Oklahoma City news

• ‘A goodbye letter’: Inside an NYC woman's search for her late best friend's note

  22-05-2024 20:56 via kfor.com
  
  CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN (WPIX) – In November, Zettie Shapey’s best friend Caroline Meister sent her a letter from California. And it was a really good one, Meister promised over the phone; it was really long and she’d put cool things in the envelope.“We hadn’t written letters to each other in a while, so I was really excited,” Shapey told Nexstar's WPIX.But the letter never made it to Shapey’s place in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Crown Heights. Fou
  
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• What will be the song of the summer? Here are some predictions

  19-06-2024 13:44 via kfor.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Since the beginning of time or, at least, pop music, only a few have earned the designation of “song of the summer.”These are the earworms that lodge deep into the brain, pushing past genre preferences and reminding listeners: A hit is a hit. With so much variety, though, it's getting harder to crown a single song of the summer. So The Associated Press is offering 2024 predictions across categories — with past winners for reference.Find your song of t
  
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• Warning signs, symptoms and tips: How to stay safe in the heat

  19-06-2024 13:35 via kfor.com
  
  (WGN) -- Extreme heat doesn’t just zap our energy, it can also damage vital organs in our bodies, including the brain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.To help you stay safe amid scorching temperatures this summer, here are a few things you should know:Drink plenty of fluidsDr. Andrew Costello, an emergency medicine physician with Endeavor Health in Chicago, said it's important to drink fluids, like water and sports drinks, before your summer activities.
  “I
  
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• With Maryland pardons, 2.5 million will have marijuana convictions cleared or forgiven

  19-06-2024 13:33 via kfor.com
  
  Maryland this week became the latest state to announce mass pardons for people convicted of marijuana-related crimes as the nation wrestles with how to make amends for the lives disrupted in the decadeslong war on drugs.Under Gov. Wes Moore's plan, more than 175,000 convictions for possession of cannabis or drug paraphernalia will be pardoned, but not permanently erased from people's criminal records.Here's a look at where the U.S. stands in addressing old marijuana convictions.A fraction o
  
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• District Hotel offering reward to find thief

  19-06-2024 13:24 via kfor.com
  
  OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — A local hotel is offering up a reward after a bag with more than $1,200 in cash was stolen.The District Hotel was in the process of closing. The outdoor bartender was counting the money, put it in a bag and then set it down. OKLAHOMA NEWS: SE OKC alleged copper thieves caught in actionWithin a couple of minutes that bag was gone."We were having a party here at the pool, and by closing, someone decided that they were going to go back and rob our outside bar here at th
  
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• Eastbound I-40 narrowed to one lane, ramp closed due to crash

  19-06-2024 13:22 via kfor.com
  
  OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - An accident is slowing traffic eastbound on I-40 Wednesday morning.According to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, I-40 is narrowed to one lane between Anderson Rd. and I-240. The eastbound I-40 on-ramp from Anderson Rd. is closed in the work zone because of the wreck. TRAFFIC: KFOR's Live Traffic MapCrews are on scene working to clean up the roadway. Drivers are asked to avoid the area and find an alternate route like I-240. Officials say drivers should be careful
  
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• An inside look at the plan for a new Oklahoma County Jail

  19-06-2024 05:26 via kfor.com
  
  OKLAHOMA COUNTY, Okla. (KFOR) - Five years ago, Oklahoma County voters passed a bond issue overwhelmingly in favor of building a new county jail.In the past five years, the county has narrowed the list of potential locations from 25 sites to one:SE 15th and Grand Boulevard, the 80-acre site of an abandoned apartment complex in southeast Oklahoma City, near the border with Del City. LOCAL NEWS: Court battle is a possibility over new jail locationThe site has been a hot topic on the east side of t
  
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• Despite vastly outspending, Bondar loses OK-4 primary challenge to Tom Cole

  19-06-2024 05:17 via kfor.com
  
  OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Despite outspending U.S. Representative Tom Cole’s campaign by nearly $2 million, Paul Bondar lost his primary challenge to Cole on Tuesday.Bondar was one of five opponents who ran against Cole (R-Oklahoma) in the race for Oklahoma’s Fourth Congressional seat.Two months ago—few, if any, Oklahomans knew the name “Paul Bondar.” Who is Paul Bondar, running to unseat Tom Cole? We found him.But that all changed when Bondar’s campaign dr
  
