(TULSA, Okla.) Early voting is now open to all registered voters who have not returned an absentee ballot. Starting Thursday, February 29, eligible Tulsa County voters can cast their ballots at the Tulsa Fairgrounds Fair Meadows Building located at 4609 E. 21st Street. 
Early voting hours are 8 AM to 6 PM on February 29 and March 1 and 8 AM to 2 PM on March 2. 
Tulsa Transit has even agreed to provide everyone free fare on Friday to help eligible voters get to the polls.
The Tulsa County Election Board has outlined acceptable forms of ID, including those issued by the US, the State of Oklahoma, or federally recognized tribal governments, as long as they show the voter's name, photograph, and an expiration date that must come after Election Day.
For those using absentee ballots, mailed absentee ballots must reach the Tulsa County Election Board by 7:00 PM on Election Day; hand-delivered absentee ballots must arrive by 5:00 PM on the day before the election. Voters can only hand-deliver their own ballots and must present valid ID.
Senate Bill 376 has recently expanded options for ‘physically incapacitated’ voters, allowing them to hand-deliver their ballots in a Pink Affidavit Envelope.
As the Presidential Primary Election Day approaches (March 5, 2024), voters are encouraged to familiarize themselves with their polling locations and sample ballots. 
Polls will be open from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM on Election Day. 
For more information, visit <a href="https://oklahoma.gov/elections.html" target="_blank">https://oklahoma.gov/elections.html</a>

Oklahoma

Early Voting Opens in Tulsa for Presidential Primary Election

Cait Medearis

(CANBY, Ore.) In the fall of 2020, Dr. David Blunck’s parents received an evacuation notice due to a fire approaching their home in Canby, Oregon. When Blunck arrived to check on them, he noticed their well-watered grass could make it hard for a fire to make it to the home–but he also knew that the embers from a fire, called 'firebrands,' can be picked up by wind and travel.
“People just don’t think about firebrands as a major driver of fire spread," Dr. Blunck explains. "I’m just as susceptible as everyone else to think, ‘Oh, it won’t happen here.’”
Blunck’s firebrand research is now used to help predict wild firebrand behavior. It involves lab experiments and simulations using a small-scale wind tunnel to help him see how various firebrands from different trees act among temperature and wind changes.
He says it's every homeowner’s responsibility to take steps to keep their home safe from firebrands, and decided he needed to share his research in order to help people do just this.
According to Blunck, homeowners should remove leaves from their roofs, replace bark dust or dry grass with gravel, and keep homes properly ventilated–especially with screens on windows, which can stop the progression of firebrands within a home.
“The bigger challenge is being disciplined enough to consistently address these issues," he says.
Dr. Blunck’s advice is for homeowners to do a safety audit of their home at least once every Spring, and to clean up around their property and re-check it every month or two during fire season.

United States of America

Oregon

Oregon Professor's Research May Help Protect Homes During Wildfire Season

Photo Courtesy: Echo Reed/Osage News
(OSAGE NATION) Martin Scorsese’s latest blockbuster, Killers of the Flower Moon, has made waves with its star-studded cast that includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Brendan Fraser, to name a few. But for many Osages, the value of the film lay in its ties to cultural history. 
So much so, in fact, that Osage News and KOSU have launched an Osage County bus tour dedicated to the film, its shooting locations, and its stars, starting in Pawhuska. The tour takes off on February 3rd at noon; $40 will get ticket holders access to the tour as well as a traditional Osage dinner.
“We wanted to provide a unique, curated experience for those interested in the book and film, Killers of the Flower Moon,” explained Osage News editor Shannon Shaw Duty. “Educating the community about the Reign of Terror, and educating the public about the Osage cultures in Fairfax and Pawhuska felt necessary and important. The Osage people may never get this type of exposure again, so we felt we needed to seize the moment.”
When KOSU asked Shaw Duty if Osage News would want to partner up for the bus tour, it was a no-brainer–not only when it comes to recognizing the Osage locations used in the film, but also regarding the celebration of an Osage actor’s Golden Globe nomination.
“The importance of Lily Gladstone being nominated for her portrayal of an Osage woman in a leading role is huge,” Shaw Duty noted. “If she wins, she'll be the first Indigenous actress to win ‘best actress’ at the Golden Globes, which is historical.”
Shaw Duty also explains that Osage locals have been requesting a celebration of this sort since the film first premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May. Now, she sees this as an opportunity for not only those in Osage Nation to come together, but also as a way for visitors to participate in this important recognition of Indigenous culture and talent.
“Many Osages far and wide take ownership of this film, some don't, but for those who have wanted to celebrate the film's success, I thought we could give them a place to do that, locally,” Shaw Duty added. “I used to host Oscars watch parties and I thought, ‘How fun would that be–to give everyone a chance to get dressed up, eat some great food, and together watch as, hopefully, history is made!”
For tickets to the Osage Killers of the Flower Moon bus tour, click <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/killers-of-the-flower-moon-bus-tour-tickets-777905746027" target="_blank">here</a>. 
For tickets to the Golden Globes Watch Party, click <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/golden-globes-watch-party-tickets-780107260817?aff=ebdsshcopyurl&amp;utm-campaign=social&amp;utm-content=attendeeshare&amp;utm-medium=discovery&amp;utm-source=&amp;utm-term=organizer-profile&amp;utm-share-source=organizer-profile" target="_blank">here</a>.

