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

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

Oklahoma City Eye Surgeon Wins First-Place Ranking as Corn Farmer.
July 1, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg Jul. 1--From cotton to corn Oklahoma City eye surgeon James Wise transformed a farm stripped by years of cotton farming into one with award-winning corn yields. The National Corn Growers Association earlier this...

The Daily Oklahoman Charles Crumpley Column.
July 1, 2001... Byline: Charles Crumpley Jul. 1--At the height of the high-tech craze a couple of years ago, something called vendor financing was as big a fad among some businesses as "Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace" was to pre-teens. Now,...

Consumers Slowly See Benefit of Paying Bills Online.
July 1, 2001... Jul. 1--The first step is always the hardest -- just ask the pioneers of online bill paying services. Persuading consumers to put their checkbooks on the Internet and click the mouse to pay bills has been tough. And growth over the last 12...

Dallas-Based Company Says E-Mail Now Occupies One-Quarter of Work Day.
July 1, 2001... Byline: Paula Burkes Erickson Jul. 1--YOU'VE got mail. These three little words now consume one quarter or more of the average workday, according to a recent study by a Dallas-based communications training firm. Of 900 workers...

Golf Tournament Will Put All Eyes on Oklahoma City, Tour Director Says.
July 1, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus Jul. 1--Bryan Kemp's average day lately starts with meetings and ends with meetings. He loves working with his nearly 1,000 volunteers on the Gaillardia Golf & Country Club golf course, but the sheer number of meetings...

Storms Leave Oklahoma Hay Farmers All Wet.
July 1, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg Jul. 1--Jim Cox paused and mopped his brow around midnight last Tuesday after stacking hundreds of bales of prairie hay near Jones. Another 252 bales of hay were still left in the field. "We ought to go out...

Oklahoma Acquisitions Leave Investors Feeling Less Than Impressed.
July 1, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis Jul. 1--After last week, you've got to wonder whether Oklahoma will have 50 companies left to rank in next year's Oklahoma Inc., a listing of the top 50 publicly traded companies in the state. On Thursday, two...

Take-Home Technology: Coffee Isn't Only Thing Keeping Businesspeople Wired.
July 1, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus Jul. 1--Gary Nelson is always connected to the information flow, always available for work. "I'm fully wired. I can't get away from it," said Nelson, president of Advanced Financial Solutions Inc. "And I wouldn't...

Oklahoma City Bakery Company to Survive Buyout of Parent Company by Sara Lee.
July 3, 2001... Byline: Jon Denton Jul. 3--The fresh aroma from the ovens of Earthgrains, an Oklahoma City bakery for almost 70 years, will continue after Sara Lee acquires the parent company, spokesmen said Monday. The consumer goods giant has agreed...

Comair to Resume Service to Oklahoma City after Strike.
July 3, 2001... Jul. 3--After a three-month pilot strike with no flights, Comair air service will return to Oklahoma City on July 12, spokesmen said Monday. Comair president Randy Rademacher said the Delta-owned air carrier resumed service Monday with a...

Harrah, Okla., Farming Family Sells Freshly Harvested Corn.
July 3, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg Jul. 3--HARRAH, Okla.--City slickers stand in line -- sometimes for hours. Eyes anxious. Tongues nearly hanging out before those quivering fingers can finally wrap around a precious sack of gold. To pass the...

Republican Woman Takes Chair of Oklahoma Corporation Commission.
July 3, 2001... Byline: Paul English Jul. 3--Denise Bode was sworn in as chairwoman of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission on Monday and outlined her "change for the future" plan. "We at the commission have got to make some real serious changes to...

Travel Plans of Oklahoma Residents Buoyed by Drop in Gas Prices.
July 3, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson Jul. 3--Oklahomans will be heading off on Fourth of July holidays in large numbers, motivated by gasoline prices that continue to drop, often at unprecedented rates. Oklahoma City gasoline prices are the lowest in...

Tulsa, Okla., Worker Entitled to Nominal Harassment Damages, Court Rules.
July 3, 2001... Byline: Robert E. Boczkiewicz Jul. 3--DENVER--A mixed-race man who was subjected to racial harassment that included the use of Ku Klux Klan symbols by Tulsa co-workers is entitled to nominal damages, an appeals court ruled Monday. The...

