Associated Press

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — The Payne County Commission has approved an agreement that requires TransCanada to pay for any damage caused by heavy trucks or equipment as it builds the southern section of the Keystone XL pipeline through the area.

TransCanada is expected to begin construction soon on the pipeline that will run from Cushing to refineries in Texas. The Stillwater NewsPress reports (http://is.gd/kq9lJa ) that the county had a similar agreement with TransCanada when it built the smaller Keystone pipeline.

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — In a near-repeat of last summer, drought conditions are expanding throughout Oklahoma, causing lower water levels at several area lakes and rivers, and some forecasters are predicting little relief in sight as the state enters the worst of the season.

Even though some parts of the state could see a chance of rain next week, the National Weather Service notes that summer's not even half over yet.

MANTEO, N.C. (AP) — Andy Griffith, whose homespun mix of humor and wisdom made "The Andy Griffith Show" an enduring TV favorite, has died. He was 86.

Dare County Sheriff Doug Doughtie says in statement Griffith died Tuesday at about 7 a.m. He says the family will release further information.

His starring role as a small-town sheriff drew upon his own upbringing in Mount Airy, N.C. The show also starred Don Knotts and was one of the top hits of the 1960s and a perennial in reruns.

Griffith later played a shrewd Southern lawyer in another successful series, "Matlock."

SAPULPA, Okla. (AP) — Prosecutors have charged a former Sapulpa assistant softball coach with child sexual exploitation and possession of juvenile pornography.

The Sapulpa Daily Herald reports Howard Harjo was charged Friday with 21 counts. He was arrested June 13 after a school worker found two video recorders in a bathroom inside the Sapulpa Public School's indoor softball center.

Prosecutors accuse Harjo of hiding the cameras in the bathroom to record girls as they changed clothes and used the restroom.

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Hundreds of family members and friends have said goodbye to an Oklahoma National Guard unit that's headed to Afghanistan for a year-long deployment.

About 200 soldiers with the 120th Engineer Battalion gathered at the Oral Roberts University Mabee Center on Saturday. They will head for Fort Bliss, Texas, this week for training before leaving for southern Afghanistan.

The Tulsa World reports the unit will work with the Afghan National Army to help with the transition into leading the security effort in the country.

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Shares in Syntroleum Corporation have been trading for less than $1 for more than 30 days and the company is considering a reverse split to avoid being delisted by the Nasdaq exchange.

The company said Friday that shareholders approved a proposal to let the board consider the reverse split, which would reduce the number of outstanding shares and increase the share price.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A plan to erect a Smithsonian-quality museum to showcase Oklahoma's Native American heritage has proved to be a thorn in the state's side.

Officials announced Thursday that construction on the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum in Oklahoma City will be suspended because the project has run out of money.

The Legislature has spent more than $63 million on the project and private donations and other funding pushed the cost to $91 million. Museum officials need an additional $80 million to finish the center.

NEW YORK (AP) — Oil soared the by the largest single day amount in more than three years in Friday's New York trading.

West Texas Intermediate crude priced at Oklahoma's Cushing hub closed the week up nearly ten percent at $84.96 a barrel.

Gas producers like Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy got some good news as natural gas rose by nearly 4 percent, to finish the week at $2.82 per thousand cubic feet. Chesapeake's stock price has been battered in the past year by the nationwide gas glut and questions about corporate governance.

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — A woman whose manslaughter conviction was overturned may only spend about another year in prison.

Susan Pryor pleaded guilty on Thursday to first-degree manslaughter in the 2007 fatal shooting of her friend, Timothy Lannom. The Tulsa World reports that Tulsa County District Judge Tom Gillert sentenced Pryor to four years in prison and gave her credit for the two years she's served.

DRUMRIGHT, Okla. (AP) — Firefighters in northeastern Oklahoma have contained several fires that have scorched hundreds of acres.

Olive assistant fire chief Jason Dobson told KJRH-TV electrical lines caused the fire near the small Creek County town.

Officials say there have been no reports of injuries or damage to homes.

More than 40 firefighters from eight departments and a helicopter helped bring the fires under control. By late Friday, they were mostly contained.