The Express-Star (Chickasha, Okla.), Ed. 1 Sunday, February 25, 2001 Page: 4 of 26
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4 A TheExpress-Star
Sunday, Feb. 25, 2001
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19
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state’s second-largest agency
in 1997. A career employee of
the Corrections Department,
he had a reputation as an hon-
est and fair administrator.
“He’s the best director our
state has had," Wright said.
.....222-2230
MEGills
No slight intended, Keating says,' Istook shows interest
OKI AHOMACITY (AP) — Gov. Frank Keating said Friday that no slight was intended when
he failed to mention Lt. Gov. Mary Fallin when he was asked about the governor s race in 200
At a news conference Thursday. Keating was asked if he had any comment about he race for his
successor He said it would be an interesting race, and that he was glad to know that Kep. Meve
Largent, R-Okla., was interested in ninning. He did not mention Fallin.
During an interview Friday with KTOK-AM radio, Keating said he didn t mean to promote any
one Republican candidate. He said Largent, Fallin and Oklahoma City Mayor Kirk Humphreys
would all make good candidates.
In a later interview with the station. Fallin said Keating had called her Friday.
“He called first thing this morning to my office. He did call. He apologized and said Oh. I m so
embarrassed. ... I don’t know how they got that from what I said, " Fallin said
The governor’s spokesman, Dan Mahoney, said Keating did not apologize, but instead called
Fallin to make sure she understood he didn’t mean to slight her.
Also Friday. U.S Rep. Ernest Istook, R-Okla., expressed an interest in the governor s race but
said a decision on whether to run could be months away.
"I think it is premature," he told the Washington bureau of the Tulsa World "You are talking
about something that is more than a year away." ...
Istook said his plans now are to nin for a fifth term in the U.S House, but said he wanted to look
at the "potential" of serving as governor. "Am I interested? Of course I am, he told the newspaper
Senate vote on bill postponed
OKLAH( M A CITY (AP) — The state Senate will not take up a right-to-work bill Monday, after
all. The bill’s author, Sen. Dave Herbert. D-Midwest City, said Friday he has agreed to a request by
Senate President Pro Tem Stratton Taylor that he delay consideration of the proposal.
Taylor, I -Claremore, said he needed more time to discuss the measure with various people. Her
bert said Right-to-work laws prohibit collecting dues from workers who decline to join the union
in union shops.
The Senate General Government Committee approved Herbert’s bill earlier this session and sent
it to the Senate calendar. The bill would give Oklahoma voters the chance to decide whether the
state should have a right-to-work law. This is the first year that a right-to-work bill has made it out
of a Senate committee. Herbert said he may announce Monday when he will schedule a vote on the
measure He said he still hopes to bring it to a vote sometime next week.
Health of Oklahomans not worse, but still not good
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The health of Oklahomans continues to be poor, although a new
report shows it isn’t any worse than it was K) years ago.
"It didn’t get better," said Dr Gordon Deckert, a member of the state Board of Health. "But at
least it didn’t get any worse.”
The fifth annual State of the State s Health report, issued Thursday, showed that Oklahoman'
continue to smoke too much, eat too much and not exercise as much as average Americans.
In 1999, the state’s adult smoking rate increased to 25.2 percent, while the national median was
22.7 percent
"A major step toward reducing Oklahoma’s nicotine addiction burden was taken when the resi-
dents of Oklahoma overwhelmingly voted to place the tobacco lawsuit settlement funds into a
tftiSt," the report states.