Fireworks Salespeople Ready for Busiest Time of Year.
July 4, 2001... Byline: Adam Wilmoth Jul. 4--While most Americans are off work relaxing with their families, today is the busiest day of the year for at least one segment of the population. Hot dogs, hamburgers and vacations will have to wait for...

Oklahoma City to Use 'Weed and Seed' Idea to Reduce Crime, Improve Areas.
July 4, 2001... Byline: Richard Mize Jul. 4--Imagine seeds as big as houses. It's more than an idea. Home building has been added to Weed and Seed's efforts at weeding out crime and seeding improvements into some of Oklahoma City's oldest...

British Researchers Discuss Shallow Oil Wells Previously Thought Unusable.
July 4, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson Jul. 4--British researchers have reported that certain overlooked oil deposits, previously ignored as worthless, may be worth tapping. In an article published in the scientific journal Nature, researchers at the...

Oklahoma Senator Proposes Extra Tax Credits for Alternative Energy Companies.
July 4, 2001... Byline: Paul English Jul. 4--Windpower may quadruple its production of wind turbines within the next two years if a tax credit bill by U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts becomes law, President Mike Bergey said Tuesday. Watts, R-Norman, toured...

Leawood, Kan.-Based Banking Company Opens Branch in Oklahoma City.
July 5, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus Jul. 5--Gold Bank has expanded into Oklahoma City with a full-service branch at 10900 Hefner Pointe Drive. Gold Banc Corp. might be a new name in the metro area, but not in the state. The company has three banks in...

Midwest City, Okla., Buys Property, Homes, Commercial Developments.
July 5, 2001... Byline: Richard Mize Jul. 5--Warr Acres' and Midwest City's moves into real estate development seemed noteworthy, so Price Edwards & Co. bent its own rules and noted in its spring retail summary the public efforts at private enterprise....

Magazine Includes Four Oklahoma Firms in List of Nation's `Fastest Growing'.
July 6, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson Jul. 6--Four Oklahoma companies have been named by a national business magazine to a list of the nation's 100 fastest-growing small public companies. The FSB 100 list -- published in the July-August issue of...

Norman, Okla., Man Founds Sports Apparel Firm To Tout Teamwork, Respect.
July 6, 2001... Byline: Adam Wilmoth Jul. 6--Tom Lawson was tired of the messages he was promoting to children and sports fans. He enjoyed his job, but after 14 years with one of the country's largest sports apparel manufacturers, he was ready to...

Bridgestone/Firestone to Donate Money for Training at Oklahoma City College.
July 7, 2001... Byline: Jon Denton Jul. 7--Bridgestone/Firestone will donate $12,500 to step up automotive training at Oklahoma City Community College, a school spokesman said Friday. The money will provide scholarships to attract more students to...

Tulsa, Okla.-Based Williams Communications to Cut 400 Jobs.
July 7, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus Jul. 7--Williams Communications Group in Tulsa announced 400 job cuts Friday, or about 9 percent of its work force worldwide. The company did not disclose how many employees in Tulsa are affected. All affected...

Woman Enjoys Her Travels as Oklahoma's Only Pet Limo Driver.
July 7, 2001... Byline: Adam Wilmoth Jul. 7--When Cheryl Steckler was a sales representative for Nabisco, she earned a salary every two weeks and had a generous benefit plan. Now her pay is erratic, and she has expensive private insurance, but she...

Eckerd Buys Oklahoma City Pharmacy's Retail Operation.
July 7, 2001... Byline: Paula Burkes Erickson Jul. 7--After 58 years of operation in Oklahoma City, Stewart-Wood Drug is selling its retail pharmacy business to Eckerd Drugs, the local company's owner said Friday. The family-owned business will quit...

Tulsa, Okla.-Based Propane Company Will Purchase California Retailer.
July 7, 2001... Byline: Jon Denton Jul. 7--Tulsa-based Heritage Propane Partners LP will acquire privately held ProFlame Inc. of California, a Heritage Propane officer said Friday. Heritage Chief Executive Michael Krimbill said his company will keep...

The Daily Oklahoman Real Estate Column.
July 7, 2001... Byline: Richard Mize Jul. 7--'ECHO BOOMERS' LOOKING AT HOUSES: The Doppler effect of the baby boom persists in the nation's housing markets. First, a reminder: "Doppler" had meaning before there was Doppler weather radar. The...

