Oklahoma currently has one execution scheduled each month from February to August, but a request from the Attorney General might lengthen the time between each execution.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has filed a motion with the Department of Corrections to request the next seven execution dates be pushed back by 60 days, changing the current schedule from one execution every month to one every two months.
Drummond says the current pace of executions is unsustainable for DOC personnel and more time between executions is needed to allow for the intense training and preparation required to carry out the state’s highest punishment.
Drummond also says he spoke to the families of the victims of the seven death row inmates before filing the motion to explain his request.
An Oklahoma doctor is saying those with COVID should be aware of proper treatment options. Dr. Dale Bratzler with the University of Oklahoma says the National Institute of Health has expressly recommended against steroids early in the course of COVID.
"What they recommend for all patients anyone who tests positive they should be offered symptomatic treatment just as you would with a cold or with the flu. But they also recommend explicitly that you don't give these patients steroids...because those drugs suppress the immune system." said Bratzler.
Bratzler says he’s heard people are getting put on steroids early and they only get sicker. He says Paxlovid is the best early choice for COVID and people who are elderly especially need it early.
The CDC ranks Oklahoma and Cleveland County as a medium risk zone for COVID, meaning if you’re at risk of getting very sick you should wear a high-quality mask indoors.
The City of Enid has received $8 million in federal funds for water infrastructure projects.
Right now, Enid relies on more than one hundred groundwater wells to support its 50,000 residents. In response to current demand, drought conditions and anticipated population growth, the city is working to shore up its existing water infrastructure and secure an alternative surface water source.
Enid has received $4 million to update an existing pipeline carrying water from a well site in Ames, about 20 miles southwest of the city. That pipeline is 70 years old.
The city also received another $4 million to help build over 70 miles of new pipe to carry water from Kaw Lake. That project’s overall cost is just shy of half a billion dollars, which will mostly be covered by outside grants, sales tax and utility payments.
The Lawton-Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce has a new app that helps visitor's explore southwest Oklahoma called Visit Lawton-Fort Sill.
Chamber President Krista Ratliff says the app will connect users with the community.
"We have pre-designed tours of Lawton-Fort Sill History, African American History, Native American History, wildlife and lakes, and then you can interject restaurants into that tour as well," said Ratliff.
To learn more about the app and the chamber, visit the chamber's website.
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