Oklahoma City Chosen For NOAA's Urban Heat Island Mapping Campaign
Oklahoma City will be part of an Urban Heat Island study. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has chosen OKC among 17 other cities to take part in this national effort to map extreme heat cities.
The mapping campaign aims to identify places with extreme heat where the city might take action to alleviate the effects of heat on residents. NOAA Chief Scientist Dr. Sarah Kapnick explains these so-called heat islands.
"Roads and buildings gain heat during the day and then radiate the heat into its surrounding air. Some areas of cities can be 15 to 20 degrees warmer than areas with more green spaces," said Kapnick.
The heat mapping initiative will rely on volunteer citizen scientists who will travel through Oklahoma City with special heat sensors mounted on their cars, recording temperature, humidity, time and location. The data will be used to develop strategies to mitigate the harmful effects of heat in these areas.
Other metros selected for heat island mapping include Dallas, Little Rock and Salt Lake City.
Anyone interested in volunteering for the heat mapping campaign in Oklahoma City can find more information at KGOU.org.
Toxic Gas Release At ReddyIce Building
Hazmat teams were called to the ReddyIce building in Southwest Oklahoma City Monday after a toxic gas release.
Workers were installing new equipment when a line was cut, resulting in the release of 100 pounds of Anhydrous Ammonia into the air.
The ReddyIce building and nearby locations were evacuated as a precaution.
Hazmat teams worked on the area and the chemical release has since dissipated. No injuries were reported.
Beyond Apology Community Sessions Begin in Tulsa
A series of community conversations about the impact of the Tulsa Race Massacre began in Tulsa today.
The Beyond Apology sessions will examine repair and reparations for the harm caused by the race massacre.
Tulsa City Council formally apologized in 2021 to mark the centennial commemoration of the tragedy.
But the city is not obligated to take any formal action for that apology.
City Council will consider further action following the community sessions.
The Oklahoma State University Center for Public Life plans to compile a report that includes feedback from the sessions.
Another community session will be held Thursday and more will take place in the next couple months.
State Health Departments Recommends STI Screenings
The State Department of Health is recommending screenings for sexually transmitted diseases.
Oklahoma consistently ranks high nationally for STI rates. In 2020, it was in the top five for gonorrhea, syphilis and babies born with syphilis, and the state came in at 11th for chlamydia. The department says all of these infections are easily treatable once they’ve been diagnosed.
The CDC recommends annual STI screenings for adults, and more frequent testing for those with multiple partners — more like every 3 to 6 months.
Oklahoma’s county health departments offer free, confidential STI screenings. You can find locations and contact information for those offices at oklahoma.gov/health.
Love's Travel Stops Are Getting a Make-over
Love's Travel Stops plans to invest more than $1 billion to upgrade 200 of its locations over the next five years.
The Oklahoma-based company says the improvements will bring older properties up to current brand standards.
The upgrade will include a more modern look with open-concept stores, additional restaurant options, updated truck service centers and dog parks where space allows.
The company also plans to open 25 new locations this year.
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