News

Oklahoma prisons suspend visitations

October 8, 2020

Starting immediately, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (ODOC) is suspending visitation across all state-run facilities. This unfortunate but necessary, action is an effort to halt a potential source for viral infection and spread. Early in the Chinese coronavirus pandemic, ODOC suspended visitation as part of a comprehensive plan to keep inmates and staff insulated from…

Evangelicals pick Trump over Biden, but divides exist

October 8, 2020 Aaron Earls

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Evangelicals seem ready to cast their ballots in the 2020 election. Nine in 10 evangelicals by belief are registered to vote, and few are undecided about their presidential choice. A new survey from Nashville-based LifeWay Research conducted Sept. 9-23 finds President Donald Trump with a sizable lead over Democratic nominee Joe Biden…

Improved access to county records

October 8, 2020

Tulsa County Clerk Michael Willis has launched a new map-based real estate records tool called LOCCAT (pronounced like “locate”). The acronym stands for Land Records Organized by County Clerk Assessor and Treasurer. The application is web-based and is accessible through the Tulsa County Clerk website. It is free to the public. LOCCAT is designed for…

Study looks at toxic stress on kids

October 8, 2020

State Rep. Sherrie Conley, R-Newcastle, hosted an interim study examining the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress on children’s behavior in the classroom and efforts schools can take to help avoid suspension. The study was held before the House Common Education Committee. “Violence in the classroom has become a nationwide epidemic,” Conley…

Oct. 27 deadline for absentee ballots

October 8, 2020

Voters who want to have absentee ballots mailed to them for the November 3 election should apply now, Tulsa County Election Board Secretary Gwen Freeman said. The November 3 election includes federal (president and Congress), state, county and municipal races and issues. The election board can accept ballots until 5 p.m. on October 27 but…

Most voters are unaware of judges up for retention

October 1, 2020

Oklahoma’s appellate court judges – especially the Oklahoma Supreme Court – can have an enormous effect on people yet most of the voters on November 3 have no information or opinion about these judges. The Supreme Court judges rule on gambling compacts, the legitimacy of candidate filings, initiative petitions, absentee ballots, legalization of abortion, redistricting,…

ONEOK Field to host in-person voting

October 1, 2020

The Tulsa County Election Board will be holding in-person early voting for the November 3 presidential election on October 29-31 at ONEOK Field, 201 N. Elgin Ave., in Downtown Tulsa. “We anticipate record-breaking voter participation for this early voting period and are pleased to announce that we will be partnering with the Tulsa Drillers to…

Oklahoma unemployment decreases

October 1, 2020

Governor Kevin Stitt said the State of Oklahoma is now ranked 10th in the nation for the lowest unemployment rate. New figures released by the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission and the U.S. Department of Labor show Oklahoma’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined to 5.7% in August, a significant decrease from 12.6% in May and a…

Tulsa World top editor retires; 10 journalists are laid off

October 1, 2020

The Tulsa World has laid off 10 journalists and Executive Editor Susan Ellerbach retired at the end of September, according to a story by the Poynter Institute. Earlier in September, the Tulsa World laid off seven people from its design desk, Kristen Hare of Poynter reported. Ellerbach is retiring and is being replaced by Jason…

Rabies-infected bat in Lincoln County

October 1, 2020

OKLAHOMA – A rabies-infected bat was discovered last month in the area around Bell Cow Lake, located within the Chandler city limits in Lincoln County, Oklahoma. This is the second rabies-positive bat found in the area in the past 6 weeks. “Oklahoma is seeing more cases of rabies in the state this year than previous…