If the money is invested wisely in effective programs, the state could make a powerful impact on
its nicotine problem. the report said According to the report. 21 percent of Oklahomans are seri-
ously overweight, up from 19.5 percent in 1998 and 15 percent in 1997. It also shows that the num
her of adults who don’t exercise in their spare tune has climbed to twice the national average
"Such obesity significantly increases our risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other chron-
ic diseases and conditions," the report states
Deckert called diabetes "a major epidemic in this state "
( klahoma diabetes cases have increased from 3 percent in 1995 to 8 percent in 1998 National
ly, diabetes cases consistently remain below 5 percent. Deckert said a key indicator in determining
a population’s health status is age-adjusted death rates — a calculation that makes allowances for
the distribution of age across the state Oklahoma’s age-adjusted death rate was about 525 per
100,000 people in 1999. In 1998, the national age-adjusted death rate was about 475 people per
100,000, according to the report
If ()klahoma had the same rate as the national average, 3,500 fewer people would die every year.
Deckert said.
The leading causes of premature death in the state were automobile accidents, chronic heart dis-
ease, firearm injuries and cancers of the larynx, trachea bronchia and lung.
Gourmet
GaCgetre
Corrections director announces resignation
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) “He brought the department al office when he was asked to
__ The director of the Okla- respect and accountability and take over the director’s job
homa Department of Correc- made it a place to be proud to l ast year. Saffle suspended
tions notified Gov. Frank Keat- be part of/’ himself for five days after
ing on Friday that he is retir- He would not disclose why learning that nearly 40-
ing according to a newspaper Saffle chose to resign "He just inmates were in higher-securi-
report said it was time to move on." (y prisons than they needed to
The Daily Oklahoman, in a Wright said be it cost him nearly $ 1,600 of
copyright story, said the Wright said Saffle told him his $81,000 annual salary,
announcement by Director he has no immediate plans, but He also helped move the
James Saffle came one day will stay on the job for about department toward removal
after he privately told Correc- 90 days, from a nearly three decade fed-
tions Board members of his Saffle could not be reached eral lawsuit that challenged
plans. for comment Friday Correc- prison conditions.
"He told the board yester- tions Department spokesman Wright said the corrections
day. and he told the (senior) Jerry Massie said Saffle will board plans a special meeting
staff today," board Chairman reveal his future plans in a March 5 or 6 to appoint an
Randy Wright said. “Out of news conference Monday interim director.
respect to him, the board didn't Saffle began his career as a "We have some outstanding
say anything. prison guard and later served people,’ he said "Mr. Saffle
"It shocked the whole as warden at the state’s high from day one had been work-
board but we respect him and est-security prison. Oklahoma ing with some people so that
are glad to call him a friend,” State Penitentiary in just in case this day ever came.
Wright said. McAlester He was heading the they 'd be able to step into this
Saffle, 48, took ever the department’s southeast region- position
__SOONER NEWS__
Officials optimistic about Kansas connection
But extension of the present Fort Worth-to-Oklahoma City route depe 1severrsttngs J. ।
BurlunatwNgrthemgmtaEnRa"wszcosprrmcureibsevengucsswhenadecisionwillbemade.”
Kyle said. If the Heartland Flyer route is extended to Newton, there are plans on the drawing board
to establish a passenger rail link with Denver. Kyle is hopeful. "I think the indications are it is a log-
ical extensionand would be beneficial not only to Oklahoma but to Amtrak for its service, he said
Sen. Dave Herbert, D-Midwest City, the leading advocate of expanding rail service in the Leg
islature, is even more optimistic. He notes that Amtrak officials invited the mayor of Wichita and
other Kansas officials to a meeting of Heartland Flyer supporters at the Capitol this week.
“I think Amtrak’s on board — they want to do it, Herbert said
Key Keating proposals hit skids
- OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Republican session.
Gov. Frank Keating has more friends in the Morgan acknowledges that a lot of vehi-
Legislature, but not enough to keep his top pro- cles exist that can be used for the governor s
grams alive as a legislative deadline expired program or our agenda items.
last week. But he said that at this point. Democrats
Committees headed by Democrats killed a continue to show resistance to new ideas of
. variety of proposals backed by Keating. The reform and tax cuts wanted by the public.
governor’s biggest victory came when a Senate “We heard the Democrats say that they
committee approved a bill to send the right-to- "heard the voters speak in the last election, that
work issue to a vote of the people. they needed to work with Republicans. Some
Falling by the wayside, however, were of the actions last week indicates they are not
Keating’s $100 million education block grant going to do that, Morgan said
program, a workers’ compensation reform “I don't think they are interested in tax cuts
package and an ambitious plan to cut the state at all, he added. I am especially appalled that
income tax almost in half in six years. they are not interested in repealing the sales tax
Democratic committee chairmen in the Sen- on groceries."
