Teen Vaping Rates
National health experts say Oklahoma high schoolers are vaping at rates higher than their peers in other states as e-cigarette sales increase across the U.S.
One in five Oklahoman high schoolers vape regularly. However, that number has decreased since 2019.
Overall, about 10% of Oklahomans were vaping in 2020.
A CDC report says young people in the U.S. are more likely to use e-cigarettes than adults.
In an attempt to slow the rate of teens who do smoke, the FDA started a policy increasing enforcement against unauthorized fruit and mint flavored cigarettes. The agency says the flavors appeal to children.
Flavored disposable vapes are the most common e-cigarette among middle and high school students.
Three Projects Get Federal Boost In Funding
The Biden administration is providing funding for three community-led infrastructure projects in Oklahoma.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg announced the grants on Wednesday as part of the Rebuilding AmericanInfrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program, also known as RAISE.
The grants amount to more than $36 million.
Out of those funds, more than $5 million will go to the OKC Moves Facilities Implementation Project, $25 million for Project Ilhkoli Falummi, and more than $5 million will go to Reconnecting Broken Arrow: Planning for Multimodal Improvements project.
These projects are aimed at increasing pedestrian traffic, bettering access to housing developments, and improvements to the Broken Arrow Expressway.
RAISE is dedicated to improving and repairing transportation infrastructure for communities in need in an effort to encourage private sector manufacturing and clean energy investments in the United States.
Tulsa Vs. Hooper Case
The City of Tulsa was arguing that it should have the ability to prosecute Native Americans in the wake of the McGirt decision because of a pre-statehood law.
But the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the city’s argument Wednesday.
In 2018, Justin Hooper, a Choctaw citizen, was fined $150 for speeding and he paid that.
But after the 2020 landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in McGirt v Oklahoma, he challenged it and said he was not tried in the right court because he was caught speeding within the Muscogee Reservation reservation.
The City of Tulsa says it could prosecute him because of a pre statehood law that gave them potential jurisdiction.
The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver rejected that argument.
Cherokee Nation Attorney General Sara Hill filed an amicus brief in the case.
"The Laws that were set up for a very specific time to handle a very specific circumstance, and that those ended that circumstance ended at statehood. And and so did this authority that Tulsa is attempting to rely on here," said Hill.
The City of Tulsa says it's reviewing the opinion and evaluating next steps.
Summer Cookout Prices Slightly Cheaper This Year
Celebrating the Fourth of July with an outdoor barbeque is cheaper than last year, but not by much. That’s according to a new American Farm Bureau Federation survey.
Oklahomans can expect to spend about $67 to feed ten people at this year’s summer cookouts, which is down 3% from last year’s record highs.
But food costs are still 14% higher than just two years ago.
Roger Cryan is the American Farm Bureau’s Chief Economist. He says the organization’s survey shows food like beef, hamburger buns and potato salad saw price increases.
“Factors that impacted some of the increases included drought across the Midwest, which increased the cost of feed for cattle, and it drove up the price of ground beef. Poor weather also led to a smaller potato crop this year and overall inflation is driving up the cost of processed foods like hamburger buns," said Cryan.
Meanwhile, the survey found drops in the cost of chicken breasts, lemonade and cookies.
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