Local & Regional

A Tulsa City Councilor says Mayor G.T. Bynum's reelection should be a concern for conservatives. 

District 5 Councilor Cass Fahler appeared on an episode of "The ThriveTime Show" entitled "Is G.T. Bynum a Secret Democrat?" Fahler was asked to give examples of Bynum acting out of step with conservative values.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported on Monday 397 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the state's total to 43,963.

Tulsa County had 97 of Monday's new cases. Its total rose to 10,562, second in the state to Oklahoma County's 10,665.

The state's seven-day average of new cases, which shows the trend in infections, ticked up slightly, going from 763 to 766. The average has held steady for the past three days.

Tulsa County's seven-day average fell from 202 to 201 and has also remained flat the past three days.

Tulsa's 49th and 50th homicides of the year occurred over the weekend, each at the hand of a Tulsa police officer.

According to Tulsa Police Department public information officer Jeanne Pierce, on Saturday afternoon officers responded to a call of an attempted break-in at a "secure facility" near 2400 North Harvard Ave.

Pierce says upon arrival, officers found Jonathan Randell, 25, sitting outside.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Democratic nominee for a U.S. Senate seat in Oklahoma is recovering at home after being injured in a hit-and-run crash.

Democrat Abby Broyles was “shaken up” after the crash late Sunday in north Oklahoma City but wasn’t seriously hurt, said campaign spokeswoman Charity Head.

A Union Public Schools board of education member is facing scrutiny for an email response to concerned district parents regarding plans for back-to-school during the pandemic.

Adam and Michelle Palmer wrote board member Jeff Bennett an email expressing concerns over an in-person return to learning, which the Tulsa Health Department is recommending against due to the severity of the COVID-19 outbreak in Tulsa County. 

"Perhaps this is not the time to put a lot of children in the same room/building for several hours a day," the Palmers wrote. 

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Four Oklahoma tribes are asking a federal court to void gambling compacts between the state of Oklahoma and two other tribes — agreements that the Oklahoma State Supreme Court recently invalidated.

Just two days into the fall term, a school district in southern Oklahoma has announced it will suspend in-person classes due to a potential COVID-19 exposure. 

"Due to a possible Covid 19 positive exposure in our Child Nutrition Department, the Marshall County Health Department has advised our administration to close our cafeteria," Kingston Public Schools Superintendent Brian Brister wrote in a Friday letter to parents.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The deputy director of the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority will serve as interim director of the authority, officials announced Friday.

Kelly Williams replaces Travis Kirkpatrick, who was recently named deputy commissioner of prevention and preparedness at the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

Kirkpatrick, who will oversee the OMMA from his new position, chose Williams for the interim post. Kirkpatrick had been named director of the authority in January after serving as interim director for about three months.

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Two Tulsa children whose bodies were found in waterways in May accidentally drowned, the Oklahoma medical examiner’s office ruled Friday.

Autopsy reports say both 3-year-old Miracle Crook and her 21-month-old brother, Tony Crook, drowned after being last seen on video holding hands and walking through an opening in a chain-link fence toward a rain-swollen creek that flows into the Arkansas River.

Miracle’s body was found in the river while Tony’s body was found in the creek.

One day after Gov. Kevin Stitt made conflicting statements regarding a planned visit from White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx, no further clarity has emerged from Oklahoma City.

President Donald Trump announced the visit by Birx -- to provide "aggressive, tailored and targeted guidance" on handling the coronavirus -- in a Wednesday press conference.

At a press conference on Thursday, Stitt alternated between saying his office had invited Birx and that they hadn't. The governor said he didn't know what site or sites Birx wanted to visit.

The start date for Broken Arrow Public Schools has been pushed back from Aug. 19 to Sept. 3 as district officials keep an eye on local coronavirus infection rates and other data.

Pre-K's start has been delayed from Aug. 21 to Sept. 8.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported on Friday 854 new cases of COVID-19, raising the state's total number of confirmed cases to 42,255.

Tulsa County had 166 of Friday's cases, bringing its total to 10,135. Tulsa County became the second in the state to break 10,000 cases, one day after Oklahoma County did so.

Cleveland County, which has the state's third-highest case total, has 2,932 cases.

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Four people arrested at a Tulsa campaign rally for President Donald Trump, including a Tulsa teacher and a Norman City Council member, pleaded not guilty Thursday to misdemeanor obstruction charges.

Tulsa Public Schools has reached out to Oklahoma's Congressional delegation and the Tulsa City Council to discuss their need for support for the district's nutrition programs.

In a Wednesday meeting of the Tulsa City Council's urban and economic development committee, TPS Superintendent Deborah Gist said that when schools abruptly closed to in-person learning in the spring due to the coronavirus pandemic, the district still managed to serve 1.5 million meals via deliveries and distributions. 

Oklahoma's senior United States senator said Thursday that allegations of ethics violations made by the state Democratic party were unfounded.

"Yet again, the only thing the Democrats can come up with are false attacks against me," Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) said in an emailed statement provided by a spokesperson for his reelection campaign. "They won’t distract me from doing my only job: protecting Oklahoma families from a radical liberal agenda.”

The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported on Thursday 837 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 41,401.

Oklahoma County became the first county in the state to have more than 10,000 cases, as 163 new cases pushed its total to 10,113. Tulsa County had 227 new cases on Thursday, bringing its total to 9,969.

President Donald Trump announced that Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House's coronavirus task force, will visit Oklahoma next week on a tour of states "to deliver aggressive, tailored and targeted guidance."

The visit comes as Okla. Gov. Kevin Stitt is under scrutiny for declining to implement the task force's recommendations to combat the coronavirus.

A committee meeting of the Tulsa City Council held virtually on Wednesday grew tense at times as councilors discussed the "Black Lives Matter" mural on the street surface of a block of North Greenwood Avenue.