2022 in review:

01/05

Sallisaw man charged with sexual abuse, rape

Rusty J. Waters of Sallisaw has been charged with six counts of sexual crimes with at least four underage females from January 2012 to present.

Waters, 44, is facing three counts of child sexual abuse and three counts of rape. The charges were filed against Waters Dec. 22, 2021, in Sequoyah County District Court.

According to a police affidavit, one of the victims was still in diapers when the alleged sexual abuse began in 2012 and continued to the present. The victim told investigators that she wore diapers until she was about 6 or 7 years old because she wet the bed.

The crimes involved at least four different victims. The offenses continued until the girls were 13 or 14 years old.

01/12

Covid at record high, schools turn to virtual learning Health officials report that Covid cases are at a record high across the state and is again sending schools into virtual classroom instruction, keeping hospital staff shorthanded and busy, with numbers not expected to peak for another two weeks.

The Sallisaw school system will go to virtual classroom instruction Jan. 12-18. The school reported 401 students and 41 faculty members currently absent from all four Sallisaw schools. Extracurricular activities are expected to continue as scheduled. 01/19

Roland superintendent resigns

to seek ‘new direction’

Roland school superintendent Randy Martin is resigning from his position effective June 20 “for no specific reason,” he said, except that he wants to slow down the pace and wants a change.

Martin, who has served as Roland superintendent for three years, submitted his resignation, which was approved by the Roland School Board at its regular monthly meeting on Jan. 10.

02/02

Former fire chief, officer shot and killed

A family dispute led to the death of a former Muldrow fire chief after he was shot and killed, according to the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office.

Joe Shamblin, who had also served as a reserve officer and a Muldrow town administrator’s assistant, reportedly died from gunshot wounds during a dispute with a family member.

02/16

School board hires former OU player as football coach

The Sallisaw School Board unanimously hired a former OU football player as the high school’s head football coach, as well as his son as the middle school coach.

The board approved hiring Mark Hutson as the head football coach, and his son Ethan Hutson as the middle school coach. Hutson replaces Randon Lowe, who resigned as football coach in December.

Hutson has more than 30 years of coaching experience at every level from the NFL to NCAA Division 1. This is his first high school post.

02/25

Ice storm freezes county in its tracks

Icy road conditions from sleet which began falling Wednesday morning forced schools and some businesses to close in Sequoyah County, and also caused accidents along I-40 and other roadways.

Road crews from all three county districts responded by laying salt and sand on roadways and intersections after the sleet tapered off.

But a second storm that arrived Thursday morning was described as worse than the previous one, brought more precipitation and another layer of ice covering any sand and salt spread on roadways.

03/16

After more than a month, Bryant’s body found Cody Bryant, a Sallisaw/Nicut man who was reported missing to authorities on Feb. 7, has been found, according to Bryant’s family members.

Bryant’s body was reportedly found in Marble City on March 11 and was sent to the medical examiner’s office for identification. Bryant’s aunt, Melba Dodson, said the family received confirmation on March 14 that the body found was Bryant, 26.

04/01

Roland officer makes major fentanyl bust

A Roland police officer managed to take a large quantity of one of the deadliest drugs in the country off the streets as a result of a traffic stop.

Roland Officer Tyler Ragan conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for speeding on I-40 near mile marker 327.

In making contact with the driver, Ragan smelled marijuana and the driver admitted to having personal use marijuana inside the vehicle. This presented probable cause for Ragan to search the vehicle.

During the search, Ragan located a firearm inside a bag, and a separate bag with a large quantity of blue pills he believed to be M-30 fentanyl pills. A weight of the pills yielded an approximate weight of 8.5 pounds with a count of about 30,000 M-30 pills.

04/06

Muldrow travel plaza opens for business Littlefield’s Express aka Muldrow’s Truck Place officially opened for business at 5 a.m. on April 4.

The travel plaza, which is an express mart to purchase food, gas, drinks, cigarettes, snacks and other items, plans to hire 30 to 35 employees.

05/06

Roland man’s body found floating in river According to OSBI agents, two men were reportedly arrested on May 3 in Garvin County for the murder of Phillip Clifton of Roland.

