The first human cases of West Nile Virus in Oklahoma this year have been confirmed.
Following evidence of West Nile Virus activity across the state over the last month, the Oklahoma State Department of Health has reported the first human infections of the year. The infections have been identified in central, south central, and southeast Oklahoma. The number of cases has not been specified.
State epidemiologist Jolianne Stone said in a press release that human cases of West Nile Virus are expected every year, especially around mid to late summer when there are more infected mosquitoes, and more people are spending time outdoors.
West Nile Virus spreads through the bite of an infected mosquito. While most people who are infected will not experience symptoms, symptoms include fever, headache, and body and joint pain. People older than 50 and diabetics are at greater risk of developing more severe neurological symptoms.
You can avoid West Nile Virus by wearing insect repellant with DEET when outdoors and preventing items around your home from holding water where infected mosquitoes can breed.
The City of Edmond is partnering with a new ambulance provider.
The city plans to shift ambulance services to American Medical Response (AMR) by the end of the year.
The move ends a 30-year partnership with EMSA. The city says EMSA has consistently failed to meet response times since mid-2020.
Edmond will negotiate a contract with AMR for one year, with an option to renew annually for up to five years.
AMR operates in all 50 states and serves other communities in Oklahoma, including Weatherford.
State Treasurer Todd Russ is paring down a so-called blacklist of financial companies the state is NOT supposed to do business with.
Oklahoma will still decline to work with financial heavy hitters like BlackRock, Wells Fargo and JP Morgan Chase.
But Russ’s headline-grabbing blacklist has been whittled down from 13 to six.
Russ has said the financial firms were found to be “boycotting” oil and gas companies or did not respond to requests by the state to clarify their positions on fossil fuel corporations.
State pension fund leaders and legal experts say there are millions of dollars in state investments that could be affected by the blacklist.
A federal study on how to expand America’s passenger rail system sees several potential routes in Oklahoma.
Congress created Amtrak in 1971 to provide passenger rail service between the nation’s biggest cities. Its rail network has shrunk over the ensuing fifty years, leaving Oklahoma with only one passenger rail route: from OKC to Fort Worth.
Now, the federal government is considering restoring and enhancing the country’s passenger rail availability. Using money from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Federal Rail Administration conducted a study on where to put future passenger rail routes and released its findings last month.
Lines connecting Oklahoma City with Tulsa and Wichita made the study’s short list of potential future routes. So did connections from Tulsa to Kansas City, St. Louis and Fort Worth.
The public can submit comments on that list before routes are selected and finalized early next year.
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