is cutting about 1,810 jobs following a plunge that took oil prices to their lowest levels in years. ConocoPhillips has already cut 1,000 jobs this year. Bartlesville, where the company has about 1,700 employees, will be affected by the sizable workforce reductions, but specifics were not available [Tulsa World].
Rural schools find help from tribes: In the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s 11 counties, there are 46 school districts. While the students are attending school, the tribe is concerned what they will do once they’ve graduated. The tribe’s employment and training manager Courtney Josie said some parents in the area do not have a high school diploma and are not encouraging their children to pursue education later, and her department often has to work with the whole family when it comes to career planning. The Muscogee (Creek) Nation is one of many tribes helping to fill in the gaps in education in the rural areas [Journal Record].
Life expectancy gap between ZIP codes in Tulsa County narrows: “Narrowing the Gap,” a partnership between the health department, the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa and the George Kaiser Family Foundation, shows that from 2000 to 2002, people in the north Tulsa ZIP code of 74126 lived to an average age of 67. Those in the south Tulsa ZIP code of 74137 lived to be almost 81. Since that time, the gap has narrowed from 13.8 to 10.7 years [Tulsa World].
Atoka banker replaces Rep. David Dank as chairman of tax subcommittee: House Speaker Jeff Hickman on Tuesday named Rep. Charles McCall to serve as chairman of the House Appropriations and Budget Subcommittee on Revenue and Taxation. McCall previously served as vice-chairman of the panel under the late Rep. David Dank, who died in April [News9].
Driving Mom’s lessons home: My mother, Helaine Blatt, passed away last month at age 74, much too soon, after a brief illness. When I think about what I learned from my mother that has most influenced my own life’s journey, it’s less any particular words of wisdom or guiding principles than the example she set at her life’s pivotal juncture [David Blatt / Journal Record].
Judge takes lesser prairie chicken off endangered species list: U.S. District Judge Robert A. Junell ruled Tuesday that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service failed to follow its own procedures in determining whether the bird should receive protection under the Endangered Species Act. A voluntary range plan developed for Oklahoma and other states that are part of the bird’s habitat was not properly considered, the judge ruled [NewsOK].
Randy Brogdon apparently resigns, sets meeting to elect new state Republican Party chairman: Oklahoma Republican Party Chairman Randy Brogdon on Wednesday scheduled a committee meeting to elect his own successor, surprising many GOP colleagues. “No one knows what is going on,” said Tulsa County Republican Party Chairman Mike Ford. “I don’t know what is going on.” [Tulsa World]
Convicted former legislator released with ankle monitor: Former state Rep. Randy Terrill has gone home from jail wearing an ankle monitor after spending three months locked up for bribery. An Oklahoma County jury found Terrill guilty in 2013 of offering a bribe to a political candidate to withdraw from an election. Jurors chose a punishment of a year in prison and a $5,000 fine on the felony [NewsOK].
Quote of the Day
“This was a multisector response to the fact that we have this huge disparity in the city of Tulsa and Tulsa County … that what ZIP code you live in had a great impact on how long you actually live. When you have a 14-year gap, I think everyone found that reprehensible and unacceptable.”
-Bruce Dart, executive director of the Tulsa Health Department, speaking about efforts that have narrowed the life expectancy gap between Tulsa’s wealthiest and poorest ZIP codes from 13.8 to 10.7 years (Source).
Number of the Day
58.9%
Percentage of Oklahoma adults who visited a dentist or dental clinic in 2012, the 7th-lowest nationwide.
Source: Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
See previous Numbers of the Day here.
Policy Note
Reducing mass incarceration requires far-reaching reforms: Research has shown that policy changes over the past four decades have put more people in prison and kept them there longer, leading to exponential growth in the prison population even while crime has dropped to historic lows. But despite widespread agreement that mass incarceration is a serious problem, the national conversation is light on details about what it will take to achieve meaningful and sustainable reductions. What do states actually need to do roll back their prison populations by 10 percent? 20 percent? 50 percent? [Urban Institute]
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