Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK) articles from August 2001

Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK) archives from August 2001

Oklahoma Cattlemen Receive Federal Grant to Aid with Processing.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus Aug. 1--A group of cattlemen has received a $195,000 a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to find a way to keep the processing of Oklahoma cattle in the state to improve product quality and profit margins. "As a...

Oklahoma City Realtors Sell Large Number of Homes in June as Prices Rise.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Richard Mize Aug. 1--Home buyers are working through a surplus of existing homes that has been keeping prices down for new homes in the Oklahoma City area, industry leaders say. It's good news for sellers, Realtors and...

Investors Give Support to Ada, Okla.-Based Pre-Paid Legal Services.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis Aug. 1--Investors on Tuesday responded strongly to assurance from Pre-Paid Legal Services Inc. that the company's best days lie ahead. Shares of the stock climbed 5.2 percent to end the day with a 96-cent gain at...

Long-Distance Companies Now Required to Notify Customers of Rate Changes.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson Aug. 1--Today, in a move aimed at helping consumers, interstate domestic long distance telephone companies must start telling customers when they raise prices. Before today, a long-distance company only had to...

Oklahoma City-Based Natural Gas Company Touts High Earnings.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson Aug. 1--Louis Dreyfus Natural Gas Corp. announced Tuesday it had record second-quarter financial results, as net income rose 425 percent and per-share earnings topped analysts estimates by 8 cents. The Oklahoma...

Oklahoma Grocer Homeland Holding Corp. Files for Chapter 11.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis Aug. 2--Homeland Holding Corp. -- Oklahoma's struggling grocery store chain -- filed for reorganization Wednesday under Chapter 11 bankruptcy laws. Homeland, which was facing a $3 million interest payment it...

Regulators to Hold Oklahoma Natural Gas in Contempt over Denial of Data.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson Aug. 2--A divided Oklahoma Corporation Commission said Wednesday it intends to hold ONEOK Inc., parent company of Oklahoma Natural Gas, in contempt for refusing to provide records on gas-supply deals last winter. ...

Oklahoma's Williams Communications Signs Long-Distance Deal with Cingular.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg Aug. 2--Tulsa-based Williams Communications Group on Wednesday announced it has signed a deal to provide long-distance service to Cingular Wireless in 13 states. The news is the third announcement in less than a...

Albertson's Plans Store in Del City, Okla.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Ben Scott Aug. 3--DEL CITY, Okla.--Albertson's will build a store at SE 29 and Sunnylane Road in Del City, officials said Friday. It will be the first major business to come to Del City in a quarter century. "I've been here 25...

Oklahoma City Computer Experts Downplay Impact of Code Red Worm.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus Aug. 3--Oklahoma City computer repair shops and Internet service providers saw very little effect Wednesday from the Code Red worm -- the latest virus scare. "We've had a few customer calls today. But most people...

Gas Prices Fuel Earnings at Oklahoma City-Based Devon.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson Aug. 3--Increased natural gas prices and production helped Devon Energy Corp. report record earnings Thursday for the second quarter and first six months of 2001. The Oklahoma City-based company said earnings for...

Oklahoma Regulators Review Electric-Utility Disconnect Rules.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson Aug. 3--In the wake of nine heat-related deaths locally this summer, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission on Thursday took up the matter of electric-utility disconnection rules. No ruling was made at the...

Oklahoma Grocer Homeland's Bankruptcy Announcement No Surprise.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis Aug. 3--When Homeland Holding Corp. filed Wednesday for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, even the grocery chain's most loyal customers failed to register surprise. Some, such as Diane Lippert, couldn't help but...

Wewoka, Okla., Woman Wins Lawsuit against Indianapolis-Based Insurance Firm.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Mick Hinton Aug. 3--WEWOKA, Okla.--A 74-year-old Wewoka woman was awarded more than $1 million Friday by a Seminole County jury, which found that an insurance company intentionally failed to make good on her cancer insurance...

Oklahoma City Mall Counters Texas Sales Holiday.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis Aug. 3--Crossroads Mall is proving just how popular a statewide sales-tax holiday could be. By Friday -- halfway through its version of a four-day, tax-free weekend -- the Oklahoma City mall was reporting a...

