Major Financial Support For Campaign To Raise Oklahoma’s Minimum Wage
A campaign to raise the state's minimum wage is getting significant financial support.
The campaign received nearly $2 million in donations for the first half of the year.
The campaign, Yes on 832 - Raise the Wage Oklahoma, received thousands of dollars in support from various philanthropic and political organizations
Tulsa-based philanthropists made some of the biggest contributions, including $400,000 from the Tulsa Community Foundation and $375,000 from Lynn Shusterman.
Yes on 832 also received funding from The Hopewell Fund and Oklahoma Decides, two organizations with ties to the Democratic party.
The National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 458 and the National Education Association made smaller contributions as well.
The petition is now awaiting the Oklahoma Secretary of State’s certification before appearing on a future ballot.
Testing Found Issues With Some Cannabis Products
A cannabis testing lab found mold and yeast in pre-roll exceeding the limit set for certain types of grow batches.
Lab technicians from Havard Industries visited three dispensaries and tested 15 pre-rolls.
Testing effort found 14 out of 15 pre-rolls from the dispensaries exceeded the amount of mold and yeast limit.
Jeffery Havard is the lab’s manager. He said the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority has changed its testing for microbials over the years for certain types of pre-rolls.
“And so this allowed a lot of products to go on the shelf that would have been failing but now, we weren't monitoring for those particular failures,” Havard said.
Different medical marijuana batches are tested differently.
The authority’s officials say it is important to keep in mind mold and yeast testing is looking for living things at a specific time.
Authority officials say they are in the midst of re-examining microbial testing guidelines
New Control Tower Coming To Tulsa International Airport
The Tulsa International Airport broke ground on a new control tower Friday.
The tower will replace the current one that has been in use since the 1950s.
The new tower will be taller, and meet current FAA standards.
Construction on the $112 million project will start later this month.
The tower is expected to be operational by December 2026.
Kiowa Language Classes Offered At Southwest Oklahoma School District
High schoolers in a southwest Oklahoma School District now have the option to enroll in a Kiowa language class.
This means preserving an endangered language and building a stronger community.
Kiowa leaders and Lawton educators recently came together to celebrate the launch of a new language class, beginning this fall.
Ah-OWN-ma works in the Kiowa Education Agency and helped make this dream a reality.
She said the new Kiowa language class is not mandatory for high school students in Lawton, but it can still leave a lasting impact.
“We want people to have a better understanding of … their neighbors, if they work in the medical field, you know, the patients that they're providing service to, and things like that. It just really serves them well,” Ma said.
Ah-OWN-ma said learning a new language can create a new worldview, which in turn cultivates a more united community.
_________________
For additional news throughout the day visit our website, KGOU.org and follow us on social media.
We also invite you to subscribe to the KGOU AM NewsBrief.