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

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

Tough Economic Waters May Lie Ahead for Stillwater, Okla., Boat-Engine Maker.
May 1, 2001... Byline: Jon Denton May 1--STILLWATER, Okla.--Engineer Rick Estus is smiling as he winds around the stamping and clanking machines at the heart of the Mercury MerCruiser plant. Production line workers nod at Estus, MerCruiser's...

Oklahoma Native Creates Compact Disc Business `Cards' for Any Occasion.
May 1, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg May 1--Oklahoma native Greg McCool transforms mere plastic into a virtual living, breathing thing -- even when that thing isn't too pretty. Want to see the one-time world's richest man get smacked with a cream...

Southeast Oklahoma Garment Plant to Close Next Summer.
May 1, 2001... Byline: Jon Denton May 1--Global competition will cost Wilburton manufacturing jobs next summer, Gary Nelson said Monday at UniFirst Corp. Massachusetts-based UniFirst will close its garment plant in southeast Oklahoma. Nelson is...

Oklahoma Natural Gas Objects to State's 'New Standard' for Judging Purchases.
May 1, 2001... Byline: Paul English May 1--Oklahoma Natural Gas filed an objection Monday to efforts by state regulators to use a "new standard to be applied retroactively" for judging the prudence of ONG's natural gas purchases. ONG said the...

Edmond, Okla., Office Park Project Gets Barely Off the Ground.
May 1, 2001... Byline: Richard Mize May 1--EDMOND, Okla.--Kelley Pointe Technology Park's future is in dirt -- in a couple of ways. One, the 240-acre office park in Edmond is barely off the ground. Signs are in place and dirt work began this week on...

Petroleum Company Reports Surging Profits in First Quarter.
May 1, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson May 1--BARTLESVILLE, Okla.--Phillips Petroleum Co. reported Monday that higher gas and oil prices helped net income for the first quarter surge 96 percent. Phillips said net income was $490 million, or $1.91 per...

Oklahoma City Realtors' Internet Listings' System Rounds into Form.
May 1, 2001... Byline: Richard Mize May 1--It was a tangled Web at first, but Oklahoma City Realtors' new Internet-based Multiple Listing Service is now spitting out the kinds of statistics that business leaders and community planners expect to get soon...

Technology Firm to Lay Off 500 Workers in Oklahoma City.
May 1, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg May 1--More than 500 people learned Monday that they will lose their jobs with Seagate Technology in Oklahoma City. That's more than a third of all employees working at the computer disk drive plant. But Seagate...

University of Oklahoma Football Coach Helps Chamber Kick Off Fund-Raiser.
May 2, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus May 2--Coach Bob Stoops shared with Oklahoma City business leaders Tuesday the same motivation that led the University of Oklahoma football team to a national championship. His players came to expect...

Tulsa, Okla.-Based Williams Communications Posts Mixed News.
May 2, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg May 2--Tulsa-based Williams Communications Group Inc. posted both good and bad news Tuesday. The company's quarterly revenues leapt 69 percent over last year for a total of $276 million. But its net losses rose to...

Supreme Court Clarifies Tribes' Sovereign Immunity.
May 2, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus May 2--The U.S. Supreme Court this week further clarified when an Indian tribe can lose its sovereign immunity against business contract lawsuits. While tribal governments generally are protected from lawsuits, the...

Panel to Investigate Oklahoma Agriculture Mediation Program.
May 2, 2001... Byline: Paul English May 2--A special panel will meet today to investigate an Oklahoma City attorney's claim that the Oklahoma Agriculture Mediation Program "is actively fomenting strife and turmoil, not resolving disputes." James R....

Lucent Set to Lay Off 400 Workers in Oklahoma City.
May 2, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg May 2--Lucent Technologies said Tuesday it will lay off 400 Oklahoma City employees in its most recent shot in the telecommunications battle. "Basically, this is to align our work force to the required number...

Perry, Okla.-Based Manufacturer Cuts Worker Ranks.
May 2, 2001... Byline: Jon Denton May 2--PERRY, Okla.--Years of growth are in reverse at Charles Machine Works Inc. in Perry where early retirement packages and part-time worker layoffs are under way. On Tuesday, Kurt Andrews, spokesman at the...

