DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Who is Rep. Mike Johnson, the House GOP’s latest speaker nominee?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Piper Hudspeth Blackburn | Shania Shelton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The Louisiana Republican was first elected to the House in 2016 and serves as vice chairman of the House Republican Conference, as well as GOP deputy whip, an assistant leadership role. During Trump’s first impeachment trial in January 2020, Johnson, along with a group of other GOP lawmakers, served a largely ceremonial role in Trump’s Senate impeachment team. My strong SUGGESTION is to go with the leading candidate, Mike Johnson, & GET IT DONE, FAST!” Trump posted. Rep. Mike Johnson files his paperwork at the secretary of state's office after qualifying for his congressional reelection bid on July 20, 2018, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For that, I stepped aside and threw all my support behind Mike Johnson.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Donald Trump, Johnson, Trump’s, Joe Biden, “, Trump, Chip Somodevilla, ” Trump, Paul M, Melinda Deslatte, Kevin Hern, it’s, ”, ” Johnson’s, Tom Emmer’s, Steve Scalise, Jim Jordan Organizations: Washington CNN —, Louisiana Republican, House Republican Conference, House Republicans, Capitol, WIN, Committee, Armed Services Committee, Republican, Louisiana State University, Hebert Law Center, Rep, Oklahoma Republican, House Republican, Minnesota, Republicans, Trump, Reps Locations: Louisiana, Trump’s, Texas, Longworth, Washington ,, Louisiana’s, Baton Rouge , Louisiana, Oklahoma, America

☆ Biden administration picks 31 regional tech hubs to spur US innovation
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told reporters the program aimed to diversify the United States away from its traditional tech hubs like Silicon Valley, Seattle and Boston. White House National Economic Director Lael Brainard said the regional tech program makes "smart public investments in critical technologies in every region of the country." The designated regional tech hubs are in places like Montana, Wisconsin, upstate New York, Vermont, Nevada, Illinois and Puerto Rico, and are focused on areas including semiconductors, clean energy, critical minerals, biotechnology, artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Raimondo said the administration next year plans to award about five to 10 of the 31 tech hubs up to $75 million each. Biden this year asked Congress for $4 billion to fund additional regional tech hubs.

Persons: Gina Raimondo, Antony Blinken, Leah, " Raimondo, Joe Biden's, Lael Brainard, Biden, Raimondo, David Shepardson, Jamie Freed Organizations: . Commerce, U.S, State Department, REUTERS, U.S . Commerce Department, White, National, Thomson Locations: U.S, Mexico, Washington , U.S, WASHINGTON, United States, Silicon Valley, Seattle, Boston, Montana , Wisconsin, New York , Vermont , Nevada , Illinois, Puerto Rico, Washington, Idaho, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, China

☆ ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Is an Oklahoma Story, but Educators There Might Not Teach It
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Adolfo Flores | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Lily Gladstone and Leonardo DiCaprio star in ‘Killers of the Flower Moon.’ Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon/Associated PressThree years ago, Oklahoma teacher Debra Thoreson requested copies of a book about the century-old murders of Osage people that took place about an hour from where her school is now. But she changed her plan to assign the book, “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI,” to her high school English students after passage of a state law that she feared could endanger her license and her school’s accreditation.

Persons: Lily Gladstone, Leonardo DiCaprio, Melinda Sue Gordon, Debra Thoreson, ” Organizations: Associated Press, Osage, FBI Locations: Oklahoma

☆ A McDonald's manager sexually harassed a 17-year-old worker until she was 'forced' to resign, a federal agency says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

An Oklahoma McDonald's manager sexually harassed a teenage worker until she resigned, the EEOC says. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAdvertisementA McDonald's manager in Oklahoma sexually harassed a 17-year-old worker until she felt that she had no choice but to resign, a federal agency says. This subjected her to a hostile work environment and amounted to constructive discharge because she was "forced" to resign, the EEOC says. The EEOC is seeking backpay, punitive damages, and other compensation from Arch Fellow for the worker.

