Diamond grind projects make Oklahoma turnpikes more comfortable

The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority’s “heavy reinvestment” in diamond grinding dowel bar retrofit projects on state toll roads has produced positive, measurable results, the agency’s governing board was told recently.Approximately 57 miles of H.E.

CORRECTION

CORRECTION A story in the Nov. 4 issue of Southwest Ledger incorrectly identified Public Service Co. of New Mexico as a subsidiary of Ohio-based American Electric Power. The Ledger regrets the error.

Oklahoma’s Native tribes step in as federal aid is withheld

OKLAHOMA CITY – Tribal nations across Oklahoma are stepping up to fill critical gaps left by the federal government shutdown by providing emergency food and resources to Oklahomans in need, tribal leaders said.

Oklahoma graduates learn here, stay here, earn here

From staff reports Nearly 92% of Oklahomans who graduate from a college or university in the Oklahoma state system remain and work in the state one year after graduation, according to the 2024 Employment Outcomes Report from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

State lawmakers examine early voting system

OKLAHOMA CITY — In the 2024 presidential election, 290,000 of the more than 1.5 million Oklahomans who voted cast their ballot through early in-person voting.

Former state superintendent’s legacy filled with politics, turmoil

Southwest Ledger Editor’s Note: This story is the first installment in a multi-part series about the fallout and impact of Ryan Walters’ tenure as Oklahoma’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Interim study calls for updating technology for veteran services

From staff reports Driven by peak demand growth in Oklahoma, Texas, and a few other states because of industrial electrification, artificial intelligence computing, electric vehicle charging, and data centers, American Electric Power plans a 33% surge in its capital expenditure plan, which will...

Other long-range water projects underway

Federal agencies are studying or constructing long-range water pipeline projects in other parched regions of the U.S.The Arizona Legislature asked Congress in 2021 to study the diversion of Mississippi floodwaters to the Colorado River to boost downstream supply — a 1,000-mile project.

Long-range water pipeline talks resume as stakeholders eye Texarkana water supply

OKLAHOMA CITY – A water supply plan devised more than 40 years ago is being revived, this time with a concept to construct a pipeline from a lake near Texarkana, Arkansas, to Altus.

AEP to replace more than 350 miles of aging power lines in 17 upcoming Oklahoma projects

AEP Transmission Co. obtained a $1.6 billion loan guarantee in October from the U.S. Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office to upgrade nearly 5,000 miles of transmission lines in five states, including Oklahoma.