TAHLEQUAH, Oklahoma, May 3 -- The Cherokee Nation, a federally-recognized Native American tribe, issued the following news on May 2, 2024: The Cherokee Nation honored 13 exceptional educators recently during the annual Teacher of the Year awards banquet held at the Chota Conference Center in Tahlequah. The honorees were recognized for exemplifying traditional Cherokee attributes and values integral to leadership and achieving shared goals. "Our educators are nation-builders, shaping the minds  more

TULSA, Oklahoma, May 2 -- The city of Tulsa issued the following news: The City of Tulsa is joining the nationwide effort to promote mental wellness and the policies and programs it has in place during Mental Health Awareness Month in May. In Tulsa, addressing mental health needs and promoting mental wellbeing are one of the City's top priorities, with a mental health lens now being applied to the City's work through the hiring of its first Chief Mental Health Officer. "From our police and fi  more

STILLWATER, Oklahoma, May 2 -- Oklahoma State University issued the following news: The Oklahoma State University College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology recognized faculty, staff and students for outstanding teaching, research, performance and service during the 2024 Faculty, Staff and Student Awards Banquet, held on Tuesday, April 30. Faculty/Staff Award Recipients Excellent Teacher Award -- recognizes significant achievements in teaching, as evidenced by innovative pedagogy, st  more

LAWTON, Oklahoma, May 3 -- Cameron University issued the following news release: The achievements of Cameron University students and student organizations were recognized during a recent awards ceremony hosted by the Office of Events and Activities. Two students were honored with Outstanding Student Organization Leader awards. Belinda Foley, vice president of Association of Computing and Technology Students, and Alexandra Moya, co-president of the Programming Activities Council, were recognize  more

STILLWATER, Oklahoma, May 2 -- Oklahoma State University issued the following news: After being hit by a car, Harley, a beloved family boxer, was rushed to an animal emergency room when he was found unable to use his back legs. After extensive testing, veterinarians found Harley didn't have any broken bones but rather intense damage to his spinal cord. "We were told there was a high chance that Harley would never walk again," said Judy Ramey, Harley's owner. "They told us that acup  more

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, May 3 -- Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued the following news release on May 2, 2024: Attorney General Drummond is pushing back against a would-be rule by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) that would prevent law-abiding Americans from privately selling firearms without becoming federally licensed as a firearms dealer. Drummond is part of a 21-state lawsuit challenging the proposal in U.S. District Court for the Eastern Distric  more

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, May 3 -- The Oklahoma House issued the following news release: Legislation removing the requirement for businesses to check IDs before serving alcohol has been signed into law by the governor. Rep. Robert Manger, R-Oklahoma City, authored House Bill 3571 to allow businesses to use their discretion on whether or not to check IDs while ensuring businesses are still held responsible if they serve alcohol to minors. "I authored House Bill 3571 after a friend of mine, who   more

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, May 3 -- The Oklahoma House issued the following news release: The Landowner's Bill of Rights, or HB 3159, was signed into law. The bill gives landowners the right of first refusal if the land is ever sold by the state or anyone who received the land through the use of eminent domain authority. Rep. Eric Roberts, R-Oklahoma City, and Rep. Annie Menz, D-Norman, were the bill's House authors. "This bill is a big win for the people of East Norman," Menz said. "I was prou  more

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, May 3 -- Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education issued the following news: In many states, students who begin at a community college with the goal to transfer courses to a university run into disheartening, expensive barriers. In contrast, Oklahoma has the highest transfer-out rate in the nation, a measure of first-time-entering students attending community colleges who transfer to a four-year institution within six years. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Edu  more

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, May 3 -- The Oklahoma State Senate issued the following news release on May 2, 2024: On April 26, the Biden administration revised Title IX to include transgender entitlements for participation in women's sports and spaces, rejecting the natural definitions of biological sex embraced by sane societies for millennia. Amidst this upheaval, Oklahoma's State Superintendent Ryan Walters stands firm, defending fundamental biology and Christian values against this erosion of s  more

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, May 3 -- The Oklahoma State Senate issued the following news release: A bill to help reduce maternal deaths in Oklahoma is now on the governor's desk. Rep. Cynthia Roe, R-Lindsay, and Sen. Jo Anna Dossett, D-Tulsa, are authors of House Bill 2152. The bill decreases the membership of the Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC) and makes critical data on maternal deaths available to the committee. "Oklahoma's maternal death rate is higher than the nation's, coming in   more

OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, May 3 -- The Oklahoma State Senate issued the following news release on May 2, 2024: Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, today passed a measure off the Senate floor that will ensure first responders suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Senate Bill 1457 will ensure mental injury or illness sustained by a first responder in their line of duty are eligible for compensation if a physician diagnoses them with PTSD. Under the measure, first responder  more

GOODWELL, Oklahoma, May 3 -- Oklahoma Panhandle State University issued the following news: The Student Union at Oklahoma Panhandle State University will undergo major renovations, the first since being built in 1964. OPSU has partnered with Studio Architecture and the Ross Group to design and provide construction management for the project. Studio Architecture began the project's design phase in April 2023 with on-campus forums to get community input into the project. After design and preconst  more

STILLWATER, Oklahoma, May 2 -- Oklahoma State University issued the following news: A new online tool to help people quickly find factual, proven information on agriculture and Extension topics is in its final phase of development. Oklahoma State University Agriculture and the Extension Foundation are preparing the official launch of ExtensionBot, an artificial intelligence chatbot that provides expertise from Cooperative Extension systems across the country. ExtensionBot will give Extension e  more