The Oklahoma State Department of Education is investigating Jenks Public Schools apparently to see if its parent-led movement to opt students out of "field tests" was instigated or encouraged by district employees, the Tulsa World has learned.

CONTINUING COVERAGE: Read more in-depth reporting on education in Oklahoma.

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Lawmakers benefit from private prison donations

By CURTIS KILLMAN & BARBARA HOBEROCK World Capitol Bureau

Private prison interests have given nearly $200,000 in campaign dollars and gifts to 79 of the 149 members of the state Legislature since 2004, a Tulsa World analysis shows.

DATABASE: Search a database of private prison contributions to elected officials.

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Mayoral candidates differ, or are ambivalent, on nonstreet capital projects

By ZACK STOYCOFF World Staff Writer

Tulsa's mayoral candidates are quick to tout street repairs as their top priority for capital funding.

CONTINUING COVERAGE: See the Tulsa World's in-depth resource for coverage of the Tulsa 2013 elections.

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Retiring rabbi, reverend share concern for future of interfaith community

By BILL SHERMAN World Religion Writer

Two pillars of the Tulsa interfaith community will retire in two weeks after a combined 70 years of ministry in Tulsa.

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Narconon Arrowhead drug rehab facility is under investigation, but details are few

By JARREL WADE World Staff Writer

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Michael Pickens sued by father, three siblings over blog posts

By ZIVA BRANSTETTER World Enterprise Editor

T. Boone Pickens and three of his children are suing Pickens' son in Dallas County, saying his blog postings are an attempt to extort $20 million from the energy mogul.

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Judge says no to video-recording witnesses in Fairmont Terrace murder case

By BILL BRAUN World Staff Writer

A Tulsa judge has again denied a defense request to allow the video recording of lay witnesses who testify at the preliminary hearing in the Fairmont Terrace quadruple-homicide case.

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Shoppes on Peoria celebrates grand opening

By DAVID HARPER World Staff Writer

The grand opening of the Shoppes on Peoria, 1717 N. Peoria Ave., marked the realization of a concept for economic development that spanned two mayoral administrations and involved a lot of people and organizations that refused to give up on a vision.

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Jay Cronley
News Columnist

Jay Cronley: Figuring the odds in tornado alley

A meteorologist working for the Weather Channel has devised a system that predicts the likelihood of a tornado hitting inside a specific space of ground.

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Tulsa community leaders named to Hall of Fame

By MICHAEL OVERALL World Staff Writer

Philanthropists Roseline and Herbert Gussman, painter P.S. Gordon, Dr. Robert Block, Judge Mickey Wilson and former Tulsa residents Hannah and Joe Robson will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at a black-tie dinner in October.

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Drumright man charged with manslaughter in wife's dragging death

By KENDRICK MARSHALL World Staff Writer

A Drumright man was arrested on an allegation that he dragged his wife to death last year.

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Owasso weighs converting bank building into city hall

By RHETT MORGAN World Staff Writer

Built in 2000, the existing municipal (city hall/police) building is 26,655 square feet.

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Bald eagle found dead at Oklahoma motel

By Associated Press

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officers are working to learn the circumstances under which a bald eagle died.

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Claremore man killed in two-vehicle crash

By SUSAN HYLTON World Staff Writer

A Claremore man died of massive injuries in a two-vehicle wreck Saturday morning in Rogers County.

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Jewelry artist wins Mayfest's 2013 Best of Show award

By DAVID HARPER World Staff Writer

Mark Jimenez is the winner of Tulsa International Mayfest's 2013 Best of Show award, but don't expect the Albuquerque, N.M., jewelry artist to make a big deal about it.

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Capitol Report, Wayne Greene: Museum funding back on the table

The fast set at the state Capitol has come up with a solution to the vexing problems of the American Indian Cultural Center and the OKPOP museum for Tulsa - but it's not a solution without any costs.

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Suicide 'QPR' prevention method is topic of Thursday seminar

By MIKE AVERILL World Staff Writer

The creator of an emergency mental health intervention method for suicidal people will be in town teaching his technique and discussing his method.

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Oklahoma Democrats re-elect party chairman Wallace Collins

By MICHAEL MCNUTT NewsOK.com

Oklahoma Democrats chose Saturday to give their party chairman another two-year stint in office instead of selecting a state senator who promised she would bring diversity to the party.

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Oak Road bridge repairs slated to start June 3

By NewsOK.com

The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority declared an emergency Thursday and approved a $528,858 contract to Gibson & Associates, a Texas firm, to repair Oak Road bridge over the eastbound lanes of the Turner Turnpike. An oversize tractor-trailer struck the bridge, agency spokesman Jack Damrill said.

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OU student accused of illegal grade changes

By Associated Press

Authorities have charged a University of Oklahoma student with computer-related crimes for allegedly changing his grades.

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TV World grows

By Staff Reports

TV World readers will notice a change to the popular weekly television guide in Sunday's paper.

