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Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Extreme heat and cold
BUFFALO — In the past four months, weather in the northwestern Oklahoma community of Buffalo has included a blizzard, brutally hot temperatures, temperatures below normal and a "severe drought.”
On Monday, the high hit 105 degrees making it the 13th time this year the Oklahoma Mesonet Station at Buffalo has had the highest temperature in the state, said Gary McManus, of the the Oklahoma Climatological Survey.
It marks yet another swing in an active weather year.
Harper County Emergency Management Director Conyetta Lehenbauer remembers shivering in late March as Buffalo received a 23-inch snowfall with one drift reaching the hood of her husband’s pickup.
But on June 17 the temperature reached triple digits, and the heat was on.
"The difference this year is that it got so hot, so early,” she said. "And it was that kind of heat that takes your breath away.”
The Mesonet on July 9 recorded an actual temperature of 115 degrees, which was matched the following day at Freedom.
That July 9 reading began a six-day span in which Buffalo reached 110 degrees or higher five times. The good news was cooler weather was on the way. This included lows of 58 degrees July 18 and 57 degrees July 19. Temperatures were cooler than normal in Buffalo 13 days in July.
This week they returned to 100s. But that’s only part of the problem.
They are in an area of the state with a drought intensity listed as "severe” by the U.S. Drought Monitor, a federal effort that categorizes drought status.
"We just can’t get any rain,” said Buster Record Jr., a rancher who has lived in the Buffalo area for 30 years. "The grass is burned up.”
Buffalo is one of the driest areas in Oklahoma with only 8.8 inches of precipitation this year. They’ve only received a half inch of rain in the past 30 days. The last time they received at least a quarter inch of rain was 1.09 inches on June 20.
McManus, who is a native of Buffalo, said "Drought tends to fuel that heat. That’s High Plains weather in a nutshell. You’re baking one week and digging in the closet for your jacket the next week.”
from the oklahoman
On Monday, the high hit 105 degrees making it the 13th time this year the Oklahoma Mesonet Station at Buffalo has had the highest temperature in the state, said Gary McManus, of the the Oklahoma Climatological Survey.
It marks yet another swing in an active weather year.
Harper County Emergency Management Director Conyetta Lehenbauer remembers shivering in late March as Buffalo received a 23-inch snowfall with one drift reaching the hood of her husband’s pickup.
But on June 17 the temperature reached triple digits, and the heat was on.
"The difference this year is that it got so hot, so early,” she said. "And it was that kind of heat that takes your breath away.”
The Mesonet on July 9 recorded an actual temperature of 115 degrees, which was matched the following day at Freedom.
That July 9 reading began a six-day span in which Buffalo reached 110 degrees or higher five times. The good news was cooler weather was on the way. This included lows of 58 degrees July 18 and 57 degrees July 19. Temperatures were cooler than normal in Buffalo 13 days in July.
This week they returned to 100s. But that’s only part of the problem.
They are in an area of the state with a drought intensity listed as "severe” by the U.S. Drought Monitor, a federal effort that categorizes drought status.
"We just can’t get any rain,” said Buster Record Jr., a rancher who has lived in the Buffalo area for 30 years. "The grass is burned up.”
Buffalo is one of the driest areas in Oklahoma with only 8.8 inches of precipitation this year. They’ve only received a half inch of rain in the past 30 days. The last time they received at least a quarter inch of rain was 1.09 inches on June 20.
McManus, who is a native of Buffalo, said "Drought tends to fuel that heat. That’s High Plains weather in a nutshell. You’re baking one week and digging in the closet for your jacket the next week.”
from the oklahoman
THE WAR ON TERRORISM
BAGHDAD — The deputy commander of a radical Sunni Islamic group linked to al-Qaida has been arrested in northern Iraq, the U.S. military said Tuesday.
The group, Ansar al-Islam, is believed by the military to be behind attacks on U.S. and Iraqi troops in Mosul, considered the last urban stronghold of al-Qaida in Iraq, and elsewhere in the country.
Fakri Hadi Gari, also known as Abu Abbas and Mullah Halgurd, and nine other suspected members were arrested July 24 during a joint U.S.-Iraqi operation, the U.S. military said.
Gari is accused of organizing attacks as well as recruiting and financing operations, the military said. He also is accused of coordinating the movement of insurgents across the borders of Iraq.
Spanish authorities have said a cell connected to a group also named Ansar al-Islam was behind the March 11, 2004, Madrid bombings that killed 191 people and wounded about 1,800. It is not clear that the two groups are the same.
Man identified
Meanwhile, the Iraqi military identified the man suspected of killing a well-known Iraqi TV journalist, who was abducted while covering the Feb. 22, 2006, bombing of a Shiite mosque north of Baghdad. Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi told reporters that Yasser Mohammad al-Takhy was arrested Saturday in Baghdad along with three others. Al-Moussawi released a videotaped confession of the man in which he said he was working with an al-Qaida-backed group.
by the associated press
The group, Ansar al-Islam, is believed by the military to be behind attacks on U.S. and Iraqi troops in Mosul, considered the last urban stronghold of al-Qaida in Iraq, and elsewhere in the country.
Fakri Hadi Gari, also known as Abu Abbas and Mullah Halgurd, and nine other suspected members were arrested July 24 during a joint U.S.-Iraqi operation, the U.S. military said.
Gari is accused of organizing attacks as well as recruiting and financing operations, the military said. He also is accused of coordinating the movement of insurgents across the borders of Iraq.
Spanish authorities have said a cell connected to a group also named Ansar al-Islam was behind the March 11, 2004, Madrid bombings that killed 191 people and wounded about 1,800. It is not clear that the two groups are the same.
