Carmen Forman Gov. Kevin Stitt tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, becoming the first governor to have caught the highly contagious virus.Despite the diagnosis, Stitt said Wednesday he has no plans to enforce stricter measures to reduce the surge of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in Oklahoma.Oklahoma's first-term Republican governor announced his positive test results on a conference call with reporters."I personally get tested periodically throughout this whole thing," Stitt said. "I got tested yesterday for COVID-19 and the results came back positive." The governor was first...…Carmen Forman Gov. Kevin Stitt tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, becoming the first governor to have caught the highly contagious virus.Despite the diagnosis, Stitt said Wednesday he has no plans to enforce stricter measures to reduce the surge of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in Oklahoma.Oklahoma's first-term Republican governor announced his positive test results on a conference call with reporters."I personally get tested periodically throughout this whole thing," Stitt said. "I got tested yesterday for COVID-19 and the results came back positive." The governor was first...WW…

Carmen Forman Top state leaders on Thursday defended the Stitt administration’s spending of $1.26 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds and said there’s documentation to explain how every dollar was spent.Stitt administration officials in charge of Oklahoma's portion of federal CARES Act funds appeared before state lawmakers as the director of a legislative watchdog office detailed a report that .John Budd, the state’s chief operating officer, said he’s confident all the CARES Act spending met the specific requirements outlined by the federal government and the CARES Forward team he...…Carmen Forman Top state leaders on Thursday defended the Stitt administration’s spending of $1.26 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds and said there’s documentation to explain how every dollar was spent.Stitt administration officials in charge of Oklahoma's portion of federal CARES Act funds appeared before state lawmakers as the director of a legislative watchdog office detailed a report that .John Budd, the state’s chief operating officer, said he’s confident all the CARES Act spending met the specific requirements outlined by the federal government and the CARES Forward team he...WW…

Carmen Forman Legislative Republicans are looking to change Oklahoma’s initiative petition process that allows citizens to push for a statewide vote on an issue.Attempts to tweak initiative petition requirements come after Oklahomans have increasingly used the process to circumvent the GOP-led state Legislature to push progressive policies at the ballot box.House Republicans on Tuesday passed to require petitions that would increase the costs of any state government entity include a “clear statement” that additional state funding will be required to carry out the state question.“The...…Carmen Forman Legislative Republicans are looking to change Oklahoma’s initiative petition process that allows citizens to push for a statewide vote on an issue.Attempts to tweak initiative petition requirements come after Oklahomans have increasingly used the process to circumvent the GOP-led state Legislature to push progressive policies at the ballot box.House Republicans on Tuesday passed to require petitions that would increase the costs of any state government entity include a “clear statement” that additional state funding will be required to carry out the state question.“The...WW…

Carmen Forman The Oklahoma Health Department will pay nearly half a million dollars to Microsoft for the company’s work to build the .Documents from the Health Department show the company billed $472,302 for creation of the website. Additional costs are likely as Microsoft makes continued enhancements.Many of the COVID-19 vaccine appointments made in the state have been booked through the state’s scheduling portal, .But some have struggled to navigate the website. Many Oklahomans have expressed frustration about the lack of available appointments on the website — a result of limited vaccine...…Carmen Forman The Oklahoma Health Department will pay nearly half a million dollars to Microsoft for the company’s work to build the .Documents from the Health Department show the company billed $472,302 for creation of the website. Additional costs are likely as Microsoft makes continued enhancements.Many of the COVID-19 vaccine appointments made in the state have been booked through the state’s scheduling portal, .But some have struggled to navigate the website. Many Oklahomans have expressed frustration about the lack of available appointments on the website — a result of limited vaccine...WW…

Carmen Forman Gov. Kevin Stitt was on a family vacation in New Mexico after in Oklahoma due to predicted severe winter weather.Stitt and his family have since returned safely to Oklahoma, a spokeswoman for the governor said Monday.The governor's office did not respond to specific questions about when Stitt and his family left for New Mexico or how they traveled to the neighboring state. The governor's ski trip was first reported by local blog, .“Like many Oklahomans, Governor Stitt worked remotely this weekend while on a previously planned trip to New Mexico with his family and has since...…Carmen Forman Gov. Kevin Stitt was on a family vacation in New Mexico after in Oklahoma due to predicted severe winter weather.Stitt and his family have since returned safely to Oklahoma, a spokeswoman for the governor said Monday.The governor's office did not respond to specific questions about when Stitt and his family left for New Mexico or how they traveled to the neighboring state. The governor's ski trip was first reported by local blog, .“Like many Oklahomans, Governor Stitt worked remotely this weekend while on a previously planned trip to New Mexico with his family and has since...WW…

