Rural economic development task force prepares for statewide hearings

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Members of a legislative task force on rural development are preparing for a series of statewide hearings.<br/><br/>The task force, part of House Speaker Todd Hiett's Rural Economic

Friday, September 30th 2005, 6:28 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Members of a legislative task force on rural development are preparing for a series of statewide hearings.

The task force, part of House Speaker Todd Hiett's Rural Economic Development Initiative, will be in Blackwell and Cushing next week.

The task force's goal is to pinpoint opportunities for job creation and economic growth in rural Oklahoma. Hiett says he believes the task force's hearings will prove useful.

By actually going out into rural areas and looking for answers, Hiett says the task force can look at the situation from the view point of the people it's trying to help.

During the next two months, the task force will visit 12 rural Oklahoma communities. They include Miami, Elk City, Frederick, Woodward, Waukomis, Ada, Idabel and Poteau.