Oklahoma City-Based Natural Gas Company Sees Record Quarter.
May 2, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson May 2--Oklahoma City-based Louis Dreyfus Natural Gas Corp. announced an all-time record financial quarter Tuesday, as net income soared 725 percent. The company reported that for the first quarter, ended March 31,...

University of Oklahoma's Geology School Turns 100.
May 2, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson May 2--A full-day symposium, a museum tour and a banquet will highlight a 100th anniversary event this week at the University of Oklahoma's School of Geology and Geophysics. The Centennial Celebration Conference,...

Norman, Okla.-Based Internet Pharmacist Appeals Board Punishments.
May 2, 2001... Byline: Paula Burkes Erickson May 2--The owner of a Norman Internet pharmacy whose license the state Board of Pharmacy revoked in March filed an appeal Tuesday in Cleveland County District Court. Clayton Fuchs, owner of Mainstreet...

Oklahoma's Wheat Crop Needs Rain, Grain Industry Officials Report.
May 2, 2001... Byline: Dawn Marks May 2--ENID, Okla.--Oklahoma's wheat crop could use some rain. Representatives of the grain industry met Tuesday night to report what they saw after visiting wheat fields as part of the 21st Annual Oklahoma Wheat...

Oklahoma Budget Battle Could Cause Banking Department to Lose Funding.
May 3, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus May 3--The State Banking Department is waiting for a budget battle at the state Capitol to end. At risk is the department's entire proposed budget, including a $180,700 increase over last year. If the money is not...

Watchdog Groups Upset over Settlement with Tulsa., Okla.-Based Energy Company.
May 3, 2001... Byline: Paul English May 3--Several California consumer watchdog groups are unhappy with a settlement agreement between Williams Cos. Inc. and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Williams agreed to refund $8 million in power...

Gasoline Prices Rise in Oklahoma; High Cost Fuels Anger.
May 3, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson May 3--Gasoline prices have continued to surge, and consumer ire has risen right along with them. As motorists muttered at the pump and potential gas-company-boycott ideas crisscrossed the Internet in chain...

Tulsa, Okla.-Based Gas Utility Reports Quarterly Gains.
May 3, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson May 3--TULSA, Okla.--ONEOK Inc., parent company of Oklahoma Natural Gas Co., announced Monday night it had a 39 percent increase in first quarter recurring earnings. The company said it had recurring quarterly...

Panel Investigates Claim Oklahoma Water Resources Board Overstepped Bounds.
May 3, 2001... Byline: Paul English May 3--The Oklahoma Agriculture Mediation Program conducted three public discussions in Newkirk in an effort to head off a conflict over water rights, a spokesman said Wednesday. Weldon Schieffer's comments came at...

Edmond, Okla., Accounting Firm Begins Construction on New Office Building.
May 4, 2001... Byline: Richard Mize May 4--EDMOND, Okla.--John M. Arledge & Associates Inc., Edmond's largest accounting firm, will break ground on a 13,000-square-foot, $800,000 corporate office building at 10 a.m. today. The two-story building, at...

Oklahoma's Smaller Banks Ask for Increase in FDIC Insurance Coverage.
May 4, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus May 4--Small bankers want the $100,000 FDIC insurance cap raised because they believe it's hurting them more than big banks, a position recently supported by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. itself. The FDIC...

Oklahoma City Mercedes-Benz Dealer to Open Newly-Remodeled Building.
May 4, 2001... Byline: Jon Denton May 4--Oklahoma City now has a Mercedes-Benz dealership to match the car's luxury status, franchise operator Bob Howard said. Howard, a co-founder of the multistate Group 1 Automotive Inc., will unveil his newly...

Dillard's Department Store to Take Vacant Space in Oklahoma City Mall.
May 4, 2001... Byline: Paula Burkes Erickson May 4--Dillard's Inc. soon may have the southeast, as well as the southwest, anchor spaces at Penn Square Mall -- dominating the mall's storefront. Executives from the Little Rock, Ark.-based fashion...

