Oklahoma City

Forecasters are predicting more tornadoes to strike parts of the central U.S. Monday, in areas still recovering from severe weather outbreaks that hit Sunday. An area home to more than 5 million people, stretching from northern Texas, through parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas to southern Missouri, faces elevated risks of severe weather and tornadoes, according to the Storm Prediction Center . The most significant risk of tornadoes is expected in southeastern Oklahoma. A much larger area, from central Texas up to the Great Lakes, could see severe storms Monday.

Amazon's hosting service has been approved for government use, a formerly obscure math lecturer has received hard-won praise for an incredible accomplishment, and Oklahoma City is working to dig out from a devastating tornado. Welcome to your online trends report for Tuesday, May 21, 2013. The massive tornado that hit the Oklahoma City region yesterday is believed to have killed at least 51 people, as of this writing. That number is expected to rise as more victims are dug out of the rubble.

Television continues to mark the first anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, with specials tonight ABC and CBS. Curiously, none of the networks have anything scheduled for tomorrow, the actual anniversary."

Forecasters are predicting more tornadoes to strike parts of the central U.S. Monday, in areas still recovering from severe weather outbreaks that hit Sunday. An area home to more than 5 million people, stretching from northern Texas, through parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas to southern Missouri, faces elevated risks of severe weather and tornadoes, according to the Storm Prediction Center . The most significant risk of tornadoes is expected in southeastern Oklahoma. A much larger area, from central Texas up to the Great Lakes, could see severe storms Monday.

Jerusalem. -- The bombing at Oklahoma City will cause much hand-wringing about what is wrong with American society. If the lesson is that political intolerance and hatred soaked in sanctimony are dangerous to democracy, so much the better.But from overseas, permit a small pat of encouragement to intrude on the gloomy introspection. Viewed from here, the way the United States handled the tragedy reflected well -- one might be tempted to say proudly -- on America.There were some slips. But officials mostly resisted the rush to lay blame blindly.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- This is a city trying to comfort itself.Eleven days after the nightmare bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, the funerals go on. The rescue workers -- by now certain they are not going to rescue anyone more -- continue their struggle to recover bodies.The families who have heard nothing still wait, as volunteers -- strangers -- hold their hands.This is a place where 300 clergy members signed up to counsel families and another 300 volunteered to talk to the hundreds on weary search teams, where schoolchildren decorate pillowcases for the rescuers' cots with thank-you messages.

DALLAS --Grass fires continued to devastate drought-stricken Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico yesterday, with Oklahoma City hit particularly hard. Oklahoma City firefighters fought 35 grass fires within the city limits - one narrowly missing two shopping centers - from early Sunday to early yesterday, said Maj. Brian Stanaland, a Fire Department spokesman. "We average about two grass fires a day in a normal year," Stanaland said. "That went up to about three a day in 2005, which was a dry year.

Money raised this week during Harford County Library's "Bakeless Bake Sale" will be used to purchase books for the Oklahoma City Library in memory of the children lost during the recent bombing disaster.The explosion that ripped through Oklahoma City's federal office building, blasted out 85 percent of the windows of the nearby Metropolitan Library's downtown branch. Although staff members did not suffer serious injuries, they were emotionally traumatized because the children killed in the bombing were frequent visitors to the library branch, said Beth Fitton, Harford County Library's development officer.

For those who wonder how long it will take America to fully recover from the bombing at Oklahoma City 15 days ago, perhaps some lessons can be taken from 25 years ago this day at Kent State.In myriad ways, America has long recovered from the killing of four students on the commons of that northeast Ohio university. Black-and-white pictures from that student showdown with the gas-masked National Guard now seem as distant as daguerreotypes from the Civil War. The nation now has a president who took part in anti-Vietnam war demonstrations.

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Shall the tears from this youthful prairie city's burden of grief ever dry? Recovery still seems distant, even with the approach of the April 19 anniversary of the explosion that stamped out 169 lives and scarred thousands more.Night and day, people come, in cars, on foot, to stand and gaze at the grassy rectangle where the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building stood. Behind and around, indeed for blocks distant, gutted buildings are reminders of the blast's immense power.A scientist from Pennsylvania expresses his awe at seeing a woman approach the chain-link fence that surrounds the site and stuff a small teddy bear and flowers into the metal openings.

