Tulsa, OK – OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Members of former Oklahoma governor and U.S. Sen. Henry Bellmon's family will accompany his body as it lies in state at the state Capitol.

Bellmon, Oklahoma's first Republican governor, died Tuesday at the age of 88.

Bellmon's body will be brought to the Capitol about 8:30 a.m. Friday. It will lie in state outside the Senate chamber in the fourth floor rotunda until 4 p.m.

A funeral service is scheduled Saturday at 10 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Edmond.

Tulsa, OK – Okla. official told industry about pollution fix

TULSA, Okla. (AP) An Oklahoma official says he talked with the poultry industry more than a decade ago about ways to move chicken waste out of the Illinois River watershed.

Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission Director Ed Fite made the comment during testimony yesterday in Oklahoma's pollution lawsuit against 11 Arkansas poultry companies. Oklahoma claims that tons of chicken waste have polluted the Illinois River watershed on the Oklahoma-Arkansas border.

Tulsa, OK – Tulsa council votes 7-2 to accept stimulus grant

TULSA, Okla. (AP) The Tulsa City Council has voted 7-2 to accept a $3.5 million federal stimulus grant to hire 18 police officers.

The Community Oriented Policing Services or COPS grant will pay the salaries and benefits of the new officers for three years. The city is required to keep the officers at least one year after the first three at a cost of about $1.3 million and will pay about $396,000 to train and equip them.

By Associated Press

Washington, D.C. – Boren, Murphy start Natural Gas Caucus in Congress

WASHINGTON (AP) Congressmen from Oklahoma and Pennsylvania say they have started a Congressional Natural Gas Caucus to try and boost the profile of the energy source.

Dan Boren, D-Okla., and Tim Murphy, R-Pa., said Thursday they have started to recruit other members of Congress. They say their goal is to inform and educate their colleagues and others about the potential for natural gas to be used to meet the nation's future energy needs.

By Associated Press

Oklahoma City, OK – Prescriptions urged for cold medicines

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) A doctor's prescription would be needed for what is currently an over-the-counter cold medication under a proposal by Oklahoma's top drug enforcement officer.

Darrell Weaver, director of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, says the proposal is designed to cut down on so-called shake-and-bake methamphetamine labs in Oklahoma.

By Rich Fisher

By Associated Press

Tulsa, OK – Convicted ex-auditor wants convictions thrown out

DENVER (AP) Former state Auditor and Inspector Jeff McMahan is asking a federal appeals court to overturn his convictions on corruption-related charges.

McMahan is serving eight years and one month in federal prison after being convicted of conspiracy in June 2008. He was convicted of taking illegal campaign contributions, trips and jewelry.

By Hear John Durkee's report from the Federal Court House

Tulsa, OK – TULSA, Okla. (AP) A federal judge in Oklahoma's lawsuit against 11 Arkansas poultry companies has reversed himself and will admit government reports on problems associated with chicken waste in the Illinois River valley and what to do about it.

By Associated Press

Pryor, OK – PRYOR, Okla. (AP) A lawsuit has been filed against a Locust Grove restaurant seeking more than $3 million on behalf of 14 people sickened by an August 2008 outbreak of E. coli.

The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Mayes County District Court against the Country Cottage restaurant on behalf of 12 families. The plaintiffs are represented by a Pryor law firm and a Seattle, Wa.-based firm that specializes in foodborne illness litigation.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor will rejoin Governor Henry's staff when her term in office wraps up in December. Taylor will join the Governor's office as the Chief of Education Strategy and Innovation.

Her current Chief of Staff, Amy Polonchek, will also join Taylor in the office.

She was the State Commerce Secretary prior to running for Mayor of Tulsa in 2006. As with the Mayor's office, Taylor will not accept a salary.