Holiday movie preview. Weekend
Watch the drawing for October’s winners at 10 a.m. BINGO XXX XXXX. at tulsaworld.com. A8
OU moves up to No. 4 in latest CFP rankings. Sports, B1 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2017
‘Cashand-cuts’ budget advances Legislative committees pass measure by margins so narrow it’s unclear if bills will succeed By Randy Krehbiel and Barbara Hoberock Tulsa World
OKLAHOMA CITY — Legislative committees on Tuesday passed a measure designed to shore up the ailing state budget, but by margins so narrow its ultimate fate remains in question. Meeting separately, the House and Senate Joint Committee on Appropriations and Budget narrowly passed House Bill 1019, a “cash-and-cuts” patch on a $215 million hole in the current fiscal year budget. The count was 17-13 in the House and 7-5 in the Senate. The so-called “Plan B,” brought out after a package of » See Budget, page A4
Tulsans approve charter changes Among provisions is rule to allow city employees more freedom to take part in election campaigns By Kevin Canfield Tulsa World
A small fraction of Tulsa’s registered voters made big changes to the city’s municipal election system Tuesday, voting overwhelmingly to change the election schedule and give city employees the right to actively participate in campaigns for mayor, City Council and city auditor. Those measures were among seven charter change amendments on the ballot. None received less than 64 percent support from those who voted. » See Charter, page A3
FORECAST: CHANCE OF RAIN, HIGH: 66, LOW 38. A12
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Deposition • Ex-state seismologist says he was told not to link earthquakes with man-made causes
Research pressure alleged By Corey Jones Tulsa World
The state’s former top seismologist was reprimanded by a University of Oklahoma official for publishing a study on mitigating induced seismicity and felt pressured not to link Oklahoma’s earthquakes with man-made causes, according to his testimony in a lawsuit. Austin Holland’s sworn statements from a recent deposition contradict public statements OU President David Boren made to the Tulsa World in 2015. Boren repeatedly stated that the university and its donors never exerted influence or pressure on Oklahoma Geological Survey scientists researching the state’s unprecedented seismicity. When reached recently by the Tulsa World, Boren and the former dean of the Earth and Energy College disputed Holland’s testimony that the university or its officials applied pressure on or punished him for his research. Holland’s deposition was taken on Oct. 11 in an ongoing lawsuit filed in 2015 by Jennifer Cooper against New Dominion and Spess Oil Co. for damages sustained in the 2009 Prague earthquakes. Holland described how he was “disappointed” and “devastated” to receive a reprimand for helping publish a peerreviewed journal article on how to cope with man-made earthquakes. He said he decided that he “couldn’t take any more” and starting to search for a new position. The reprimand came during the period before the paper was released to media outlets, Holland stated. The research, on which he is listed as a co-author, was published in February 2015. In July 2015, it became public that Holland was leaving the Oklahoma Geological Survey to pursue a job with the U.S. Geological Survey. The Oklahoma Geological Survey is a state agency administered by OU. “And so, you know, it was sort of like realizing that I could no longer be a scientist in an environment that I thought was my perfect job was really disheartening. … But after being reprimanded for publishing a paper, I felt like I had just lost my dream job » See Holland, page A3
Above, Amberlee Darold and Austin Holland, both then-seismologists with the Oklahoma Geologic Survey, install a new seismograph in southwest Oklahoma City in 2015. At left, the two answer questions during a 2015 Medford town meeting on the increasing frequency of earthquakes. TULSA WORLD FILE
And the warning signs were there as far as being asked to remove presentations from scientific meetings and other things. It was — having my words edited by the dean was certainly, you know, some warning signs.” Austin Holland, former OGS seismologist
Sessions denies lying about Russia AG cites a hazy memory and tiring campaign for testimony discrepancies By Eric Tucker and Sadie Gurman Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday displayed a hazy memory of the Trump campaign’s discussions about and dealings with Russians in the 2016 election, denying that he ever
lied to Congress about those contacts but blaming the chaos of the race for fogging his recollections. During more than five hours of testimony to Congress, Sessions sought to explain away apparent contradictions in his earlier accounts by citing the exhausting nature of Donald Trump’s upstart but surging bid for the White House. He also denied under repeated questioning from Democrats that he had been influenced by Trump. But after saying under oath
months ago that he was unaware of any relationship between the campaign and Russia, Sessions acknowledged for the first time that the arrest of a low-level campaign adviser reminded him, after all, of a meeting at which the aide, George Papadopoulos, proposed setting up a gettogether between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. “After reading his account and to the best of » See Sessions, page A9
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