William “Butch” Ramsey was born on March 9, 1949 in Cherryville, Arkansas to Louis and Melvina (Lewis) Ramsey and passed away on August 5, 2020 in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Butch was preceded in death by his parents, daughter; Dianna Ramsey, sister; Jeannie Bearden, brother; Hankie Ramsey, son-in-law; Ted Newby, and grandson; Ramsey Walters. He was a loving husband, caring father, proud grandpa, and fun great grandpa. He was a knife maker, hunter, fisherman, outdoorsman, gardener, doughnut maker, hard worker and most importantly family man.

Survivors include his wife of 53 years; Irma Ramsey, daughters; Debra Newby of Spiro, Oklahoma, Donna Ramsey and companion Greg Smith of Spiro, Oklahoma, Danna Ramsey Walters and husband Daniel of Muldrow, Oklahoma, grandsons; Tyler Newby of Spiro, Oklahoma, Spencer Walters of Muldrow, Oklahoma, granddaughter; Brooklyn Walters of Muldrow, Oklahoma, great-granddaughter; Nevaeh Walters of Muldrow, Oklahoma, brother-in-law; Larry Bearden of Greenwood, Arkansas, brother-in-law’s and sister-in-law’s; William Ivy and wife Linda of Colorado, Darrell Craig and wife Ellen of Spiro, Oklahoma, Phillip Stewart and wife Mary of Spiro, Oklahoma, aunt; Doris Muncy of Little Rock, Arkansas, numerous other relatives and loved ones.

Funeral Services will be 10:00 am Saturday, August 8, 2020 at Spiro City Cemetery under the direction of Mallory-Martin Funeral Home of Spiro, Oklahoma.

Pallbearers will be Tyler Newby, Spencer Walters, Jimmy House, Lynn Elder, Donald Sharp, and Greg Smith. Honorary Pallbearers will be; Daniel Walters, John Elder, Eddie Cowan, Gary Harper, Bud Alexander, Phillip Stewart, and Darrell Craig.

To sign Butch’s online guest book, please visit www.mallorymartinfuneralhome.com

Press Release

OKLAHOMA CITY (August 6, 2020) – Oklahoma schools with eligible fine arts staff can apply for up to $500 in funding from the Oklahoma Arts Council to purchase qualifying visual and performing arts supplies for the 2020-2021 school year. Applications are due September 15.

Through the state arts agency’s Classroom Supply Grants for Visual and Performing Arts program, schools that have at least one part-time arts instructor in the discipline for which they apply are eligible for funding. Disciplines may include dance, drama/theatre, music, and visual arts.

Supplies purchased through the grant program must be consumable, non-permanent items. The program can assist with supplies that support distance learning. Schools are responsible for purchasing their supplies. Examples of eligible items include sheet music, props, instrument rental, reeds and bows, drawing and painting supplies, clay, and more.

Schools that provide access to arts education in rural, under resourced, or culturally diverse areas of the state will be prioritized for funding.

Classroom Supply Grants for Visual and Performing Arts are offered in response to feedback provided to the Oklahoma Arts Council by hundreds of teachers, school administrators, and others involved in education across Oklahoma. The program is aimed at helping schools sustain their hands-on arts education programs.

For grant application guidelines and a list of eligible supplies, visit arts.ok.gov.

About the Oklahoma Arts Council

The Oklahoma Arts Council is the official state agency for the support and development of the arts. The agency’s mission is to lead in the advancement of Oklahoma’s thriving arts industry. The Oklahoma Arts Council provides approximately 350 grants to nearly 200 organizations in communities statewide each year, organizes professional development opportunities for the state's arts and cultural industry, and manages the art collections at the Oklahoma State Capitol. Additional information is available at arts.ok.gov.

OWD Press Release

A status report for the Wildlife Department’s online licensing system contained plenty of good news for customers and for Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commissioners during their regular August meeting this week.

GoOutdoorsOklahoma.com began in January 2019, giving people a convenient “one-stop shop” to interact with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to get hunting and fishing licenses, permits, automatic-renewal choices, merchandise sales, and event registration. The Go Outdoors Oklahoma mobile app allows licenses to be carried on a mobile device while also providing resources including regulations, in-field E-check, Game Warden contacts, and public land maps.

Mike Chrisman, License Supervisor for the Wildlife Department, told Commissioners that year-over-year increases were seen in the number of transactions, number of customer accounts, revenues, and number of items sold. “We are trending upward, which is always positive,” he said.

Importantly, a public survey showed that users were highly satisfied with the service they received from the Go Outdoors Oklahoma call center, rating most survey categories at 90 percent or greater.

The Wildlife Department partners with Brandt Information Services to provide the Go Outdoors Oklahoma online and mobile system.

Also during Wednesday’s meeting, Commissioners approved a resolution honoring Brandon Adams of Prague for completing the “Oklahoma Big Game Archery Grand Slam” in 2018 and for promoting hunting in Oklahoma. Adams harvested a mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, pronghorn and black bear, all with a bow. It is believed that he is the first hunter in Oklahoma to complete such a quest in a single year.

