International
Palmerston, Chief Mouser for Britain’s Foreign Office, passed away at age 12 on Feb. 12.
“Palmerston, Diplocat extraordinaire, passed away peacefully,” Palmerston’s social media account announced last Friday. “He was a wonderful companion, with a gentle nature, and will be sorely missed.”
Born in 2013, the cat was named after Lord Palmerston, a 19th-century foreign secretary and two-time prime minister. He was adopted from the Battersea Cats and Dogs Home in 2016 and got to work defending the Foreign Office’s headquarters in London from vermin.
“Farewell Palmerston, with love and thanks from all your FCDO friends,” the Foreign Office wrote in a social media post.
Palmerston retired to the countryside in 2020, moving overseas in 2025 to live with former Governor of Bermuda Andrew Murdoch.
During his time as Chief Mouser, Palmerston maintained a strong social media presence, amassing nearly 100,000 followers on X, more than the social media accounts of most British ambassadors.
National
Measles outbreaks across the country threaten the United States’ measles elimination status in 2026.
Numbers from 2025 indicate the most annual measles cases since first gaining elimination status from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2000.
The infection continues to spread rapidly in 2026, with confirmed cases already approaching last year’s numbers. More than 800 measles cases have already been recorded across 23 states compared to 2,200 overall by the end of 2025.
A severe outbreak in South Carolina makes up the majority of infections, with 600 confirmed cases.
The increase in confirmed cases aligns with declining vaccination rates and more vaccination exemptions. Vaccination against measles, mumps, and rubella dropped from 95.2% in 2019 to 92.5% in 2024.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told U.S. News & World Report people should keep vaccinating for measles.
“We have a solution for our problem,” Oz said. “Not all illnesses are equally dangerous, and not all people are equally susceptible to those illnesses, but measles is one you should get your vaccine for.”
85% of cases in 2026 affected unvaccinated individuals.
According to the CDC, measles is highly contagious, and often leads to nine out of 10 people in contact contracting the disease.
Local
The Sooners vs. Bulldogs game at Lloyd Noble Center (LNC) last Saturday met with a slight delay when a popcorn machine erupted in flames, causing a small evacuation while the sprinkler system took care of the fire.
Kristian Alexander, a new concessions vendor at LNC spotted the fire between sections 222 and 223.
“I was in there getting some inventory, then I came out and saw the entire popcorn stand on fire,” Alexander told On SI.
Security guards cleared the adjacent sections and reseated fans after the sprinkler system extinguished the flames.
The fire occurred during a planned media timeout, and officials only paused for five minutes before resuming the game.
After the incident, attendance for the night was 7,015 people. LNC’s official capacity is 10,967.
The Sooners defeated the Bulldogs 94-76, marking their second victory in a row this season.
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