Persons: —, Arch Fellows Organizations: Service, Commission, Arch, Arch Fellows Locations: Oklahoma, Checotah, Tulsa

☆ One of last survivors of Oklahoma race massacre dies at 102
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Survivors and siblings Viola Fletcher and Hughes Van Ellis listen as U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the centennial anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre during a visit to the Greenwood Cultural Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S., June 1, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsOct 10 (Reuters) - One of the last three known Black Tulsans who lived through a 1921 race massacre in the Oklahoma town has died at 102, his family said. As many as 300 people, most of them Black, were killed when white residents burned Tulsa's African American neighborhood of Greenwood. An Oklahoma judge dismissed the lawsuit in July and their lawyers have appealed to the state's supreme court. White residents surrounded the courthouse, demanding the man be handed over.

Persons: Viola Fletcher, Hughes Van Ellis, Joe Biden, Carlos Barria, Tulsans, Ellis, Leslie Benningfield Randle, Schulte, Roth, Zabel, Damario Solomon, Simmons, Andrew Hay, Bill Berkrot, Mark Porter Organizations: Greenwood Cultural Center, REUTERS, Ku Klux Klan, National Endowment, Humanities . Police, Tulsa Tribune, Thomson Locations: Tulsa, Tulsa , Oklahoma, U.S, Oklahoma, Denver , Colorado, Greenwood, Black, An Oklahoma, White

The shareholders also said they sold Twitter shares at artificially low prices because Musk hid what he was doing. Carter said he could not infer that Musk was "too busy" to comply with SEC rules if he could find time to buy Twitter shares, meet with company executives, and post online about Twitter. Musk bought Twitter for $44 billion last October. Twitter shares rose 27% on April 4, 2022, to $49.97 from $39.31, after Musk revealed his 9.2% stake. The case is Oklahoma Firefighters Pension and Retirement System v. Musk et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

Persons: Elon Musk, Chuck Schumer, Leah Millis, Andrew Carter, Musk, Carter, Katie Sinderson, Jonathan Stempel, Will Duham Organizations: Intelligence, Senate, U.S, Capitol, REUTERS, Twitter, District, U.S . Securities, Exchange, SEC, Oklahoma Firefighters, Court, Southern District of, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, U.S, Manhattan, Oklahoma, Southern District, Southern District of New York, New York

☆ A huge python built its lair in a trailer park and grew 13ft long eating the neighborhood cats
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A 13-foot snake has been living on a steady diet of cats since moving into a trailer park in Oklahoma. AdvertisementAdvertisementAnimal control is hunting down a 13-foot-long python thought to have eaten half of the neighborhood cats since it showed up in an Oklahoma trailer park. The animal appeared in Oklahoma City's Burntwood Mobile Home Park about five months ago, Oklahoma news channel KFOR reported. Since then it's been eating opossums, rats, and cats in its lair under a mobile home, the channel reported. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe python is believed to have doubled in size on his steady cat diet, according to another Oklahoma City channel, News9.

Persons: Mike Tyson's bicep, —, Trevor Bounds, Shandi Mosley, Shandi, Bounds Organizations: Service, Park, KFOR, Oklahoma City Locations: Oklahoma

☆ Archaeologists find the remains of 2 adults they believe could be victims of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Ella Hopkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Human remains found by archaeologists could be from victims of the Tulsa Race Massacre. The remains were found during a dig at grave shafts in Tulsa, Oklahoma, CNN reported. Oklahoma state archaeologist Kary Stackelbeck said that the archaeological team had exposed 22 grave shafts in a video posted on Facebook on Thursday. Stackelbeck said archaeologists had found "fancier or nicer coffins" in some of the other grave shafts, which they did not think were likely to be victims of the massacre. The Tulsa Race Massacre took place from May 31 to June 1, 1921 and was one of the worst incidents of racial violence to have occurred in US history.

Persons: Kary Stackelbeck, Stackelbeck Organizations: CNN, Service, Facebook, Greenwood District, Independent Locations: Tulsa, Tulsa , Oklahoma, State, Wall, Silicon, Oaklawn Cemetery, Oklahoma, Oaklawn, Greenwood

☆ Overlooked No More: Molly Nelson, Steward of Penobscot Culture
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Will Dudding | More About Will Dudding | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The oldest of eight siblings, Mary Alice Nelson was born on Nov. 17, 1903, on Indian Island, the heart of the Penobscot nation about 15 miles northeast of Bangor, Maine. The Nelsons sustained themselves mostly by selling baskets, with her mother, Philomene, weaving and her father, Horace, collecting the raw materials. Horace would go on to serve as the tribal chief and the nonvoting Penobscot representative in the State Legislature. As a girl, Molly showed an interest in tribal traditions, asking adults to tell her legends in exchange for doing chores. She left the tour and remained behind there to audit anthropology and literature classes for three semesters at the University of Pennsylvania.

