Unfair Park from p4 human-made surfaces don’t absorb rain, and Dallas’ current stormwater drainage system is overtaxed in certain areas, paving the way for a spike in floods. “This GSI analysis is an excellent re- minder that nature-based solutions should always be at the forefront of policy and plan- ning discussions,” Suzanne Scott, the con- servancy’s Texas state director, said by email. “Green infrastructure provides multi- ple benefits for city residents — especially in rapidly growing areas like Dallas-Fort Worth.” One of the research’s key findings is that GSI can help Dallas’ stormwater manage- ment in areas such as Cedar Creek and Joes Creek, plus the Five Mile Creek Watershed and parts of the White Rock Watershed. It also indicates that green infrastructure can cut water overflows for all storms mod- eled by up to 31%, potentially decreasing creek flows, as well as overbank and areal flooding. The report also highlights the opportuni- ties that parking lots provide for additional GSI. Such bioretention areas “can capture, treat, and infiltrate portions of surface stormwater runoff through engineered soil, before draining to the gray stormwater net- work,” according to the news release. “Balancing the growth of cities with con- servation requires thoughtful, collaborative planning,” Jack said in the release. “Nature can improve overall community health and resilience when integrated into the fabric of our cities.” ▼ JAIL A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY IS CONDUCTING A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INTO A DEATH IN DALLAS COUNTY JAIL. BY MICHAEL MURNEY DEATH IN DETENTION finement cell in the suicide watch wing, where jailers are meant to monitor detain- ees 24 hours a day and do the rounds every 15 minutes. Stewart’s death came amid a staffing cri- A sis, and only a few months after Deron Tol- bert, who was also in the jail’s suicide watch unit, died in December. According to their own internal reports, jailers were unaware of the emergency situations in both Tolbert’s and Stewart’s cells until fellow inmates in neighboring cells managed to alert them. Now, the Texas Commission on Jail Stan- dards says an independent law enforcement agency is conducting a criminal investiga- tion into Stewart’s death, although TCJS wouldn’t specify which agency that is. (News of the investigation was first reported by KERA.) Brandon Wood, TCJS’s executive direc- tor, told the Observer that an “outside inves- tigation” was being “conducted by law enforcement to determine if there are any criminal violations that may have occurred.” Stewart’s death took place only weeks af- 66 ter TCJS inspectors gave Dallas County Jail its second consecutive failing grade on its t the time Terry Stewart died in Dal- las County Jail earlier this month, he was being held in a solitary con- annual inspection. Inspectors cited inade- quate monitoring of incarcerated people held in suicide watch as one of the violations in the report. TCJS’s Wood wouldn’t identify the specific agency conducting the investiga- tion into Stewart’s death, but added that Texas law requires investigation of all in- custody deaths by an agency other than the sheriff’s office and the TCJS. After Sandra Bland died in Waller County Jail in 2014, reportedly by suicide, lawmakers passed the Sandra Bland Act, which aimed to add layers of accountability and over- sight for county jails. The act requires that the Texas Depart- ment of Public Safety appoints “a law en- forcement agency other than that who operates the county jail where an inmate’s death happened to investigate that inmate’s death.” It doesn’t stop local sheriff’s departments from conducting their own separate investi- gations, however. Dallas County jailers said that a criminal investigation division in the sheriff’s office is also probing Stewart’s death, adding that this is a routine step when someone dies in the custody of the sheriff’s office. A 2018 TCJS memo sent to local law en- forcement also states: “All deaths shall be in- vestigated by another law enforcement agency/entity (such as the Texas Rangers, District Attorney’s Office, Medical Examin- er’s Office, local police department, etc.) as long as no conflicts of interest exist. A pri- mary and secondary investigating agency/ entity shall be submitted for review and ap- proval by the Commission.” The Sheriff’s Office did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication. News of the investigation comes follow- ing months of reports, from inmates and jail staff alike, detailing hazardous conditions inside Dallas County Jail. The commission’s report cited the jail for failing to provide clean uniforms and towels to inmates in mental health “crisis care” at least once a week. Last fall, people held at Dallas County Jail went weeks without clean clothes. Jailers said that they were forced to keep working overtime shifts even after two jailers died of COVID-19. “We don’t have enough people,” Dallas County Commissioner Elba Garcia recently said when asked about the biggest problems ducers that is not supported by scientific ev- idence,” the report said. So, the committee recommended the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Department