Oklahoma Program Rewards Child Care Workers for School, Staying on Job.
July 8, 2001... Byline: Paula Burkes Erickson Jul. 8--Several child care providers this month will receive checks for up to $1,250 under a new state-funded program that rewards education and continuity among employees in the traditionally low-wage,...

Parents Plan with Care for Future of Special-Needs Children.
July 8, 2001... Byline: Adam Wilmoth Jul. 8--Tim and Dennete Brecheen began thinking about financial planning for their daughter two years ago. It was the first time they had taken a vacation since their daughter, Logan, was born with cerebral palsy....

The Daily Oklahoman Charles Crumpley Column.
July 8, 2001... Byline: Charles Crumpley Jul. 8--ROCKEFELLER HAD LESSON FOR GATES: Was Bill Gates fortunate when an appeals court ruled 10 days ago that his company, Microsoft, should not be cloven in two? Maybe. But history might argue otherwise....

Accidental Dream Leads to Success for Oklahoma City Thai Restaurant Owner.
July 8, 2001... Byline: Jon Denton Jul. 8--Thirty years ago Nick Chulsuwan was filling out his green card application when the immigration clerk asked him what he wanted to do with his life. Chulsuwan remembers thinking about the question, then...

Man Flees to Costa Rica, Avoiding Securities-Fraud Charges in Broadband Case.
July 8, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg Jul. 8--Fugitive Donald L. Knight is believed to be enjoying a diamonds-and-Scotch lifestyle on the Caribbean after fleeing Oklahoma. The alleged mastermind behind the Broadband Wireless International Corp....

Oklahoma City Sports Teams Provide Boost to Local Economy.
July 8, 2001... Byline: Adam Wilmoth Jul. 8--Athletics are an important part of Oklahoma City's economy, with three professional sports organizations in the metro area and several college programs within easy driving distance. The minor league...

Building Permit Numbers Seem Back to Normal in Oklahoma.
July 10, 2001... Byline: Richard Mize Jul. 10--A tired home builder might end the day by flopping into a recliner, punching the remote and wondering whether his television is on the blink: Where's the Clinton-Lewinsky update? What happened to the Mark...

Stockholders of Oklahoma City-Based Construction Equipment Maker to OK Sale.
July 10, 2001... Byline: Jon Denton Jul. 10--Big shareholders in CMI Corp. have agreed to vote their more than 40 percent stake in favor of a proposed merger with Terex Corp., according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Bill...

Tulsa, Okla.-Based Alternative Energy Firm to Post Lower Quarterly Earnings.
July 10, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis Jul. 10--This month, Tulsa-based Syntroleum Corp. will release its second-quarter earnings -- or lack thereof -- to shareholders. Based on the company's recent stock movement, investors aren't expecting much. Last...

Oklahoma Horse Rescuer Offers to Take Damaged Fodder.
July 10, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg Jul. 10--Horse rescuer Elizabeth Munson believes she can help unfortunate farmers and her soft-eyed rejects at the same time. Last month, unexpected rain soaked thousands of bales of hay in eastern Cleveland,...

Tulsa, Okla., Computer Reseller Service Creates Internet Newsletter.
July 10, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus Jul. 10--Cooper Marketing Solutions is something of a translation service, a company that helps tech jargon-intensive computer resellers explain their products and services more simply to customers. So it's only...

Edmond, Okla., Mortgage Auditor Qualifies for Jobs Program.
July 10, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus Jul. 10--An Edmond mortgage lender quality auditing company has qualified for the state's Quality Jobs Program by promising to add about 550 employees over the next five years, the Edmond Economic Development Authority...

Oklahoma Customers Rush to Refill Prescriptions Before Pharmacy Shuts for Good.
July 10, 2001... Byline: Paula Burkes Erickson Jul. 10--The parking lot of Stewart-Wood Drug at SE 44 and Shields was a traffic jam Monday as scores of customers flocked to refill prescriptions on the 58-year-old company's last day in the retail pharmacy...

Concise Resumes See Results, Oklahoma City Human Resources Experts Say.
July 10, 2001... Byline: Paula Burkes Erickson Jul. 10--In today's climate of corporate layoffs and downsizing, job seekers should pay more attention to their resumes -- and the new rules for them, Oklahoma City human resources experts say. Employers...