Deloitte & Touche Quits as Auditor of Oklahoma's Pre-Paid Legal.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis Aug. 3--Pre-Paid Legal Services Inc. -- faced with restating earnings for the past two years -- is shopping for a new accounting firm to sign off on revised financials recommended by the Securities and Exchange...

The Daily Oklahoman Real Estate Column.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Richard Mize Aug. 3--The Waltons, Cunninghams, Taylors, Bradys, Bunkers, Keatons, Huxtables -- the homes of our favorite television families illustrated the big trends in design in the last century. The Waltons had their big,...

Oklahoma City, Area Needs Sprinkler Systems Approved by Fire Officials.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Richard Mize Aug. 3--The dog days are here. The countryside is as dry as dust. Fire danger lurks in every twig and swatch of tall grass. At Sierra Station, the first lines of defense are the water lines in the walls and sprinkler...

Oklahoma City-Based Heavy-Equipment Maker Says Penalty May Be Reduced.
August 4, 2001... Byline: Ben Scott Aug. 4--CMI Corp. said Friday that a pending $11.7 million patent-infringement judgment against it may be reduced to $2.5 million. That would be a financial boon for CMI. The Oklahoma City-based heavy-equipment maker...

Oklahoma Farmers Await Bush Signature on Farm-Aid Package.
August 5, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg Aug. 5--Farmers can see a glimmer of green beyond the dusty fields of Oklahoma now that a $5.5 billion farm aid bill is on the verge of becoming reality. The U.S. Senate on Friday reacted to a White House veto...

Oklahoma Hog Industry Says Federal Cleanup Orders Threaten Small Farms.
August 5, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg Aug. 5--The 30 or so hogs rooting in the dirt at a small farm and the thousands of hogs standing in gleaming football field-sized barns have something in common. Their manure is not necessarily just manure. It can...

Learning to Delegate: Many Managers Unable to Let Go.
August 5, 2001... Byline: Lisa Tatum Aug. 5--Here's a problem. You solve it. Too many people think that's all there is to delegating, says one Oklahoma City management expert. But successful delegation is a skill that likely will become more valuable in...

OPINION: Nothing to Do But Wait for Economic Recovery to Appear.
August 5, 2001... Byline: Charles Crumpley Aug. 5--Remember the Samuel Beckett play, "Waiting for Godot"? It's a boring play about a couple of tramps who stand beside a tree waiting for a guy named Godot who never shows up. This boring economy is...

Six Flags Executive Finds Job Fun; Theme Park Company Celebrates 40 Years.
August 5, 2001... Byline: Richard Mize Aug. 5--Six Flags gets 40 candles today. The chain of 42 amusement parks, founded in Dallas-Fort Worth and based in Oklahoma City since 1998, turns 40. Six Flags theme parks have 157 roller coasters. In the...

Computer-Virus Strain Puts Internet Users on High Alert.
August 7, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg Aug. 7--The Code Red II virus is squirming its way into computers in Oklahoma and around the world -- but most people don't know they may have left the virtual back door open to their private or classified...

Oklahoma City Maker of Construction Equipment Reports Profit.
August 7, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson Aug. 7--CMI Corp. turned a profit in the second quarter for the first time since 1999, it reported Tuesday. The company had net income of $2 million, or 9 cents a share, compared with a loss of $8.3 million, or 38...

Oklahoma-Based Eateries Inc. Signs Franchise Pact to Add 35 Restaurants.
August 7, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus Aug. 7--Restaurant chain Eateries Inc. has signed a franchising agreement with Indiana-based Dolson Inc. that will expand the Edmond company by 35 restaurants, Chief Executive Vince Orza Jr. said Monday. The...

Tax-Free Weekend Boosts Southern Oklahoma Retail Sales.
August 7, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus Aug. 7--An Oklahoma City mall and stores in south Oklahoma saw "phenomenal results" from weekend sales promotions to combat Texas' sales tax-free weekend, merchants said Monday. Meanwhile, some Texas merchants reported a...

OSHA Warns Oklahoma Companies to Address Workplace-Injury Rates.
August 7, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis Aug. 7--Nearly 400 Oklahoma companies -- 30 percent of them nursing homes -- must address workplace injury concerns raised by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA recently sent letters to 386...