Randall McClendon, 52, and Homer “Shane” Trout, 46, are both facing multiple charges in the murder of Clifton, 54, and both men are currently being held in the Oklahoma County Detention Center.

McClendon and Trout are facing charges of desicration of a human corpse, conspiracy and pattern of criminal offense.

A homeowner discovered Clifton’s body in the Washita River on April 22. The body was reportedly wrapped in plastic, a blanket and fencing, and there were gunshot wounds on the body.

Clifton was last seen leaving Roland in a Dodge pickup. The pickup was found in Oklahoma City three days later after it was reported to be on fire.

05/13

Miller charged with murder in fentanyl overdose death Jordan K. Miller, who has addresses in both Arkansas and Roland, has been charged with murder in the first degree-felony murder.

Miller, 26, was charged May 10 in Sequoyah County District Court, and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest the same day.

Sequoyah County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the home of Gavin Kemper, 30, who was found by his father after he reportedly ingested a fatal amount of fentanyl.

According to sheriff’s office reports, Kemper drove to Van Buren, Ark., to purchase the pills from Miller.

05/18

Wiggins chosen as Roland superintendent The Roland Board of Education has chosen Lori Wiggins, the current assistant superintendent at Roland Public Schools, as the new superintendent for the 2022-23 school year.

Wiggins will replace current superintendent Randy Martin, who resigned in January.

05/18

Barrett hired as Sallisaw assistant superintendent During a special meeting, the Sallisaw School Board hired Steve Barrett as the new assistant superintendent.

Barrett, a 1987 graduate of Sallisaw and a high school principal in Noble, was approved unanimously to take the position currently being held by Steve Merrill, who will retire in June.

06/01

Memorial weekend wreck at Muldrow kills two A four-vehicle collision at Muldrow on westbound I-40 has reportedly claimed the lives of a 9-year-old Sallisaw boy and a California woman.

The collision involved a 2018 Hino box truck driven by Ruben Guerra-Quezada, 32, of Philadelphia, which reportedly went through a cable barrier break on the bridge and into oncoming traffic, striking three other vehicles. (Guerra-Quezada was subsequently charged on Oct. 4 with two felony counts of first-degree manslaughter.)

One of those vehicles involved was a 2020 Dodge Challenger driven by Judy Sexton, 65, of Sallisaw. Sexton was transported by MediFlight to a hospital in Fayetteville, Ark., where she was listed in critical condition. Sexton’s passengers, Kymbirlee Mogelberg, 46, of Riverbank, Calif., and a 9-year-old Sallisaw boy, were both pronounced dead at the scene.

Traffic was diverted and I-40 was closed for almost six hours.

06/15

Two reported dead following Vian shooting Two Vian residents are dead and another is in an Arkansas hospital undergoing treatment for a gunshot to the face following an incident that took place at a Vian residence.

Sequoyah County Sheriff Larry Lane said deputies and Vian police at the scene found one male and one female deceased and another male with an apparent gunshot wound to the face.

Those reported deceased are Keirston R. Chaney, 25, and Cody Monholland, 27, both of Vian. Suffering a gunshot to the face was Kevin Chew, 25, also of Vian.

“There had been an ongoing feud between the involved parties, and the deceased male (Monholland) was recently arrested in an altercation at this same residence, and also had a protective order filed against him by the injured male (Chew),” Lane said.

06/24

Blue Ribbon comes down

Demolition work at Blue Ribbon Downs in Sallisaw began this week and Cherokee Nation Deputy Principal Chief Bryan Warner, who has history with BRD, said he could not be more excited.

The demolition work will include removal of the former Racino building and the grandstands, and is expected to take about 90 days.

While Cherokee Nation has not provided any details of what may be planned for the site, Warner said the next step involves a feasibility study to determine how the site can best be used to not only benefit the tribe, but also the community of Sequoyah County.

Blue Ribbon Downs began in 1960, and soon became known as a proving ground and gained recognition from the American Quarter Horse Association in 1963. The track was sold to an investment group in 1973.

In 1982, Oklahoma voters approved pari-mutuel betting and BRD had history by becoming the first par-mutuel track in Oklahoma, with the first race on Aug. 30, 1984, before about 12,000 spectators.

