Plane Crash Kills 4
A small airplane crashed in the Oklahoma City area Tuesday afternoon, killing all four people on board.
Oklahoma City fire crews say the single engine plane was taking off from Sundance Airport in Canadian County when it went down near a wooded area east of the runway.
The plane erupted into flames. Firefighters found the victims in the wreckage after extinguishing the fire.
FAA and NTSB investigators are looking into what caused the crash.
Oklahoma Man Looks to Withdraw Capitol Riot Plea
A man who pleaded guilty for his part in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol wants to rescind his admission.
Benjamen Scott Burlew , 44, of Miami pleaded guilty in May to two counts of assaulting a police officer during the Capitol riot in 2021.
However, in a new filing, Burlew wants to vacate his guilty plea, alleging he was subjected to “inhumane torture” while in custody in a District of Columbia jail.
The motion alleges Burlew was confined in a small cell for 72 hours with rats, an overflowing toilet and no proper cooling.
It also alleges that his previous lawyer did not do enough to properly defend him.
Burlew’s court documents state he’s an army veteran who suffers from traumatic brain injury and mental health issues.
He’s scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 20.
Water Emergency Continues in Cushing as Plant Repairs Underway
A water emergency continues for the city of Cushing.
The city's water treatment plant has been offline since Monday due to basement flooding that damaged equipment, causing a significant failure.
The city is currently relying on stored treated water while officials work on repairs. The city says they hope to have the plant operational by the end of the week.
An emergency proclamation has been issued, prohibiting outdoor watering and urging residents to delay non-essential water use.
Updates will be posted on the City of Cushing Facebook page.
Invasive Tick Found in Oklahoma for the First Time
An invasive tick is now in Oklahoma. State officials identified one in the state for the first time on Monday.
Oklahoma is the 20th state to confirm the presence of Asian longhorned ticks since they were first spotted in New Jersey in 2017. They’re originally from Eastern Asia but have spread to other parts of the world, including Mayes County in Northeastern Oklahoma.
Like other ticks, they can carry diseases that infect people and animals. But unlike other species Asian longhorned ticks can reproduce asexually, laying thousands of eggs at a time.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says these pesky bugs can cause distress and even anemia in animals. After a dairy cow becomes a host, its milk production can drop by 25%.
The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry says it’s launched an epidemiological investigation to figure out how the ticks arrived in Oklahoma and how widespread they are.
Oklahoma Hospitals Generate $30.5 Billion Economic Impact in 2021, Report Shows
A new report from the Oklahoma Hospital Association says state hospitals had an estimated $30.5 billion economic impact in 2021.
The report says Oklahoma hospitals saw an 11% growth in revenue from the previous survey because of an increase in care during the pandemic and inflation.
The largest part of that revenue came from private insurance companies. Medicare was the second largest source and Medicaid was the third.
In 2021, the state’s hospitals supported 186,000 jobs, and average annual wages were 28% higher than the state's average. Those hospitals are spread across almost all of the state’s counties. Although, the report says policymakers should address gaps in specialty care in rural counties.
Rich Rasmussen, the Oklahoma Hospital Association’s CEO, says hospitals are economic anchors in their communities.
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