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• 'Big Boy,' the 1.1 million pound train, set to tour US: See its planned stops

  19-06-2024 03:23 via kfor.com
  
  DENVER (KDVR/NEXSTAR) — Will Union Pacific's legendary "Big Boy" steam locomotive stop near you during its upcoming tours across much of the U.S.?One of the world’s largest trains will pass through a number of states this summer and fall, making stops along the way to allow viewers an up-close look at the massive, 1.1-million-pound engine.According to the Union Pacific Railroad, the train known as Big Boy No. 4010 is the world's largest operating steam locomotive.
  On its website, the
  
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• ‘The sun was just fiery red,’ Lubbock couple evacuates Ruidoso home while wildfires ravage through village

  19-06-2024 03:17 via kfor.com
  
  LUBBOCK, Texas -- When Jim Dailey and his wife learned they had to evacuate their beloved vacation home in Ruidoso, New Mexico, they grabbed their medicine, shoes and a few pieces of clothing. They couldn’t gather much more before they were on their way out of the village along with thousands of others who needed to escape the ravaging wildfires.Two wildfires, the South Fork Fire and Salt Fire, continued to burn across Southern New Mexico Tuesday, taking houses and businesses along with th
  
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• Southwest offers flights as low as $53 in honor of airline's birthday

  19-06-2024 03:16 via kfor.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) – Southwest Airlines announced Tuesday that it is celebrating 53 years in operation by offering $53 flights for a limited time.To take advantage of the deal, you must book a seat in Southwest's "Wanna Get Away" class by 11:59 p.m. PDT on Thursday, June 20. Airfare includes two free checked bags.Some examples of the $53 one-way fares include:
  Los Angeles (LAX) to PhoenixAustin to Dallas (Love Field)Chicago (Midway) to Minneapolis/St. PaulLas Vegas to San Diego
  Some fares, such as
  
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• Willie Mays, Giants’ electrifying ‘Say Hey Kid,’ has died at 93

  19-06-2024 03:14 via kfor.com
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Willie Mays, the electrifying “Say Hey Kid” whose singular combination of talent, drive and exuberance made him one of baseball’s greatest and most beloved players, has died. He was 93.Mays' family and the San Francisco Giants jointly announced Tuesday night he had “passed away peacefully” Tuesday afternoon surrounded by loved ones.The center fielder was baseball’s oldest living Hall of Famer. His signature basket catch and his dashes aro
  
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• Rep. Tom Cole fends off primary challengers in Oklahoma

  19-06-2024 02:33 via kfor.com
  
  Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) has won the GOP nomination for his House seat representing Oklahoma’s 4th Congressional District, according to Decision Desk HQ. Cole, who has held his House seat for more than 20 years, held off a few primary challengers in the contest, most notably businessman Paul Bondar. Cole is the chair of the House Appropriations Committee. Bondar had outraised Cole in the primary thanks to a $5 million loan that he gave his own campaign, accounting for most of the
  
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• Political leaders discuss civics and civility in America at the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum

  19-06-2024 02:26 via kfor.com
  
  OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — An in-depth conversation at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum on Tuesday focused on the civics in America and how to handle what's become a lack of civility.
  Current Flashpoint moderator Mike Turpen along with former Flashpoint moderator Burns Hargis, joined Oklahoma's 5th district Congresswoman Stephanie Bice for a candid talk.ELECTION HQ: Oklahomans head to the polls for the state primary electionsAll three agreed on the need to do better and get back
  
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• Two dead after crash on I-44 in SW Oklahoma City

  19-06-2024 01:30 via kfor.com
  
  OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - Two people were killed in a crash along I-44 in southwest Oklahoma City early Tuesday morning. "It's just really sad. It's horrible,” said Tomi Bonar.  LOCAL NEWS: Moore Police stop driver going 72 mph in 35 mph zoneBonar told KFOR she was meeting her boyfriend on a trail along I-44 near Southwest 29th when he frantically ran up to her, asking for help. "He was asking me for a flashlight,” said Bonar. “There was a lady that was trapped in h
  
