What you need to know about Blaine County today
The Importance of Fire for Land Meeting to be Held
Blaine County OSU Extension Service will be hosting a meeting “the Importance of Fire for Land. The meeting will be at noon on Thursday, Jan. 28 at Blaine County Fairgrounds. John Weir, OSU Extension Specialist of Natural Resources Ecology and Management will be the guest speaker.
Come learn how fire affects plants, livestock and wildlife and how fires can prevent wildfires.
For more information, please contact Becky Bedwell, Blaine County OSU Extension Agriculture Educator at 580-624-5195.
Please RSVP by January 26th to the same number. COVID CDC guidelines will be followed. The meeting is free and open to the public.
State patrol to focus on distracted driving
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol plans to spend the last two weeks of January focusing on distracted driving violations.
This special emphasis is in honor of Trooper Nicholas Dees, who was killed by a distracted driver on Jan. 31, 2015. Trooper Dees and Trooper Keith Burch had been dispatched to investigate a collision involving a tractor-trailer on Interstate 40 in Seminole County near the Pottawatomie County line. While the troopers were standing outside their patrol units investigating the collision, a distracted driver traveled into the collision scene and struck both troopers. Trooper Dees died instantly and Trooper Burch received serious injuries. The driver of the vehicle was convicted of manslaughter.
The "Trooper Nick Dees Law" went into effect Nov. 1, 2015. This law states in part, “It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a motor vehicle on any street or highway within this state while using a handheld electronic communication device to manually compose, send or read an electronic text message while the motor vehicle is in motion.”
This includes surfing social media sites.
There were more than 8,600 crashes in Oklahoma that involved at least one distracted driver in 2019. Those crashes killed 41 people and seriously injured 240 more.
Troopers will spend the last two weeks of January focused on distracted driving violations and issuing tickets and warnings for those violations. A primary goal will be educating the public. The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and Oklahoma Department of Transportation will use their message boards to remind motorists of the dangers of distracted driving. There will be flyers in welcome centers and rest areas as well.
SWOSU Ramping Up Number of COVID-19 Vaccines COVID-19 vaccinations
COVID-19 vaccinations are being given on Fridays at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, and the number of people treated will be going up.
SWOSU College of Pharmacy Rural Health Center Coordinator Randy Curry said 300 vaccinations were given at the initial clinic held January 8 at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center (900 N. Seventh Street) on the SWOSU campus. That number will increase starting Friday, January 15, when the site could potentially give up to 940 vaccinations.
Curry said the Pioneer Cellular Event Center site has been approved and set up as a point of distribution. The vaccinations being given now at SWOSU are for people over 65 years of age.
All appointments should be set up through the online portal of the Oklahoma State Department of Health at https://vaccinate.oklahoma.gov/
Several SWOSU departments have been helping with clinics at Weatherford, Clinton and Taloga. Faculty and students from the College of Pharmacy, School of Nursing and School of Allied Health have been assisting with clinics.
“I am very proud of everyone involved with this important initiative,” said SWOSU President Randy Beutler.
Residents coming to the Pioneer Cellular Event Center should enter through the west doors. Appointments are required. Masks and distancing are required.