Illinois’ Cash-Strapped Lottery Woes Worsen; Nebraska Lawmaker Targets Gun-Free Zones
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Also: Hawaii’s homelessness emergency move and Richmond’s confusing wayfinding signs.
Here’s some of what we’ve been reading this weekend …
CHICAGO, Illinois: Due to the Land of Lincoln’s severe fiscal troubles and the ongoing budgetary stalemate in Springfield, the state lottery began delaying payments of winnings of over $600 last week. And that move is sending some devoted lottery players across state lines to play. The Chicago Tribune interviewed a Bensenville resident, Randall Lobello:
"I do a lot of traveling; I would just jump to the border and go to Wisconsin," said Lobello, 47. "I used to buy lottery tickets in Illinois, but I'm not purchasing them anymore. If they're not paying when they say they're going to pay, I have no confidence in the future."
Since July, the state delayed payment of winnings $250,000 and higher. Two winners have already sued the Illinois Lottery in federal court alleging fraud. [Chicago Tribune]
LINCOLN, Nebraska: A state senator, saying that gun-free zones have “gotten to the point of madness,” said on Friday that he would introduce a bill to expand the places where concealed weapons could be carried by permitted users, including banks, hospital emergency rooms, bars and sporting events, the Omaha World-Herald reports. “We need to stop the slaughter,” Sen. Tommy Garrett said. “We have people getting killed in gun-free zones. And the people who are doing the shooting can do it confidently because they know they are in gun-free zones.” Nebraska state law currently includes a long list where concealed firearms are prohibited. [Omaha World-Herald]
HONOLULU, Hawaii: In an emergency proclamation issued Friday to address the state’s homelessness crisis, Gov. David Ige will be utilizing $1.3 million from the state’s general revenue funds and will be able to sidestep certain rules and regulations.
As Honolulu Civil Beat reports:
By issuing an emergency proclamation, Ige invoked his power to sidestep any law that “is detrimental to the expeditious and efficient execution of … emergency functions” and suspended 25 statutes and regulations that govern things like historic preservation, collective bargaining, open meetings, procurement and environmental impact statements.
In August, a survey of one homeless encampment found 293 people, including 31 families. More than half were put into housing during a month-long effort to clean up the Kakakko camp, near downtown Honolulu. [Civil Beat]
RICHMOND, Virginia: Keeping track of wayfinding signs and making sure they’re updated can be a challenge for local governments. It’s been a problem in Virginia’s capital city and the source of a reader inquiry in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. There’s still signage up pointing people to a food court that closed in 2008. But there’s hope, according to the city, which reports that wayfinding signs will be replaced as part of a larger $580,000 program. [Richmond Times-Dispatch]
Michael Grass is Executive Editor of Government Executive's Route Fifty.
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