karen keith | Public Radio Tulsa

Tulsa State Fair Canceled Aside from Junior Livestock Show, Some Vendors

By Matt Trotter • Aug 11, 2020

The 2020 Tulsa State Fair has been canceled.

The Tulsa County Public Facilities Authority pulled the plug Tuesday afternoon on midway rides and attractions, concerts, the rodeo, and Disney On Ice.

"I just can’t imagine that we can get people together on that midway and do it safely. I mean, you could see from other fairs, like the Springfield fair, nobody’s wearing their masks and they’re clustered together, because we’re social beings and it’s just a fun thing to do," said County Commissioner Karen Keith, who chairs the facilities authority.

Oklahoma Blood Institute Looking for Convalescent Plasma Donors amid High Hospital Demand

By Matt Trotter • Aug 10, 2020

Hospital demand for convalescent plasma to help people battling COVID-19 is up 700% in recent weeks, according to the Oklahoma Blood Institute.

OBI Executive Director Jan Laub said that’s in addition to their normal demand for blood products, all of which are coming up a bit short.

"We need 1,200 donations a day just on blood supply, and think about all the people in our hospital with COVID-related illness that we could, you know, if we had the CCP donors in here, we could be helping. So, it’s at a critical level," Laub said.

Tulsa Officials React To Coronavirus Death Of Herman Cain

By Chris Polansky • Jul 31, 2020

Officials in Tulsa said Thursday that a direct causal connection cannot be drawn between the coronavirus infection of former presidential candidate Herman Cain and his attendance at President Trump's rally last month at the BOK Center.

"I don't know how he caught it," Mayor G.T. Bynum said of Cain, who, like the majority of the 6,000-person crowd at the rally, did not wear a mask in the arena. "I haven't seen any conclusive information on where he got it from."

Dr. Bruce Dart, director of the Tulsa Health Department and a personal friend of Cain, agreed.

Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith Tests Positive For COVID-19

By Chris Polansky • Jul 16, 2020

Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith announced Wednesday that she has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

"Despite our best efforts, we contracted Covid on our little getaway road trip. I just got my positive test back from OSU Medical," Keith wrote in a public Facebook post.

Tulsa County Commissioners Vote To End ICE Detention Contract; Detainees Will Still Be Handed Over

By Chris Polansky • Jun 23, 2020

The Tulsa Board of County Commissioners voted 3-0 on Monday to end a contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to house federal immigration detainees in a special unit at the Tulsa County Jail.

The Tulsa County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) said that the contract, under which they receive $69 per day for each federal inmate detained, was not making fiscal sense recently, due to a steady decline in inmates that the county says ICE has never explained.

Officials Say Tulsa is Ready to Move to Phase 3 of Reopening

By Matt Trotter • May 29, 2020

Tulsa officials on Friday said the city and county are ready to follow the state into phase three of a reopening plan on Monday.

As of Friday, Tulsa County had 983 total confirmed cases of COVID-19, 158 active cases and 51 deaths. Tulsa Health Department Executive Director Doctor Bruce Dart said the county's case trend is almost flat and hospitalization rates are trending up but remain manageable.

Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said he does not have the same concerns proceeding to phase three as he did going into phase one, however, because the main benchmark is hospital capacity.

Tulsa Levee Repairs Get Formal Recommendation for Funding

By Matt Trotter • Apr 24, 2020

It’s been a big week for Tulsa’s levees.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite on Thursday signed a "chiefs report," recommending to Congress $150 million to $200 million in construction on the levees.

The U.S. Department of Commerce awarded Tulsa County $3 million for levee pump work earlier this week.

County Commissioner Karen Keith said Semonite saw the levees for himself on a visit during last spring’s floods.

"There hasn’t been a chief’s report in 40 years for our division. So, it’s a pretty big deal," Keith said.

U.S. Commerce Department Awards Tulsa County $3 Million Grant For Levee Improvements

By Chris Polansky • Apr 22, 2020

The U.S. Commerce Department announced Tuesday a $3 million dollar award to Tulsa County for improvements to the Arkansas River levee system.

The grant is directed through the department's Economic Development Administration, or EDA, and is intented "to improve critical infrastructure needed to protect businesses from flood damage," according to a press release from a Commerce Department spokesperson.

Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith said the money will help protect neighborhoods from the type of flooding devastated in last spring's storms.