Over time, the popularity of gambling on horse racing waned and the track struggled financially with several owners filing bankruptcy in 1997 and again in 2002. The Choctaw Nation then purchased the site and the track was converted into a Racino. The tribe operated the Racino for about five years before the facility was sold again.

06/29

Truck driver survives collision with train Authorities are still wondering how the driver of a dump truck escaped with only minor injuries when the truck he was driving was destroyed after being struck by a freight train at an uncontrolled railroad crossing in southeastern Sallisaw.

The westbound Kansas City Southern train collided with the northbound dump truck at a crossing near South 4640 Road and East Delaware Avenue (1093 Road).

The train, which was pulling more than 100 tanker cars, hit the open-box bed of the truck as it crossed the tracks in the path of the train. Following the collision, the train came to a stop about a quarter of a mile west of the crossing.

The impact tore the bed from the truck, sending it down an embankment and spilling its contents, which appeared to be mostly recycled cardboard and wooden products. After the initial impact, authorities recreating the accident said the truck spun around, and the train obliterated the front of the truck. The dual impacts sent the mangled truck down the embankment on the north side of the tracks.

Despite the vehicular carnage, Johnny William Rushing, 40, of Gore, driver of the 2013 Peterbilt semi, emerged from the wreckage without life-threatening injuries.

07/08

Birdwell is first Native American recipient of Medal of Honor C h e r o k e e Nation citizen Dwight Tidwell, 74, is the first Native American to receive the Medal of Honor for his heroic service during the Vietnam War after President Joe Biden awarded him the military’s highest recognition at the White House.

Birdwell joins only 3,800 service men and women since the Civil War awarded the Medal of Honor, including a handful of Cherokees in World War II. The Medal of Honor is awarded to members of the armed forces who distinguish themselves conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of their own lives, clearly distinguishing the recipients above his or her comrades.

07/20

Soaring Covid cases put Sequoyah County in peril Break out the masks and hand sanitizer again, because the coronavirus is back.

In the past month, new confirmed cases of COVID- 19 have soared in Oklahoma and Sequoyah County is among the hardest hit counties in eastern Oklahoma. The county has been assigned a COVID-19 community level of “high” by the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

With more than 150 new cases reported in the past week, Sequoyah County is keeping pace with the only other two counties in the region ahead of it by percentage — Adair and Muskogee.

“Over the past 14 days, Sequoyah County has experienced a 74% increase in the number of Covid cases amongst residents,” says Dr. Daniel Ortiz, regional epidemiologist serving Sequoyah and six other area counties. “Over the past seven days, Sequoyah County experienced an 18% increase in Covid cases.” 07/20

County baking in triple-digit scorcher

The blast furnace that began on Independence Day in Sequoyah County has stretched over the past two weeks with highs of 100 degrees or more every day except a few near-misses, and temperatures as high as 106 degrees on July 8.

There is literally no relief in sight, with weather forecasters calling for triple-digit temps every day through

SEE 2022, PAGE A4 the end of the month and beyond, dangerous heat indices of 110 degrees or more, and no rain expected to quench our drought and cool our parched landscape.

Historically, meteorologists have seen stretches of more than two weeks where daily highs peaked in the 100s, and they expect this summer to challenge those unseasonably hot trends.

Oklahoma’s record high is 120 degrees, which has happened four times, all in 1936.

A year ago, the average high temperature for Sequoyah County in July was 89 degrees and 91 in August. The highest temperature each of those months was 97.

The record for the county is 115 degrees in Sallisaw on Aug. 10, 1936. But Sequoyah County has not experienced the kind of oppressive heat currently occurring since the summers of 2011 and 2012.

08/19

Phelps embezzles cash from patients at local clinic Joy R. Phelps of Sallisaw is charged with felony embezzlement after reportedly taking cash from patients intended for medical services and Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority applications and not providing the money to her employer, Family Care Clinic in Sallisaw.

Phelps, 44, was charged Aug. 12 in Sequoyah County District Court, and a warrant was issued for her arrest the same day. The alleged embezzlement took place between Dec. 1, 2020, and Feb. 18, 2021.