Persons: Mary Alice Nelson, Penobscots, Molly, Horace, Neeburban Organizations: Legislature, dimes, University of Pennsylvania Locations: Penobscot, Bangor , Maine, Philadelphia, Oklahoma

☆ Oklahoma Man Pleads Guilty to Threatening DeSantis, Cruz and Other Republicans
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Orlando Mayorquin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

An Oklahoma man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to making death threats on social media against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Texas Senator Ted Cruz and other high-profile Republican politicians. Mr. Marshall faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. A sentencing date has not been set, according to Tyler C. Box, Mr. Marshall’s lawyer. “He is ready to take responsibility and take the punishment the court sees fit to move on with his life.”

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Ted Cruz, Tyler Jay Marshall, Marshall, Tyler C, “, Box, ” Organizations: Florida Gov, Court, Western, of, U.S Locations: Oklahoma, Ron DeSantis , Texas, U.S, of Oklahoma, Enid

☆ How Native American police are fighting the crisis of missing people
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Andrew Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

These gaps have led Native American police Reuters met with to take matters into their own hands, some forming their own missing units. Driven by decades of Native American activism, data showing the scale of the crisis, and the appointment of the United States' first ever Native American cabinet secretary Deb Haaland, the issue of missing indigenous people entered the U.S. mainstream in the last five years. MORE AT RISKFactors ranging from poverty and a history of colonial oppression make Native American people disproportionately at risk of going missing. REUTERS/Adria Malcolm“Very few tribes have the funds and staff available to make MMIWR a priority,” said Darlene Gomez, an Albuquerque lawyer who represents families in 17 missing Native American cases. Families of victims and their lawyers say police routinely blame missing Native American women for their own disappearance due to factors such as substance abuse — and it’s not just outsiders.

Persons: Kathleen Lucero, didn’t, Lucero, ”, Isleta, “, Victor Rodriguez, Deb Haaland, Bryan Newland, ” Newland, Adria Malcolm “, Darlene Gomez, Daryl Noon, “ We've, ” Noon, Raul Torrez, Torrez, Zachariah Shorty, Vangie Randall, Shorty, Randall, Raul Bujanda, Bujanda, it’s, Jamie Yazzie, Yazzie's, Tre James, Noon, Michael Henderson, Andrew Hay, Donna Bryson, Claudia Parsons Organizations: Reuters, American, of Indian Affairs, Bay, Indian, Isleta Police Department, REUTERS, New, HOME, BIA, Unit, FBI, Navajo, Thomson Locations: ISLETA PUEBLO, N.M, Manzano, New Mexico, American, U.S, Pueblo, Albuquerque, Oklahoma, United States, Isleta Pueblo, Navajo, Arizona, Utah, Native, Albuquerque’s Bernalillo, Kirtland , New Mexico, Mexico, Washington

Credit Union One of Oklahoma is offering the highest interest rate for a CD right now. Until now, Old Point National Bank in Virginia had claimed the title of the highest CD rate, offering 6.02% on a 6-month CD. Interest rates on savings products like CDs and high-yield savings accounts have been steadily increasing over the last couple of years. Credit Union One of Oklahoma is only the second institution to break 6%, but it's not unlikely that more bank and credit unions will follow. If you aren't able to join Credit Union One of Oklahoma, you have plenty of other options for earning high rates on CDs.

Persons: —, it's Organizations: Credit, Service, . Credit, National Bank, Western Alliance, Mint, FDIC, Chevron Locations: Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Virginia, Cleveland, Logan, McClain , Oklahoma

☆ Welcome to the Age of the Cage Match
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Joseph Bernstein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

That would be Elon Musk versus Mark Zuckerberg in Las Vegas, or maybe the Colosseum in Rome. The rival tech billionaires are inching toward a cage match, brokered by Dana White, president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. And for an undercard, how about a sitting U.S. senator versus a union boss? In case that’s not enough testosterone, perhaps some feats of strength are in order. On Thursday, the Democratic representative of New York posted to Twitter a video of himself bench-pressing 405 pounds.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Dana White, Markwayne Mullin, Sean O’Brien, O’Brien, ”, Robert Kennedy Jr, Jeff Bezos, Jamaal Bowman Organizations: Elon, Oklahoma Republican, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Twitter, Democratic, New Locations: Las Vegas, Rome, Oklahoma, Venice Beach, New York