I ate chose not to hear the income tax and work Keating proposed $53 million in tax cuts
. comp bills. The education plan was rejected on that would be in effect next year, with virtual-
. , a voice vote. ly all of the revenue loss tied to cutting the
Democrats still have a commanding 30-18 state income tax rate from 6.75 to 6.25. Over
majority in the Senate, while holding only a six years, the rate would fall to 3.75.
slim five-vote spread in the IOl-member A sales tax holiday on clothing purchases
House after Republicans picked up eight seats appears to have the best chance of passing the
in November. Legislature this year. Several versions of that
Rep. Fred Morgan. R-Oklahoma City, idea are alive after last week's deadline for the
' House minority leader, accused Democratic House to act on House bills and the Senate to
leaders of reneging on a postelection pledge to act on Senate measures
work with the GOP on important issues. Keating’s block grant program drew per-
• ’ Morgan was especially angry that several haps the most criticism in the Senate before it
tax bills were rolled into a single measure was voted down
• 1 authored by Rep. Clay Pope. D-Loyal. chair- Sen Cal Hobson, D-Lexington, said it
man of the House Revenue and Taxation Com- would be irresponsible to start such a large
mittee program when millions of dollars in commit-
“I think that is heavy handed," Morgan said ments to education have not yet been funded
He said GOP-sponsored bills — covering He said the governor's budget did not ade-
such areas as the income tax, the estate tax and quately address commitments on health insur-
the sales tax on groceries — should have been ance. retirement and fully funding last year s
heard individually and voted up or down in teacher pay raise
committee. Hobson, chairman of the House Appropna-
By putting them into a single bill. Democ- tions Committee on Education, said he is per
rats have wrestled control of the proposals and plexed by natural gas euphoria that he said
sent them to a near certain death in the Senate, has gripped many lawmakers.
• Morgan said. Sen Kelly Haney, D-Seminole, Senate
Democrats said there is nothing unusual appropriations chairman, said legislators must
about the way the bills were handled and most be cautious on how they spend a windtall cre-
of the GOP tax-cutting ideas remain alive in ated by rising natural gas prices. Otherwise, he
one form or another. said the state could be in a financial bind if
But Senate budget leaders have warned that prices fall at a later date.
despite a $315 million projected revenue sur Haney is among the veteran lawmakers who
plus, the budget is tight because of past com- were in office in the 1980s, when a tumble in
mitments and pressing problems, oil prices led to budget cuts of hundreds of mil,
Keating on Thursday was especially critical lions of dollars and the passage of a series of
that Sen. Scott Pruitt's workers’ compensation tax cuts
reform bill was not heard in committee. He The public reacted by adopting a constitu-
blamed that on intense lobbying by trial tional amendment severely restricting the abil-
lawyers. ity of the Legislature to raise taxes.
Sen Brad Henry. D-Shawnee, said although "With the political climate the way it is, you
he did not hear Pruitt’s bill to abolish the just feel like you're molesting a child if you
Workers Compensation Court and replace it suggest a tax increase," Sen. Dick Wilkerson,
with an administrative system, some sort of D-Atwood, said during debate last week on an
reform plan could pass before the end of the ill-fated lottery plan
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Bush, Kent. The Express-Star (Chickasha, Okla.), Ed. 1 Sunday, February 25, 2001, newspaper, February 25, 2001; Chickasha, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc1885791/m1/4/?q=j+w+gardner: accessed June 25, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.