Thursday, February 29, 2024
No more state grocery tax Claremore Daily Progress, Okla
Feb. 28—An official inking of the first bipartisan tax cut bill to make it to the governor’s desk in years will bring a 4.5% reduction to most Oklahomans’ grocery bills — very soon. Republican Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat and House Speaker Charles McCall, along with Democrat leaders Rep. Cyndi Munson and Sen. Kay Floyd, joined Gov.
Kevin Stitt for the signing of the bill. Only one Republican and one Democrat voted against the measure. Both Republicans and Democrats are hailing this tax cut as a win. “This is going to help all citizens in Oklahoma, regardless of political party,” McCall said. Democrats say lowering taxes on groceries is something they’ve been proposing for a long time. “It is good to see a bipartisan effort,” Floyd said. See Tax on 8
Courtesy of Visit Stillwater A group of fifth-graders from Highland Park Elementary School worked on a visitors’ travel guide for kids and presented their completed project Monday during the Stillwater City Council meeting.
‘For kids, by kids’
Highland Park students create kids’ guide to Stillwater Jessica Marshall Stillwater NewsPress
ated for kids and made by kids. The final product includes the tagline “Stillwater: Where the waters are still and the people are chill!” Thirteen gifted and talented students worked with the Feb. 27—Kids who visit project, but six were present Stillwater with their families will now have their own guide at the City Council meeting to present the final product. The to the City. A group of fifth-graders six students explained how from Highland Park Elementa- they worked with Visit Stillwary School worked on a visitors’ ter to create a guide to the City. The class started the travel guide for kids and preproject by writing to business sented their completed project owners around town, then they Monday during the Stillwater visited each location to experiCity Council meeting. ence it for themselves. After It’s the first guide in returning to class, they worked Stillwater that has been cre-
together to choose pictures, write reviews and complete each page of the guide. They also visited the Stillwater Visitor Center, working with Visit Stillwater Director Cristy Morrison and Director of Sales Nicole Horn. Morrison said the project has been in process for a year and a half. She said the team at Visit Stillwater showed the students how they build the Visit Stillwater guide. “We went through every single step of the process with those 13 students,” Morrison said. “We had a really good time.” See Kids on 7
CEHS professor recognized for undergraduate research Jessica Pearce OSU News The Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities named Dr. Jill Joyce, an associate professor of public health nutrition, the winner of the 2023 Undergraduate Research Mentor Award. The award recognizes leaders who advance human sciences by supporting the next generation of researchers, according to the APLU website. Joyce said the award is a reflection of her passion to support and guide students as they find new ways to serve their communities through public health nutrition research.
“My ‘why’ is to change the world,” Joyce said. “This award affirms that I am fulfilling my ‘why’ for our undergraduate researchers and also helping them to do the same.” Over her six years at Oklahoma State University, Joyce has given her students opportunities to challenge themselves and gain valuable research experience in a supportive environment. She acknowledged the transition from classrooms to labs is not always easy, since many students are scared of failure and struggle when faced with unexpected challenges. “They often come to me terrified of research,” Joyce said. “Research gives me a chance to show them that mis-
takes happen, that things rarely go to plan and that you have to be flexible and sometimes compromise.” Joyce has mentored graduate and undergraduate students, working with them to identify and grow their strengths through research and hands-on experiences. She said her best days are when her students realize how far they have come and learn to welcome challenges. “I tell them that I am going to throw them in the pool, even if they can’t swim, but make sure they have floaties on,” Joyce said. “When students leave my lab, they see tough situations as challenges to tackle and opportunities to grow, not impending failure.” See CEHS on 6
Courtesy of Tribune Content Service Both Republicans and Democrats are hailing this tax cut as a win.