☆ Biden mocks Republicans for accepting pandemic relief funds while opposing student loan forgiveness: 'My program is too expensive?'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

President Joe Biden tore into Republicans for opposing his student loan forgiveness plan. The PPP loans were aimed at keeping business afloat during the pandemic by providing critical backstops to meet payroll and other limited needs. "College loan forgiveness benefits one person and undermines the basic principles of personal responsibility." The Sarasota Republican had over $2.7 million in forgiven PPP loans and interests for car dealerships connected to him. A spokesperson for the Oklahoman blasted Biden for suggesting there was something wrong with opposing student loan forgiveness in light of accepting PPP money.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, —, John Roberts, Roberts, Chuck Edwards, Edwards, Vern Buchanan, Buchanan, Kevin Hern, Hern, Miranda Dabney Organizations: Service, Friday's, White, Biden, . Nebraska, North Carolina Republican, Asheville Citizen Times, Florida Republican, Sarasota Republican, Tampa Bay Times ., Oklahoma Republican, Oklahoman Locations: ., Florida, Oklahoma

Credit Union One of Oklahoma is offering the highest interest rate for a CD right now. Pros Check mark icon A check mark. Accounts pay high interest rates Check mark icon A check mark. No fees Check mark icon A check mark. Open accounts you might not be able access outside of Raisin Check mark icon A check mark.

Persons: —, it's Organizations: Credit, Service, . Credit, National Bank, Columbia, Mint, FDIC, Chevron Locations: Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Virginia, Cleveland, Logan, McClain , Oklahoma

☆ Oklahoma approves first publicly funded Catholic school in US
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Brad Brooks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 5 (Reuters) - An Oklahoma school board on Monday approved the Catholic Church's application to create the first taxpayer-funded religious charter school in the U.S. Oklahoma's Statewide Virtual Charter School Board approved the plan to create the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School in a 3-2 vote. Charter schools are publicly funded, independently run schools established under the terms of a charter with a local or national authority. The school would cost Oklahoma taxpayers up to $25.7 million over its first five years of operation, its organizers said. The law school at the University of Notre Dame, a Catholic institution in Indiana, helped with the application.

Persons: Isidore of, Isidore, Brad Brooks, David Gregorio Our Organizations: U.S, Charter School Board, Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, Roman, Supreme, Catholic Archdiocese of, Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, University of Notre Dame, Thomson Locations: An Oklahoma, Isidore of Seville, Maine and Montana, Oklahoma, Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma, Indiana, Lubbock , Texas

☆ Italy's Enel to invest more than $1 billion in an Oklahoma solar panel factory
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Italy's Enel said on Monday it will invest more than $1 billion in a solar cell and panel factory in Oklahoma, seeking to capitalize on the U.S. push to build a homegrown clean energy manufacturing sector to compete with China. The facility will be among the largest to produce solar equipment in the United States, where most projects are built with imported panels. It is also one of the first U.S. factories to produce silicon-based solar cells on a large scale. The investment is one of the biggest in solar manufacturing since the passage of U.S. President Joe Biden's landmark climate change law, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), last year. Enel, which had first said last year it planned to build a U.S. solar factory, selected a site in Inola, Oklahoma, near Tulsa.

☆ Richard Glossip: Supreme Court halts execution
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The US Supreme Court on Friday put on hold the execution of Richard Glossip, an Oklahoma death row inmate whose capital conviction the state attorney general has said he could no longer support. The latest round of litigation was brought to the Supreme Court by Glossip, with the support of the Oklahoma Attorney’s General office, who asked for his May 18 execution to be set aside. The emergency hold on his execution will stay in place while the justices consider his request that they formally take up his case. Glossip has maintained his innocence, having been convicted in 1998 of capital murder for ordering the killing of his boss. Despite Oklahoma’s assertions that it could no longer stand by Glossip’s conviction, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeal declined Glossip’s request that his execution be halted.

