Lottery fever has tightened its grip on the Big Apple.
With no winner in Tuesday night’s $220 million Mega Millions draw, the jackpot has climbed to $280 million — and New Yorkers were lining up yesterday to get a piece of the action.
The $280 million jackpot is the biggest in the history of the 11-state Mega Millions draw. The winning numbers will be drawn live in Times Square tomorrow night.
The New York Lottery estimated that tickets for this past Tuesday’s draw were selling at a rate of $500,000 an hour statewide that day.
No one won, so the top prize rose by $60 million.
The largest lottery win in history was $314.9 million was by Andrew Jack Whittaker of Scott Depot, W.Va., in a Powerball drawing in 2002.
SUSPENDED LEGAL ACTION BETWEEN THE US AND ANTIGUA
Intended litigation regarding online gambling to take place between the United States and Antigua has been suspended. The intention is to resolve the dispute instead by negotiations. The issue being debated began when the twin islands Antigua and Barbuda challenged the US ban on internet gambling, and were successful in their bid.
The World Trade organisation judged that the ban imposed contradicted US trade commitments, and whilst respecting America’s reasons behind the ban, found fault with them for not exploring avenues through which to find alternatives to the ban in respect to Antigua.
A spokesperson for the WTO announced yesterday that both countries “have requested the (WTO) panel to suspend the panel proceedings until 23 August 2004. The panel has agreed to this request.” Legally Antigua could revoke this suspension and recommence proceedings with only 10 days notice. A spokesperson for the US Trade Representative’s office, Richard Mills has commented that “We look forward to working with Antigua to discuss the issues surrounding the dispute and hopefully to resolving it”.
Antigua and Barbuda have a small stake in the global Judi Online gambling industry, but this stake is important to them. Faced with a decline in tourism the islands are working to establish and expand an internet gambling industry to help boost the country’s economy.
LETHBRIDGE SEEKS ALDERWOMAN’S REMOVAL
LETHBRIDGE, Alberta (AP) – The city has hired a lawyer in its bid to remove from office an alderwoman accused of making up a story that she was abducted and raped while on business in Montana.
Mayor Bob Tarleck said the city isn’t waiting to see if Dar Heatherington voluntarily resigns before it applies to court for her removal. A lawyer is “presently engaged in this case,” Tarleck said.
The City Council asked Tarleck last week to send Heatherington a letter asking for her resignation. Councilors also voted to seek a court order if she didn’t do that.
“We have been attempting to deliver a letter to her and we have been unable to do that,” Tarleck said. “We have been unable to find her.”
Heatherington, who did not attend the council meeting, has no intention of quitting and declared her innocence in a letter to council.
“Until I have exhausted every process available to me to prove my innocence, I will continue to fill my role as an alderman for the City of Lethbridge, regardless of how limited council tries to make that position,” she wrote.
Heatherington disappeared last year while in Great Falls on city business, later surfacing in Las Vegas. She said she had been abducted and raped, allegations that Great Falls police said she later recanted. They charged her with giving false information, but two weeks later agreed to drop the charge if she stayed out of trouble and sought psychiatric help.
Heatherington made more headlines upon her return, when Lethbridge police accused her of writing lurid letters to herself and blaming them on a stalker. She was found guilty of public mischief in that case last month and will be sentenced Sept. 10.
Under Alberta law, such a conviction can disqualify her from serving on the City Council. Her attorney said he believes that is not certain.
Although Heatherington has yet to receive the mayor’s letter, Tarleck argued it was still prudent to proceed with a court application so the city can deal with the issue as quickly as possible.
