The Bartlesville Chamber of Commerce Awards and Gala was originally set to take place in May. It has since been rescheduled for Thursday, August 20th at the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown Bartlesville. Chamber of Commerce President Sherri Wilt says she always enjoys being able to recognize hard working businesses in the community.


Wilt says those who don't feel like interacting with others because of COVID-19 should stay home, but adds that it is important for businesses to begin opening back up.


To ensure safety for guests, temperature checks will be required and hand sanitizer will be provided at each table. Registration is now open. For more information, go to bartlesville.com.

The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry is reporting that Oklahoman's have received a number of unsolicited seeds from foreign countries.


Seeds are sent in packages, usually stating the contents inside is jewelry. This is known as, “agriculture smuggling.” The items may appear to be harmless, but there is a potential of hidden threats in the seeds that could threaten U.S. agriculture and natural resources. Unsolicited seeds could be anything from harmful to livestock, invasive and even introduce diseases to plants.


If you have already opened a package such as this, put the seeds and all other contents in a Ziploc bag. Then write your name and city on the outside of that bag. You should then write an email to morgan.vance@ag.ok.gov to report your location and notify the person that you received the package.


If the seeds have already been planted, you should dig up the seeds or the sprout, knock off the excess soil, double-bag the contents and place them in a box. Write your name on the box and dispose of the box in one of three ways. You may either send the package to the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Service, drop them off in person at that location or stop by your local county extension office. For more information, you may call the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry at 405-522-5971.

The Washington County Health Department will be holding its back to school immunization clinic on Thursday, August 6th from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.


A chart of your child's shot history will be required. It is recommended that you call ahead of time to ensure availability. Masks will be mandatory when entering the building. Only one adult and one child will be allowed inside the building per family. All other family members will have to wait outside until it is their turn. The Washington County Health Department is located at 5121 Jacquelyn Ln. in Bartlesville. For more information, you can call 918-335-3005.


The Osage County Health Department is holding a clinic through Friday. To enter the health department, you will have you temperature checked at the door and screened for symptoms. These immunizations are being conducted by appointment only. To schedule an appointment, call 918-287-3740. The Osage County Health Department is located at 1115 E. 15th Street in Pawhuska.

This coming Monday, Barnsdall Superintendent Jeff Lay will present a finalized plan for the students to return to school safely at its regularly scheduled board meeting.
Much like other area schools, Barnsdall is offering multiple plans for student enrollment, including full-time participation at school, a blended learning model and at-home distance learning. Students have automatically been enrolled into the traditional model of learning. If parents or guardians would like to enroll their son or daughter in the other two models, they should contact their respective principal to discuss what choice best fits that child.
The current plan is to start school on Monday, August 17th, which is a delay of one week from the original start date. Given that there are no disruptions throughout the school year, the last day of school will be on Thursday, May 13th. A revised calendar shows eight Fridays included in the school schedule, which will be used as virtual days.
A “return to learn” plan is available on the Barnsdall Public Schools Facebook Page and feedback is encouraged, as that final plan will not be released until Monday’s meeting. That meeting will take place at 7 p.m. for those interested in attending.  

For students attending Dewey Public Schools, there has been a slight change in the enrollment process.
For those in middle school, students won’t be given a Google Chromebook. Families will now fill out paperwork and the laptops will be handed out on the first day of school. This is because the school has to do some extra disinfecting at the school and getting new cases for the devices.
High school students should complete some of the enrollment process prior to picking up your schedule next week. There is a link on the Dewey Schools Facebook Page in which you can do this. There is also a Chromebook protection plan in which you can choose from.   
For students enrolled in the Johnson O’ Malley Program before April 20th, school supplies can be picked up at the elementary school on Monday, August 10th and Tuesday, August 11th from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Legal guardians must be on hand to pick up the supplies, which will be delivered to your respective vehicle. If school supplies have been ordered online, they will be delivered to your respective school. Students can pick these supplies up on the first day of school.   

The deadline to complete the United States census has been extended through October 31st. Just because citizens have extra time to complete the form doesn't mean they shouldn't go ahead and finish it. To do so, you may go to my2020census.gov or call 1-844-330-2020. All door-to-door field operations have been suspended until further notice.


In the tri-county area, Washington County has the highest response rate of 64.3 percent, while Nowata County trails with just under 50 percent of its households responding and 45 percent of those living in Osage County have responded. For the state of Oklahoma, the average response rate has been 57.2 percent and the national average sits at just under 63 percent. Kathy Tippin with the Census Bureau explains why it is so important to fill out this year's census.


Every person living in your home as of April 1st, 2020 should be counted when filling out the census. 

The Board of Osage County Commissioners signed a release and waiver of liability in relation to a temporary wall between the Bighill Furniture Store and the Robert Clark Family Health Clinic. This means the county no longer owns responsibility if something were to happen with that wall.
Now that the Bighill Furniture Store has been torn down, some are beginning to turn their attention to the Johnson Building in Fairfax and what should happen with it. After being inspected months ago, it is believed that the basement of this building is filled with water. District three commissioner Darren McKinney says the person responsible for moving forward with this project hasn’t been in contact with the commissioners, though.
The Bighill Furniture Store has been completely demolished.  

The Dance Maker Academy has begun selling tickets for their performance, “Variations From Swan Lake.” The show will take place at the Constantine Theatre and only 250 tickets will be sold because of social distancing guidelines. To purchase these tickets, get in contact with the Dance Maker Academy.
They will perform three shows on the weekend of Saturday, August 8th. There will be a matinee and evening show on Saturday and 3 p.m. production on Sunday. Tickets will cost $5 for adults and $2 for children.
The Dance Maker Academy has been holding Dance Camps all over Osage County throughout the summer. For more information on tickets or to participate in the academy, call 918-704-4668.  

There will be a COVID-19 drive-thru testing event this Wednesday in Skiatook starting at 8:30 a.m. Osage Nation Health Services will be hosting this clinic in the parking lot of the Skiatook Intermediate Elementary School, which is located at 200 W. Oak St.
All tribal members living in the Skiatook area are eligible, along with non-tribal spouses. Participants need to bring a valid photo ID, tribal membership card, be 18 years or older, or be accompanied by a legal guardian. There will be two tests per vehicles. No appointment is needed for the test and you don’t have to be symptomatic to receive the test.
Osage Nation Health Services will have two types of testing in which to choose from. The nasal swab will let the individual know if he or she is currently infected with COVID-19. The antibody test will identify antibodies in the blood to let them know if they had previously been infected by the coronavirus and could now possibly be immune to COVID-19.  

Help Works Inc. is the only non profit organization in Osage County that helps adults with intellectual disabilities find employment, provide housing and assist in other ways as needed. Because the government has changed its regulations, they must become a commercial property. This is why they were at Monday's commissioner meeting looking for a donation of land from the county. Hunter Hansen talks about the recent changes.


Hansen says the group has been very integrated into the community, assisting with various fundraisers throughout the year. Tara Hendrenexplains what their vision for the future is.


The county owns property in the middle of where Help Works has purchased all of this land. The purchase of that land would make them a commercial property and allow them to stay as a non profit organization. District one commissioner Randall Jones said they would need to look into this further.


Everything on that property would be removable campsites.