Rival Oklahoma-Based Trailer Makers to Merge.
July 10, 2001... Byline: Jon Denton Jul. 10--Two Oklahoma rivals, Exiss Aluminum Trailers and Elite Trailers, are merging and will be owned by a new holding company called The Trailer Group, corporate representatives said Monday. The former competitors...

Pennsylvania Clothing Store Chain to Buy Nine Oklahoma Lane Bryant Stores.
July 11, 2001... Byline: Adam Wilmoth Jul. 11--Oklahoma's nine Lane Bryant clothing stores will be under new leadership when Pennsylvania-based Charming Shoppes Inc. acquires the retail chain from The Limited Inc. Charming Shoppes will pay $280 million...

Corning Inc., Still Plans to Build Fiber Optics Plant in Oklahoma City.
July 11, 2001... Byline: Paul English Jul. 11--Corning Inc.'s announcement it will close three plants and eliminate an additional 1,000 jobs does not affect its plan to build a $400 million fiber optics plant in Oklahoma City, plant manager Scott Kula said...

Oklahoma Officials to Rule on Citation of Natural Gas Company.
July 12, 2001... Byline: Paul English Jul. 12--Oklahoma Corporation Commission members heard two hours of legal arguments on a proposed contempt citation against ONEOK Inc. on Wednesday but put off a decision. The commission gave attorneys on both...

Oklahoma-Based Pre-Paid Legal Services Sued by Alabama Residents.
July 12, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis Jul. 12--Pre-Paid Legal Services Inc. -- targeted with lawsuits from its shareholders and independent sales agents -- is being swarmed by lawsuits from hundreds of policy holders in a region of Alabama known for...

Dallas Developer Buys Oklahoma City-Area Business Park.
July 13, 2001... Byline: Richard Mize Jul. 13--A Dallas developer with Oklahoma roots has bought Mid America Business Park and plans to spend $12 million to quadruple the space, exceeding the original developers' goal. Many tenants have some connection...

Oklahoma City-Based Home Health Firm Opens Another Office.
July 13, 2001... Byline: Paula Burkes Erickson Jul. 13--Heartland Healthcare Inc., an Oklahoma City-based company that provides home-based health services, has opened a branch in Norman. A grand opening will be from 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday at 808 24th...

Ada, Okla.-Based Pre-Paid Legal Services Sees Dip in Recruitment Growth.
July 13, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus Jul. 13--Pre-Paid Legal Services Inc. on Thursday reported sales associates recruited in the second quarter this year rose 6 percent over the same period a year earlier to 26,905, far less than the 61 percent growth...

Lucent Buys Out Oklahoma City Plant Managers.
July 13, 2001... Byline: Paula Burkes Erickson Jul. 13--Virtually all eligible management employees at Oklahoma City's Lucent plant have accepted voluntary retirement buyouts that the telecommunications equipment maker offered to managers last month. ...

Major Utility Turns to Oklahoma City-Based Company to Track Power Use.
July 13, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson Jul. 13--An Oklahoma City energy-monitoring company said Thursday it has forged a deal to provide its Internet-based system to a major West Coast utility. Automated Energy Inc. will be monitoring commercial power...

Oklahoma City-Based Construction Firm Falls Below NYSE Standards.
July 14, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson Jul. 14--CMI Corp. announced Friday it has fallen below New York Stock Exchange continued-listing standards, which require total market capitalization and total stockholder's equity of at least $50 million in each...

The Daily Oklahoman Real Estate Column.
July 14, 2001... Byline: Richard Mize Jul. 14--If Rip Van Winkle woke up today a bachelor again -- with his domineering wife, Dame, the kids and his pal Wolf the dog long gone -- he might decide to sell the family home and buy a small condo. He'd have...

Oklahoma Remodeler Wins National Award for Kitchen Project.
July 14, 2001... Byline: Richard Mize Jul. 14--All it took was a facelift, a nick here and a tuck there, to bring Kristy and Jeff Morton's dark, dowdy and dated kitchen -- unchanged since their house was built in 1982 -- into the 21st century. Michael...