"If history were to repeat itself," warned President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his 1944 State of the Union address, "and we were to return to the so-called normalcy of the 1920s, then it is certain that even though we shall have conquered our enemies on the battlefields abroad, we shall have yielded to the spirit of fascism here at home. " The "normalcy" of the 1920s that Roosevelt referred to was a time of peace and prosperity. The decade began with Republican President Warren Harding commuting the sentences of political prisoners jailed by the Wilson administration, including the socialist leader Eugene Debs.

Less than 24 hours ago, an apparent act of terrorism marred this year's Boston Marathon. It's too early to know many of the details about this tragic event. Late last night, officials were reporting three deaths and well over 100 injuries; soon we will have a clearer sense of how many were killed and wounded. Their families, friends and co-workers will pay tribute to and then bury their loved ones. When they are ready, some of the wounded survivors and spectators will come forward to recount the horrors they experienced.

It is hard not to give in to despair. In the hours since bombs exploded at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, forever marking in blood a day that celebrates spring, our nation's founding and the joy of the human body, there has been a lot of talk about resilience. About the resilience of the American people, of Boston people, of running people. "Boston is a tough and resilient town," President Barack Obama told the country. "So are its people. " The Boston Globe's columnists are defiant, too. "Tomorrow, this city is going to get up and live its life," wrote Farah Stockman.

Forward Monique Reid sank two free throws with 2.6 seconds remaining to give hot-shooting Louisville an 82-81 upset of defending national champion and top-seeded Baylor in the NCAA women's basketball tournament regional semifinals in Oklahoma City. Shoni Schimmel scored 22 points, including five 3-pointers, and Antonita Slaughter added 21 points, including shooting 7-for-10 on 3-pointers, to lead the fifth-seeded Cardinals (27-8), who connected on a season-best 16 3-pointers and led by as many as 19 points midway through the second half.

Long after what might have been his last - or second-to-last - practice as a member of the Washington Wizards, Jordan Crawford hardly looked like a man worried about his future or prepared to distance himself from his teammates. Engaged in a shooting contest with Bradley Beal, A.J. Price, Chris Singleton, Garrett Temple and Cartier Martin, Crawford giggled and talked trash as the players attempted long jumpers near center court. But as he headed to the locker room, Crawford blew past reporters, ignoring requests to speak to him, likely aware that the line of questioning would revolve around his diminished role and the possibility that he will be dealt by today's 3 p.m. trade deadline.

A note was found with the Pikesville man wanted in connection with his grandparents' death that read, "I am sorry for everything. Please forgive me," police said Tuesday. Matthew Long, 31, who was found unresponsive in a hotel room in Weatherford, Okla., on Sept. 11, was transported from an Oklahoma City hospital to the local county jail and is in the custody of the Oklahoma County sheriff's office, according to a spokeswoman for Integris Baptist Medical Center. Baltimore County police were en route to Oklahoma to interview Long on Tuesday afternoon, said Elise Armacost, a police spokeswoman.

Benfield Elementary School fifth-graders learned a lesson in quilting this year that went beyond gathering swatches of cloth and stitching.They learned the meaning of cooperation, which helped them turn the pain felt across the country after the Oklahoma City bombing into healing for themselves and for that scarred community."

OKLAHOMA CITY -- When a bomb pulverized the federal building a few blocks from the branch office of Southwestern Bell, the company quickly offered the building as a rescue command post. Within a couple of days, the company decided that wasn't good enough. It followed up with a $1 million donation.In California's Silicon Valley, a financial analyst pledged his entire $53,000 salary to a college fund for the children who lost parents in the blast. New York financier Henry Kravis kicked in $200,000.

Local police in Oklahoma said a Pikesville man identified as a suspect in his grandparents' deaths was unresponsive when they found him in a motel just off Interstate 40 last week. Matthew Long, 31, was scheduled to check out of the Travel Inn on historic Route 66 in Weatherford, Okla., on the morning of Sept. 11, but, when he did not leave his room, the motel's owner called police. "We found Mr. Long basically unresponsive," said Detective Todd Doyals with the Weatherford, Okla., Police Department.

Perhaps Baltimore hasn't been flexing enough. Because in the new rankings of America's Manliest Cities, Charm City has fallen to a decidedly feminine position. Baltimore has slid -- gracefully, we suppose, while squealing -- to No. 35 on the list, just released by Mars Chocolate North America. The virile metropolis on top? That would be Oklahoma City. "The results don't lie: the manliest place to be is the city they call 'OKC,'" Craig Hall, a Mars general manager said in a statement.