Fewer pregnant Oklahomans are smoking, according to a report by The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH). Data shows a dramatic decline of more than one-third (33.5 percent) in smoking among pregnant women since 2009. Along with this improvement, there has been a drop in infant deaths of more than 10 percent. “To help continue…
Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John D. Doak plans to work with the Legislature to expand state law regarding short-term limited duration health insurance coverage. In August, the Trump administration finalized rules on short-term policies expanding the maximum duration from three months to 12 months and allowing insurers to renew or extend short-term coverage for up to…
The TU Department of Theatre will present the musical Man of La Mancha, October 18-21 and 25-27. Based on the book by Miguel de Cervantes, the original Broadway production, written by Dale Wasserman with music by Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion, won multiple Tony Awards. Performed in the Commedia dell’arte style with actors playing multiple…
Oklahoma employers could pay less for workers’ compensation insurance next year. The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) has proposed an overall loss cost decrease of 2.3 percent in a filing that many insurers use to develop prices. NCCI credits the reduced loss cost to favorable experience across all industry groups. “This is great news…
Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector Gary Jones gave Tulsa County Treasurer Dennis Semler and his staff a clean report on an audit done in August. “Based on our procedures performed, there were no exceptions noted,” Jones wrote in a letter to the Tulsa County Board of Commissioners.
A tribe based in Oklahoma gave $1.4 to a campaign to legalize four casinos in Arkansas. According to the Driving Arkansas Forward committee, the Quapaw Tribe in Oklahoma donated $191,000 in August and that makes the total contribution $1.4 million. The proposal on the November 6 ballot would enable the Arkansas State Racing Commission to…
While the season for West Nile virus (WNV) has been mild compared to previous years, the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) encourages residents to take precautions to reduce the risk of contracting WNV, a mosquito-borne illness. So far in 2018, the OSDH reports there are seven confirmed cases of WNV disease with one case…
The final report from the Oklahoma Veterans Pilot Program, a private/public initiative, has been released. The report recommends a three-year test period to demonstrate that proposed changes in health care access and delivery programs will be more cost-effective and efficient than the current system. It recommends placing health care outsourcing under state control and management…
Mayor G.T. Bynum wants to roll out the red carpet for immigrants to Tulsa. He created the New Tulsans Welcoming Plan, which he claims will build “a more equitable Tulsa while fostering connections between all immigrants and long-term residents.” Bynum said this wasn’t a movement to ignore federal immigration laws or to turn Tulsa into…
On November 6, Oklahoma voters will decide the fate of five state questions that cover issues that could affect everyone in the state. If passed, the questions would alter how public schools spend their building funds, expand retail sales of eyeglasses, grow the rights of victims of crimes, make candidates for governor and lieutenant governor…