Its an issue that dates back almost a decade.

Tulsa police found 4,000 untested sexual assault kits in 2017. 2 News reported by 2024, 2000 of those tested.

WATCH: BACKLOG PROGRESS: TPD down to 680 untested sexual assault exams

But, the backlog really piled up for TPD's forensics lab team in 2019.

Any backlog is unacceptable in our eyes," said TPD's Director of Forensics Lab Jon Wilson. When legislation was passed that all sexual assault kits had to be tested however it didnt give us any resources to carry out those additional tests."

The good news is Wilson said theyre down to about 680 exams that still need to be tested as of July 2026.

Wilson explained before 2019, not every sexual assault exam made it to the lab or needed to be tested because of things like a suspect admitting to a crime, and DNA evidence not being necessary.

He said their caseload doubled when the law changed, requiring every exam be tested within 30 days.

The struggle, Wilson said, is they dont have the hands to do all the work on top of additional cases coming in daily. Though, Wilson said they've tried shifting resources to make up for their gap.

Weve hired additional personnel off of federal grants that have allowed us more analysts that have since transitioned into a city position when those become available," said Wilson. "Weve moved positions from other sections into DNA to try to get additional personnel in that section to help out.

Wilson said it all comes down to having the extra analysts to help that backlog keep dwindling.

While he knows this isn't easy for the survivors, to have no other option but to wait, Wilson says his team is working as quickly as they can.

Everybody wants to get these cases out as quickly as possible," said Wilson. "They want to help the victims, they want to help the investigations, they want to continue to decrease the workload because its stressful for them."

Without additional personnel added to help work through the remaining 680 cases, Wilson said his team could have another year or more to go to get all caught up.

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Shoppers in Broken Arrow are sharing their concerns on Facebook after they spotted a 1% infrastructure fee on their receipts at the new Adams Creek Town Center.

2 News Oklahoma reached out to developers to understand what this fee covers.

WATCH: Shoppers question 1% infrastructure fee at Adams Creek Town Center in Broken Arrow

Ronda Butler shared her thoughts online.

It does seem to me that the developers are kind of double dipping because, from what I read," Butler said. "They're getting money from the city in the form of a TIF, and they're also getting money from the stores on what they're selling. So, it sounds to me like the developers are the only ones benefiting.

City Manager Michael Spurgeon released a statement following the online discourse.

Shoppers still had questions following Spurgeon's statement, like general information about the fee and why the development group is imposing it.

In the end, it had to be a big money maker for them to decide to build it," Butler said. "So yeah, it's a big cost to build, and yes, we appreciate that, but don't make us pay for it.

Parke Development Group said this in a statement.

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This fall, Tulsa will be home to a school like weve never seen: all AI, no traditional teachers.

Its called Alpha School.

WATCH: No traditional teachers: a look at Tulsas AI school  

Alpha is a Kindergarten through 8

grade school set to open at 109 N. Detroit for 25-30 families.

Heres how it works: four core classes on the computer in a two-hour time frame.

Guides, rather than teachers, monitor the class.

Co-founder Mackenzie Price calls it a one-on-one mastery-based tutoring experience.

It meets them at the exact level and pace that they are at, and as a result, our students are able to do so well on their academics in a much shorter period of time, said Price. That frees up the rest of the school day to focus on developing life skills by doing group and project-based workshops.

Those project-based workshops could be teaching anything from socialization and leadership to financial literacy and public speaking.

2 News Oklahoma asked whether AI works with the students if they are having trouble in a subject.

From an academic perspective, we're using a learning platform that is powered by artificial intelligence, that is able to very precisely and accurately assess what a student knows and doesn't know, and then builds out a personalized lesson plan that's based on the same curriculum that students in a traditional classroom are getting, but it is then fed to a student at the level and pace that matches that student's ability, said Price.

Price maintains this is not a substitute for human interaction.

We are able to provide our students with more time to connect with each other, and more time to connect with the adults in the classroom, our guides, said Price. In fact, our students spend less time on computer screens than the average student in the United States is spending in a traditional classroom.

The school comes at a cost: $40,000 a year, more than double the going rate of other Tulsa-area private schools.

According to Oklahoma Watch, Alpha is not eligible for Oklahomas private school tax credit program.

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One person has been taken to the hospital after a fire at Tulsa's Edenwood Apartments.

Crews were called about a fire on the second floor, and they found heavy smoke and flames when they arrived.

The fire was under control in ten minutes.

The American Red Cross is helping one adult and seven children after the fire damaged at least one unit.

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North Tulsa leaders say they still have concerns about early voting access after the Tulsa County Election Board announced plans to add a third location before the November general election.

On June 5, 2 News Oklahomas Isabel Flores reported on concerns from North Tulsa residents who said they did not have a convenient place to vote early.

WATCH: North Tulsa leaders continue push for accessible early voting site

The election board announced that the new site would serve communities in Turley, Collinsville, Skiatook and parts of Owasso. However, officials have not announced its exact location or opening date.

Tulsa City Councilwoman Vanessa Hall-Harper said community leaders would continue speaking out.

Im not surprised, but at the same time, we are not going to stop voicing our concerns, Hall-Harper said.

The new location will not be available for the Aug. 25 election. Until it opens, voters will have to use existing early voting locations in Tulsa or Broken Arrow.

State Sen. Regina Goodwin said the election boards announcement did not provide enough clarity or address the needs of densely populated areas in North Tulsa.

We dont know what that means. Its not definitive. It does not serve densely populated areas, Goodwin said.

Leaders said North Tulsa residents should have the same opportunity to vote early as people in other parts of Tulsa County, regardless of which election is on the ballot.

Hall-Harper said the issue centered on equal access to voting.

Its about access, and anything otherwise is voter suppression, Hall-Harper said.

