STILLWATER, Oklahoma, April 15 -- Oklahoma State University issued the following news: Lauren Branham, a junior studying natural resources ecology and management with a focus in fisheries and aquatic ecology, was recently crowned Miss American Indian Oklahoma State University 2024. Branham is a member of the Muscogee and Euchee nations. The pageant was held at the Stillwater Community Center on April 6. Despite her initial hesitations and lack of pageant experience, Branham was driven   more

STILLWATER, Oklahoma, April 15 -- Oklahoma State University issued the following news: The Innovation Foundation at Oklahoma State University today announced it has joined the Association of University Research Parks as a Sustaining Institutional Member in a move to advance innovation and entrepreneurship within the university ecosystem. AURP, a global nonprofit membership organization representing research parks and innovation districts, is at the forefront of fostering collaboration  more

STILLWATER, Oklahoma, April 16 -- Oklahoma State University issued the following news: Three professors from Oklahoma State University's College of Arts and Sciences have been awarded the 2024 Excellence in Research Mentoring Award by the Vice President for Research. Drs. Shelia Kennison, Michael Reichert and Matthew Cabeen were nominated by students and were honored at the 2024 OSU Undergraduate Research Symposium on April 16 for their commitment to mentorship and modeling successful  more

STILWELL, Oklahoma, April 17 -- The Cherokee Nation, a federally-recognized Native American tribe, issued the following news on April 16, 2024: Cherokee Nation leaders joined officials from the City of Stilwell and the State of Oklahoma to officially break ground on a new $26 million water treatment plant in Stilwell on April 15. The Cherokee Nation contributed more than $12 million in funds to the project from tribe's federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars. The new state-of-the-art facility  more

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, April 17 -- The Oklahoma State Senate issued the following news release on April 16, 2024: The Oklahoma House of Representatives on Monday passed a bill to eliminate the statute of limitations for rape in certain situations. Senate Bill 1658 from Sen. Jessica Garvin, R-Duncan, and House Majority Floor Leader Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, eliminates the statute of limitations for rape when DNA evidence emerges or when a suspect confesses to the crime. The current statute  more

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, April 17 -- The Oklahoma State Senate issued the following news release: The full Senate has given unanimous approval to a measure clarifying Oklahoma statutes on voting rights for citizens convicted of a felony who've received a commutation or pardon. Sen. George Young, D-Oklahoma City, is the Senate principal author of House Bill 1629, and Rep. Regina Goodwin, D-Tulsa, is the House principal author. Young had previously requested an attorney general's opinion seeking  more

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, April 17 -- The Oklahoma State Senate issued the following news release on April 16, 2024: Sen. Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain, received approval from the full Senate for House Bill 2975 Monday. The measure allows homemade food product producers to obtain a permit from the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (ODAFF), which will protect their privacy by reducing the amount of personal information they are required to include on their product labels. "Thi  more

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, April 17 -- The Oklahoma State Senate issued the following news release on April 16, 2024: Senate Bill 1211 was approved by the House of Representatives Monday. The legislation authored by Sen. Kristen Thompson, R-Edmond, increases the maximum time of imprisonment for strangulation offenses from three years to 10 years. "The statistics related to strangulation are incredibly alarming, and this form of violence is often a precursor to more severe or even fatal forms of   more

STILLWATER, Oklahoma, April 16 -- Oklahoma State University issued the following news: Oklahoma State University has migrated its institutional repository to a new platform that will better serve the university and the state. The new site, Open Research Oklahoma, was developed with OSU's land-grant mission in mind. Open Research Oklahoma supports OSU's research, teaching and outreach by enhancing the visibility and impact of the university's scholarly output. It is freely available worldwide a  more

PAWHUSKA, Oklahoma, April 17 -- The Osage Nation, a federally-recognized Native American tribe, issued the following news release on April 16, 2024: On April 1, 2024, the Osage Nation Executive Branch and Osage, LLC executed a 10-year lease agreement for 32,743.32 acres of the approximately 42,300-acre Osage Nation Ranch. This landmark agreement is a significant step in the Osage Nation's economic development and land conservation efforts. It outlines the roles and responsibilities of Osage Nat  more

STILLWATER, Oklahoma, April 15 -- Oklahoma State University issued the following news: This spring, Oklahoma State University President Kayse Shrum announced a visionary new service project -- State of Orange: A Day of Cowboy Service. On Saturday, over 3,000 participants answered the call to make a difference at more than 350 event locations nationwide, demonstrating how the university's land-grant mission extends beyond the classroom and into the community. OSU student RachelKate Puc  more

STILLWATER, Oklahoma, April 16 -- Oklahoma State University issued the following news: Oklahoma students get more than instruction in reading, writing and arithmetic at school - it's also where they get a nutritious lunch. With the school year ending in a few weeks, families struggling with food insecurity will need to fill that gap. More than 208,000 students in Oklahoma are grappling with food insecurity. Confusion earlier in the year about what food programs will be available has left some   more