Officials Optimistic over Genzyme Biotech Deal's Prospects for Oklahoma.
August 8, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg Aug. 8--The Genzyme-Novazyme merger announced Tuesday apparently pleased state leaders, the stock market and analysts. "The Novazyme-Genzyme merger is very good news for the Oklahoma biotech segment -- bringing...

Tulsa, Okla., Adam's Mark Hotel Manager Says Black Boycott Unjustified.
August 8, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus Aug. 8--The general manager of Tulsa's Adam's Mark hotel said the NAACP's planned nationwide boycott of the hotel chain is unjustified, especially in Tulsa. "It's unfortunate that a boycott would be called..... We...

Insolvent Insurer Escapes Oklahoma State Control.
August 8, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis Aug. 8--A Tulsa insurance company, declared insolvent by the state Insurance Department in July, has escaped permanent state control for at least another week. Late Monday, Heritage National Life Insurance Co....

Genzyme to Acquire Oklahoma City-Based Novazyme Pharmaceuticals.
August 8, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg Aug. 8--Novazyme Pharmaceuticals, a key Oklahoma City biotech company, is being acquired by the world's No. 3 pharmaceutical company. Genzyme Corp. will pay about $225 million in stock for the local company, the...

Convergys Customer Contact Center to Fill 400 Jobs in Moore, Okla.
August 9, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus Aug. 9--Convergys Corp. wants to do something that's becoming increasingly rare in Oklahoma: hire hundreds of people. Convergys said Tuesday it wants to hire 400 people for its customer-contact center in Moore. ...

Twin Sisters Prove Medical Assets in Oklahoma City, Okla.
August 9, 2001... Byline: Lisa Tatum Aug. 9--After a long morning of back-to-back surgeries followed by afternoon office hours and hospital rounds, the business of being a doctor begins. There are billings and dealing with insurance companies, taxes,...

Oklahoma Baseball Team Becomes Pioneers in Internet Ticketing.
August 9, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus Aug. 9--Oklahoma RedHawks fans don't have to wait in line anymore to buy game tickets. The Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers is one of the first professional baseball teams to use print-at-home ticketing...

Wheat Disease Losses in Millions, Says Federal Agriculture Official.
August 9, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg Aug. 9--An infectious wheat disease slugged farmers so hard this year that federal compensation for their losses is expected to be nearly 100 times greater than last year, a federal agriculture official said...

Oklahoma City Bank One Branch's Golden Dome Attracts Potential Buyers.
August 10, 2001... Byline: Gregory Potts and Brian Brus Aug. 10--The golden-dome Bank One branch at NW 23 and Classen Boulevard is attracting some interest since the bank last week announced it would try to sell the building in an effort to avoid razing the...

TWA Takes on American Airlines' Appearance in Oklahoma City.
August 10, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson Aug. 10--The Americanization of TWA is underway. Sharp-eyed plane-spotters may have noticed an odd-looking airplane landing Thursday at Will Rogers World Airport. It sported the famous American Airlines...

The Daily Oklahoman Charles Crumpley Column.
August 11, 2001... Byline: Charles Crumpley Aug. 11--U.S. IMAGE AS POLLUTER ISN'T FAIR: Are Americans gluttons? You sure would think so, if you read or saw much news coverage lately. The recent debate over the Kyoto Protocol, the international plan to...

Nichols Hills, Okla., Nears New-Home Capacity, With Few Lots Left.
August 11, 2001... Byline: Richard Mize Aug. 11--NICHOLS HILLS, Okla.-- Nichols Hills is virtually full, with almost no lots left for new homes. For any home to be built, one has to come down. The city issued five single-family building permits in all of...

Online Critics of Oklahoma's Pre-Paid Legal Services Inc. Win Anonymity.
August 11, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis Aug. 11--Two of Pre-Paid Legal Service Inc.'s harshest online critics have won the right to remain anonymous. For the first time ever, a California judge Friday quashed a subpoena seeking the identities of...

