Shawnee News

Oklahoma state revenue from casinos operated by American Indian tribes increased by nearly 30 percent in fiscal year 2009, in part because of the opening of a large new casino, according to figures provided by the Oklahoma Office of State Finance.

Visitors to Tahlequah's Sequoyah City Park may have noticed some digging equipment and construction in the park in recent days.

The state has paid $525,000 and a private agency provided another $100,000 to settle a wrongful-death lawsuit over the murder of 2-year-old Kelsey Smith-Briggs. A federal judge approved the settlement Monday.

David W. Gwin of Oklahoma League for the Blind in Oklahoma City has been named winner of the 2009 Peter J. Salmon Employee of the Year Award, by National Industries for the Blind .

Oklahoma City is in the process of making history - depending in part on whether the Oklahoma City Council opts to save or destroy Union Station's rail yard.

At its regular meeting Monday, the Muskogee City council approved: * Estimated payroll of $900,000 for the pay period ending June 27.

Tony Ward looks across his 86-acre spread and can hardly believe his eyes. His land, once bountiful with hay fields and grazing livestock, has been transformed in the past decade into a summer hot spot for bikers from across the U.S. In June, upwards of 10,000 bikers come to his place to drink a few beers, laugh, listen to live music and celebrate ...

A come-and-go breakfast in honor of a Shawnee teen who died in an all-terrain vehicle accident last weekend is scheduled for Saturday morning.

The preliminary hearing for a man charged with first-degree murder in the death of a Shawnee resident has been reset for next month.

The Police Department will partner with a local church Saturday to raise awareness about community crime prevention.

CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma The state board of directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma has named Sharla Hall as chief executive officer.

Samantha Craina TMs new folk implosion Samantha Crain thinks it's unreasonable for anyone to immediately assume that her Choctaw blood defines her or her music, which has always been steeped in modern American folk and pop conventions.

Louis Hopper has a taste for rare automobiles. The retired Tinker Field welder and associate pastor of the Spirit Rain Christian Church in Shawnee owns cars most people under 60 have never even heard of.

State Rep. Kris Steele, R-Shawnee, spoke about the progress the state legislature made in healthcare reform at Monday's Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

OKLAHOMA CITY a ' An associate pastor at a Methodist church in Shawnee and an economist from Edmond are the leading contenders to be designated the next Republican speaker of the Oklahoma House.

Indy: You grew up in rural Shawnee, Oklahoma. So what was a fun Saturday night for Shawnee teenagers? SC: There isn't one.

The entry list for the 9th annual Perry County Community Rodeo, which will be held in Altenburg Friday and Saturday, includes some highly ranked contestants.

Eastbound Interstate 40 near U.S. 177 in Shawnee has been narrowed to one lane while crews repair a bridge.

Several General Motors dealerships in Oklahoma say they plan to appeal notices from GM that they will lose their franchises in 2010.

Police are investigating the theft of 25 cartons of cigarettes from an Edmond pharmacy, captured by video surveillance cameras.