Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Former Oklahoma state Senator Gene Stipe, whose long political career ended amid a congressional campaign finance scandal, has died. He was 85.

Longtime family friend Barry Moore says Stipe died peacefully Saturday at home in McAlester following a long illness. Moore's wife Mary, daughter Beth, and other relatives were with him.

Stipe, a Democrat, had the longest continuous run of any U.S. state senator, serving in that role from 1957 until 2003.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is reviewing part of a controversial rule that sets the first federal standards to reduce toxic air pollution from power plants.

The rule was issued in December. It's aimed at curbing mercury and other toxic pollutants from coal- and oil-fired power plants.

The Obama administration calls the rule a sensible step to reduce pollution, but Republicans have denounced it as a part of a "war on coal." The rule could force hundreds of the nation's oldest and dirtiest power plants to clean up or shut down.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A new report shows the U.S. with the fewest cattle in at least four decades as a widespread drought forces ranchers to sell off animals.

The National Agricultural Statistics Service said Friday that the number of cattle and calves in the United States totaled 97.8 million head as of July 1st. That's 2 percent less than a year ago.

It's also the lowest number since the agency began a July cattle count in 1973. The agency now estimates the size of the nation's herd each January and July.

MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) — A jury has convicted a man of first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a teenager at a Muskogee mall more than two years ago.

The panel deliberated more than four hours Friday before finding Dondray Fowler guilty of murder and of assault and battery with a deadly weapon. Jurors recommended a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole.

Fowler was accused of fatally shooting 17-year-old Jarrod Reed and wounding four others on April 10th, 2010, at Arrowhead Mall.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe's flap with the Federal Aviation Administration two years ago over his landing on a closed runway in Texas has led to an aviation bill now pending in Congress.

Oklahoma's senior senator says the incident helped open his eyes to the power the FAA has over pilots. His so-called Pilots' Bill of Rights has already unanimously cleared the Senate and House author, U.S. Representative Sam Graves, says he expects it will pass in the House next week.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The unemployment rate fell by a tenth of a percentage point in June to a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 4.7 percent.

The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission said Friday that 3,200 jobs were added in the state from May to June and that the number of jobless fell by 340.

The leisure and hospitality industry added 1,400 jobs during the month while 900 jobs were added in the financial services sector and the construction industry added 800 jobs.

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Gov. Mary Fallin plans to make a State of the State address next week to business leaders in Tulsa.

The governor scheduled the address for noon Tuesday at the Tulsa Convention Center.

Fallin will make the address two months after the Oklahoma Legislature declined to back her plan to cut the state's income tax. The governor told The Associated Press in an interview afterward that she believes lobbying swayed some lawmakers away from eliminating tax credits and exemptions to pay for the income tax cut.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Republican candidates in the race for the open congressional seat in eastern Oklahoma are sparring over the latest attack ad that highlights federal gun charges against a former employee of Markwayne Mullin.

The ad by George Faught's campaign that began airing this week details the conviction of former Mullin Plumbing employee Timothy Saylor on federal gun charges. It goes on to suggest that Mullin himself could face charges in connection with the investigation, a claim that Mullin campaign manager Tim Ross dismissed Thursday as "laughable."

OOLOGAH, Okla. (AP) — Firefighters had to battle the heat as well as a large grass fire near Oologah in northeast Oklahoma.

A firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion at a hospital and four others were treated at the scene for heat exposure Thursday afternoon. A woman answering the phone at the North West Rogers County Fire Department says the firefighters weren't seriously hurt.

The woman, who wouldn't identify herself, said firefighters were "mopping up" at the site of the blaze Thursday evening. She says no homes were damaged or had to be evacuated.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma Corporation Commission has approved a settlement in a rate case for Oklahoma Natural Gas that will result in an increase of nearly $1 per month for residential customers.

The three-member state regulatory agency announced Thursday that they had approved the settlement with ONG.

Commission Chairman Dana Murphy called the settlement "a balanced approach." The agreement was supported by the attorney general's office, the commission staff and the Oklahoma Industrial Energy Consumers.