Frederick County Joins Lawsuit Against E-Cigarette Manufacturers

Frederick County has joined a class-action lawsuit against electronic cigarette manufacturers to hold them accountable for allegedly marketing an addictive product to minors. County Executive Jan Gardner signed onto the litigation against Juul Labs, Inc. and Altria Group, the parent company of Philip Morris USA and a 35% stockholder of Juul. The lawsuit alleges misleading practices designed to attract teenagers and pre-teens through the use of flavored nicotine products and targeted advertising.

“We need to hold companies accountable for promoting these dangerous products to our children,” said County Executive Jan Gardner. “Young people are being lured into vaping with flavors like cotton candy, strawberry milk, and popcorn. We must keep these toxins out of the hands of our youth.”

Use of electronic smoking devices, or vaping, by U.S. high school students grew nearly 80% from 2017 to 2018, according to the National Adolescent Drug Trends report. Vaping’s dramatic rise in popularity comes as cigarette smoking by teens has declined significantly over the last several decades. National data show that 27.5% of high school students and 10.5% of middle school students had vaped within the previous 30 days. Teens list three main reasons for vaping: the mistaken belief that e-cigarettes are less harmful than other forms of tobacco; the availability of flavors; and because a friend or family member used the devices.

“The Board of Education of Frederick County desires to maintain a safe, healthy and productive environment free of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs,” said schools Superintendent Dr. Theresa Alban. “Frederick County Public Schools supports the decision of County Executive Jan Gardner to join a class action lawsuit against Juul, whose nicotine based e-cigarette campaigns have targeted our students by offering fruit flavors and a sleek look. Vaping with Juul’s e-cigarettes is not only a major health concern for our students, it is also a distraction in our school environment.”
Frederick County has retained the law firm Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd in the multidistrict litigation, which is being litigated in the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California. The firm also represents other jurisdictions across the United States in this case, including Montgomery County.

The lawsuit seeks damages and abatement costs for the harm incurred as a result of deceptive and fraudulent marketing practices in violation of federal and state laws.

Survey shows business is booming in Frederick County

Sixty-three percent of Frederick County businesses surveyed during Business Appreciation Week this year said they have plans to expand, County Executive Jan Gardner announced. Eight-one percent of business owners said their business had grown this year, and 84 percent expect 2020 to be even better, according to a survey of 116 businesses conducted during the week of Oct. 7. This was the 19th year that the Office of Economic Development has conducted the annual Business Appreciation Week, the county’s largest business retention outreach.

“Our businesses are booming because of Frederick County’s outstanding quality of life and our excellent workforce,” Executive Gardner said. “We have a strong and growing economy with a record 104,000 jobs. Frederick County is a great place to do business!”

100% of the businesses visited said they liked doing business in Frederick County. The top factors for doing business in Frederick County include the quality of the county’s educational system, location, transportation and the ease of the permitting process.

More than 65 ambassadors visited new and established businesses across Frederick County. The businesses represent more than 16,500 employees and a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, agriculture, health care, food service, bio-tech, education, recreation, transportation, finance, hospitality, construction, mining and non-profits.

This year’s Business Appreciation Week theme was recognizing hometown heroes, because large and small county businesses are the heroes who create jobs and provide residents with a high quality of life.

Ambassadors included staff from the county’s Office of Economic Development, along with staff from Planning & Permitting, the Office of the County Executive, and the Budget Office, and the Division of Public Works. They were joined by representatives of several municipalities, the Downtown Frederick Partnership, and other community partners.

“I want to thank all the businesses and ambassadors who participated in Business Appreciation Week, which has become Frederick County’s premiere business event and is the largest such event in the state,” said Helen Propheter, Director of the Office of Economic Development. “The visits showed that owners need help with workforce services, marketing and networking to continue to thrive and grow. We are here to contribute toward their success.”

For more information, contact the Office of Economic Development at 301-600-1058 or visit www.DiscoverFrederickMD.com.

Frederick County Highway Operations prepares for winter

With unseasonably cold temperatures in Frederick County, the Division of Public Works (DPW), Office of Highway Operations, is prepared to help keep roads cleared should a winter storm affect the area. The top priority is keeping drivers safe and maintaining accessibility to Frederick County’s 2,638 miles (1,319 miles centerline) of roadway.

Highway Operations staff began winter preparations in October by hosting the annual “Snow Roadeo” event. This training event helped the drivers sharpen their skills and prepared them for the challenges of winter operations.

Staff are prepared to use more than 90 pieces of snow and ice equipment, including snowplows, for use in snow removal across the county this season. Approximately, 24,000 tons of salt has been stockpiled throughout the county, ready to be spread on winter roads for increased traction and safety. DPW also has 67,000 gallons of salt brine stored with 14 vehicles equipped to spray liquid salt brine on the roads prior to a projected forecast. The salt brine is a water solution of 23% salt that is produced in-house at a substantial cost savings. If the projected forecast outlines specific conditions, the brine will be sprayed before the storm and will help to reduce how quickly the precipitation forms and sticks to the road.
Stormwater maintenance is also an essential element of winter preparations. Crews keep roadside drainage and culverts clear of debris to help minimize ponding. This enhances safety and helps to maintain road integrity, as well as keeping pollutants out of the waterways.

Highway Operations has approximately 102 permanent road maintenance staff and routinely has open job positions for permanent highway workers or technicians to help keep winter roads clear, including snowplow and anti-icing operations and assisting in highway emergency responses. As storms move in, maintenance personnel closely monitor professional meteorological forecasts detailing wind, rain, snow, ice and other weather on county roads.

During major winter storms, Highway Operations staff also works tirelessly with contractors to keep the extensive infrastructure system well maintained around the clock. Frederick County currently works with 16 contractors with 43 pieces of snow removal equipment and various larger equipment on standby.

Before traveling, citizens are encouraged to visit the Highway Operations webpage to get updated information on road closures (www.FrederickCountyMD.gov/roadsclosed) and other pertinent information.

For more information about winter preparation, contact Highway Operations at 301-600-1564 or visit www.FrederickCountyMD.gov/snow.