Governor Debate
Governor Kevin Stitt will face off against his Democratic challenger Joy Hofmeister Wednesday night in the only scheduled debate between the pair.
Stitt and Hofmeister will debate at the Will Rogers Theater in Oklahoma City at 5:30 p.m .
The event is sponsored by the Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce and will be moderated by Tres Savage editor of the nonprofit news outlet Nondoc and News 9 reporter Storme Jones.
It won’t be televised live, but can be found streaming online and will re-air across the country on C-Span at a later date.
Recent polling shows the race is tightening between Stitt and Hofmeister.
A common respiratory virus that can become severe in children is on the rise
Respiratory Syncytial Virus causes cold-like symptoms that are usually minor in adults. But in small children - whose windpipes are very little - the infection can be serious.
As of early October, there were about 100 cases in Oklahoma, according to state data. A spokesman said this data is limited, though.
Unlike some diseases, like COVID or HIV or most sexually transmitted diseases, there isn’t a requirement to report those cases to the health department. But positivity rates are at about 13 percent. In northeast Oklahoma, the rate is even higher at 22 percent.
For the past two years, RSV has seen spikes outside of its normal season. Generally, there’s a surge along with the flu when temperatures drop come fall. But in 2020 and in 2021, that surge took place during the summer. This year appears to be more in line with normal trends.
Prevention strategies are the same for RSV as they are for other respiratory infections such as COVID and colds. Wash hands, cover sneezes and coughs, and clean frequently touched surfaces.
People with student debt can now apply for loan forgiveness from the federal government
More than 450,00 Oklahomans are estimated to be eligible for student loan forgiveness under the plan touted by President Joe Biden.
The Biden administration is canceling $10,000 in federal student loan debt for Americans earning $125,000 or less per year. And even up to $20,000 for those who received Pell Grants in college.
The plan has already been challenged in court and is opposed by numerous Republican politicians, including Oklahoma’s GOP congressional leaders and Governor Kevin Stitt.
Incoming Indian Health Service Director tour
Roselyn Tso was sworn in last month after the agency was without a permanent director for nearly two years.
She plans to meet with employees at federal, tribal and urban health care sites across the United States. Her first visit will be to the Mashpee Wampanoag Service Unit in Massachusetts. From there. She’ll head to California, South Dakota, Oregon and Alaska. She wants to visit all service sites, including Oklahoma during her first 45 days on the job.
The information gathered at these visits will be used to improve the facilities and build on the progress that have made.
The National Park Service awards $50,000 to the Chickasaw Nation to develop an archaeological site in the tribe's original homeland
Rediscovering Fala' Cha'a will help preserve and rediscover the 17th and 18th c. site called Chopped Shagbark Hickories in the Chickasaw Nation homeland.
Before being forced to Oklahoma, the Chickasaw were located in parts of what is now Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky.
Chickasaw Nation officials say developing this site will deepen tribal citizens' cultural connection to the homeland.
The National Park Service awarded $375,000 in heritage grants to 11 tribal nations to help protect cultural sites that involve oral histories, plants and animals.
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