Law Firms Reed Smith LLP FollowWASHINGTON, May 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday halted the execution of Oklahoma death row inmate Richard Glossip, whose case has drawn support from the state's Republican attorney general after an investigation shed new light on evidence relating to the 1997 murder Glossip was convicted of commissioning. A separate independent investigation conducted last year by the law firm Reed Smith at the request of Oklahoma lawmakers also raised serious concerns about Glossip's case and conviction. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals on April 20 upheld Glossip's murder conviction, rebuffing Drummond's request. Sneed confessed to carrying out the killing and said Glossip, a manager at the motel, had hired him to do it. Glossip has pending petitions for appeal before the Supreme Court challenging his conviction on grounds including that prosecutors failed to hand over evidence about Sneed to Glossip's defense counsel.

[1/2] The U.S. Supreme Court building is seen in Washington, U.S., April 6, 2023. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File PhotoLaw Firms Reed Smith LLP FollowWASHINGTON, May 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday halted the scheduled execution of Oklahoma death row inmate Richard Glossip, whose cause drew support from the state's Republican attorney general after an investigation shed new light on evidence relating to the 1997 murder Glossip was convicted of commissioning. "We are very grateful to the U.S. Supreme Court for doing the right thing in stopping Richard Glossip's unlawful execution," Knight said. The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals on April 20 upheld Glossip's murder conviction, rebuffing Drummond's request. Glossip has pending petitions for appeal before the Supreme Court challenging his conviction on grounds including that prosecutors failed to hand over evidence about Sneed to Glossip's defense counsel.

The bodies were found at a property in Henryetta, a city about 90 miles from Oklahoma City, authorities said. The bodies were found “not in the residence, but just on the property,” Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokesperson Gerald Davidson told reporters Monday. “Our hearts are hurting, and we have considered what would be best for our students in the coming days,” the school system said. The school system added that classes would not be canceled and that students would have access to mental health professionals and faith-based clergy. “Please continue to keep these families in your thoughts and prayers.”A vigil for the “families affected by this tragedy” was scheduled for Monday evening, the school system said on Facebook.

☆ Carnival cruise passengers said other cruisers cheered — and jeered —when their ship rescued 24 migrants adrift at sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A Carnival cruise ship rescued 24 migrants lost at sea last week, two passengers told Insider. A spokesperson for the company said cruise ships often come to the aid of boats in distress. "It makes your heart sad when you know these people are so desperate," Senn told Insider. A Carnival spokesperson told Insider that the ship's medical team found all 24 people to be in good condition. Though primarily designed as vacation vessels, large cruise ships often come to the aid of those in peril on the sea.

☆ Oklahoma to vote on first religious charter school in US
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Brad Brooks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

April 11 (Reuters) - An Oklahoma school board is set to vote on Tuesday on whether the state will allow the first taxpayer-funded religious charter school in the U.S. - a decision that promises to ignite a legal battle testing the concept of separation of church and state. The Statewide Virtual Charter School Board will vote on an application backed by the Catholic church for the creation of St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, planned by its organizers to offer an online education for kindergarten through high school initially for 500 students and eventually 1,500. The board is a state entity that considers applications for charter schools - publicly funded but independently run - that operate virtually in Oklahoma. Laser disagreed and said her organization would fight the Catholic church in any court over St. Isidore and any other publicly funded religious school. "There is an attack being waged on public schools in Oklahoma, and that attack is to convert public schools into religious schools," Laser said.

☆ Oklahoma eyes first US religious charter school after Supreme Court rulings
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( John Kruzel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstApril 6 (Reuters) - An Oklahoma school board is set to consider next week whether to approve the first taxpayer-funded religious charter school in the United States in a move that follows recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings expanding religious rights. The board is a state entity that considers applications for charter schools - publicly funded but independently run - that operate virtually in Oklahoma. They estimated that it would cost Oklahoma taxpayers up to $25.7 million over its first five years in operation as a charter school. In 2020, the Supreme Court endorsed Montana tax credits that helped pay for students to attend religious schools. Secular opponents have said religious charter schools would violate legal limits on government involvement in religion.

☆ An Oklahoma teacher faced death threats after she helped students access banned books. She says she's more scared for students than for herself.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Yelena Dzhanova | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

An Oklahoma teacher who helped students access banned books faced death threats. Summer Boismier left her teaching job and now works at the Brooklyn Public Library. The threats still rattle her, but she's more worried that teens and kids are losing access to books. Boismier resigned from her teaching job and moved 1,500 miles away from her home to Brooklyn, New York, where she began working for the Brooklyn Public Library. That alone shows how much of a demand there is for legislators to stop censoring books, Boismier said.

Search resuls for: "An Oklahoma"

25 mentions found