Tickets on sale now for ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Bus Tour, Golden Globes Watch Party

MAUI COUNTY, Hawaii - Lahaina town on Maui is still struggling to recover from the devastating wildfires that wreaked havoc across the island’s west side.
As of Friday, more than a hundred people have been pronounced dead, with hundreds more deemed missing by the FBI. VNN spoke with a Lahaina local whose family luckily survived the disaster–although her family home did not.
“They didn’t realize what the evacuation was for,” said Ashley Probst, who was raised in Lahaina. “My dad was under the impression that they were being evacuated due to dangers of smoke inhalation, not thinking that the fire was threatening our home or the whole neighborhood.”
Probst’s family was able to grab a few belongings from the home they’ve lived in for decades, with the largest item being a crate for their dog. They evacuated to Probst’s apartment in Wailuku.
“We didn’t know if our house was gone,” Probst explained. “We were really hoping–but we finally saw the aerial footage the day after that we found out our house had been turned to rubble, essentially.”
Probst says she and her family have been doing their best to stay positive, but losing their long-term home so suddenly has been nearly impossible to process.
“At least around each other, we’ve been putting on a brave face and we also acknowledge the gratitude that we’re all alive, because that’s not the case for a lot of people,” she added. “But it was just the realization that a piece of my childhood is gone.”
Although emergency personnel chose not to sound Maui’s tsunami sirens due to the fear of residents evacuated into the mountains, where the fires were rampant, Probst says she knows the people of Lahaina would have made smart decisions about escaping the area. She also says she doesn’t understand why text messages alerts were sent when most Lahaina residents had little to no cell phone reception that day.
“It does feel like we’ve been overlooked in a way, mainly because it’s been the grassroot efforts of residents taking care of people on the west side,” said Probst. “That’s the main reason that I feel our people have been able to make it through this situation.” 
When asked how she feels about tourists continuing to visit Lahaina, Probst’s answer is clear.
“No–West Maui is closed,” she said. “Lahaina is decimated, there’s nothing left to see there, and I've already seen videos of tourists taking photos with the ‘Lahaina Town’ sign, which feels so disgusting to me. The other residents of West Maui are in survival mode, and we don’t know how long they’re going to be in survival mode.”
For now, Probst says it makes sense for tourists to visit other parts of Maui in order to keep the local economy boosted, but Lahaina needs time to heal. She also says she knows her hometown will come back from this, as she’s seen West Maui locals coming together like never before to help distribute donations, food, and medication–even doing so by boat when roads have been blocked. 
“When the residents in Maui put their minds to something, they’re unstoppable,” noted Probst. “And I think that that’s going to apply to this rebuilding process that we’re all very determined to make happen.”

Cait Medearis

Early Voting Opens in Tulsa for Presidential Primary Election

Oregon Professor's Research May Help Protect Homes During Wildfire Season

Tickets on sale now for ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Bus Tour, Golden Globes Watch Party

Lahaina Locals Work to Recover from Catastrophic Wildfires