Colonization of the Andes and the expansion of Catholicism changed the subjects of the region’s art, but many of the older traditions survived Spain’s settlement of South America.

Pre-Columbian art forms in the Andes often used vivid colors, precious metals, and fine textiles to represent the sacred.

A bill adding new regulations on Oklahoma’s booming wind industry passed a House committee Tuesday. The proposed legislation would place limits on where companies can build new wind farms.

A bill to study the possibility of moving water from eastern Oklahoma — where it’s abundant — to western Oklahoma — which has been suffering under half a decade of drought — has residents in the east worried about what transferring water out of their area would mean for their own water supply and the tourism so many communities there rely on. 

Legislation to prohibit Oklahoma from regulating the practice of so-called gay conversion therapy has been approved by a state House committee.

Without debate, the Children, Youth and Family Services Committee voted 5-3 and sent the bill to the full House.

In other states, bills have been filed to ban conversion therapy, a range of practices aimed at changing one's sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

A proposal to force certain sex offenders in Oklahoma to undergo chemical castration as a condition of release from prison has failed in a state Senate committee.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 5-4 on Tuesday against the bill by Republican Sen. Mark Allen of Spiro.

Since this week is a deadline for bills to emerge from committee, the measure is likely dead for the session.

State mental health commissioner Terri White has apologized to a judge who threatened to hold her in contempt-of-court because a mentally ill defendant did not get treatment for six months.

The Oklahoman newspaper reports that White promised during a meeting Friday that the judge would be notified if competency treatment cannot be provided for a defendant within a reasonable time.

District Judge Ray C. Elliot dismissed a contempt-of-court proceeding against White after the meeting.

A bill allowing parents to receive cash subsidies from the state to send their children to private schools has cleared a Senate committee despite bipartisan opposition.

The Senate Finance Committee voted 8-6 on Tuesday for the bill that is fiercely opposed by education groups, including those representing school boards, administrators and teachers.

The average price for gasoline across Oklahoma is rising and now stands at $2.16 per gallon.

AAA Oklahoma spokesman Chuck Mai said Tuesday that the price of gas is going up despite falling prices for crude oil.

AAA says the price for a gallon of self-serve regular in Oklahoma is up 3½ cents from last week and is almost 35 cents per gallon more than in late January.

Average prices in selected cities across Oklahoma range from $2.09 per gallon in Idabel to $2.22 in Lawton. The average price in Lawton has risen by 12 cents per gallon in the past week.