The Daily Oklahoman Real Estate Column.
August 11, 2001... Byline: Richard Mize Aug. 11--FLEXIBLE INTERIOR SPACES KEY TO HOMES OF THE FUTURE: Isn't it ironic that 1960s- to 1970s-era "futuristic" home designs look so... dated? Even the Jetsons' cartoon home looks "old." Rosie the robot maid...

Stillwater, Okla., Technology Contractor Added to Navy's Best Practices List.
August 11, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus Aug. 11--Frontier Electronic Systems Corp.'s delivery of its 100th Radar Distribution Switchboard to the Navy on Thursday is a prime example of the high-quality technology Oklahomans are capable of, company Vice...

Bank of Oklahoma's Bond-Fund Manager Strategizes Profit.
August 12, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis Aug. 12--TULSA, Okla.--Brian Henderson manages two bond funds for Bank of Oklahoma that have "blown away" the three-year annual return of the Standard & Poor's 500. The funds, recently highlighted by such national...

Oklahoma Ranchers Avoid Price Dive with Steady Sales of Cattle.
August 12, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg Aug. 12--Rather than watching the grass grow, Oklahomans are watching it turn brown beneath the sizzling sun. But cattlemen have been doing something about the grass that snaps like match sticks when they walk...

Oklahoma Native's Hard Work Helped Build Koch Industries.
August 12, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson Aug. 12--WICHITA, Kan.--Joseph W. Moeller will tell you he's been fortunate throughout his career. Keep listening and you'll suspect that preparation, single-mindedness and hard work have as much to do with his...

Oklahoma Wheat Symposium Seeks Solutions to Karnal Bunt.
August 12, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg Aug. 12--In the latest karnal bunt game, the federal government threw a Hail Mary pass into Oklahoma. The state will be the location for a national karnal bunt symposium running Sept. 12-13 at the Waterford Marriott,...

Oklahoma City Man Leads Lawsuit against Bayer.
August 14, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis Aug. 14--An Oklahoma City man -- whose father died this year after using a popular anti-cholesterol drug -- is leading a class-action lawsuit against Bayer Corp., the maker of the drug. The deceased man, Lilbert...

Harvest Hopes Dim for Oklahoma Milo, Soybean Crops.
August 14, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg Aug. 14--Crummy weather has forced Oklahoma farmers to shuffle crops on their wheat land. Although forecasts are up for alternative crops, farmers say dry weather has doomed many of those crops. "We're just...

Tulsa, Okla.-Based ONEOK Faulted Again over Gas-Supply Records.
August 14, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson Aug. 14--For the second time in two weeks, the parent company of Oklahoma Natural Gas has been the target of a contempt action for refusing to provide records on its gas-supply deals last winter. On Monday, it was...

Kimco Realty Plans to Buy Norman, Okla., Retail Power Center.
August 14, 2001... Byline: Richard Mize Aug. 14--NORMAN, Okla.--New York-based Kimco Realty Corp. plans to buy Norman's Parkway Plaza, considered the Oklahoma City metro area's first retail "power center" when developed in 1996. The transaction is...

Six Flags Earnings Tumble 22 Percent.
August 14, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis Aug. 14--Earnings at Six Flags Inc. took a stomach-lurching plunge -- falling 58 percent short of analysts' expectations -- in the second quarter. The Oklahoma City theme park company Monday reported...

Oklahomans Call Lawyers, Seeking Information on Bayer Lawsuit.
August 15, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis Aug. 15--Callers flooded an Oklahoma City law firm Tuesday with questions about Baycol and a lawsuit, announced Monday, against Baycol manufacturer Bayer AG. Baycol, withdrawn from the market last week, has been...

Bridge Information Systems Employees in Oklahoma City Await Word on Jobs.
August 15, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg Aug. 15--About 60 employees in Oklahoma City wait in limbo as Bridge Information Systems is dismantled under bankruptcy proceedings. Employees of both Bridge Information Systems and Bridge Telerate work on four...

Oklahoma City-Based Devon Energy to Acquire Mitchell.
August 15, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson Aug. 15--Devon Energy Corp., which has achieved soaring, merger-fueled growth in recent years, announced its biggest deal yet Tuesday -- an agreement to acquire Mitchell Energy and Development Corp. for $3.5...

