Street, bridge construction in Lawton is a sign of progress

LAWTON – The numerous traffic disruptions and detours here are a sign of progress, Mayor Stan Booker and Councilman George Gill contend.

State regulators approve scaled-down PSO rate hike despite AARP protest

OKLAHOMA CITY – State Corporation Commissioners made permanent an interim rate increase for Public Service Co. of Oklahoma that they allowed to take effect last October.PSO’s original request of $217.6 million, filed in 2023, was eventually whittled down to $119.

City buys cyber insurance; baby box to be placed at fire station

The City of Lawton has just one more tardy audit to complete, the City Council bought cyber insurance, and municipal officials heartily endorsed a “Safe Haven Baby Box.”• The City of Lawton will pay $180,000 for a $2 million cyber insurance policy.

Measure adopted to shorten building permit process

LAWTON – In his New Year address, Mayor Stan Booker indicated a measure of concern about the growth of residential construction in Elgin, Cache, and Geronimo.“Currently 80% of all new homes in Comanche County are built outside the Lawton city limits,” Booker said.

Former Payne County Sheriff’s Office employee guilty of embezzlement

OKLAHOMA CITY – Over an 11-year period a Payne County Sheriff’s Office employee charged taxpayers $137,698 for her personal expenses, “including, literally, the kitchen sink,” State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd announced last January.

Southwest Oklahoma Legislative Update: House

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Trey Caldwell (R-Lawton), Chair of the state House Appropriations and Budget Committee, has pre-filed 56 bills before the start of the first regular session of the 60th Oklahoma Legislature on Feb. 3.

Southwest Oklahoma Legislative Update: Senate

OKLAHOMA CITY – Addressing the issue of tax cuts and working with Gov. Kevin Stitt to reduce the personal income tax is a top priority for new Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle).

Rig Report: Oklahoma steady while national rig count declines

From staff reports The nation saw a drop of four oil and gas rigs in the past week, leaving 580 still active across the different states, according to the latest Baker Hughes rig count released Friday.

Vilsack reflects on his 12 years as Ag Secretary

From staff reports U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack recently concluded 12 years as head of the Department of Agriculture. In an edition of USDA’s Agriculture U.S.A. podcast with Rod Bain, Vilsack reflected on his two terms of service.

H&P completes nearly $2B acquisition of drilling firm

TULSA – Helmerich & Payne Inc. announced recently that it has completed its acquisition of KCA Deutag International Limited, an establishing a global leader in onshore drilling.The deal, originally announced in July 2024, involved an acquisition for $1.9725 billion in cash.