Oklahoma City District Court Allows Settlement with Wireless Company.
July 14, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus Jul. 14--The U.S. District Court in Oklahoma City on Friday approved a settlement worth more than $300,000 from former Broadband Wireless International Corp. President Ivan Webb to the temporary receiver of the company...

The Daily Oklahoman Agricultural Notes Column.
July 15, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg Jul. 15--Cattle have been blamed for burping enough methane into the air to put power plants and automobiles to shame. Scientists say cattle belch every two or three minutes, pumping more than 140 pounds of...

Varying Trends Slow Sales of Traditional Business Attire.
July 15, 2001... Byline: Adam Wilmoth Jul. 15--An unpredictable fashion trend may be working alongside the sluggish economy to cause retail sales in business attire to creep to a standstill. Scott Crugman, spokesman for the National Retail Federation,...

Childhood Influences Vital for Oklahoma Businesswoman.
July 15, 2001... Byline: Paul English Jul. 15--Kathy Reilly Teel is challenging recent high school and college graduates to "push the envelope just a little bit." "Don't be afraid to really do what you love in the way that you think it should be done,"...

Experts Urge 'Friendly' Downsizing.
July 15, 2001... Byline: Paula Burkes Erickson Jul. 15--After 30 years working at the same location, Minnie Vickers on Friday spent her last day on the job at the Oklahoma City plant of Seagate Technology. Vickers, 50, is among 500 employees the...

Edmond, Okla.-Based Eateries Inc. Steps Up Restaurant Franchising.
July 15, 2001... Byline: Jon Denton Jul. 15--Changes are under way at Eateries Inc., an Edmond-based casual theme restaurant chain with an appetite for growth. Using a phrase from the "Oklahoma!" stage musical, Eateries "has gone about as far as it can...

Oklahoma's Pre-Paid Legal Services Funds Incumbents' Campaigns.
July 15, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis and Paul English Jul. 15--People associated with Pre-Paid Legal Services Inc. sometimes make up the largest group of donors to elected officials who do -- or could -- regulate the company. According to The...

Oklahoma's Pre-Paid Legal Got Slow Start in Political Fund Raising.
July 15, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis and Paul English Jul. 15--Harland Stonecipher remembers exactly what happened the first time he solicited campaign contributions from his employees at Pre-Paid Legal Services Inc. His efforts, on behalf of Lonnie...

OPINION: General Electric-Honeywell Merger Failure A Tale of Two Views.
July 15, 2001... Byline: Charles Crumpley Jul. 15--If you've walked a sidewalk in almost any city in Europe, you've probably been struck by all the little shops lining the street. On a pleasant afternoon, you may see the proprietors -- the tobacconist, the...

Tuneup on 2002 Taxes Advised; Accountants Tell Taxpayers to Prepare.
July 15, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson Jul. 15--Mid-summer can be a good time for a mid-course correction on your 2002 tax situation. In some ways, it's not too late to soften the blow that's coming next April. One thing to remember is that tax rates...

Williams Cos. Sees Slight Skid in Stock Price.
July 15, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus Jul. 15--Williams Cos. stock slid slightly this week after an uncertain start Monday when a group of U.S. utilities failed to resolve California's claim that the companies owe residents there nearly $9 billion. ...

Williams Cos. Defends California Energy Profits.
July 16, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis Jul. 16--Anthony Spano doesn't blame out-of-state energy companies, like Tulsa-based Williams Cos. Inc., for reaping huge profits on the electricity they sell in his home state of California. Spano is a...

CEO of Oklahoma's Troubled Pre-Paid Legal Maintains Gifts to Politicians.
July 16, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis and Paul English Jul. 16--Harland Stonecipher, chief executive of Oklahoma's most embattled public company, plans to continue writing generous checks to prominent state politicians. If history serves as a guide,...

Oklahoma City-Based Financial Company Reports Increase in Net Income.
July 17, 2001... Byline: Adam Wilmoth Jul. 17--Oklahoma City-based Local Financial Corp., the parent company of Local Oklahoma Bank, on Monday reported a 17.1 percent increase in second-quarter net income. Local Financial's net earnings were $7.05...

Construction Continues on Willamette Box Plant in Oklahoma City.
July 17, 2001... Byline: Jon Denton Jul. 17--Exterior walls are almost complete at Willamette Industries Inc.'s 210,000-square-foot box plant in Oklahoma City, company regional manager Ed Sutton said Monday. Construction is moving toward a late October...

