Race For Edmond State Representative Seat
Ten people have declared their candidacy for a recently vacated Edmond House of Representatives seat.
A crowded field of seven Republicans, two Democrats and a Libertarian will vie for a seat recently vacated following the resignation of state Representative Ryan Martinez.
He resigned after pleading guilty to a felony for what's commonly called a non-driving DUI.
The seat in the heavily Republican Edmond District 39 will be up for grabs in a primary on December 12 and a general special election in February.
The winner will be seated after the session begins in 2024.
Federal Funding Coming For Abandoned Wells In Tribal Communities
The U.S. Department of the Interior is investing almost $40 million to plug and clean up abandoned oil and gas wells in tribal communities across the country.
More than half of that money is going to tribes in Oklahoma.
The Osage Nation will get almost $20 million to plug about 300 orphaned wells.
The Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Indians, Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma, Chickasaw and Muscogee Nations will also receive funds to plug or assess unused oil and gas wells.
U.S. Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland says the unplugged wells jeopardize public health and the environment by contaminating groundwater, emitting methane and leaving dangerous equipment sitting idle.
“Indigenous communities have long been disproportionately burdened by orphaned oil and gas wells left behind by extractive industries,” Newland said.
He says the Department of the Interior has more funding opportunities coming up to address orphaned wells in tribal communities.
Oklahoma Research Could Lead To New Treatment For Heart Valve Condition
Research out of Oklahoma could lead to a new treatment for a heart valve condition impacting millions of Americans.
An Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation scientist studying the lymphatic system wondered if his research could apply to heart valves.
It ended up being a good guess, as his team found two essential proteins for lymphatic valves are also key for the heart.
People who don’t have one or both proteins can have enlarged heart valves.
Preventing this overgrowth may help treat dysfunctional valves found in heart conditions like mitral valve prolapse, which is when it doesn’t open and close completely.
The team tested a treatment that can imitate the proteins, and dysfunctional valves showed major improvements.
Their research was supported by a grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, and funding from the Oklahoma Center for Adult Stem Cell Research.
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