Articles written by paul monies
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As last resort, Oklahoma quarantine orders rise amid coronavirus pandemic
Everything old is new again when it comes to battling a novel coronavirus with no cure or vaccination. Public health officials point to face masks, social distancing and good hand hygiene as pillars...
As last resort, Oklahoma quarantine orders rise amid coronavirus pandemic
Everything old is new again when it comes to battling a novel coronavirus with no cure or vaccination. Public health officials point to face masks, social distancing and good hand hygiene as pillars of the response to the coronavirus, along with... Full story
Prison infections push rural towns into weekly coronavirus hotspots
Coronavirus infections at prisons in Vinita and McAlester pushed those areas into the top hotspots of the week in Oklahoma. Other large increases in active coronavirus cases came in Chickasha, Alva and several ZIP codes in the Oklahoma City area,...
Five Oklahoma takeaways from the White House 'red zone' COVID-19 report
An internal White House report about states in the so-called “red zone” for COVID-19 includes Oklahoma and recommends mandating masks and closing bars and gyms in localized areas where infections are spreading rapidly. The report, obtained by the...
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt says he tested positive for coronavirus
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said Wednesday that he has tested positive for coronavirus, a day after the state reported a record number of new COVID-19 cases. Stitt made the announcement in a Zoom call with reporters along with his interim Health...
Hospitalization increase leads Integris to open its COVID-19 wings at Portland campus
A surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Oklahoma City has led Integris Baptist Medical Center to open its Portland Avenue campus to treat patients with the coronavirus. The hospital system s...
Hospitalization increase leads Integris to open its COVID-19 wings at Portland campus
A surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Oklahoma City has led Integris Baptist Medical Center to open its Portland Avenue campus to treat patients with the coronavirus. The hospital system s... Full story
Why more women than men contract the coronavirus
Women account for about three-fourths of all COVID-19 infections among health-care workers and in nursing homes in Oklahoma, resulting in a higher proportion of women than men overall infected across...
What medical groups say about reopening Oklahoma's economy
In the wake of Gov. Kevin Stitt's decision to start reopening Oklahoma's economy, Oklahoma Watch reached out for reaction from top medical groups and checked the remarks from Oklahoma City and Tulsa...
After resisting, state decides to release number of COVID-19 cases, deaths for all cities
Weeks after mayors and other local officials asked the Oklahoma State Department of Health to release COVID-19 infections and deaths by city, the state began publishing some of that information this week. The catch? The city breakdown excluded...
Beds: Questions of supply for all patients
When a patient with COVID-19 is brought to a hospital, they are triaged, isolated and put in a negative pressure room (if it's available), where air blows in but can't escape. Depending on the...
Health workers: Risks of shortages and exposure
If a large COVID-19 surge comes, Oklahoma officials want to be sure there are enough doctors, nurses, aides and other health-care workers to treat the infected. That involves a lot more than... Full story
Oklahoma ranks 18th in nation in rate of coronavirus deaths
(March 30, 2020) – With a surge in COVID-19 deaths since last week, Oklahoma now ranks 18th highest in the nation in the rate of coronavirus deaths. Taking population into account, deaths were highest...
Coronavirus tests remain limited, raising questions about haves and have-nots
Call it test anxiety, but not the kind you might remember from school. With a shortage of COVID-19 testing kits available at Oklahoma's state lab, public health officials are prioritizing who can get...
Lawmakers push to revise laws for medical marijuana industry
Home delivery of medical marijuana, a shorter dispensary setback from schools and making the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority its own agency are among the proposals that survived last week’s first legislative deadline. But a bill banning b...
Highlights of Stitt's State of the State address, annotated
Gov. Kevin Stitt used his second State of the State speech Monday to urge lawmakers to continue his effort to transform state government and turn Oklahoma into a "top ten state." Among the most dramat...
How recreational Is Oklahoma's medical marijuana market?
Welcome to the wild west of weed. Eighteen months after Oklahoma voters approved medical marijuana, the state is awash in cannabis retail shops. One in 13 adult Oklahomans has a patient card. With no...
How recreational Is Oklahoma's medical marijuana market?
Welcome to the wild west of weed. Eighteen months after Oklahoma voters approved medical marijuana, the state is awash in cannabis retail shops. One in 13 adult Oklahomans has a patient card. With no... Full story
Does investigative tool cloaked in secrecy give prosecutors too much power?
In the multicounty grand jury system, Oklahoma prosecutors have a powerful tool to investigate allegations of crimes and public corruption across counties. But their power is not unlimited. A...
Stitt's pick for land office lacks required degree, faced lawsuits
Gov. Kevin Stitt’s pick to head the Commissioners of the Land Office lacks the advanced degree needed to become permanent secretary and has owned a company involved in legal disputes over oil and gas leases. The Legislature would have to change t...
Second Amendment backers plan tests of permitless carry law
Oklahoma Watch Backers of an approaching law allowing Oklahomans to carry a gun without training or a permit say they’re willing to test compliance with the law by showing up in certain places carrying a firearm. These so-called Second Amendment ...
Gun deaths in Oklahoma: Trends, laws and survival
Mass shootings in Texas and Ohio over the weekend have put gun deaths and firearm laws back in the spotlight. Oklahoma's last major mass shooting event was in 1986, when 14 people were killed at an...
District attorneys use twin groups to push criminal justice policies
The meeting room is like so many others in Oklahoma, with a standard conference table, overhead projector and wall map. Attendees exchange small talk and grab coffee from the back of the room. There's... Full story
Working in background, lawyer reaps fees in opioid case
Attorneys in the state's sprawling opioid lawsuit have bragged that they slept on cots in their offices and went through millions of pages of evidence. But one private attorney in the case, a former... Full story
Tribes shut out of 'opportunity zone' deals
Native American tribes across the country were left out of a major part of a new federal tax incentive for opportunity zones, with their governments unable to pool investments to support projects in some of the nation’s poorest areas. The o...
