This is the KGOU PM NewsBrief for Wednesday, July 20, 2022.
Oklahoma City reinstates Human Rights Commission
Oklahoma City will have a human rights commission for the first time since the 90s.
The Oklahoma City council voted 5-4 to reestablish a human rights commission on Tuesday. The previous commission was disbanded in 1996 over disagreements about whether to extend protection to LGBTQ+ residents.
Following the police killing of George Floyd in 2020, Mayor David Holt created a task force to plan for a new human rights commission.
The new commission will consist of nine city council suggested and mayor appointed members who will address discrimination complaints.
Holt says commission members will be appointed in the upcoming months.
Sustainability a concern with possible recreational cannabis legalization
In November, voters may have the chance to cast their ballots for or against recreational cannabis. Earlier this month, advocates for State Question 820 submitted more than 164,000 signatures for a statute that would allow adults over 21 to buy and possess up to an ounce of cannabis. More cannabis sales mean more packaging for an industry already drowning in plastic.
With about 10% of the state’s population already carrying a medical card, Oklahoma’s weed industry could see a major uptick in sales if adult-use cannabis laws are implemented.
Taylor Davis is an Edmond resident who recently started a statewide recycling program for cannabis containers. She said at a recent recycling drive if voters approve recreational cannabis, it will reshape Oklahoma’s landfills.
The potential move to recreational could mean big business for the state’s cannabis industry, and it could also mean big problems for the state’s landfills
Wrong-way detection system in testing for Oklahoma’s roads
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is testing a new wrong-way detection system in an effort to make roads safer.
The new system uses thermal cameras which will be able to identify when a vehicle enters an exit ramp in the wrong direction.
ODOT says the system will then activate flashing lights signs that read “wrong-way”. The department is also installing internally lit “Do Not Enter” signage. Officials say the new illuminated signs are easier to see in the dark than traditional reflective signs.
The new wrong-way detection system is being tested on six ramps along I-40 in Eastern Oklahoma. The system is expected to be implemented statewide in the near future as part of a 2.3 million dollar project.
Clemency hearing date rescheduled for Richard Glossip
The clemency hearing date for an Oklahoma death row inmate has been rescheduled. The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted Monday to move the clemency hearing for Richard Glossip to Aug. 23.
Glossip was originally scheduled to appear before the board on Aug. 10. His attorney requested the hearing be moved back due to the recent filing of an appeal.
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