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• Norman residents voice concerns about OTA to Oklahoma Co. Commissioners

  19-06-2024 01:30 via kfor.com
  
  OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Oklahoma County Commissioners planned to support the Access Oklahoma Plan, to expand turnpikes across the state, although commissioners were only focused on areas impacted in their counties. Norman residents showed up to the meeting to voice their concerns."Think about how the Turnpike Authority historically has not been transparent with the people and they have not been transparent with the cities and counties and municipalities," said Kelly Wilson.
  On Tuesday, Okla
  
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• FBI searching for Oklahoma-based victims in Tennessee child exploitation case

  19-06-2024 01:26 via kfor.com
  
  BECKHAM COUNTY, Okla. (KFOR) — The FBI is looking to identify potential victims in a federal child exploitation case out of Knoxville, Tenn., that may have ties to Oklahoma.James Coleman Thompson, 71, was indicted by a grand jury in Knoxville on June 5 for allegedly taking minors across state lines with the intent of engaging in sexual activity in September and November 2000.Thompson could face a maximum of 15 years in prison, up to a $350,000 fine, and three years on supervised released i
  
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• Human trafficking suspect arrested by OBN

  19-06-2024 01:17 via kfor.com
  
  OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — A man suspected of human trafficking with an underage girl was taken into custody by agents from the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (OBN).Court documents have multiple pages of text messages between the suspect and the young woman showing payment numbers and also setting up dates with clients."He was clearly trafficking this this minor," said Mark Woodward with the Bureau of Narcotics. OSBI revisits 1982 cold case of 35-year old Linda MackAgents with the Bureau of Narc
  
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• Research to Prevent Blindness gives big boost to local institute

  19-06-2024 00:36 via kfor.com
  
  OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) gave a big boost to the Dean McGee Eye Institute in the form of a grant that only 30 total institutions in the country hold.Research in labs like those at the Dean McGee Eye Institute’s Department of Ophthalmology will be funded with $115,000 per year for the next 5 years thanks to the grant. Their hope is that it will keep them on the cutting edge of blindness prevention research. LOCAL NEWS: Married scientists looking into autoim
  
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• Multiple people hospitalized after house collapses in Syracuse

  19-06-2024 00:31 via kfor.com
  
  SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR) – Firefighters in Syracuse, New York are responding to a collapsed house after a gas explosion Tuesday.
  Units were first called around 4 p.m. EDT and are performing a search and rescue, and have reports of possibly two people still stuck inside as of roughly 5:30 p.m. EDT.There was a car underneath the collapsed portion of the home, Syracuse Fire Chief Michael Monds told Nexstar's WSYR.
  Monds said 10 people were taken to the hospital. Eight were taken in advanced life
  
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• SE OKC alleged copper thieves caught in action

  19-06-2024 00:18 via kfor.com
  
  OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Oklahoma City Police say two people are facing felony charges, accused of attempting to steal copper from an industrial site.Police say the incident happened June 6 at a site near Southeast 59th Street and Sunnylane Road.Court documents say a manager for the company who owns the property saw the suspects on the property and called police. OKLAHOMA NEWS: ‘Took everything apart. Literally.’: Thieves steal copper from church’s AC units"Learned that the
  
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• Plastic surgeon charged in wife's death after she suffered cardiac arrest during procedures

  18-06-2024 23:52 via kfor.com
  
  PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — A plastic surgeon in the Florida Panhandle was charged with his wife's death after she suffered a cardiac arrest and died days after he performed after-hours procedures on her in his clinic last year, authorities said.Benjamin Brown was arrested Monday on a charge of manslaughter by culpable negligence, which is a second-degree felony. He was released from the Santa Rosa County Jail after posting a $50,000 bond.His defense attorney said Tuesday that Benjamin Brown in
  
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• National Reining Horse Assoc. brings derby action to State Fairgrounds

