Oklahoma National Guard steps in: A glimpse into ‘eye-opening’ mission at the U.S.-Mexico border

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9 months ago

August 12, 2023

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Oklahoma National Guard steps in: A glimpse into ‘eye-opening’ mission at the U.S.-Mexico border

Sat, 12 Aug 2023 03:03:57 GMT (1691809437708)

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by Payton May

Sat, August 12th 2023, 3:02 AM UTC

Oklahoma National Guard steps in: A glimpse into ‘eye-opening’ mission at the U.S.-Mexico border (KOKH)

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Oklahoma has a teen vaping problem. It’s time to hold the adults who sell to them accountable

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6 hours ago

May 21, 2024

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Oklahoma has a teen vaping problem. It’s time to hold the adults who sell to them accountable

Cynthia Roe
| Guest columnist

Oklahoma has a teen vaping problem. More than 20% of Oklahoma high school students report using e-cigarettes in the last 30 days, compared to 10% of teens nationally. That’s not acceptable. Oklahoma’s children deserve better than a lifetime of addiction to nicotine and the health consequences that come with that.

Last year, the Legislature passed a measure to hold youth accountable when they’re caught purchasing, using or possessing tobacco or vape products. The law calls for an educational course, and then fines if the course is not completed.

It’s time to hold the adults accountable, too. Current law fines the clerk behind the counter for selling to minors but levies no fine against store owners. That should change. Store owners are responsible for training their employees and responsible for what happens in their stores.

This year I authored House Bill 3331 with Sen. Jo Anna Dossett. The bill, which is being considered by the Legislature, would add fines for stores owners in addition to the current fines on clerks. The fines would begin at $250 for the first offense and escalate to $1,000 for the third and subsequent offenses. Repeat offenders could also lose their license to sell tobacco products.

More: Oklahoma ranked No. 3 state for most e-cigarette use, has most residents who vape daily

Vape aerosols contain addictive nicotine and other substances which can lead to irreversible disease and lung damage. The toxic aerosol contains cancer-causing substances, as well as heavy metals like lead and nickel. Nicotine exposure under the age of 25 can damage the developing brain, impacting memory, attention and learning.

Almost 9 out of 10 adults who smoke cigarettes daily say they started before they were 18, so preventing youth from starting is key to tobacco prevention efforts. Flavorful vapes with color packaging and high concentrations of nicotine are Big Tobacco’s way of hooking the next generation of users.

To help store owners, the Oklahoma State Department of Health provides free resources to tobacco retailers and training for employees through their Validate program, all of which is available at ValidateOK.com.

With free training in place, there’s no excuse for any store or employee to sell tobacco or vapes to underage individuals. Still, kids are getting these products from adults, and the adults should be held accountable.

HB 3331 is a step in the right direction. It’s a measure that will protect Oklahoma’s youth from the predatory marketing of Big Tobacco and set our state on a course for better health outcomes in years to come.

Rep. Cynthia Roe is a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives for Oklahoma’s 42nd District.

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Oklahoma National Guard breaks ground on new museum

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13 hours ago

May 21, 2024

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OKC uses Ward 4 as a dumping ground. Here’s a 180° mitigation concept for the new Oklahoma County jail

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20 hours ago

May 20, 2024

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OKC uses Ward 4 as a dumping ground. Here’s a 180° mitigation concept for the new Oklahoma County jail

Larry Hopper
| Guest columnist

As a resident of Ward 4 in Oklahoma City and as a professional land planner, I am offering a site-planning solution that can be part of mitigating the impact of the proposed detention center (jail) on Del City, on neighborhoods in Oklahoma City, and on Ward 4 in general. The SP-588 will be heard by the city council on May 21.

Gist: My proposed “180° Mitigation Treatment” first and foremost controls where detainees can be released by having a key part of the detention center campus turned 180°, having a buffer area along Grand Boulevard, and Oklahoma City closing/fencing SE 22 Street near the SP-588 southern jail entrance.

I have prepared and attached an unpolished handmade concept graphic of the “180° Mitigation Treatment” that modifies exactly what was shown at the Oklahoma City Planning Commission.

The proposed SP-588 jail location and design are just the latest example of the city of Oklahoma City’s pattern and practice of dumping unwanted and undesirable land uses into the edge area of Ward 4, where I have resided over 40 years. Some examples are an asphalt batch plant, car crushing plant, the huge Bryant landfill and more. SP-588 also unacceptably left the western 1/3 of the site vacant for future jail large-scale expansion. There appears to be no legal way to guarantee that detainees would be transported downtown for release, so an urban planning design solution can be the answer.

The proposed design mitigation solution is the “180° Mitigation Treatment” I developed and first transmitted in April to elected officials with Oklahoma City, Del City and the county commissioners.

Opinion: Mid-Del School Board member: There aren’t resources to support the jail at the proposed site.

Del Cityans have a valid set of realistic security, property value and other concerns about the county jail/detention facility being a block from Del City. My preference would be to have the new jail somehow be in the downtown OKC area or part downtown, part outside. However it seems destined to be entirely located at Grand Boulevard.

The rotating of the public parking area, public access and offices/staff-areas by 180° to the west of the jail cell “pods” means the east area is proposed to be replaced by more than a 200-foot-deep green buffer space and an attractively designed concrete wall like those along some highways, both visible along Grand Boulevard. This site plan solution would hide the planned 12-foot-tall Grand Boulevard side’s ugly chain link fence (topped by looping razor wire) behind a wall.

That way, when looked at from the east, the buffer green space and wall keep the jail out of sight, out of mind to youth of all ages. This “180° plan” makes it to where any person released from the jail would have to walk over a half mile to Eastern Avenue, then figure out how to walk over a mile to enter Del City or any other Oklahoma City neighborhood. It is highly unlikely the released detainees would want to walk so far.

This 180° plan recommends various cooperative negotiated agreements to help other fund mitigation measures for the benefit of the impacted city of Del City to be part of the solution for all parties.

More: Del City residents fear a loss of their way of life if a jail is built nearby

Finally, I have been acquainted with and affected by this site for over 50 years now, as I grew up just inside Del City, hiked the site as a boy when it was still an old growth dense woodland, watched as that was chopped down and replaced with a massive public housing project (Hamilton Courts), and went to junior high with kids from there. All that is part of why I became an urban planner, so I want to help.

Larry Hopper is a certified planner and former principal planner and planning manager for the city of Oklahoma City Public Transportation and Parking Department.

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