08/24

Barrels, barricades return to I-40

After what must have seemed like forever for motorists, the familiar orange barrels and barricades were finally removed on I-40 between U.S. 59 in Sallisaw and the Carlile community west of Vian following completion of a pavement rehabilitation project by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

But life without the bottleneck created by lane closures was short-lived for Sequoyah County. ODOT has begun six miles of pavement rehab on I-40 west of state Highway 64B in Muldrow. The $5.4 million project means barricades and orange barrels will be around for the remainder of the year.

08/26

Former Gans police chief among trio investigated A former Gans police chief is among three law enforcement officers seen in a viral video which has gained national attention for showing a suspect being beaten in a use-of-force incident in Arkansas.

Thell Riddle, who served as a police officer an chief of police for the town of Gans for 12 years, was named along with Zack King and Levi White as the three officers seen in the video beating Randal Worcester in Mulberry, Ark. The incident occurred initially at an Alma gas station before ending with the altercation in Mulberry.

Riddle is currently working for the Mulberry Police Department. King and White have been identified as deputies for the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office.

09/14

Muldrow town administrator fired

Muldrow town trustees and city hall department heads have begun trying to chart a course without a road map through the logistical and admini s t r at i v e minefield left unattended following the abrupt firing of Town Administrator Matt Duke.

That muddled journey began at a special meeting of the town’s board of trustees when the board and city hall hierarchy addressed the question of how to proceed now that Duke has been relieved of his duties after five years handling the day-to-day operations of the town.

“I had a pleasurable experience at Muldrow, and am proud of what we accomplished over the last five years. I am grateful to how welcoming the community was,” Duke said.

Remaining pragmatic, Duke was concise as to what transpired: “The board decided to take another direction with the town’s management.” 09/28

Moffett faces probation from floodplain violations FEMA officials announced this week the town of Moffett will be placed on probationary status by the National Flood Insurance Program beginning in November unless the town can either remediate violations or prepare a compliance plan approved by FEMA.

The probation is due to deficiencies and violations with the town’s floodplain management program.

Attorney Jeffrey L. Edwards, who represents Moffett, said the requests from FEMA are just not feasible to the town’s residents.

“They (FEMA) are basically asking for anyone on the program to elevate their houses 15 feet above the floodplain level. This is just not feasible for the residents here to continue down this path when the end result will be they cannot elevate their homes or afford to do so. Moffett has a very small population, and they don’t have the means to do what is being asked of them, nor do they have the money to hire an engineer. It would be a waste of the town’s money to try and comply,” Edwards said.

10/07

Is it drier than the Dust Bowl?

A social media post has residents of parched Oklahoma wondering if 2022 really is drier than the Dust Bowl.

But KFSM-TV Channel 5 chief meteorologist Matt Standridge advises getting all the facts and comparing apples to apples before rushing to judgment.

Standridge confirmed that such a social media post exists, but said a closer look shows that the post was for the period June 11 through Oct. 5 only, and during that four-month span, central and northeastern Oklahoma are “the driest that we’ve had on record.” He said the period is the fourth driest for Sequoyah and LeFlore counties.

“To say that it’s the driest, even drier than the Dust Bowl, is very misleading because the Dust Bowl lasted for six years,” Standridge said.

It has been 36 consecutive days since Sallisaw received more than 0.01” (a trace) of rain, and it’s been 78 days since Sequoyah County received more than 0.25” of rain.

10/12

Sallisaw band repeats as state champions For the fourth time in the past six competitions, the Sallisaw marching band has been crowned Class 4A state champions by the Oklahoma Bandmasters Association.

The 70-member band added more hardware to its trophy case, defeating 11 other bands from across the state.

The Black Diamonds won back-to-back state titles in 2016 and 2017, and then duplicated the feat this year after winning in 2021. The band made the finals in 2018 and 2019 but there was no competition in 2020 due to the pandemic.

10/12

Man with child in his arms shoots at officer Elbert Fuller, who has addresses in both Roland and Fort Smith, faces multiple felony charges in Sequoyah County District Court after he reportedly shot at a Roland police officer while holding a small child in his arms.

According to official reports, Fuller came out of a Roland residence shooting at police while holding a small child in his arms. Roland police did not return gunfire due to Fuller holding the child.

After Fuller ran out of ammunition, he reportedly threw his gun at the officer, and the officer ran and tackled Fuller. Fuller then brandished a knife and attempt to stab the officer. No one was injured in the incident.

