With less than a year in office amid periods of controversy and upheaval, University of Oklahoma President James L. Gallogly announced his resignation Sunday. Gallogly, 66, resigned as president just a day after the university finished with its 2019 commencement ceremonies. In his 10 months as university president, OU has been rocked by an investigation…
A bill requiring informed consent for nursing home patients and their families regarding the use of powerful antipsychotic drugs has been signed into law. State Sen. Stephanie Bice, R-Oklahoma City, is the principal author of Senate Bill 142. Rep. Tammy West, R-Bethany, is the principal House author. The measure deals with the overuse of powerful…
A bill naming the ribeye as Oklahoma’s official state steak has been signed into law. Sen. Casey Murdock, R-Felt is the author of Senate Bill 21 along with House principal author Rep. Trey Caldwell, R-Lawton. Murdock said with 5.1 million head of beef cattle in Oklahoma, the state is ranked third in the nation in…
Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill that will exempt the American Legion Department of Oklahoma from sales tax. House Majority Leader Mike Sanders, R-Kingfisher, and Sen. Roger Thompson, R-Okemah, are authors of House Bill 1003. The measure previously passed unanimously in the House and Senate. “The American Legion is our state’s largest veterans’ organization, serving…
The use of rapid DNA field testing technology by law enforcement is one step from becoming law. Senate Bill 184, which would use the technology to quickly determine if an arrestee is already in the system for a previous serious offense, is headed to the governor’s desk for review. SB 184, authored by Sen. Wayne…
The Senate gave unanimous final approval to legislation which authorizes the use of one standardized sexual assault evidence kit by all law enforcement agencies statewide. Rep. Kay Floyd, D-Oklahoma City, said she authored Senate Bill 975 to address the state’s backlog of untested rape kits and to get victims justice faster. In 2017, the Oklahoma…
Oklahoma has not experienced any confirmed cases of measles in 2019, but with numerous cases in surrounding states and across the nation, the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) is encouraging families to review their immunization records, and plan ahead in case you need to get vaccinated before upcoming international travel. Although measles was declared…
Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter issued a consumer alert early in May after a rash of scam phone calls from Sierra Leone have swamped Oklahomans with Tulsa area codes. Local authorities believe the calls are part of a scam known as a wangiri scam, or one ring phone scam, where an individual’s phone will only…
STILLWATER – It is a sure bet a quick look through just about any barn, storage building or garage in Oklahoma will turn up some old, unused pesticides. Instead of letting these chemicals take up space, make plans to properly dispose of them during an upcoming pesticide disposal event. Scheduled for May 21 at McAlester,…
Over 181,000 registered voters in Oklahoma will receive an official Address Confirmation Notice from the State Election Board over the next two months. The notices are required by state law. State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax encourages any voter who receives an Address Confirmation Notice to quickly respond. “A voter who receives an Address Confirmation…