Chicago-Based Electronics Company Halts Merger with Tulsa, Okla.-Based Firm.
May 4, 2001... May 4--Cobra Electronics Corp. announced late Wednesday it terminated a $48.3 million merger with Tulsa-based Lowrance Electronics Inc. President and Chief Executive Darrell Lowrance said in a prepared statement, "While we wish Cobra well,...

Oklahoma City-Based Energy Company Sees Net Earnings Soar.
May 4, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson May 4--Oklahoma City-based Devon Energy Corp. reported Thursday that net earnings and earnings per share soared more than 200 percent in the first quarter. Revenues, net earnings and earnings per share were the...

Oklahoma Natural Gas Company Asks State Supreme Court to Make Decision.
May 4, 2001... Byline: Paul English May 4--Oklahoma Corporation Commission staff members don't know there are limits on their rights to gather information, an attorney for an Oklahoma Natural Gas affiliate told a state Supreme Court referee Wednesday....

Gas Prices Increase Due to Changes in Refinery Needs, Environmental Rules.
May 4, 2001... Byline: Larry Levy May 4--TULSA, Okla.--The higher sulphur content of the crude oil that has been feeding the nation's refineries the last decade or two, has been eating up capacity and making gasoline more expensive, the director of the...

Oklahoma Energy Company Accused of Manipulating Natural Gas Rates.
May 4, 2001... Byline: Paul English May 4--ONEOK Inc. apparently used one of its subsidiaries to increase ONEOK's revenues "at the expense of ratepayers" of Oklahoma Natural Gas, an Oklahoma Corporation Commission attorney said Thursday. Assistant...

FCC Investigates SBC Communications' Correction in Data for Filing.
May 5, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson May 5--The Federal Communications Commission is investigating the parent of Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. for allegedly supplying inaccurate information during the process of seeking government approval for...

A Little Added Fuel Brightens Oklahoma City Lights.
May 5, 2001... Byline: Richard Mize May 5--Remember this awful crack, from the bottom of the oil bust? "Would the last person to leave Oklahoma please turn off the lights?" The lights are back on. Times are good in the oil patch, and...

Slowing Economy Revs Investor Hopes.
May 6, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus May 6--A slowing economy can be good news -- at least as far as Fed watchers are concerned, stock analyst Fredric E. Russell said. "Investors are watching the Fed, assuming rate cuts are on the way. I can't imagine...

Deal Between Oklahoma City-Area Farm Industry Firms Yield Mixed Reviews.
May 6, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg May 6--Farm industry giant Archer Daniels Midland Co. and Farmland Industries completed a deal Friday that gives ADM control of Farmland grain elevators across the country, including four in Enid. The agreement...

Oklahoma Draws High-Tech Refugees.
May 6, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg May 6--The dot-com frenzy smacked Michael Berkley right between his thick, black eyebrows. It took him from his Oklahoma City home to Dallas -- where he pulled $100,000 a year teaching young execs to talk to the...

Lawyer Follows in Mom's Footsteps in Oklahoma City.
May 6, 2001... Byline: Paul English May 6--At 75, Bill Burkett is still following in the footsteps of his "holy terror" mother. In the 1920s, Burkett's 4-foot-10 mother crawled under school buildings in Oklahoma City to expose corrupt public...

Wall Street's Swoon Hits a Third of Oklahomans.
May 6, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson May 6--Wall Street's year-plus swoon has not only been a tragedy for the well-to-do investing class. The stock-market drop has whacked more than a third of ordinary Oklahomans directly in their pocketbooks. ...

Offer to Buy Denver Exploration Firm Foils Royal Dutch/Shell's Bid.
May 8, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson May 8--TULSA, Okla.--Williams Cos. Inc. said Monday it has agreed to buy Barrett Resources Corp. for about $2.5 billion, a move that triples its natural gas reserves at the same time it trumps a rival. The...

General Motors Workers in Oklahoma City Face Temporary Layoffs.
May 8, 2001... Byline: Jon Denton May 8--Expect tears mixed with cheers Friday when the last Chevrolet Malibu rolls down the assembly line at the General Motors plant. GM has been making Malibus in Oklahoma City since October 1996 -- as of next...