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California beach-parking fee plan makes waves

By ALICIA CHANG

Sunbathers flocking to Southern California beaches are used to feeding the meter or paying a parking attendant. Not so along the less-developed north coast where it's customary to ditch cars on the shoulder of Highway 1 to surf, swim or picnic.

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Assad: Syria transition talks are internal matter

By KARIN LAUB Associated Press

In the capital Damascus, a car bomb killed at least three people and wounded five, according to Syrian state TV.

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Egyptians targeted for blasphemy

By MAGGIE MICHAEL Associated Press

The pale, young Christian woman sat handcuffed in the courtroom while a team of Islamist lawyers sang about the Prophet Muhammad.

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Merkel, Pope talk about strong Europe

By Associated Press

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, mindful of the importance of Christian voters in September elections, met with Pope Francis on Saturday during a quick trip to Rome that focused on helping victims of Europe's economic crisis and emphasizing the continent's Christian roots.

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Victims: Marines failed to safeguard water supply at Camp Lejeune

By ALLEN G. BREED, MICHAEL BIESECKER & MARTHA WAGGONER Associated Press

But no one responsible for the lab at the base can recall that the procedure - mandated by the Navy - was ever conducted.

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Dems struggle to find candidates for midterm races

By AP Wire Service

Republicans aren't the only ones roiled by internal jostling and recruiting hiccups ahead of next year's midterm elections.

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Official: Broken rail eyed in Conn. train crash

By AP Wire Service

Weener said it's not clear if the accident caused the fracture or if the rail was broken before the crash.

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IRS probe ignored most influential groups

By Associated Press

There's an irony in the Internal Revenue Service's crackdown on conservative groups.

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Boy Scouts' leaders to vote on lifting gay-youth ban

By DAVID CRARY Associated Press

With its ranks deeply divided, the Boy Scouts of America is asking its local leaders from across the country to decide whether its contentious membership policy should be overhauled so that openly gay boys can participate in Scout units.

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Car drives into Virginia parade, injures 50 to 60

By AP Wire Service

Nunley said the man's 1997 Cadillac was one of the last vehicles in the parade and the driver might have suffered an unspecified medical problem when his car accelerated to about 25 mph and struck the crowd on a two-lane bridge along the town's main road. The driver was among those taken to hospitals.

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Obama agenda marches on despite controversies

By DAVID ESPO Associated Press

Despite Democratic fears, predictions of the demise of President Barack Obama's agenda appear exaggerated after a week of cascading controversies, political triage by the administration and party leaders in Congress, and lack of evidence to date of wrongdoing close to the Oval Office.

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Capitol Report Q&A: Rep. Fred Jordan

By WAYNE GREENE World Senior Writer

I had the opportunity in 2002 to deploy to Guantanamo Bay as part of the operation down there.

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Capitol Report: Quotable

By Staff Reports

'I think sending a warm fuzzy to Kansas ... is a waste of time.'
Rep. Ben Sherrer, D-Chouteau

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Local Briefs

By Staff Reports

A Broken Arrow man is accused of exposing himself to a woman and her daughter and then following them inside a grocery store.

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Capitol Notebook: Dank irate

By RANDY KREHBIEL World Staff Writer

State Rep. David Dank, R-Oklahoma City, unloaded on his colleagues late last week, saying some of them were trying to quietly slip tax incentives into last-minute legislation.

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Capitol Report: Progress Report

By Staff Reports

Eliminates felony charge for properly licensed person carrying handgun on public bus.

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City Hall report

By ZACK STOYCOFF & KEVIN CANFIELD World Staff Writers

"This was really, really useful and helpful public discourse, which we don't necessarily have in this room a whole lot."

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DC Roundup: term limits

By Staff Reports

First District Congressman Jim Bridenstine and Texas Democrat Beto O'Rourke introduced a proposed constitutional amendment authorizing Congress to set term limits.

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Political Notebook: State GOP hits Taylor

By Staff Reports

Dave Weston, chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party, accused former Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor in a news release Thursday of “questionable electioneering.”

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Roll Call

By TARGETED NEWS SERVICE

Here is how Oklahoma's members of the House of Representatives and Senate voted on key bills and amendments last week.

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Sunday Morning Quarterback

By Staff Reports

Signs a long-sought income tax cut into law.

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News Briefs

By Wire Reports

France will see its first gay weddings within days, after French President Francois Hollande signed a law Saturday authorizing marriage and adoption by same-sex couples and ending months of nationwide protests and wrenching debate.

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Will Rogers Says

By Staff Reports

We are a great people to go to extremes. We just jump from one thing to another." - April 20, 1930

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Way back when: Today in history

By GENE CURTIS

The U.S. found at least 40 secret microphones in the American Embassy in Moscow but the discovery came as no surprise.

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Daily U.S. Casualties

By Associated Press

Afghanistan: As of Saturday, at least 2,085 members of the U.S. military had died as a result of the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, according to an Associated Press count.

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