Free Republic

Although Gov. Brad Henry vetoed similar legislation 10 days earlier, House members Monday again approved a resolution claiming Oklahoma’s sovereignty. Unlike House Joint Resolution 1003, House Concurrent Resolution 1028 does not need the governor’s approval. The House passed the measure 73-22. It now goes to the Senate. "We’re going to get it done one way or the other,” said the resolutions’ author, Rep. Charles Key, R-Oklahoma City. "I think our governor is out of step.” House Democrats objected, saying the issue already had been taken up and had been vetoed, but House Speaker Pro Tempore Kris Steele, R-Shawnee, ruled the...

A consulting firm is still trying to prove that Collier County flood maps created by the Federal Emergency Management Agency are wrong. Collier County Commission and Naples City Council hired Tomasello Consulting Engineers Inc. to study FEMA's flood maps and prove that the maps were inaccurate and outdated when they were presented to officials in 1998. Although local officials have argued with FEMA that the maps are incorrect, FEMA still intends to implement the maps on Oct. 2. The new maps drastically change the flood zones in parts of Collier County, which will cause some flood insurance premiums to increase...