Norman, Okla., Vote May End Building Moratorium.
August 16, 2001... Byline: Richard Mize Aug. 16--One possible effect of Norman's yearlong sewer problem won't be seen until next year -- if builders use up lots for new homes despite the lifting of a development moratorium. That's a big concern of Alan...

Companies Make Deals for Oklahoma City-Area Gas Stations.
August 16, 2001... Byline: Richard Mize Aug. 16--A Kansas company has bought or leased 50 metro-area Texaco gas stations from Equilon Enterprises LLC, a joint refining-and-marketing venture between Texaco Inc. and Shell Oil Co. Star Fuel Centers of...

Oklahoma Job-Related Deaths Decrease; Manufacturing Fatalities Increase.
August 16, 2001... Byline: Lisa Tatum Aug. 16--Workplace fatalities in Oklahoma's manufacturing industry tripled between 1999 and 2000, but the overall number of job-related deaths declined, according to a report by the State Department of Labor. The...

Oklahoma City-Based Business Assists Real Estate Trades.
August 16, 2001... Byline: Richard Mize Aug. 16--Oklahoma City's Capitol Abstract & Title Co. has formed CATCO Reverse LLC, an "exchange accommodation title holder" for tax-deferred reverse property exchanges executed under Internal Revenue Code Section...

Oklahoma City-Area Retailers Salute School Uniform Trend.
August 16, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus Aug. 16--Years ago, school uniforms were confined to the halls of private and parochial schools. But now, as uniform policies are being adopted in public school districts nationwide, retailers have taken notice and found...

Discount Retailer Picks Durant, Okla., Site for Warehouse.
August 16, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus Aug. 16--DURANT, Okla.--National retailer Big Lots Inc. announced Wednesday that it intends to build a 1.2 million square foot distribution center in Durant and create about 500 jobs in the next three years. Tommy...

Oklahoma City-Area Wages Fall Short of National Average, Statistics Show.
August 16, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson Aug. 16--Oklahoma City area workers earned an average of $14.61 per hour in February, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics -- a pay rate that's about 86 percent of the national...

Oklahoma Health Center Lands Protein Manufacturer.
August 17, 2001... Byline: Lisa Tatum Aug. 17--The latest biotech company to open at the burgeoning Oklahoma Health Center will be the first anywhere to commercially manufacture human proteins which can be turned into life-saving drugs. ProteomTech Inc....

Oklahoma-Based Fueling Systems Company's Chiefs Quit over Accounting Glitch.
August 17, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis Aug. 17--TULSA, Okla.--The top executives of NESCO Inc. abruptly resigned Thursday amid a multimillion-dollar accounting irregularity. In a surprise announcement late Thursday, NESCO's board of directors disclosed...

Tulsa, Okla.-Based Insurance Company Escapes Receivership.
August 17, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis Aug. 17--An Oklahoma insurance company -- millions of dollars in debt and months behind on its bills -- has escaped permanent state control. After a seven-hour hearing, Oklahoma County District Court Judge Nancy...

Japanese Official Visits Oklahoma for Clues to Banking Turnaround.
August 17, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis Aug. 17--Makoto Kitagawa didn't travel from Japan to Oklahoma just to ask why the state's banks had failed so horribly in the 1980s -- although that's one of the first questions he asked. As a key official in...

Oklahoma Commission's Utility Talks Focus on Seniors, Handicapped Customers.
August 17, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson Aug. 17--Reaching seniors and handicapped people with utility bill problems emerged the key issue Thursday, as the Oklahoma Corporation Commission examined how utilities disconnect nonpaying customers. The...

Agricultural Groups Seek Debate over Environmental Report on Water.
August 18, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg Aug. 18--Local and national farm groups want a head-to-head confrontation with an environmental group over charges that agriculture is hurting U.S. water quality. The groups Friday challenged the Natural Resources...

Tulsa, Okla.-Based Fueling Equipment Provider NESCO Cautiously Optimistic.
August 18, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis Aug. 18--With its top executives gone -- held ultimately responsible for millions of dollars in overbooked sales -- NESCO Inc. on Friday expressed reserved optimism about the future of its once-flourishing operation....

