Del City Hires Law Firms To Fight Proposed Oklahoma County Jail
The city of Del City is continuing its battle against the construction of a new jail that would be located next to the city.
Last month, Oklahoma County commissioners selected land at 1901 E Grand Blvd. as the site for the new Oklahoma County Jail.
Now, Del City is fighting back. Mayor Floyd Eason said on social media that the city has hired three law firms to challenge the jail's proposed location.
Eason says other communities were successfully removed from consideration following studies that examined the proximity to schools and neighborhoods, but he feels his city has not been treated fairly.
"The same criteria has not applied to us. We’ve been removed from the list three times, but we’re the only one that keeps coming back," said Eason.
There will be a town hall meeting in Del City next Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Community Center to discuss ideas and strategies with citizens.
Authorities have not yet purchased the property, and the OKC City Council still needs to approve rezoning the land.
The city of Oklahoma City issued a statement Wednesday:
“A special permit application for the proposed Oklahoma County jail facility was filed with the City of Oklahoma City on Thursday, March 14. We are required to mail notices to property owners within 300 feet of the proposed special permit boundary at least 20 days before the Planning Commission meeting. We are moving the request through the process.”
Oklahoma Senate Stands Firm: No More Tax Cuts as Budget Negotiations Loom
Oklahoma Senators have an approved budget proposal and are ready for negotiations with their colleagues across the rotunda, but the Senate won’t consider more tax cuts.
Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat says his chamber won’t even entertain measures further cutting taxes. He said the Senate delivered on its promised grocery tax relief and that's where reducing state revenue will stop.
"I'm proud that we helped get the grocery tax cut done, passed and signed into law. And now we're about doing the business of making sure that we balance the budget," Treat said.
Treat points out the chamber across rotunda has yet to put forward its budget plan, and therefore denied the public a chance to see the budget process in action.
He said he’ll make things more transparent himself. Not only will the Senate’s budgeting process be in public view, but as the House negotiates, he’ll share their position on budgeting matters broadly as well.
Oklahoma Tribal Leaders Oppose Bill Shielding Poultry Farmers from Pollution Lawsuits
Oklahoma Tribal Nation leaders are asking the legislature not to move forward with a bill that would shield some poultry farmers from lawsuits, even if they pollute streams, rivers or lakes.
Eastern Oklahoma has struggled with water pollution from chicken poop for decades.
Under current law, people affected could sue the poultry operation it came from.
But Rep. David Hardin’s House Bill 4118 would change the law that holds poultry farms responsible for water pollution.
As long as a poultry operator is following a state-approved plan that tells them how much poop they can spread on their land, they would be protected from pollution lawsuits. Affected parties would instead need to sue the state.
This week, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. released a statement opposing the bill.
Hoskin said the Cherokee Nation supports farmers, but the measure fails to balance their interests with environmental protections. The state’s other four largest tribes have joined him in opposition.
The bill is up for consideration in the Senate after passing the House last month.
Testing Finds Potency Issue With Some Medical Marijuana Products
A study from a local cannabis testing lab shows several medical marijuana products sold in Oklahoma have lower THC levels than advertised.
This means consumers could be getting less potent cannabis than they think.
Fifteen products were collected from three different Oklahoma dispensaries for THC testing.
All of them had a lower THC potency than what was on its packaging, according to the report from Havard Industries, a local cannabis testing lab.
Jeffrey Havard is the lab’s manager. He said it is important because consumers could be paying more money for less potent products.
“Also, if I'm trying to dose correctly and the potency is all over the place, like it would be impossible for me to ever be able to accurately dose when the numbers are just varying so widely on what the potency of the product is,” Havard said.
Lee Rhoades is Oklahoma Medical Marijuana authority’s chief science officer. He said inflated THC numbers are a nationwide problem and the agency has heard complaints of the issue.
Rhoades said the authority is setting up the quality assurance lab, which will be used to double check the accuracy of testing from licensed cannabis laboratories in the state.
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