10/14

Troopers seize over 700 bundles of marijuana

Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers on Oct. 4 confiscated more than 700 one-pound bundles of marijuana during a routine traffic stop on I-40.

OHP stopped a motorhome at the 306 mile marker near Sallisaw for speeding and said the driver appeared extremely nervous. During a K-9 free air sniff of the motorhome, the dog alerted OHP to the odor of illegal narcotics. Troopers then found 703 vacuumsealed bundles of marijuana.

10/19

Homecoming recognition latest highlight of Aydelott’s ‘rich, full life’ Ask just about any former Sallisaw band member from Bill Aydelott’s teaching era — after all, “everybody in town is a former student” — and they’ll surely and proudly tell you they had a brush with greatness.

But because of Aydelott’s modesty when it comes to talking about himself — “He’s had a rich, full life, but he doesn’t tell it to everybody,” his daughter Dana Dinsmore-Davis says — probably very few of his former band students knew of his brushes with greatness — in the political arena and with entertainment icons.

Aydelott, whose 18 years as Sallisaw’s longest serving band director and 34-year tenure overall at the school were recognized Thursday night at the school’s homecoming ceremonies, all but rubbed elbows with U.S. presidents, vice presidents, First Ladies, foreign leaders, rock groups and even the king.

But those who know Aydelott, 91, aren’t necessarily surprised that they haven’t heard of his encounters with those who became household names. As a matter of fact, it wasn’t that long ago that Dana found out about a couple of those who ventured into his everexpanding sphere of influence. 10/19

For city hotel-motel tax, ‘there really are no cons’ It’s been 15 years since Sallisaw established a city hotel- motel tax, and it has generated an average of almost $111,000 per year during the past five years while enhancing the community’s quality of life.

As far as City Manager Keith Skelton is concerned when weighing the pay-only-when-you-stay pros against the cons, “there really are no cons to this tax.”

Skelton says the 5% tax, which was established in March 2007, “only applies to the hotels within the city limits of Sallisaw. I can tell you that the largest portion of these collections comes from travelers and visitors from out of town.” 10/21

Commissioners OK $4.4 million county budget When Sequoyah County’s budget for fiscal year 2022-23 was approved by commissioners, there was both good news and bad.

The good news is that the commissioners have about $1.2 million in carryover monies from last year’s budget.

The bad news is there’s more money needed this fiscal year to meet estimated needs of county departments than the budget amount the commissioners approved.

“Our monies were up again this year, which is good for us,” District 3 Commissioner Jim Rogers reported to his fellow commissioners.

10/28

Following 8-month stoppage, VA center now ‘back on track’

If it appears that no work has been done for months on the new Sallisaw veterans center, it’s because no work has been done for months on the new facility.

But according to Joel Kintsel, executive director for the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs, that all changed on Oct. 7 after construction resumed on the multi-million-dollar project after an eight-month work stoppage.

“We had a work stoppage due to a dispute with the contractor but that’s been handled, and things are back underway — October 7 we were back up,” Kintsel said. “Technically, the project never stopped, it just slowed down for awhile. The project is back on track and on schedule, and we’re meeting our deadlines, and this is gonna be a great thing for the Sallisaw area and for the Oklahoma veterans that are served by it.” 11/02

King facing additional charges in I-40 shooting Lee B. King, a Dallas, Texas man charged in the July 2021 shooting of two men on I-40, is now facing additional felony charges of maiming and attempted robbery in the first degree.

King, 27, was initially facing a felony charge of maiming and two counts of shooting to kill. He appeared in Sequoyah County District Court on Oct. 31 before District Judge Jeffrey Payton, and is scheduled to appear before him again on Nov. 28, according to court records.

King shot three people on July 17, 2021, in two separate incidents, and was formally charged in Sequoyah County District Court on July 23, 2021.

11/4

Rogers set for jury trial sounding docket Earl W. Rogers of Sallisaw, charged in July with child sexual abuse and pornography following a hit-andrun accident the week prior, has now been set for a Dec. 8 jury trial sounding docket in Sequoyah County District Court.

Rogers, 41, was charged on June 29 with leaving the scene of an accident involving injury, failure to use child restraint system and obstructing an officer. Sequoyah County Court records show Rogers was charged with felony child sexual abuse and pornography on July 5, and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest the same day.

