NATION IN BRIEF : OKLAHOMA : Firm Offers to Buy Homes to Settle Suit

Conoco Inc. said it has proposed a $23-million settlement of a class-action lawsuit that would involve buying nearly 400 houses in Ponca City, Okla., where residents of one neighborhood say ground water tainted with hydrocarbons threatened their health. Conoco said the settlement would resolve the suit without either party admitting liability. The proposal must be approved by a federal judge in Oklahoma City. Homeowners in the Circle Drive area had complained since 1987 that contaminated water seeped into their basements.