THUMBS UP — Gov. Kevin Stitt struck an optimistic note with Legislators Monday in his annual State of the State Address, which traditionally kicks off the start of the legislative session. “Throughout this past year Oklahomans rose to the challenge – as individuals, as families and as neighbors. We made sacrifices, we took care of our most vulnerable, we shifted, we innovated, but we were not defeated. We successfully opened our economy on June 1 and safely restarted most schools in August. It appears now other states are waking up to the stark reality of double-digit unemployment, huge budget deficits and the fact that our kids are safer at school than anywhere else. They’re realizing we took the smart approach in Oklahoma to open. Oklahoma faced the same decisions as every other state. I’ve kept my promise to follow the data and make the right decisions for Oklahoma at the right time. And now we are months and months ahead of other states.”