Carmen Forman Related contentA report from a legislative watchdog office raises questions about how the Stitt administration spent $1.26 billion in federal coronavirus relief.The draft by the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency criticized the Stitt administration’s handling of CARES Act funds as opaque, marked by shoddy record-keeping, and the office warned some projects may not meet strict federal standards for how coronavirus relief funds could be spent.“Legislative oversight of spending is a critical government function, and we are happy to continue working with our partners in the...…Carmen Forman Related contentA report from a legislative watchdog office raises questions about how the Stitt administration spent $1.26 billion in federal coronavirus relief.The draft by the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency criticized the Stitt administration’s handling of CARES Act funds as opaque, marked by shoddy record-keeping, and the office warned some projects may not meet strict federal standards for how coronavirus relief funds could be spent.“Legislative oversight of spending is a critical government function, and we are happy to continue working with our partners in the...WW…

Carmen Forman A split Oklahoma Health Care Authority board on Tuesday signed off on plans for the agency to spend up to $2.2 billion to privatize the state’s Medicaid program.After a lengthy debate where efforts to table the controversial agenda items failed, the board did not approve specific contracts with for-profit companies to manage the program’s spending, but gave the agency approval to move forward with overhauling Medicaid., the Health Care Authority is seeking to contract with outside entities to manage medical care for roughly 700,000 of Oklahoma’s Medicaid recipients through...…Carmen Forman A split Oklahoma Health Care Authority board on Tuesday signed off on plans for the agency to spend up to $2.2 billion to privatize the state’s Medicaid program.After a lengthy debate where efforts to table the controversial agenda items failed, the board did not approve specific contracts with for-profit companies to manage the program’s spending, but gave the agency approval to move forward with overhauling Medicaid., the Health Care Authority is seeking to contract with outside entities to manage medical care for roughly 700,000 of Oklahoma’s Medicaid recipients through...WW…

Carmen Forman Absentee voters in Oklahoma can no longer include a photocopy of a valid identification card to certify their mail-in ballot.Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, state election measures designed to allow Oklahomans some flexibility while voting during the health crisis expired at the end of 2020.A Democratic state lawmaker said the cutoff was shortsighted and didn’t take into account the magnitude of the pandemic.In May, the GOP-led Oklahoma Legislature approved legislation to reinstate a requirement that absentee voters must have their absentee ballots notarized after the...…Carmen Forman Absentee voters in Oklahoma can no longer include a photocopy of a valid identification card to certify their mail-in ballot.Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, state election measures designed to allow Oklahomans some flexibility while voting during the health crisis expired at the end of 2020.A Democratic state lawmaker said the cutoff was shortsighted and didn’t take into account the magnitude of the pandemic.In May, the GOP-led Oklahoma Legislature approved legislation to reinstate a requirement that absentee voters must have their absentee ballots notarized after the...WW…

Carmen Forman Oklahoma's commissioner of Health on Thursday confirmed a downward trend in new daily COVID-19 infections.A day after reported by the Oklahoma State Department of Health, Health Commissioner Dr. Lance Frye said the trend is accurate."The COVID-19 case numbers have been significantly lower this week, which prompted us to investigate their validity as well as our reporting systems out of an abundance of caution," he said in a statement. "After checking with staff and comparing different sources of information, we can report the data is accurate and our case count has been...…Carmen Forman Oklahoma's commissioner of Health on Thursday confirmed a downward trend in new daily COVID-19 infections.A day after reported by the Oklahoma State Department of Health, Health Commissioner Dr. Lance Frye said the trend is accurate."The COVID-19 case numbers have been significantly lower this week, which prompted us to investigate their validity as well as our reporting systems out of an abundance of caution," he said in a statement. "After checking with staff and comparing different sources of information, we can report the data is accurate and our case count has been...WW…

Skip to main contentYou are the owner of this article.Edit ArticleAdd New ArticleYou have permission to edit this article.EditSUBSCRIBELOGINHomePlace an AdGet AppOlympicsPuzzles, Comics & GamesText AlertsEmail NewsletterObituariesPublic NoticesContact UsSubscribeCelebrationsNewsSportsCommunityOpinionClassifiedsShopBest of Enid ContestOKLAHOMA CITY — Mere hours after lawmakers gaveled in Tuesday for a special legislative session on tax cuts and budget transparency, the Senate abruptly adjourned without addressing any of Gov. Kevin Stitt’s demands for income tax reductions.Just hours...…Skip to main contentYou are the owner of this article.Edit ArticleAdd New ArticleYou have permission to edit this article.EditSUBSCRIBELOGINHomePlace an AdGet AppOlympicsPuzzles, Comics & GamesText AlertsEmail NewsletterObituariesPublic NoticesContact UsSubscribeCelebrationsNewsSportsCommunityOpinionClassifiedsShopBest of Enid ContestOKLAHOMA CITY — Mere hours after lawmakers gaveled in Tuesday for a special legislative session on tax cuts and budget transparency, the Senate abruptly adjourned without addressing any of Gov. Kevin Stitt’s demands for income tax reductions.Just hours...WW…