Two Rulings Favor Bankrupt Tulsa, Okla.-Based Financial Company.
July 17, 2001... Byline: Larry Levy Jul. 17--TULSA, Okla.--Two rulings made just a week apart favoring the embattled, bankrupt Oklahoma firm once famed for the friendly way it collected on credit card debts likely will be appealed. The first ruling...

Chelsea, Okla.-Based Software Company Release Book Reader Software.
July 17, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson Jul. 17--CHELSEA, Okla.--GlobalMentor announced Monday it has released the first version of Mentoract Reader, its software for reading electronic books -- called eBooks -- on computers. The free software is based...

Oklahoma Still Boasts Lowest Gas Prices in Nation.
July 17, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson Jul. 17--Oklahoma, the U.S. gasoline-price champ for weeks now, has widened its lead. Most states aren't even close. According to the widely quoted Lundberg Survey in a report last weekend, gasoline prices...

Oklahoma Takes Control of Troubled Tulsa-Based Insurance Company.
July 17, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg Jul. 17--The state has temporarily taken control of Tulsa-based Heritage National Insurance Co. because of financial troubles. Heritage reserves fall about $1.7 million short of the amount needed to pay claims...

Oklahoma City Distribution Warehouse under Construction.
July 17, 2001... Byline: Richard Mize Jul. 17--With half the space already leased, a big distribution warehouse is under construction at North Gate Commerce Park in northeast Oklahoma City. "We'll have this building in the sky in the next 30 days,"...

Tulsa, Okla.-Based Williams Communications Unveils Network Management Services.
July 18, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg Jul. 18--Tulsa-based Williams Communications Group tossed a bright marble into the telecommunications playground Tuesday by announcing a new service. The company launched its Network Managed Services business,...

Oklahoma City Council Approves Downtown Enhancement Plans.
July 18, 2001... Byline: Jack Money Jul. 18--Downtown Oklahoma City Inc. is in business. Oklahoma City council members unanimously approved an agreement Tuesday with the private company that will provide a variety of services within the downtown...

Oklahoma City-Based Energy Company Names Development Successor.
July 18, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson Jul. 18--Oklahoma City-based Devon Energy Corp. said Tuesday that H. Allen Turner, senior vice president of corporate development, plans to retire at the end of the month. Brian J. Jennings, Devon's vice president...

Albertson's Supermarket Chain Plans to Close 165 Stores Across U.S.
July 19, 2001... Byline: Paula Burkes Erickson Jul. 19--Supermarket giant Albertson's Inc. announced plans Wednesday to close about 165 underperforming stores in 25 states, but it doesn't appear the closures will affect any stores in Oklahoma. ...

Oklahoma Officials Complete Survey of Bank Charter Issues.
July 19, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus Jul. 19--A recent survey of state-chartered banks revealed Oklahoma's legal lending limit of 30 percent is rarely reached and is not a primary reason that national banks are converting their federal charters, Banking...

Tulsa, Okla.-Based Company's Contract-Drilling Division Scores Well in Quarter.
July 20, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson Jul. 20--TULSA, Okla.--Helmerich & Payne Inc.'s contract drilling business was the company's top earner for the third quarter. Earnings more than doubled from the prior year, the company said Thursday. H&P...

Oklahoma Utility Company Tries Hedging Gas Supply.
July 20, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson Jul. 20--Oklahoma Natural Gas already is locking in its gas supply prices for next winter, although the Oklahoma Corporation Commission has not approved such "financial hedging" plans for the utility, an ONG executive...

Wild Horses, Burros Will Be Up for Sale in Durant, Okla., Auction.
July 20, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg Jul. 20--In a pen of wild horses, a pair of big brown eyes flashing behind stormy lashes caught Kathy Brister, and she was captivated. A strip of white adorned the quivering nose of the red horse with a black mane...

Company Puts Oklahoma City-Area Hotel Projects on Hold.
July 20, 2001... Byline: Jon Denton Jul. 20--The nation's economic doldrums have put plans to build two Bricktown inns on hold, developer David Littlefield said Thursday. The chief executive of Internet-Inns.com has delayed a decision on the project...