Salary Plan Defrays Tax Expenses in Oklahoma City, Area.
May 8, 2001... Byline: Paula Burkes Erickson May 8--Though today's health care costs are skyrocketing, Mary Bailey of Oklahoma City has more than one reason to smile. By taking advantage of a salary- reduction plan offered by her employer for medical...

Technology Investment Helps Oklahoma Attain $50 Million Goal.
May 8, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg May 8--State technology leaders announced Monday that Oklahoma has reached a $50 million milestone, an accomplishment the state has sought for nearly four years. The Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science...

Opportunity May Await in Technology Stocks.
May 8, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg May 8--Technology companies are wrangling around in a spooky, unfamiliar territory -- the former stock market darlings have become dogs. Lately, the market has been the type where a 36 percent gain in a day can...

New Bank Branch Under Construction in Downtown Oklahoma City.
May 9, 2001... Byline: Dana Simon May 9--A $1 million Local Oklahoma Bank branch is under construction on the northeast corner of 21st Street and Yale Avenue. The facility is the newest addition to Centennial Plaza Shopping Center, which is being...

Energy Exploration Firm's Success Is Focus of Oklahoma City Meeting.
May 9, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson May 9--Kerr-McGee's ongoing success as a top player in deep-water energy exploration and production was the focus of the company's annual meeting in Oklahoma City Tuesday. "We had a record year in 2000 that we're...

Louis Dreyfus Natural Gas Sees Stock Price Soar.
May 9, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis May 9--Louis Dreyfus Natural Gas Corp. saw its stock price soar Tuesday after Williams Companies' generous $2.5 billion bid on Monday for a similar natural gas company. Shares of Oklahoma City-based Louis Dreyfus...

Competition Puts Squeeze on Oklahoma City-Based Grocery Chain.
May 9, 2001... Byline: Jon Denton May 9--Competition cut first-quarter earnings to $122,000, or 2 cents per diluted share, at Oklahoma City-based Homeland Holding Corp., President David B. Clark said Tuesday. For the same period last year, the...

Ponca City, Okla., Carbon Black Plant Locks Out Union Workers.
May 10, 2001... Byline: Jon Denton May 10--Salaried workers and temporary employees are on the production line at Ponca City's Continental Carbon Co. in the aftermath of a company lockout of its union workers. The union lockout was effective at...

Oklahoma Legislature Passes Bill to Create Ethanol Advisory Committee.
May 10, 2001... Byline: Paul English May 10--A proposal to create an Oklahoma Ethanol Development Advisory Committee is on its way to Gov. Frank Keating's desk. The bill, known as the Oklahoma Ethanol Development Study Act, sailed through the House...

Telecom Company to Begin Provision of Fiber-Optic Cable Technology.
May 10, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg May 10--Small businesses and homes can be connected to the Internet through fiber-optic cable delivered to their doorsteps, SBC Communications announced Wednesday. It won't happen just yet in Oklahoma, but...

Tulsa, Okla., Gardener to Attend Herb Festival in Oklahoma City.
May 10, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg May 10--TULSA, Okla.--About 30 years ago, Darrell Merrell's fingers clasped a briefcase and his blood pressure rose and fell like the rise and fall of stock prices running across a ticker board. This week,...

Gas Retailers Convene at Meeting in Oklahoma City.
May 10, 2001... Byline: Rick Robinson May 10--Oklahoma gasoline retailers may not be too popular with motorists these days, but they were in heavy demand at their trade show Wednesday. The show, put on by the Oklahoma Petroleum Marketers Association...

The Daily Oklahoman Tim Hughes Column.
May 10, 2001... Byline: Tim Hughes May 10--It seems as though the economy is reliving the movie "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly." Many of us have been concerned with the state of the economy in the last year and the effect it has had on our financial...

Oklahoma Indian Tribe Files for Federal Charter for Bank.
May 10, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus May 10--Ross Hill is eagerly anticipating his part in writing history. "I think this is one of the greatest events I could ever be involved in. We're creating history," said the new president of the Chickasaw...

Oklahoma Insurance Fund Seeks Name Change.
May 10, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus May 10--What's in a name? Enough confusion, evidently, for the state Insurance Fund to ask the Legislature for a change. The fund's management board recently held a special meeting to pick a new name for the...

