Starting June 11, livestock producers will have to get a prescription from a veterinarian to buy antibiotics that they could previously purchase over-the-counter.
Since 2017 the vast majority of animal antibiotics require a veterinarian prescription. But about 4% could still be obtained over-the-counter.
That’s changing. As of June 11, a new FDA rule removes the remaining over-the-counter antibiotics from the market.
Barry Whitworth is a veterinarian and works for Oklahoma State University Extension. He says the FDA is trying to combat antimicrobial resistance in people.
"There is a small association with these antibiotics that are used in animals… we do see resistant bacteria that humans can get," said Whitworth.
The rule states antibiotics for food-producing animals — like cows — should only be used with a veterinarian’s guidance.
The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-2 Wednesday to deny a recommendation of clemency to death row inmate Jemaine Cannon.
Cannon is on death row for the 1995 murder of Sharonda Clark.
Cannon’s legal team opened the hearing by sharing Cannon’s claim of killing Clark in self-defense.
They also brought up Cannon’s chronic childhood abuse and subsequent diagnosis of Complex PTSD. They also claim the crime scene was not investigated properly.
Representatives from the Attorney General’s Office, including AG Gentner Drummond himself, argued Cannon did not act in self-defense and pointed out how he was a fugitive on the run at the time of the murder, having been sentenced to 15 years in prison for assaulting and attempting to kill Awanna Simpkins.
Clark’s two daughters and Pam Salzman, an ex-girlfriend of Cannon’s who claims he physically abused her, asked the board not to recommend clemency.
Cannon restated his self-defense claim to the board and also denied assaulting Simpkins, a charge to which he pled no contest.
A deadly disease found in deer has been discovered for the first time in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma wildlife officials have had their eyes peeled for Chronic Wasting Disease for decades. The state has been sampling tissue of dead deer for it since 1999.
The always-fatal neurological disease affects the brains of deer, elk and moose and can be serious for wildlife populations.
Chronic Wasting Disease has been present across the country and found in wild deer in every state that borders Oklahoma. But it was only recently discovered in the Oklahoma panhandle.
There has never been a documented case of wild deer spreading the disease to humans or livestock. But the CDC still advises people to avoid eating meat from a diseased animal.
The 23rd annual deadCenter Film Festival begins Thursday in Oklahoma City.
The state’s largest film festival takes over downtown OKC this weekend.
DeadCenter will feature several movies, including documentaries, narratives and short films.
The festival will premiere the OKCThunder Films’ latest project titled STEPS, which follows one Oklahoma athlete’s journey to the Paralympic Games.
Other screenings include films about the state and others that premiered at Sundance and SXSW.
This year, the festival will also launch a program called Film Future. It will explore what might be next for the film industry, including virtual reality experiences and the use of drones in film.
Oklahoma City took another step toward becoming a more pedestrian and cycling-friendly community.