Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Candidate filing has ended for this year's round of elections for Congress, the Legislature and other elective positions.

The three-day filing period ended Friday with 275 candidates turning in paperwork to officials at the State Election Board to have their names placed on election ballots.

Ten candidates filed for eastern Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional District, including six Republicans, three Democrats and an independent. U.S. Rep. Dan Boren, the lone Democrat in the state's congressional delegation, is stepping down after four terms.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Officials say a tornado that touched down near the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman caused a few minor injuries and some property damage.

The National Weather Service confirmed that a twister touched down Friday afternoon near the campus and a state highway.

Norman Regional Hospital spokeswoman Kelly Wells says about 10 people were treated for "bumps and bruises."

Deputy Fire Chief Jim Bailey says the tornado damaged several homes and buildings in the city of about 100,000 residents 20 miles south of Oklahoma City.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — The Storm Prediction Center says a dangerous tornado outbreak is likely Saturday in parts of Kansas and Oklahoma as intense storms move into the southern Plains.

Forecasters at the center in Norman, Okla., say there's a high risk of severe weather from Oklahoma City north to Salina, Kan. The severe storms are expected to strike Saturday afternoon and evening.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Democratic Senator Tom Adelson of Tulsa says he won't seek a final four-year term in office.

Adelson announced Thursday that he wouldn't run again after his District 33 in Tulsa's midtown area was moved to south Tulsa and Broken Arrow as part of redistricting. Adelson had been mulling a run against Republican incumbent Sen. Brian Crain, but apparently decided against it.

McALESTER, Okla. (AP) — A federal appeals court has ordered a stay of execution for an Oklahoma inmate to remain in effect while the full court considers the case.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 6-4 late Thursday that a stay of execution granted by a lower court will remain in effect for 56-year-old Garry Allen.

A spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Attorney General's office says it has appealed the 10th Circuit ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court and expects a final ruling later Thursday.

BROKEN ARROW, Okla. (AP) — Broken Arrow police say a man was killed after a compressed natural gas tank exploded.

Police tell Tulsa television station KOTV that the man was working on a pickup truck that had a CNG tank. Broken Arrow Police Sgt. Ed Ferguson says someone driving past a business in an industrial park spotted the man's body at about 6:30 a.m. Thursday.

Ferguson says it appears the tank exploded, killing the man.

Authorities say the explosion sent debris into the street and caused minor property damage.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma's Senate leader is acknowledging a cut in the state's income tax of more than three-quarters of 1 percent next year will be "very difficult" to achieve this legislative session.

Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman told reporters Thursday he believes a cut in the state's top personal income tax rate will be somewhere between one-quarter and three-quarters of 1 percent next year. But Bingman acknowledged negotiations are ongoing and no final decision has been made.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma Attorney General's Office will appeal a man's stay of execution to the Tenth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The state Court of Criminal Appeals on Tuesday denied Garry Allen's plea to stop his execution. But U.S. District Judge David L. Russell issued a ruling Wednesday to give Allen time to litigate claims about his competency.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An Oklahoma lawmaker wants a comprehensive study of a compensation plan for state workers who have not had a raise in six years.

Rep. Leslie Osborn of Tuttle said Tuesday the study would help determine if a market-based compensation plan could be adopted for all state workers. The plan would bring state worker salaries closer to private-sector pay.

VINITA, Okla. (AP) — A 73-year-old woman has been arrested for allegedly running a major marijuana drug operation out of her northeast Oklahoma home.

Sheriff Jimmie Sooter says a drug task force serving a search warrant late Monday seized several pounds of pot, about $277,000 in cash and guns from Darlene Mayes' home near Vinita.

The retired Department of Human Services worker was booked into jail on complaints that included possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.