Merchants at Oklahoma City Shopping Mall Hope to Reverse Dwindling Sales.
May 10, 2001... Byline: Paula Burkes Erickson May 10--Merchants from 10 stores at Crossroads Mall -- including the manager of J.C. Penney Co., various franchisees and business owners -- met Wednesday to discuss ways they can drive customers into the mall...

Oklahoma Officials Schedule Hearing on Last Winter's Natural Gas Prices.
May 10, 2001... Byline: Paul English May 10--The state Corporation Commission on Wednesday scheduled a June hearing to determine whether the cost of gas that Oklahoma Natural Gas passed through to customers last winter was "fair, just and reasonable." ...

Oklahoma City-Based Six Flags Theme Park Company Expects Good Summer.
May 10, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis May 10--Six Flags Inc. is expecting a strong first quarter to add momentum to its ride toward an exciting -- and profitable -- summer. The Oklahoma City theme park company announced Wednesday that first-quarter...

Tulsa, Okla.-Based Acquisition Advisors Help People Sell, Buy Small Companies.
May 11, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis May 11--Last year, Gregg Tunison was seeking to expand his retail lighting business beyond the Oklahoma City area -- possibly out of state -- when he received an unexpected call. David Perkins, owner of...

Kennesaw, Ga.-Based Shoe Company to Close Oklahoma City Mall Store.
May 11, 2001... Byline: Paula Burkes Erickson May 11--The Athlete's Foot in Crossroads Mall will close next month -- bringing the store closings in the mall to 11 since January. After 10 years in the mall, the store will close June 30, manager Christy...

Married, Self-Employed People Able to Take Health Care Deduction.
May 11, 2001... Byline: Paula Burkes Erickson May 11--For some married people who are in business for themselves, a little-known tax deduction may allow a 100 percent write-off of family health care expenses on federal, state and self-employment taxes. ...

Singapore-Based Telecom Equipment Firm May Buy Oklahoma City Lucent Plant.
May 11, 2001... Byline: Jon Denton May 11--Speculation emerged Thursday that Flextronics International Ltd. is the leading contender to buy Lucent Technologies Inc. manufacturing plants in Oklahoma City and Columbus, Ohio. Spokesmen for the companies...

Oklahoma Expected to Produce Massive Amounts of Wheat in Wake of Drought.
May 11, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg May 11--Oklahoma wheat farmers are reaping the devastation of last year's drought. The state is expected to produce 97.2 million bushels of wheat this year. That is down nearly a third from last year's 142.8...

Neighborhood Tour in Oklahoma to Feature Various Furnishings, Decorations.
May 12, 2001... Byline: Richard Mize May 12--Anyone can collect antique furnishings and interesting decorations and fixtures. Integrating them into an evolving setting is another thing -- but Mary and Basil Hayes seem to have it down. Their...

The Daily Oklahoman Real Estate Column.
May 12, 2001... Byline: Richard Mize May 12--MULDROW, Okla.--The seat is a piece of furniture, but that is only a technical definition. It is much more. There is a special comfort in the straightness of its back, the smoothness of its wood, the...

Oklahoma Farmers Expect to See Prices for Agricultural Products Increase.
May 13, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg May 13--Oklahoma farmers will find prices going up for two chief agriculture products, the most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture report says. The forecast shows Oklahoma wheat production will be down 32...

Oklahoma Businesses Find Merit in Using Golf to Establish Relationships.
May 13, 2001... Byline: Paula Burkes Erickson May 13--When a certain secretary in Oklahoma City says her boss is at a meeting with the Woods and Greens, public relations executive Brent Gooden knows exactly what that means: His client is playing golf. ...

Oklahoma Experts Urge People to Buy Long-Term Health Care Insurance.
May 13, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis May 13--Grace Norris, the aging mother of Dorothy Moses, was living independently in western Oklahoma -- with money in the bank -- when a minor stroke crippled her health. Other strokes followed. Soon, Norris -- a...

Oklahoma Chamber of Commerce President Makes His Job Everybody's Business.
May 13, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus May 13--Richard Rush has had a personal interest in business since he was 10 years old. Rush grew up in the inner city of southside Chicago. His father died when he was 9, and Rush and his brother had to find jobs,...