In part, the resolution states that Adams “has proven to be a distinguished ambassador for hunting in Oklahoma and across the nation … and showcased Oklahoma as a diverse big game destination for thousands of hunters across the nation.” Adams is co-owner of My World Outdoors.

To view a recording of the meeting, go to https://youtu.be/nYiNB38nbp8.

The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission is the eight-member governing board of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. The Commission establishes state hunting and fishing regulations, sets policy for the Wildlife Department and indirectly oversees all state fish and wildlife conservation activities. Commission members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Oklahoma Senate. 

The next scheduled Commission meeting is set for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020.

RN Public Relations Group Release

Health Testing Centers today issued a report on The State of Contract Tracing in the U.S. using historical and current data on the effectiveness of contact tracing from Bubonic Plague in the 16^th century to Covid-19 today. 

Contact tracing is when state and local health departments identify individuals who may have been exposed to an infectious disease so they can be tested and treated to stop the disease from spreading.

Report Shows 4 Things You Should Know About Contact Tracing:

• Used to Stop the Plague in Europe 500 Years Ago: Contact tracing goes back to at least the 1500’s when German hospitals used it to fight the bubonic plague.  The results of contact tracing were used to debunk theories that the plague was the result of bad food, pollution or even of a celestial origin.

• Controlled STI’s in America After WW2: The most common use of contact tracing in the U.S. today is in combating the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). More than 1,600 specialistsare funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to do so. This began in the 1940’s when during and after World War 2 syphilis, fatal if untreated, was rampant.  In 1946, the CDC reported 70.9 infections per 100,000 people.  Due to contact tracing, by 1956 that dropped to 3.9 infections per 100,000.

• Recent Study Shows Contact Tracing Dramatically More Effective: A recent studyin the United Kingdom found that contact tracing was dramatically more effective in slowing the spread than other methods.  Mass testing reduced COVID-19 transmission by 2%; self-isolation and household quarantine by 37% and contact tracing along with self-isolation and household quarantine bump that number up to 64%.

• S. Contact Tracer Shortage: Robust contact tracing is one of the most important tools Germany has used to control the pandemic in that country, where about 400 call centers are in operation. Leaders have said their goal is to have one tracer per 4,000 people, or about 21,000 contact tracersfor the nation of 83 million. In the U.S., a shortage of contract tracing personnel is evident.  An NPR analysis in May found that 44 states and D.C. planned to add contact tracing employees to the tune of more than 66,000 workers. But estimates indicate that 180,000are needed until a vaccine becomes available. NPR’s analysis indicated that 30 contact tracers per 100,000 residents would be needed for the COVID-19 pandemic and only eight states were on track to meet that need. This number is roughly equivalent to the ratio employed by German health officials.

Oklahoma ranks No. 32 in among states with 4.5 contact tracers per 100,000 people.

Time will tell the toll of coronavirus, both human and otherwise, but evidence has consistently suggested that contact tracing should be fully embraced as a strategy for curbing the spread of the virus, and there’s no doubt that some states are planning to invest more heavily in ramping up their use of contact tracing than others. But with a possible vaccine likely at least several months away, towns, cities, counties and states still have time to show they are taking the COVID-19 threat seriously by implementing robust contact tracing measures that might cut off the supply of oxygen to this virus.

OKSDE PRESS RELEASE

OKLAHOMA CITY (Aug. 6, 2020) – Two Oklahoma educators have been named recipients of the prestigious Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). PAEMST, established in 1983, is the highest recognition a K-12 mathematics or science teacher may receive for outstanding teaching in the United States.

The following educators, recognized as the 2019 awardees, will receive a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation:

• Brigit Minden of Central High Public Schools
• Cheryl Fentress of Bartlesville Public Schools

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister congratulated the awardees for their innovative work in developing learning opportunities for Oklahoma students.

“These dedicated educators have excelled in crafting engaging, hands-on lessons in science, technology, engineering and math for students in Oklahoma,” Hofmeister said. “They are incredibly deserving of this national award and represent the exceptional talent of teachers in our state.”

Brigit Minden teaches math at Central High Public School in Marlow. She was the district’s Teacher of the Year in 2016, was on the writing team for the Oklahoma Mathematics Frameworks for three years and currently serves on the OKMath Advisory Board. She uses hands-on learning such as ziplining dolls for right triangle trigonometry functions, building solar hot dog cookers for parabolas, and discovering conic sections made out of modeling clay. Minden has been teaching for 10 years.

“I am passionate in sharing that no one is ‘bad at math.’ Most people just haven't had the right experiences yet,” Minden said.

Cheryl Fentress has more than 35 years of experience and teaches at Bartlesville High School in Bartlesville. She is a member of the Bartlesville District Science Fair Board, was the 2019 Bartlesville High School Teacher of the Year and is the sponsor of student science fair projects at the local, state and international level. 

