News

Confirmed coronavirus cases had reached 322 statewide Friday, with cases reported in 38 counties, all of which now fall under Gov. Kevin Stitt’s amended executive order last week ordering the closure of nonessential businesses through April 16.

Disruptions and distractions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic must not be allowed to keep Oklahomans from participating in the 2020 Census, officials said.Oklahoma’s current individual response rate of 25.2% is lower than the national rate of 28.1%. Kingfisher County’s response rate, at 21.

Two Kingfisher residents were recently awarded academic scholarships by Oklahoma Baptist University for the 2020-21 academic year. They include Emma Barnett and Lydia Storm. Barnett and Storm received the Trustees’ Academic Scholarship.

David Fuksa’s Grade Work Construction Co. crew took advantage of the good weather Wednesday and worked to repair a leak in the concrete wall on the west side of the walking trail at Hennessey’s Bull Foot Park on south U.S. 81. The repair quote was $42,816 and approved by the town board in January.

With a vote on Thursday, the high school sports careers of thousands of Oklahoma seniors came crashing to a halt. The OSSAA board of directors voted unanimously to cancel the 2020 spring sports season in the state.

A likely coronavirus exposure reported Friday on an Oklahoma City TV news broadcast has sent a judge, an attorney and a court reporter into self-quarantine and virtually sealed off one wing of the Kingfisher County Courthouse.

Although the writing is on the wall that public school students will not return to the classroom this year, local school districts can’t finalize plans for how instruction will continue until after the state board of education meets Wednesday.

With spring break over and the first full week of emergency school shutdowns starting Monday, districts looked for creative ways to keep students fed while enforcing social distancing. In Kingfisher, local churches banded together to help fill the gap. Bagged lunches are distributed from 11:30 a.m.

The city of Kingfisher has created a system to identify specific community needs during the state of emergency and share that information with public and private resources.

Wheatheart Nutrition Project Inc. will no longer be serving communal meals at the Kingfisher Masonic Lodge but will be delivering meals to seniors. “We will continue to feed our seniors as long as we can get the supplies needed,” Linda Biby, Wheatheart secretary, said.