Pauls Valley Hospital Closes Nearly Four Years After Reopening
A hospital in Pauls Valley is closing nearly four years after it reopened.
Valley Community Hospital was reportedly facing financial challenges.
The hospital is closing its doors this week. The news came in an announcement Wednesday evening from its owner and CEO, Madhukar Sharma, according to a report from the Pauls Valley Democrat.
Sharma told the Democrat monthly shortfalls well into the six-figure range fueled his decision to close the facility.
The hospital first closed in 2018 after facing financial instability.
It reopened in April 2021 through the Southern Plains Medical Group. Sharma acquired the hospital about one year later.
The Pauls Valley Police Department said in a Facebook post that Mercy EMS will still be available to service the community.
Report Shows Oklahoma County Jail Failed Recent Health Inspection
A state Department of Health report shows Oklahoma County jail failed its latest health inspection for violating state regulations.
The Oklahoma County jail repeatedly fails its health inspections.
Usually it’s a technicality because jail administration won’t let inspectors inside.
But in December, the State Department of Health was finally able to enter.
The Oklahoma County jail still came up short.
Inspectors found incomplete records, inadequate heating, rodents and bugs, overcrowded cells, a lack of staff and detainees not receiving prescribed medications.
The report was released Wednesday, the day of the first detainee death of 2025. Vincent George Burke died in a hospital after he was found in need of medical attention during a check.
State Superintendent Asks Legislature For $3 Million For Classroom Bibles
State Superintendent Ryan Walters wants the legislature to allocate his agency $3 million to purchase Bibles for classrooms.
Walters presented his budget request to lawmakers Thursday.
As previewed at a previous Board of Education meeting, Walters is asking the legislature for $3 million to supply Oklahoma schools with Bibles.
He previously said that will be coupled with an additional $3 million from his agency for a total of $6 million.
Norman Democratic Senator Mary Boren grilled Walters about where the money will come from to defend the Bible directive in lawsuits.
“At the end of the day, if we’re trying to have a court review something within our Oklahoma Constitution to determine if it’s constitutional or not, then we need to budget for that expense,” Boren said.
Walters said legal costs will come out of the administrative budget, to which he’s requested a $5 million increase.
Governor Issues Executive Order On Name, Image and Likeness Rules For College Athletes
Gov. Kevin Stitt signed an executive order Thursday he says will level the playing field for Oklahoma in the evolving landscape of college athletics.
The order facilitates paying student-athletes for the use of their name, image and likeness, or NIL.
Paying athletes NIL money, sometimes in the millions of dollars, is the new reality for college sports. But rules vary by state, and federal litigation over the issue is ongoing.
The executive order allows institutions to pay athletes directly, and for the creation of foundations that act as clearinghouses so those who contribute to NIL funds can do so without fear of retaliation or investigation by the NCAA or athletic conferences.
It also prohibits the use of state funds for NIL contributions.
In a news release, Stitt said the executive order ensures Oklahoma’s student-athletes have access to the same opportunities as their peers in other states.
OU and OSU’s presidents both thanked Stitt on social media, with OU President Joe Harroz calling the order a crucial step in ensuring Oklahoma’s higher education institutions remain competitive.
The order will automatically expire when federal NIL litigation is settled, or new federal law is enacted to govern student-athlete payments.
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