Local & Regional

By Associated Press

Tulsa, OK – Okla. switching to use national school standards

TULSA, Okla. (AP) An independent study indicates that Oklahoma's plans to use national academic standards should proceed smoothly.

Oklahoma plans to start using the Common Core state standards during the next four years. According to the study by the Washington, D.C.-based Thomas P. Fordham Foundation, Oklahoma is one of 11 states where English language arts and math standards are highly similar to those of the Common Core.

By Associated Press

Sulphur, OK – SULPHUR, Okla. (AP) From their ancestral homelands in the southeastern United States to their forced removal to Oklahoma along the Trail of Tears, the history of the Chickasaw Nation is now on display for all to see. The tribe opened the $40 million Chickasaw Cultural Center last month in southeastern Oklahoma. Tribal historian Phil Morgan says the center makes the statement that the tribe has survived and will continue to do so.

By Associated Press

Tulsa, OK – Ex-Okla police chief address alleged corruption

TULSA, Okla. (AP) Tulsa's former police chief says he accepts some of the criticism about the atmosphere in the police department that may have allowed some police officers to commit illegal acts.

By Associated Press

Tulsa, OK – Okla man arrested in fatal DUI-related accident

TULSA, Okla. (AP) Authorities have arrested a Tulsa man after he was involved in a fatal car accident while allegedly under the influence of alcohol.

Adam Myers was booked into the Tulsa jail early Sunday on a second-degree manslaughter complaint, three complaints of great bodily injury in a DUI accident and one complaint of driving with a suspended license. Myers hasn't been formally charged.

By Denise Brewer

Tulsa, OK – Hear a recap of Monday Morning's Top Local Stories:

By KWGS News/National Weather Service

Tulsa, OK – URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
336 AM CDT SUN AUG 8 2010

ARZ019-020-029-OKZ060-061-064-066-067-070-072-082130-
/O.CON.KTSA.EH.W.0004.100808T1200Z-100811T0000Z/
CRAWFORD-FRANKLIN-SEBASTIAN-TULSA-ROGERS-CREEK-OKMULGEE-WAGONER-
MUSKOGEE-SEQUOYAH-
336 AM CDT SUN AUG 8 2010

...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM THIS MORNING
TO 7 PM CDT TUESDAY...

AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING IS IN EFFECT...

By KWGS News

Ramona. OK – Highway 75 is reopen in all directions at Ramona. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation closed the roadway last Monday because the highway buckled. The damage was blamed on the intense heat.

Traffic has been diverted onto the shoulders of the Highway while repairs were made. O-DOT announced late Saturday that the repair work has been finished.

By KWGS News

Wagoner, OK – One person is dead after a drowning at Fort Gibson Lake. The Oklahoma Lake Patrol says it happened Saturday afternoon at the Rocky Point Recreational area.

The Patrol says 47-year-old Michael Smith of Locust Grove was fishing in a remote area of the lake when he decided to jump into the water to cool off. A fishing companion says he did not resurface.

His body was recovered with the help of the White Horn Cove First Responders and taken the Tulsa Medical Examiner's Office.

By Associated Press

Tulsa, OK – Okla's tax free weekend for back-to-school

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) While shoppers flocked some malls for Oklahoma's back-to-school tax-free weekend, other stores reported no increase in business.

The state suspends taxes on certain items costing less than $100 each for three days in an effort to help families save on back-to-school items. The tax-free weekend began Friday and runs through Sunday.

State tax officials say shoppers saved $6.8 million in sales taxes last year.

By Associated Press

Oklahoma City, OK – Askins seeks centrist ground in Okla. gov. race

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) After winning the Democratic Party's nomination for governor, Lt. Gov. Jari Askins declared she wanted to be the candidate for "the average Oklahoman" and staked a claim in the middle of the political spectrum.