  18-06-2024 23:52 via kfor.com
  
  OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - The competition is in full gear at the 6666 National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Derby featuring record breaking purses across the entire event.Whether you’re a seasoned fan cheering on your favorites, or a newcomer to the electrifying world of reining, there’s something for everyone at the 2024 6666 NRHA Derby.
  Spectators can expect a backdrop of the OKC Fairgrounds, for this year’s 6666 NRHA Derbydelivering thrilling performances and showcases the
  
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• 'Pretty spectacular': Cherries from 18th century found at George Washington's home

  18-06-2024 23:49 via kfor.com
  
  MOUNT VERNON, Va. (AP) — George Washington never did cut down the cherry tree, despite the famous story to the contrary, but he did pack away quite a few bottles of the fruit at his Mount Vernon home.Dozens of bottles of cherries and berries — impossibly preserved in storage pits uncovered from the cellar of his mansion on the banks of the Potomac River — were discovered during an archaeological dig connected to a restoration project.Jason Boroughs, Mount Vernon's principa
  
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• Dollar Tree left lead-tainted applesauce pouches on shelves for weeks after recall: FDA

  18-06-2024 23:35 via kfor.com
  
  (AP) – Dollar Tree failed to effectively recall lead-tainted applesauce pouches linked to reports of illness in more than 500 children, leaving the products on some stores shelves for two months, the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday.The FDA sent a warning letter to Dollar Tree this month and placed Negasmart, the Ecuadorian distributor of WanaBana apple cinnamon pouches, under import alerts following the October 2023 recall of the products found to be contaminated with “extr
  
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• These 10 US cities have the worst housing shortages, new report finds

  18-06-2024 23:34 via kfor.com
  
  (NEXSTAR) — It’s no secret the U.S. housing market has been hot in recent years. That has continued into 2024, despite mortgage rates staying close to 7% so far.The hot housing market during the COVID pandemic was coupled with a construction boom. Thanks in part to a subsequent shortage of supplies, construction was delayed in some areas. While that has mostly rebounded, newly released data from Zillow shows the U.S. still doesn’t have enough housing — and it’s only
  
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• VIDEO: Police officers chase 'very fast and strong' piglet through California streets

  18-06-2024 23:32 via kfor.com
  
  (KRON) – A piglet was reunited with its family by a California police department after the animal was found roaming the streets last week.
  Police began receiving reports of the piglet running in and out of the roadway in the city of Sebastapol at around 1:40 p.m. Thursday. Officers were dispatched to the area shortly afterward, though they somewhat underestimated the evasive abilities of the pig, the Sebastapol Police Department indicated."Officers arrived and located the described piglet
  
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• CNBC financial pundit who became fugitive arrested by FBI

  18-06-2024 23:30 via kfor.com
  
  LOS ANGELES (KTLA) - An investment adviser from Los Angeles County who was a frequent guest on CNBC has been arrested after nearly three years on the lam.
  James Arthur McDonald Jr., 52, was arrested over the weekend in Port Orchard, Washington, according the United States Department of Justice.James Arthur McDonald Jr., 52. is shown in this undated photo provided by the FBI.McDonald was identified by the DOJ as the CEO and chief investment officer of two L.A. area companies, Hercules Investments
  
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• Justin Timberlake says he had ‘one martini’ before DWI arrest: court docs

  18-06-2024 22:48 via kfor.com
  
  SAG HARBOR, N.Y. (PIX11) – Singer Justin Timberlake reportedly refused to take a breathalyzer test before he was arrested on a charge of driving while intoxicated on Long Island, according to court documents.Timberlake, 43, was arrested Tuesday morning in Sag Harbor. He was pulled over after officials say he failed to stop at a stop sign and failed to keep right twice, per court documents.(Credit: Sag Harbor Police Dept.) Why does heat drain car batteries?The arresting officer noted Timber
  
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• Federal court puts parts of controversial classroom law on hold

  18-06-2024 21:38 via kfor.com
  
  OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — On Monday, a federal court granted a partial preliminary injunction that puts parts of a controversial state law restricting the teaching of race and gender in Oklahoma classrooms on hold.HB 1775 was signed into law in 2021, and was met with opposition from educators across the state, including OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. and former Oklahoma City Public Schools Superintendent Sean McDaniel.A lawsuit was then filed in October 2021 by the ACLU, ACLU of Oklahoma, Law
  
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