Oklahoma Contractors Settle $1.4 Million Claim Over 2011 Wildfire

From Kansas Agland:

In spite of the wildfire that burned nearly 400,000 acres of grassland in Barber and Comanche counties, farmers and ranchers continue to look to better times and a renewed commitment to their farm and ranch operations.

Independence Day patriots rejoice! Fireworks go on sale today in parts of the Texas Panhandle, reports the Amarillo Globe-News. Law enforcement agencies are, of course, warning folks to obey local fireworks ordinances. That means possession, manufacture, storage, sale, handling and use of fireworks are prohibited within the city limits of Amarillo.

Cities on the High Plains that have been threatened by wild fires in recent months may soon be watching firefighters in Boulder, Colorado. The city of Boulder is testing a new app that could help fight natural blazes. The app is called the Android Team Awareness Kit, reports The Denver Post. The Boulder Fire Department hopes the new technology will help them better coordinate efforts to fight large wildland fires.

April’s weather was exceptionally aggressive this year in Oklahoma, reports KGOU. Despite early fears of a growing drought, the state saw the seventh-wettest April on record. Statewide, Oklahoma received more than six inches of precipitation during the month.

From Kansas Agland:

Last week, livestock markets in Pratt and Reno counties helped raise $120,000 by auctioning off a donated heifer and two steer calves in an effort to raise funds to aid ranchers with wildfire losses in Reno, Harvey, Barber and Comanche counties.

From Harvest Public Media:

Every spring farmers and ranchers intentionally burn their fields to jumpstart the natural process of renewal. But those fires can be dangerous. That’s why researchers in Nebraska are designing a new drone to start fires, which may help protect people and the environment.

The number of earthquakes in Oklahoma has fallen 25% this year, reports The Wall Street Journal. The decline comes after the state’s efforts to curb the oil and gas industry’s practice of pumping wastewater from its underground operations.

If you didn’t know better, you might think Western Oklahoma was in the midst of an aviation renaissance. Of late, there’s been a rush to register private airstrips in rural areas, reports StateImpact Oklahoma. But these new landing areas aren’t planning to attract travel. They were created to keep wind turbines out.