DURANT — When Amanda Harrell was growing up in McAlester, Oklahoma, she was unsure what type of education would be available to her or what her family could afford. That humble upbringing started her on a path that led to her being named 2019-2020 Top Psychiatric Nurse of the Year for Oklahoma.

OKLAHOMA CITY — State Commissioner of Health Dr. Lance Frye issued the following statement regarding the recent COVID-19 case numbers: “Today’s significant rise in COVID-19 case numbers is alarming and we call on all Oklahomans to take immediate action to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The Oklahoma Living Choice Program assists Oklahomans wanting to transition out of a nursing home and back into a residence of their own. To date, the program has helped transition more than 800 residents back into their communities and have saved the state nearly $8.5 million in rebalancing funds.

• Expansion of the Coronavirus Food Assistance program began Sept. 21 President Donald J.

A new Oklahoma CareerTech certification exam will help veterinary assistants show they have the skills they need to care for the state’s animal population. CareerTech is working with the Oklahoma Veterinary Medical Association to offer veterinary assistant certification for individuals completing the OVMA Certified Veterinary Assistant Program.

Native American Heritage month began last week with a virtual weekly celebration. On each Tuesday beginning at 10 a.m., there will be a celebration held on Facebook. There are weekly giveaways with participation. The Choctaw Cultural Center is featured and instructions will be provided on the page for the giveaway entries.

After enjoying high temperatures in the 70s this past weekend, we will be in the mid- to upper-60s for mid-to-late week. There will be several nights this week with clear skies and temperatures dropping to the low 40s. It looks like we could have some more days in the 70s coming between Nov. 16 and Nov. 20 of the month. A thunderstorm could come back to the forecast around Friday night.