Data Show “Very High” COVID-19 Prevalence In Oklahoma
Disease experts are reporting a surge in COVID-19 cases in Oklahoma.
The outbreak comes ahead the usual and expected uptick in the fall.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention test wastewater - sewage basically - to monitor the prevalence of COVID.
The latest data show Oklahoma among the 27 states in the “very high” category.
Also, laboratory testing reported by the state Department of Health is showing about a 22% positivity rate, which is well above the baseline for this time of year.
It’s not a crisis, but a reminder that COVID spikes aren’t always predictable and it remains important to use proper hygiene, and if you’re sick, the experts say, stay home.
Oklahoma AG Sends Opinion, Scathing Letter To State Superintendent Ryan Walters
The State Attorney General is telling the Department of Education it must release funds intended to enhance school safety measures.
The AG announced the opinion Sunday, with a scathing letter to State Superintendent Ryan Walters.
In the 2023 legislative session, lawmakers passed a bill that gave schools about $96,000 each for three years for safety upgrades like bulletproof windows and resource officers.
But districts said they couldn’t access rolled over funds from one year to the next after the state department removed it from their accounts - despite the agency’s previous guidance that districts could use rollover.
Walters requested Attorney General Gentner Drummond to weigh in. Drummond says the carryover funding is allowed and the department must disperse those funds as the legislature intended.
He says it was “deeply troubling” the funds were not managed correctly, and that Walters waited more than a year to seek guidance.
“I pray that your failure to deploy those funds does not result in deadly consequences,” Drummond wrote.
Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat said in a statement Sunday the law was clear when it was passed and shouldn’t have needed an AG opinion, but the circumstances made it necessary.
Oklahoma House Speaker Pro Tem Kyle Hilbert sent an email to lawmakers Monday saying he met with the state department, and schools should receive the funds by the end of the week.
Tribal Nations Feed Oklahoma Kids as State Rejects Federal Summer Aid
At least 140,000 Oklahoma children participated in a federal summer feeding program thanks to the state’s tribal nations.
Despite that, state officials still won’t take part in the USDA’s Summer EBT program for a second year in a row.
The program offers low income families $40 per child per month over the summer to use for groceries.
This summer, Gov. Kevin Stitt turned down the federal dollars, but certain tribal nations offered the program to all eligible people on their reservations.
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said his tribe brought in almost $8 million worth of food while spending less than a quarter of that amount on administration.
“You cannot beat that return on investment. So if you look at it that way, it's a winner. If you look at it in terms of something everybody has an interest in, that's bringing federal tax dollars home, those are hard earned dollars that are paid in - bringing those home,” Hoskin Jr. said.
Stitt said the state is fully capable of serving children without the federal program and people will have more money because he signed a bill cutting the grocery tax.
Oklahoma is one of the top ten hungriest states in the nation. Hunger Free Oklahoma says it is disappointed in the decision and federal benefit is effective.
Permit-ready Housing Construction Plans Available Soon In Tulsa
Builders hoping to construct mixed-use housing in Tulsa will soon be able to choose from pre-existing plans the city has already approved.
This is Tulsa’s latest initiative to address a housing shortage and homelessness in the city.
Over the years, Tulsa has seen a lot of growth, but housing policy director Travis Hulse said there’s something missing.
“We have seen a lot of … single detached homes and the large scale multifamily apartments, and not a whole lot in between,” Hulse said.
He said the city’s Pre-Approved Housing Plan is focused on creating the “middle housing” Tulsa needs. It will include permit-ready construction plans that have already been reviewed for conformance with building codes.
City Council approved funding for the plan this month.
Along with hiring consultants to design the housing plans, the city will also hire a homeless program lead to oversee the project and other related initiatives.
Mayor G.T. Bynum said he hopes the changes will make housing development “much faster and more predictable.”
The pre-approved housing plans are one of 33 “actionable items” from the Tulsa’s Mayor/Council Housing, Homelessness and Mental Health Task Force.
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