2 News will provide the new location and opening date when the election board announces them.

The Tulsa County Election Board sent this statement:

"At the Tulsa County Election Board our mission is to provide safe, secure, fair and accurate elections.

Oklahoma law only requires one early voting site per county. For years, we have operated two early voting sites in our county for the benefit of our early voters.

The process and criteria for selecting early voting sites is lengthy and must be considered for the benefit of all Tulsa County voters who wish to participate.

While election day precinct sites are designed for convenience at your nearby precinct, early voting sites are not designed for a particular precinct, district or location. Rather the early voting sites are chosen to be accessible for all 400,000 registered voters from all 251 precincts. The criteria for early voting sites are centered around accessibility, size and security with special consideration for long lines of traffic that wont clog nearby neighborhoods and intersections. Inasmuch as possible we try to locate them near major highways for accessibility and away from neighborhoods and busy intersections for the good of all citizens.

For decades, the Tulsa County Election Board served at our North Denver downtown location and only recently moved to a new location out of necessity due to a critical lack of space. Planning has been underway since long before our move to open a third early voting location for the first time in our history.

This requires us to utilize every resource available to us in terms of staffing, training and equipment to be ready in time for the November election, and we are confident that we can accomplish that goal.

The decisions we make at our Election Board will always be driven by our mission to serve all of Tulsa County, and that mission will always remain the same."

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Marching band season is here, which overlaps with Oklahoma's hottest time of the year. The Pride of Owasso is in its first week of practice, which requires hours of daily work out on the astroturf.

It's hot, it's sweaty, but we got water, said the head drum major, Max Walker. They give us breaks where we're off on the sideline drinking water all the time. We encourage hats, sunglasses, sunscreen. And we're all here together, so there's a sense of camaraderie.

WATCH: How local marching bands are handling serious summer heat

Brady Hollon, the director of band operations for the Pride of Owasso, intentionally schedules outdoor practices early in the morning and moves them inside after 10 AM as the heat builds. They even have their own weather station on-site so they can monitor the growing danger in real time.

The most important thing we use is the wet bulb, and so we have guidelines from the OSSAA about when the wet bulb is within a certain range, there's a certain amount of time that we can be up and practicing, and there's a certain amount of time that the kids need to be down for water breaks, said Hollon.

It is now standard for marching band directors to use the wet bulb globe temperature. This is a more inclusive measure of the heat than the heat index, which just accounts for temperature and humidity.

The wet bulb globe temperature also factors in the sun angle, the amount of cloud cover, and the wind speeds, which play a role in how hot your body feels.

Hollon says band leaders are constantly walking among the students looking for physical signs of heat stress.

They have been trained to respond immediately to anyone who may be suffering from hot weather.

The first thing is either get them down on the ground or off the field, said Hollon. And then get them to shade and water. And weve got a water refilling station at the corner of the field, but we also have this building behind you, which is an athletic trainer building, so it's air conditioned. If we need to get a kid inside, we just go right in there.

Beyond frequent hydration breaks, band leaders guide parents to have their kids eat appropriate breakfast foods, hydrate around the clock and wear light-colored and lightweight clothing.

If they're not up and active and acclimated during June and July, then these first few days can be challenging for them, but they've mostly done pretty well this year, emphasized Hollon.

As they continue to refine their show and the seasons change, the band has protocols to safely respond to thunderstorms, cold snaps, or whatever else Mother Nature throws their way.

To see what conditions lie ahead for the Tulsa area, click here.

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Less than one week after Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols announced the closure of the Tulsa Municipal Jail, Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler has called on the OSBI to investigate the deaths of seven inmates over the past three years at the facility.

The reports were given to Kunzweiler's office, which showed that TPD's homicide division was called following each death to document.

None of the investigations show that a request for prosecution was made or warranted, the statement said. None of the death reports were previously forwarded to Kunzweiler's office.

WATCH: Tulsa County DA calls on OSBI to investigate seven deaths at Tulsa Municipal Jail

However, Kunzweiler believes that the number of deaths over three years warrants an outside investigation from another agency.

Because of the OSBI referral, the Tulsa County DA's office said it will not comment on any specific details.

Later on July 29, City of Tulsa responded to 2 News' request for comment on the district attorney's office request for OSBI investigations:

Tulsa Police Department did not return 2 News' request for comment by late July 29.

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The legal battle between Vesta Realty and YSA continues, leaving thousands of tenants in the dark.

A recent court order has reaffirmed that YSA has taken ownership of the following properties:

The remaining properties remain under the control of Vesta Realty and Marc Kulick.

If you live at one of the ten listed properties, you have been instructed to pay the August rent to YSA/Capital Assets.

Tulsa City Council is hosting an informational session on July 30 at 6:30 pm at LIFE Senior Services at the Roma Berry Center, 4821 S. 72nd East Avenue.

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As we continue to battle dangerous heat this week, EMSA is reminding people to stay safe.

Paramedics responded to 13 heat-related calls on Tuesday, and seven were taken to the hospital. Since July 1, EMSA has responded to 159 heat-related calls. 104 patients were taken to the hospital.

WATCH: EMSA: Heat-related calls on the rise, how to stay safe in the heat

Cooling centers are located at:

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When you call 911, you rely on an ambulance to get to you. Even if youre covered with insurance, a typical ride can cost $800. Without insurance, youre looking at $1,650.

To reduce those expenses, Tulsa residents can enroll in EMSAcare or change membership status, beginning August 1

.

It covers out-of-pocket expenses for emergency ambulance transports to the ER, even if youre not insured.

Think of the cost of care, like a cup of coffee.

The monthly EMSAcare membership fee is $5.45, which is added to your water bill.

Enrollment ends August 31. You can learn more here.

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