Wewoka, Okla., Inventors Sue to Protect Patent for `Air Ride' Hitches.
August 18, 2001... Byline: Lisa Tatum Aug. 18--WEWOKA, Okla.--It was an entrepreneurial fantasy: Build a better product, protect it with a patent and settle into success while competitors lament, "Why didn't I think of that?" John Turner and Jeffrey...

Executive Shifts to Bring New President to Oklahoma Natural Gas.
August 18, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson Aug. 18--Oklahoma Natural Gas Co., the state's largest gas utility, revealed Friday it will soon have a new president as part of several management changes at its corporate parent, ONEOK. The changes will take...

The Daily Oklahoman Charles Crumpley Column.
August 19, 2001... Byline: Charles Crumpley Aug. 19--Whew. If you watch business news, you can exhale now. We've just survived the worst quarter in recent corporate history. Most public companies by now have reported earnings for the second quarter....

Maize for More than Harvest: Oklahoma Attractions Meant to Educate Public.
August 19, 2001... Byline: Dawn Marks Aug. 19--From the sky, a field of corn west of Ponca City may look like the shape of Oklahoma with a tractor inside it, but on the ground, it's a labyrinth of nearly three miles of twists and turns. There are dead...

Tax Refund Checks Begin to Fill Registers in Oklahoma City, Okla.
August 19, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus Aug. 19--Alas, the federal income tax refund check -- taxpayers nationwide are eagerly wondering which week their portion of the nation's tax surplus will arrive in the mail. But will the check for up to $600 be...

Oklahoma Bank President Finds It Pays to Be Small.
August 19, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus Aug. 19--Glen Shipley said the similarities between his childhood and his responsibilities as Southwestern Bank president are only coincidence. Southwestern has about $120 million in assets -- not a large bank in a...

Earnings Plunge at Tulsa, Okla.-Based Fuel Systems Maker NESCO.
August 21, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis Aug. 21--NESCO Inc. made only a fraction of the earnings it reported in 2000 and has lost millions of dollars so far this year. After warning investors last week of overbooked sales -- and announcing the...

Sales of Homes Jump in Oklahoma City Metro Area.
August 21, 2001... Byline: Richard Mize Aug. 21--Thanks largely to low interest rates, Realtors are doing brisk business in the Oklahoma City metro area, with sales of existing homes up 27.4 percent last month compared with July 2000. Realtors handled...

Merger Turns Tulsa, Okla.-Based Americomm into Empire Petroleum.
August 21, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson Aug. 21--Americomm Resources Corp. of Tulsa announced Monday that it merged with its wholly owned subsidiary, Empire Petroleum Corp. The merger was effective Wednesday. The corporate name has been changed to...

Pumpkin Growers in Oklahoma Watch for Crop Disease.
August 21, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg Aug. 21--A disease could carve into Oklahoma's pumpkin crop long before Halloween revelers get to chisel their jack-o'-lanterns. The disease, bacterial wilt, has increased its foothold in some areas of the...

Two Wind Power Plants Set for Oklahoma.
August 21, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson Aug. 21--Chermac Energy Corp. announced Monday plans to build two wind-turbine farms in northwest Oklahoma that could generate 120 megawatts, enough electricity to power 20,000 homes. The Edmond-based company said...

Gas Prices Expected to Continue Rising in Oklahoma City Area.
August 22, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson Aug. 22--If you've had the uneasy feeling recently that gasoline prices are rising significantly, you're right. What's more, prices are expected to bump still higher by the long Labor Day weekend. The...

Oklahoma City Hospital Affiliates with New Health Operation.
August 22, 2001... Byline: Jim Killackey Aug. 22--Today on Oklahoma City's south side, Roman Catholic blessings and civic leaders' accolades will be bestowed upon a newly named hospital that in the past had far from a sterling reputation. That's all...

Federal Reserve Cuts Interest Rates; Oklahoma Stocks Drop Anyway.
August 22, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis Aug. 22--Most Oklahoma stocks fell with interest rates Tuesday. When the closing bell rang -- less than two hours after the Federal Reserve Board cut interest rates for the seventh time this year -- 30 Oklahoma...