Man identified
Meanwhile, the Iraqi military identified the man suspected of killing a well-known Iraqi TV journalist, who was abducted while covering the Feb. 22, 2006, bombing of a Shiite mosque north of Baghdad. Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi told reporters that Yasser Mohammad al-Takhy was arrested Saturday in Baghdad along with three others. Al-Moussawi released a videotaped confession of the man in which he said he was working with an al-Qaida-backed group.
by the associated press
Democrats to organize rally
WASHINGTON — The Senate held a history-making debate Tuesday on confirming Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor as the first Hispanic justice, with Republican opponents asserting she would bring bias to the bench and Democratic supporters saying she was a mainstream moderate.
There was little doubt that President Barack Obama’s first high court nominee would be confirmed with bipartisan support as early as Thursday, but senators lined up to weigh in on her fitness for the bench anyway, with an eye toward the Hispanic electorate and perhaps the next Supreme Court battle.
Nearly three-quarters of GOP senators have lined up against Sotomayor, but a handful support her.
Democrats are preparing to claim a big victory with Sotomayor’s confirmation. They planned a midday rally today on Capitol Hill with civil rights, minority and women’s groups.
by the associated press
There was little doubt that President Barack Obama’s first high court nominee would be confirmed with bipartisan support as early as Thursday, but senators lined up to weigh in on her fitness for the bench anyway, with an eye toward the Hispanic electorate and perhaps the next Supreme Court battle.
Nearly three-quarters of GOP senators have lined up against Sotomayor, but a handful support her.
Democrats are preparing to claim a big victory with Sotomayor’s confirmation. They planned a midday rally today on Capitol Hill with civil rights, minority and women’s groups.
by the associated press
Gym shooting
BRIDGEVILLE, Pa. — A Pittsburgh hospital spokesman says one of the victims of a shooting at a suburban health club has died there. St. Clair Hospital spokesman Rich Sieber says the woman who died was shot in the chest. He says two other victims were taken to his hospital, both in stable condition. The woman who died would be the fifth from the shooting. A Pittsburgh television station said earlier the Tuesday evening shooting at a suburban health club had left four people dead, including the shooter. KDKA reports the killings were at the L.A. Fitness Center in Bridgeville, a community of about 5,000 residents not far from downtown Pittsburgh.
the associated press
the associated press
food stamps may boost
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday passed a $124.3 billion agriculture spending bill that pays to add millions of people to the food stamp rolls. Money for the federal school lunch program is going up 12 percent as well. House and Senate leaders no must resolve differences in their bills.
by the associated press
by the associated press
Representive Dan Borem targets GOP for defeat
WASHINGTON — Rep. Dan Boren, the only Democrat in Oklahoma’s congressional delegation, has been targeted by the national Republican Party, despite his electoral success in his eastern Oklahoma district and a large amount of campaign cash.
Boren, of Muskogee, appears on a list of 80 House Democrats the National Republican Congressional Committee is aiming to defeat in next year’s elections.
Gary Jones, chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party, said Tuesday that six Republicans in the 2nd congressional district have said they want to run next year. He called them "very talented, well-educated individuals.”
Despite being about 70 percent registered Democrats, Boren’s district voted overwhelmingly last year for Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee.
Jones said 66 percent of voters in the 2nd district favored McCain, the second highest percentage among the five congressional districts. Jones acknowledged that Boren often votes against the majority of the Democratic Party but said he’s still "part of the team.”
Boren spokesman Cole Perryman said Boren "has been on similar lists since entering Congress, but has won convincingly in each of his elections by reflecting his district’s views.”Boren, who has been in the House since 2005, won re-election last year with 70 percent of the vote. In 2006, he got 73 percent of the vote.
Karina Henderson, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Democratic Party, said despite the McCain support, the district is still loyal to state Democrats.
And, she said, "Congressman Boren has done a lot of service to the district and he represents the people that live there tremendously well. He listens to them and he listens to their needs.”
Boren is sitting on a large campaign warchest — more than $1.2 million. Jones said any Republican challenging Boren would need "a significant amount of resources.”
Boren’s placement on the GOP’s hit list follows a recent decision by the national party to run a radio ad in Boren’s district questioning his health care position. Boren scoffed at the amount spent to broadcast the ad — $1,700 — saying the party would get more publicity from the news release announcing it.
from the oklahoman
Boren, of Muskogee, appears on a list of 80 House Democrats the National Republican Congressional Committee is aiming to defeat in next year’s elections.
Gary Jones, chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Party, said Tuesday that six Republicans in the 2nd congressional district have said they want to run next year. He called them "very talented, well-educated individuals.”
Despite being about 70 percent registered Democrats, Boren’s district voted overwhelmingly last year for Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential nominee.
Jones said 66 percent of voters in the 2nd district favored McCain, the second highest percentage among the five congressional districts. Jones acknowledged that Boren often votes against the majority of the Democratic Party but said he’s still "part of the team.”
Boren spokesman Cole Perryman said Boren "has been on similar lists since entering Congress, but has won convincingly in each of his elections by reflecting his district’s views.”Boren, who has been in the House since 2005, won re-election last year with 70 percent of the vote. In 2006, he got 73 percent of the vote.
Karina Henderson, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Democratic Party, said despite the McCain support, the district is still loyal to state Democrats.
And, she said, "Congressman Boren has done a lot of service to the district and he represents the people that live there tremendously well. He listens to them and he listens to their needs.”
Boren is sitting on a large campaign warchest — more than $1.2 million. Jones said any Republican challenging Boren would need "a significant amount of resources.”
Boren’s placement on the GOP’s hit list follows a recent decision by the national party to run a radio ad in Boren’s district questioning his health care position. Boren scoffed at the amount spent to broadcast the ad — $1,700 — saying the party would get more publicity from the news release announcing it.
from the oklahoman
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