Local & Regional

This afternoon’s isolated thunderstorms will ramp up through the evening, meaning a threat of severe weather across northeastern Oklahoma.

The National Weather Service in Tulsa expects several strong to severe storms as a cold front pushes a line of storms across Green Country.

Severe potentials are expected to exit by late evening. Large hail up to 2 inches and greater, damaging wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph, and also a tornado threat will be possible across eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas.

The White House announced Friday that the Tulsa Community College Northeast Campus has been chosen to host a federally supported COVID-19 vaccination site in partnership with state and local agencies.

"The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will lend support to the vaccination site, in partnership with the Tulsa Health Department, Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency, Oklahoma State Department of Health, Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, the Oklahoma National Guard and state and local partners," the White House said in a news release.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A union complaint about whether an Oklahoma meatpacking plant is doing enough to protect workers from the coronavirus could test the industry’s response to the pandemic because Seaboard Foods says it is following recommendations from the government and trade groups. 

With the Oklahoma State Department of Health announcing Wednesday that non-Oklahomans are now eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines through the state system, the Tulsa Health Department said Thursday they're up to the job.

"We are happy to be administering the vaccine, really, to anybody who wants it, whether they are Oklahoma residents or those that are residents of another state but for some reason are in Oklahoma," said Ellen Niemitalo, THD clinical services manager.

"We're just excited to be able to administer the vaccine to anyone who is wanting it," she said.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma will begin providing COVID-19 vaccinations to residents of any state as Oklahoma’s vaccine supplies and vaccinations administered increased, deputy state Health Commissioner Keith Reed said Wednesday.

Until now, Oklahoma had limited vaccinations to only its 4 million residents.

Now, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Oklahoma has received more than 2.9 million vaccine doses and administered more than 2.1 million vaccinations. So, residents of any state will become eligible for vaccination in Oklahoma starting Thursday.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported 441,906 total cases in the state on Wednesday, an increase of 3,542 over the past week.

Wednesday's total included approximately 1,300 cases not previously reported over a six-week period during which a single laboratory had technical issues during the transition to a new COVID-19 data reporting system. Without those cases, Oklahoma added roughly the same number of new infections over the past week as it did the week before.

Add "eyesight" to the list of things possibly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Jean Hausheer, a Lawton ophthalmologist and past-president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association, said on a Tuesday Zoom press conference hosted by the Healthier Oklahoma Coalition that a recent paper in the American Journal of Ophthalmology looked at a potential link between the increase in screen time and decrease in outdoor activity in kids due to the switch to remote learning and myopia (nearsightedness).

Oklahoma's COVID-19 case reporting and test positivity rate may not accurately reflect the current state of the pandemic due to a decline in the number of tests being performed, a leading expert said Wednesday.

"Our testing is coming down significantly," Dr. Jennifer Clark said during a weekly virtual presentation given as part of the OSU Project ECHO initiative, for which she serves as subject matter expert.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The U.S. Congress must take action to allow American Indian tribes to compact with state governments to prosecute crimes in Indian Country, Cherokee Nation Attorney General Sara Hill said Tuesday.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Gov. Kevin Stitt on Tuesday announced the appointment of a Norman investment executive to the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents. 

If approved by the state Senate, Rick Nagel, 49, would replace Regent Gary Pierson and serve a seven-year term expiring in 2028. 

Municipal and school board elections were held Tuesday across much of Oklahoma, with several Green Country contests decided.

Incumbent Broken Arrow Mayor Craig Thurmond lost his reelection bid for his seat on the Broken Arrow City Council. Challenger Lisa Ford, an employee of the Broken Arrow Police Department, won the Ward 2 seat with 4,811 votes to Thurmond's 3,335.

Broken Arrow Councilor Debra Wimpee held off two challengers to retain her Ward 1 seat. She finished with 3,278 votes, ahead of Jonathan Kelly (2,510) and Cathy Smythe (2,363). 

Local and federal authorities are investigating a bomb scare at U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe’s Tulsa offices.

There was a series of emails mentioning explosives along with Inhofe’s Tulsa and D.C. offices. The Robert W. Davis Tower near 21st Street and Utica Avenue was evacuated before noon Tuesday, and the Tulsa Police bomb squad searched the building, including Inhofe’s offices, with sniffer dogs for about half an hour.

No explosive devices were found.

TPD, the U.S. Capitol Police and the FBI are determining who sent the emails.

The Tulsa Public Schools Board of Education on Monday unanimously approved a resolution scheduling a June 8th election for voters to decide on a five-year, $414 million bond proposal.

ANADARKO, Okla. (AP) — Police in Oklahoma fatally shot a man early Monday after he pulled out a gun while officers were responding to a reported drug overdose involving another person, authorities said.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma’s attorney general and state insurance commissioner announced Monday a $25 million settlement with Farmers Insurance over the company’s handling of earthquake claims.