of Health and Human Services and the Drug Enforcement Agency look further into what the THC cap should be “and suggest alter- native levels if necessary.” A federal bill, dubbed the “Hemp Ad- vancement Act of 2022,” seeks to lift the THC cap to 1% while in production. The end product would still need to fall under 0.3%, under the Hemp Advancement Act of 2022. But included in that cap is every other form of THC, like delta-8 and delta-10, which are naturally occurring and can produce effects similar to weed. The 2018 Farm Bill specified that the THC Mike Brooks Dallas County blames lack of jailers for its inability to prevent suicides in its jail. plaguing the jail. Garcia said she hopes to in- centivize potential applicants by increasing salaries for jailers, especially those assigned to overnight shifts. Krishnaveni Gundu, co-founder and ex- ecutive director of the Texas Jail Project, said that Stewart’s death reflects a growing problem in Texas jails. “Mr. Stewart’s suicide in Dallas County Jail, one of 31 reported custody deaths in Texas county jails this year, is doubly tragic in that it’s not the least bit unusual,” said Krishnaveni Gundu, executive director and co-founder of Texas Jail Project. “These deaths are a symptom of a grow- ing humanitarian crisis in our overcrowded jails which is a result of gross overcharging by prosecutors driven by a punitive culture that criminalizes homelessness, mental ill- ness and disabilities while ignoring the root causes of poverty and health inequities,” Gundu said. ▼ MARIJUANA N THE FEDERAL THC CAP ON HEMP IS OFTEN REGARDED AS TOO LOW AND THERE’S NOT ENOUGH REGULATION IN THE CBD INDUSTRY. BY JACOB VAUGHN BIDEN’S BUD on-binding provisions included in President Joe Biden’s recently signed omnibus spending bill rec- ommend new regulations on hemp-derived cannabinoids and research into expanding the federal THC cap on hemp. These recommendations came from a re- port released by the U.S. Senate Appropria- tion Committee and were added to Biden’s spending bill before its signing this month. The move comes amid Texas’ attempts to crack down on THC products, such as delta-8. The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp that didn’t exceed 0.3% delta-9 THC, the main psychoactive in marijuana. The same cap was implemented in Texas when it legalized hemp. Some feel that low THC cap is too re- strictive for farmers producing the stuff and the committee has similar concerns. “The Committee is concerned that the level of allowable THC content in hemp may be arbitrary and pose a burden on hemp pro- cap is for delta-9 THC. Some say having a to- tal THC cap as low as 0.3%-1% could be even more restrictive than the existing limit. “The most alarming change is the redef- inition of finished consumer hemp prod- ucts from 0.3% delta-9 THC to 0.3% total THC, which will effectively destroy the smokable flower market and put many hemp farmers out of business,” Texas Hemp Growers, a hemp-industry associa- tion, said. “Practically no CBD flower stays below 0.3% total THC post-cure unless harvested prematurely.” The legalization of hemp led to a boom- ing market of CBD and other hemp-derived products. But the lack of regulation has re- mained a problem. The provisions in the spending bill look to address that. The FDA is asked to maintain funding to support reg- ulatory activities, which could include de- veloping new policies. It also said the FDA should be conducting research into canna- bis-derived substances like CBD. The FDA should also set temporary enforcement poli- cies until it can establish a formal process for reviewing CBD products. Vince Sanders, owner of CBD American Shaman, described the state of the unregu- lated industry as confusing. “You want to do CBD? You want to do delta-8? Great,” he said. “Go make it in your bathroom or your garage. Go throw that product on a shelf somewhere. Who knows what’s in it? Those are the problems that we face in this industry. The only way to get rid of them is with government regulation.” Sanders said companies like his have begged for more regulation. “I’m not sure there’s any other industry out there that wants that, but we certainly do because without it, there’s no clarity,” he said. ▼ POLITICS AIRPORT AGGRESSION U SEN. TED CRUZ REPORTEDLY HAD LAW ENFORCEMENT CALLED ON HIM AFTER HE FOUGHT WITH EMPLOYEES AT A MONTANA AIRPORT RECENTLY. BY SIMONE CARTER .S. Sen. Ted Cruz has long backed the blue, but on a recent trip, law enforce- ment was reportedly called on him. In a viral clip posted to Reddit, a masked man who looks a helluvalot like Cruz ap- pears to be arguing with two female staff members at Montana’s Bozeman Yellow- stone International Airport. The video seems like it was taken from behind the MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2014 MARCH 31–APRIL 6, 2022 DALLAS OBSERVER DALLAS OBSERVER | CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | MOVIES | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | SCHUTZE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS | CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | CULTURE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS dallasobserver.comdallasobserver.com
