READ THE SCRIPT:
Ohio as the center of attention.
Welcome to October’s Buckeye Beat. I’m Pat Miller.
We start with politics...
As we reported a few episodes back, Westerville was the center of the 2020 presidential campaign. Otterbein University hosted the fourth Democratic Debate on October 15th.
Twelve candidates participated, making it the largest primary debate ever held. Frontrunners Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders shared the stage with other presidential hopefuls including Julian Castro and Amy Klobuchar.
Selecting the Columbus suburb may have been a smart move by Democrats. Westerville is home to former Republican governor John Kasich.
Testing out how folks in usually-Republican suburbs respond to the candidates could teach them how to reel in those voters.
The next debate takes place November 20th in Georgia.
Did you notice fewer young folks were smoking in October? A new state law came into play on October 17th.
It raised the age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21 years old. The Tobacco 21 campaign even includes e-cigarettes and vaping products.
Ohio governor Mike DeWine signed onto the law back in July.
He said “Research indicates that approximately 95 percent of adult smokers begin smoking before they turn 21. Increasing the age to 21 will reduce the chances of our young people starting to smoke and becoming regular smokers.”
The move is backed by the Ohio Department of Health because they say that nicotine use as a teen and young adult can have long-term impacts on brain development.
Plus, they say tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable deaths in the U.S.
In more health news, Ohio was the center of attention because of a court case over opioids.
An opioid is a pain-relieving drug - some are illegal while others can be prescribed by a doctor.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on average, 130 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose.
Cuyahoga and Summit counties took four drug companies to court. The counties say that the companies oversold their prescription opioids and were not honest about how addictive the drugs could be. They say this resulted in people getting hooked on the prescription drugs and even turning to the illegal ones because of it.
Just hours before the trial was set to begin, the companies settled with the counties - paying them 260 million dollars.
Because there was a settlement, the drug companies admitted no wrongdoing. The counties will use the money to recoup damages and develop recovery programs for the addictive painkillers.
Over two thousand additional claims have been filed by cities, counties, Native American tribes and others around the country against drug companies, so this first of its kind result was followed closely by the entire nation.
Anyone else like hitting the snooze button in the morning?
Well, a new law could let you sleep in on school days.
California recently passed legislation requiring that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. Now Ohio senator Sandra Williams is hoping to do the same in our state.
The reason for the requested change?
Several big health organizations, including the CDC, all say that teens should start school at 8:30 or later to ensure they receive the recommended eight-and-a-half to nine-and-a-half hours of sleep each night.
Research shows that sleep cycles shift as you grow up, making it more difficult to fall asleep early. The organizations say sleep-deprived students are more likely to have unhealthy body weight, poor memory, mood disorders and weak immune systems.
Williams’ bill has a bit of a different aim - addressing safety. Many children have to go to school or wait for the bus in the dark, which can be dangerous. A later start would mean catching the bus in daylight.
Though it may improve both health and safety conditions for students, making the change could be difficult - more buses and drivers would be impacted, school meal requirements would need to be addressed and home schedules would have to be adjusted.
For this week’s poll we want to know do you think there should be a law determining school start times?
Head over to newsdepth.ideastream.org to vote either “Yes, I think lawmakers should decide start times” or “No, I think it should be left up to the schools to decide.”
Then write to us - tell us what time you think middle school should start? Be sure to support your answer with evidence and Rick will share your responses in the next episode.
That’s a wrap for this month’s Buckeye Beat.
I’ll see you next month with more Ohio happenin’s!