OKLAHOMA CITY — Governor Mary Fallin today vetoed House Bill 2625, a bill that rolls back the literacy standards established in the Reading Sufficiency Act (RSA). The RSA was first passed in 2011 with the goal of ensuring that every third grade child can read before being promoted to fourth grade.

“The research is clear,” said Fallin. “From kindergarten to third grade, children learn to read. Beginning in the fourth grade, they ‘read to learn.’ Without basic literacy skills, children in the fourth grade fall further and further behind. Those children are more likely to drop out of high school and less likely to find good jobs even if they do graduate. Promoting them to fourth grade without the basic tools they need to succeed is not just unwise; it is immoral. We must ensure our children have basic proficiency in reading before the fourth grade.”
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A U.S. Geological Survey and Oklahoma Geological Survey analysis has found that 145 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater occurred in Oklahoma from January 2014 through May 2. The previous record, set in 2013, was 109 earthquakes, while the long-term average earthquake rate, from 1978 to 2008, was just two magnitude 3.0 or larger earthquakes per year. Important to people living in central and north-central Oklahoma is that the likelihood of future, damaging earthquakes has increased as a result of the increased number of small and moderate shocks.
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(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Senators Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Chris Coons (D-DE) today introduced S. 2240, the Medicare Choices Empowerment and Protection Act, a bill to encourage Medicare beneficiaries to create advance directives. This will allow individuals to provide clear guidance to their medical providers and family members about their health care decisions should they become incapable of speaking for themselves.
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Candidate filing often draws media (file photo)

More than 500 candidates are expected to file for 2014 state and federal elections April 9-11 at the State Capitol in Oklahoma City and huge numbers are expected at County Election Boards throughout Oklahoma.

At the State Capital, filing will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday in the north hall of the Capitol’s second floor outside Room 230. Races on the ballot include most statewide offices including governor and lieutenant governor, all five of Oklahoma’s seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and both of the state’s U.S. Senate seats, a rare occurrence.
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Barry & Buddies delivered an evening of music and celebration at the historic Cain’s Ballroom and raised more than $35,000 for The Higher Scale Program in late February.

The evening honored Signature Symphony at TCC Artistic Director and Conductor Dr. Barry Epperley for his accomplishments over the past three decades to the performing arts and arts education in northeast Oklahoma. Epperley will retire at the end of this season, but another very special event is coming soon.

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