OKC VOTERS APPROVE SALES TAX TO LURE SONICS
Oklahoma City voters passed a $120 million temporary sales tax issue Tuesday for massive remodeling of the Ford Center downtown in hopes of luring an NBA team to the city. With all 271 precincts reporting to the county election boards, the issue passed 61.9 percent (44,849 votes) to 38.1 percent (27,564 votes).

OMRF SCIENTIST LINKS LUPUS TO X CHROMOSOME
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation scientist Amr Sawalha has made what has been called an important advancement in the fight against lupus, an autoimmune disease that affects the skin, joints, blood and kidneys. OMRF scientist Amr Sawalha has found a genetic link between lupus and the X chromosome, foundation officials said Tuesday. Women, who carry two X chromosomes to one for men, are stricken with lupus nine times more than men, and Sawalha's discovery gives a good reason why females are more susceptible.

DOCTORS, ASSISTANTS GO ON THE ROAD AS HOUSE CALLS INSTEAD BEGINS TO ROLL
House Calls Instead is open for business. But you don't go see them. As the name suggests, they come to you. Dr. Dan Donnell and physician's assistant-certified Eileen Ravella have begun a house-call service for the metro area. They charge $150 if a physician's assistant makes the visit and $250 if a doctor makes the call.

COUNCIL OKS 1ST PURCHASE OF CORE TO SHORE LAND
City council members approved the acquisition Tuesday of the first new parcel of land in the planned development of Oklahoma City's core when the Interstate 40 crosstown is moved south. The council unanimously agreed to purchase the U.S. Postal Service main city branch, 320 S.W. Fifth St., for more than $3.68 million. The council also cleared the immediate use of $50,000 in earnest money to secure the deal. The purchase will be funded by general obligation bond proceeds.

SOLAR PANELS DONATED TO HABITAT HOMES
Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity is planning to harness the power of the sun to provide energy to two homes in its Hope Crossing addition in northeast Oklahoma City. The two homes are being outfitted with roof-mounted solar panels in conjunction with a partnership between OGE Energy Corp. and ClimateMaster, a geothermal heat pump manufacturer. OGE is providing $15,000 and ClimateMaster is chipping in $10,000 to cover the cost of the solar panels. These are the first two Habitat homes in Oklahoma to have solar panels.

TULSA HEART ATTACK VICTIM REBUILDS HIS COMPANY, LIFE
Although Michael Posten expects Tulsa Centrifugal Casting Machines revenue to drop 40 percent this year, the 55-year-old engineer expects his company to make as quick a recovery as he did from last year's heart attack.

OKLA. COUNTY ASSESSOR ADDS NEW FEATURES TO ACCLAIMED WEB SITE
The Oklahoma County Assessor's Web site has won an international award for its design, tools and accessibility, and now the office has added several new features to the site. The site offers detailed information on any property in Oklahoma County including records, sale dates and prices, market value, assessed value, owners, a legal description and photos, among other features. The new additions to the site include linking the county's property data to Microsoft Virtual Earth and Yahoo! Maps and offering 45 degree angle views of land and properties in the county.