To build critical thinking skills, lab experiences make up 40% of her curriculum, and every lab includes a component of inquiry. All students complete an independent research project in the spring that is entered in the regional science fair. Through the years, hundreds of student projects have gone on to compete at the state and international levels, and many former students are now working in scientific fields.

“The teacher's task is to initiate the learning process and then get out of the way,” Fentress said, describing her teaching philosophy. “My job is to provide meaningful science experiences for students, then work together with them to build understanding of science concepts."

In addition, an Oklahoma professor was recognized as one of only 15 educators in the nation to receive the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM). Joe Cecil is a professor in the computer science department at Oklahoma State University.

OSDH UPDATE

As of this advisory, there are 41,401 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Oklahoma. 

There are 10 additional deaths identified to report. One death was identified in the past 24 hours. 

• One in Canadian County, one female in the 65 or older age group. 
• One in Cleveland County, one female in the 65 or older age group.
• One in Garfield County, one male in the 65 or older age group. 
• One in Marshall County, one male in the 65 or older age group.  
• One in Oklahoma County, one female in the 50 - 64 age group.
• One in Ottawa County, one male in the 50 - 64 age group.
• One in Pottawatomi County, one female in the 50 - 64 age group.
• Two in Tulsa County, one female and one male in the 65 or older age group. 
• One in Wagoner County, one male in the 65 or older age group. 

There are 593 total deaths in the state.

For more information, visit coronavirus.health.ok.gov.

COVID-19 Oklahoma Test Results

*The total includes laboratory information provided to OSDH at the time of the report. Total counts may not reflect unique individuals. 

**This number is a combination of hospitalized positive cases and hospitalized persons under investigation, as reported by hospitals at the time of the report. The data reflect a change in calculation and should not be compared to prior data. 

***The purpose of publishing aggregated statistical COVID-19 data through the OSDH Dashboard, the Executive Order Report, and the Weekly Epidemiology and Surveillance Report is to support the needs of the general public in receiving important and necessary information regarding the state of the health and safety of the citizens of Oklahoma. These resources may be used only for statistical purposes and may not be used in any way that would determine the identity of any reported cases.

Data Source: Acute Disease Service, Oklahoma State Department of Health.
*As of 2020-08-06 at 7:00 a.m.

Detailed case statistics are published on the website. Click here for more information.

Public Service Announcement from LeFlore County Health Department

The LeFlore County Health Department (LCHD) has been experiencing overwhelming calls which has tied up phone lines, making it very difficult for people to get in touch for services. Normally, when an individual calls the main health department number, it asks for you to input an extension, if you already know the extension, or it asks you to press 0 or stay on the line for assistance. Currently, if you do the latter, 9 times out of 10, the call disconnects, which can prove to be very frustrating.

If a professional is needing to contact LCHD for referral purposes, or a family is in need of contacting us to set services up, they may reach us at 918-647-8601 ext. 228. This is Laurie Ragan’s extension and she has volunteered to field calls for any Child Guidance service.

These services would include: developmental screenings and assessments for children birth to 8 yrs old, parent education and support, mental health and behavioral health consultations and therapy to children 4-13 yrs old,  infant massage classes, and hearing screenings for children birth to 13 yrs.

We are truly sorry for inconvenience and at this time, we do not know how long our system will be overwhelmed.

Carolyn A Davis of Heavener, Oklahoma was born March 31, 1965, and passed away August 03, 2020 in Poteau, Oklahoma at the age of 55.

Graveside services will be Friday, August 07, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. at Mt View Cemetery in Glendale.  Arrangements are under the direction of Dowden-Roberts Funeral Home of Heavener, Oklahoma.

PRESS RELEASE

OKLAHOMA CITY – Attorney General Mike Hunter today released a list of detailed answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) surrounding the McGirt decision after appearing as a panelist yesterday evening with the state’s three U.S. attorneys at the annual Association of Oklahoma Narcotic Enforcers conference.

The panel, which was virtually attended by over 1,000 law enforcement personnel, was focused on the recent McGirt ruling and how it specifically impacts law enforcement. However, the document released today addresses numerous areas of interest, such as what the decision means for property rights, the Violence Against Women Act and more.   

Attorney General Hunter said the FAQs thoroughly explains how the U.S. Supreme Court decision impacts tribal communities and Oklahomans living and working in the eastern half of the state.

“Yesterday’s meeting with law enforcement officials was productive and helpful to dispel much of the confusion created by the decision in the McGirt case,” Attorney General Hunter said. “Unfortunately, many of the questions we received by law enforcement do not have clear legal answers. That is why legislation from Congress is needed to bring clarity, and the FAQs answers questions on a proposed framework for such legislation. We also hope that these FAQs will act as another resource for those who continue to have questions about what the outcome is and what it is not.

“I encourage Oklahomans who have questions about this decision to review this document and educate themselves about what the ruling means for them. At the end of the day, we want to provide assurance to everyone in our state that you can be a proud member of one of our tribal nations and a proud citizen of the state of Oklahoma.

“I appreciate everyone who watched last night’s meeting, especially those who participated on the panel.”

Read the FAQs, here: .