The Daily Oklahoman Charles Crumpley Column.
May 13, 2001... May 13--Now that gasoline prices are painfully high, some "experts" have started to cry that the government ought to impose price controls. The government ought to do something, all right. But the government should definitely not impose...

Oklahoma City Energy Company Launches a Successful IPO.
May 13, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis May 13--Where can savvy Oklahoma investors find a young Nasdaq company whose stock price is going north? Right under their own noses. Three months ago today, GMX Resources Inc. -- an Oklahoma City energy...

The Daily Oklahoman Executive Interview Column.
May 13, 2001... Byline: Brian Brus May 13--Richard Rush has had a personal interest in business since he was 10 years old. Rush grew up in the inner city of southside Chicago. His father died when he was 9, and Rush and his brother had to find jobs,...

Prices of Cattle, Wheat Expected to Increase, Federal Officials Say.
May 13, 2001... Byline: Sonya Colberg May 13--Oklahoma farmers will find prices going up for two chief agriculture products, the most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture report says. The forecast shows Oklahoma wheat production will be down 32...

Business Leaders Outline Etiquette for Golf Course.
May 13, 2001... Byline: Paula Burkes Erickson May 13--Considered a gentlemen's game, golf has its own etiquette. Business golf carries additional social rules, players say. Here are a few: - Never bet a client. "It's just common sense," said...

Golf Etiquette Ensures Business Won't Be Rough.
May 13, 2001... Byline: Paula Burkes May 13--Considered a gentlemen's game, golf has its own etiquette. Business golf carries additional social rules, players say. Here are a few: -- Never bet a client. "It's just common sense," said Rich...

Personal Income Continues To Decline in Oklahoma.
May 13, 2001... Byline: Paul English May 13--Oklahoma's share of the nation's per capita personal income has been steadily falling since 1993 and there's no sign of it bottoming yet, a University of Oklahoma economist says. Robert Dauffenbach said the...

Oklahoma Experts Urge Customers to Invest in Long-Term Care Insurance.
May 13, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis May 13--Grace Norris, the aging mother of Dorothy Moses, was living independently in western Oklahoma--with money in the bank--when a minor stroke crippled her health. Other strokes followed. Soon, Norris--a...

Two Oklahoma Companies Predicted to Harbor Big Stock Prices Increases.
May 13, 2001... Byline: Melissa Davis May 13--Where can savvy Oklahoma investors find a young Nasdaq company whose stock price is going north? Right under their own noses. Three months ago today, GMX Resources Inc. -- an Oklahoma City energy...

Devon, Penn.-Based SupplyOne Merges Plants in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Okla.
May 15, 2001... Byline: Jon Denton May 15--Pennsylvania-based SupplyOne has merged Oklahoma City and Tulsa box plants into a new manufacturing company, CPD Tech Pack, a spokesman said Monday. Gary Clonts, former president of Tech Pack Inc., has been...

Conoco to Build Fuel Plant in Ponca City, Okla.
May 15, 2001... Byline: Paul English May 15--PONCA CITY, Okla.--Conoco Inc. on Monday announced plans to construct a small, $75 million demonstration plant in Ponca City to convert natural gas into 400 barrels a day of liquid fuels such as diesel, jet...

Net Income Up at Oklahoma City-Based Louis Dreyfus Natural Gas.
May 15, 2001... Byline: Paul English May 15--Louis Dreyfus Natural Gas Corp. Monday reported net income of $73.4 million, or $1.64 per diluted share, on revenues of $212 million in the first quarter of 2001. That was way up from net income of $8.9...

Oklahoma City Stock Buyer Admits Internet Fraud.
May 15, 2001... Byline: Ed Godfrey May 15--A former American Online employee accused of sending $1.5 million in phony checks to buy stocks over the Internet pleaded guilty Monday to mail fraud. Daniel W. Ausmus, 32, pleaded guilty before U.S. District...

Avalon Prison Service Sees Rise in Profits.
May 15, 2001... Byline: Jon Denton May 15--Higher inmate populations led Avalon Correctional Services Inc. to an increased net income of $244,000, or 5 cents per share, on revenue of $5.9 million in the first quarter ended March 31, president Donald Smith...