Florida Judge Won't Call Bitcoin Money; Michigan Working Out Casino Treaty With Tribe
Connecting state and local government leaders
Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: N.C. government retirees want better benefits; a California town faces the latest algae bloom; and the search for an author's treasure triggers emergency response
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA
BITCOIN | In what is believed to be the first money-laundering case involving Bitcoin, a Miami-Dade judge has ruled that the cryptocurrency “has a long way to go before it is the equivalent of money.” The judge also ruled that the Florida law that states that someone may be charged with money laundering if they engage in financial transactions that promote illegal activity is too vague to apply to Bitcoin. Law enforcement and state and local governments are still struggling to figure out if and how they should regulate Bitcoin, which is backed by no central government or bank. [Miami Herald]
SHELBYVILLE, MICHIGAN
CASINOS | The Gun Lake tribe of American Indians and Michigan government agreed to share revenue from its casino, after the tribe argued the state broke a treaty by starting online lottery games. Gun Lake stopped half of its revenue sharing payments in protest, putting all $22 million instead into an escrow account that will now be evenly divided. The tribe considers the arrangement a temporary fix until the treaty is amended. “This agreement is evidence that things are going well and things are progressing,” said the tribe’s general legal counsel. [Michigan Radio]
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA
RETIREES | The state Retired Governmental Employees’ Association doesn’t feel the 1.6 percent, one-time cost-of-living bonus the state allots for teachers and state government retirees is enough, plus it doesn’t apply to local government retirees—like police and utility workers. The average annual pension for retired teachers and state employees is $20,500, compared to $17,000 for local government retirees. The association views the General Assembly resolving the issue as integral to attracting a competitive workforce in the future. [The News & Observer]
DISCOVERY BAY, CALIFORNIA
ALGAE | The waters of Discovery Bay, a man-made community east of Brentwood, are playing host to the latest algae bloom—part of a string of such blooms in California and across the country. Preliminary tests have found signs of cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, and this week the Contra Costa County Health Department issued a warning for the residents of the town to avoid contact with the water. [SFGate]
PARK COUNTY, WYOMING, SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO
TREASURE | A woman hunting for treasure west of Cody, Wyoming prompted an emergency response on Monday, for the third time in about three years, in the same area. And, on Tuesday, a man who disappeared earlier this year searching for the same alleged trove of gold and jewels was confirmed dead, after his body was recovered west of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Author and art dealer Forrest Fenn, 85, claims to have hidden the $2 million treasure in question somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. He included clues about its location in a 2011 book. Since then, thousands of people have set out searching for the cache. [Billings Gazette, Denver Post]
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