Oklahoma must take drastic steps to improve its dismal ranking in the number of residents who have no health insurance, state Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland said Thursday during her agency’s Summit on the High Cost of Health Insurance. Barring a law requiring the purchase of health insurance, which Holland concedes would be a political long shot, "inducements” that penalize those who fail to insure themselves would help, she said.

Among the possible inducements Holland proposed was forfeiture of football season tickets to University of Oklahoma or Oklahoma State University games, forfeiture of lottery or gaming winnings, loss of state income tax deductions or licenses to
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WASHINGTON - President-elect Barack Obama is likely to name Federal Reserve Governor Timothy Geithner as treasury secretary next week. An official close to the senator says the New York Federal Reserve president is the leading contender for the job and is likely to be nominated Monday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because Obama hasn't finalized his decision. The development comes as Obama prepares for how he will grapple with a collapsing economy. Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico is under serious consideration to be commerce secretary. Geithner has played a key role in the government's response to the financial crisis and worked closely with Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.
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WASHINGTON (AP) _ The Interior Department has taken disciplinary action against more than a half dozen workers who accepted lavish gifts, partied and in some cases had sex with employees from the energy companies they regulated.

The actions announced Friday range from a warning letter to termination. The Interior Department would not confirm how many employees were fired, citing privacy.

The eight employees at one time worked in a Denver Minerals Management Service office in charge of collecting billions of dollars in federal oil royalties.

An Interior Department Inspector General investigation issued in September referred to a "culture of substance abuse and promiscuity" in the office from 2002 through 2006.
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The state Fire Marshal's Office is investigating a fire fatality in near Strang.

The state will no longer mail unemployment checks starting next month, instead opting for direct deposit or electronic transfer to a debit card.

Police investigating the city's latest homicide have recovered the victim's car.

A mother and her son are hoping to helping out the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma in a big way.

Norman police are warning football fans to be aware of unauthorized ticket sales due to recent counterfeit ticket sales in Texas.