11/16

Sallisaw woman charged with murder

Shawna M. Pratt of Sallisaw was charged in Sequoyah County District Court with felony murder in the first degree after a man reportedly died at her residence in April after an alleged overdose of fentanyl.

Pratt, 43, was charged Nov. 10, and a felony warrant was issued for her arrest the same day, according to court records.

Sallisaw Police officer Herb Hutchinson said on April 7 he was contacted by Lt. Tucker Martins in reference to a possible drug overdose at Pratt’s residence on Elm Street that could have allegedly involved fentanyl.

Outside

11/18

Sallisaw superintendent retires, interim appointed The Nov. 14 meeting of the Sallisaw School Board included a vacant seat belonging to Superintendent Randy Wood, who retired from the position on Oct. 31.

The board’s first order of business was to approve Assistant Superintendent Steve Barrett to serve as interim superintendent. The board rehired Wood at its Dec. 5 meeting. Wood will return as superintendent for the period Jan. 1 through June 30, 2023.

Wood had mentioned a couple of months before that he had plans to soon retire but did not want to complicate his teacher retirement. He said he would

SEE 2022, PAGE A5 retire at the end of October with plans to return after 60 days before retiring completely.

11/29

Couple leaves children unattended in casino parking lot A Sallisaw couple is charged with felony child neglect after they reportedly left three minor children unattended in the parking lot of a local casino while they went in to play.

Joshua K. Wilson, 31, and Rachael Ellisor, 38, were both charged on Nov. 9 in Sequoyah County District Court, and bench warrants were issued for their arrests the same day. They received a $10,000 bond each, and are now scheduled for a Jan. 4, 2023, felony disposition docket before Associate District Judge Kyle Waters.

District Attorney Jack Thorp said if the couple is found guilty of the charge, it is punishable by imprisonment not exceeding life imprisonment, or by confinement in the county jail not exceeding one year, or by a fine of not less than $500 nor more than $5,000, or by both fine and imprisonment.

12/14

Local duo charged with child neglect

A local woman and man have been charged with felony child neglect and possession of both controlled dangerous substance (methamphetamine) and drug paraphernalia following the report of alleged child abuse at a Muldrow residence.

Cristal L. Ragsdale, aka Brown, 35, who has addresses listed in both Sallisaw and Muldrow, and Adam E. Walters, 41, of Muldrow, were charged Dec. 6 in Sequoyah County District Court. Brown is slated for a Dec. 14 felony disposition docket before Associate District Judge Kyle Waters, while Walters is scheduled for an arraignment the same day. Walters received an $11,000 bond, according to court records.

Brown was subsequently charged on Dec. 13 with third-degree burglary and felony grand larceny of at least one vehicle in the parking lot of the Cherokee Casino.

12/14

Cherokees present $1 million for Gans, Roland infrastructure

Christmas came early for Gans and Roland when officials from the Cherokee Nation presented $500,000 each to the two towns, with the funds to be used for infrastructure.

Cherokee Nation Chief Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin and other tribal officials presented the checks to town officials.

The funds will be used to expand and improve the water system for Gans, and rehab the existing water plant and build a new one for Roland.

12/21

Health officials on high alert with ‘tripledemic’ Oklahoma’s “tripledemic” of COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases continues to have health officials on high alert, especially as the holiday season increases opportunities for transmitting the highly infectious diseases. But according to CDC data, the state is in the very high category for the flu, as are surrounding states.

“The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) has seen respiratory season start to ramp up in the state, especially in the last month with influenza,” says Erica Rankin-Riley, spokesperson for the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

Meanwhile, Dr. Dale Bratzler, chief COVID officer at the University of Oklahoma, says that while the state has seen a spike in COVID-19, flu and RSV cases as well as hospitalizations since Thanksgiving, the number of cases has not peaked in the state.

“I think it’s just a matter of time before we see even more cases of influenza in Oklahoma,” Bratzler says. He also warns that “nationally, we’re at the highest level of COVID hospitalizations that we’ve been now for a number of weeks.”

In statistics released in the state’s most recent weekly epidemiological report, Oklahoma accounts for 30,983 per 100,000 persons of cumulative incidence of reported COVID-19 cases.