Humboldt County News Archive

Humboldt County News

Monday, December 11, 2006

Change in News Director

All news stories are now written by Eric Skye, KWNA's new news director. Tomorrow's news will include a note from him.

New Law Bars Online Betting

A new law aimed at curtailing online gambling in the United States has rattled major publicly traded Internet gambling companies but has done little to keep Americans from wagering online. The changes have been a boon to smaller, privately owned companies that may not adhere to the same level of standards public companies must meet, the experts say. And while the rules may be keeping some casual gamblers from placing bets, those who really want to wager online have found ways to do so. The new law effectively bars online betting in the United States by making it illegal for U.S. banks and credit card companies to process payments to gambling Web sites. But gamblers still can place wagers by going through third-party sites, such as Netteller.com, that facilitate transactions. The online gambling industry generated about $7 billion to $10 billion worldwide in 2004, with Americans making up at least half the market, according to the American Gaming Association. It is unclear how dramatically those figures have changed since the new law has been in effect. But industry watchers say traffic to the publicly traded companies, which no longer are accepting U.S. customers, has slumped while traffic to privately owned companies, which continue to cater to Americans, have gotten a boost. "The largest, most financially transparent sites have left the market," said Michael Bolcerek, president of the Poker Players Alliance, which lobbied heavily against the legislation. "You still have some private companies that are well-known. But you're seeing new sites pop up who don't have the public interest at heart. They're in unregulated areas." Bolcerek argues the measure infringes on Americans' personal freedoms by requiring banks and credit card companies to monitor their customers' online transactions. He and others who support online gaming hope the new Democratic majority in Congress may be more open to overturning the new law. Incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, of Nevada, said he does not support Internet gambling. But he said he would be open to a congressional study on the issue. The law's full impact likely won't be felt until next summer when the new regulations actually go into effect. Meanwhile, the United States faces complaints from the island nation of Antigua, which argues U.S. gambling laws violate American free trade obligations. Antigua has challenged the American laws through the World Trade Organization. A decision is expected next year.

Public Comment Still Open for Yucca Mountain

The U.S. Department of energy recently expanded the scope of an environmental impact statement to consider an alternate transportation route to the Yucca Mountain nuclear repository. If constructed, the Mina Rail Corridor would run over about 240 miles between Hawthorne and Yucca Mountain in Nye County. The line would connect to the Union Pacific Railroad near Hazen. Department of Energy spokesman Allen Benson stressed that the department’s report will address the rail corridor options, but not the existing rail corridors that would connect to them. In a memo to the Humboldt River Basin Water Authority, Intertech Services Corporation, Executive Director Mike Baughman said the Mina route would require most shipments of nuclear waste to enter Nevada near West Wendover on the Union Pacific mainline. According to Baughman’s memo, accessing the Mina route from the Union Pacific mainline at Hazen would require nuclear waste be shipped along rail lines that run near West Wendover, Wells, Elko, Carlin, Battle Mountain, Winnemucca, Reno and Sparks — among other areas.

The Department of Energy is also considering constructing a Caliente Rail Corridor that runs over about 320 miles from near Caliente west to Yucca Mountain. Whatever route is eventually chosen, Benson said the nuclear material will be safely contained in heavily fortified casks certified by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. He said the likelihood of one of these casks being penetrated is "very, very small." In addition, he said the Department of Energy has been moving nuclear material around the country for a long time and has an outstanding safety record. "We are confident we can protect the public health and safety and that is our first priority," Benson said. The department is continuing to accept public comments for the EIS until tommorrow. Benson said the department will continue to take comments afterwards for the "maximum extent possible." Benson said the Nuclear Waste Policy Act requires the department provide training to first responders if they ship waste through a jurisdiction. He said this funding, which is provided to states, hasn’t been allocated yet. He said the department is not planning on shipping any nuclear wastes until at least 2017 and won’t provide the training until three to five years before shipping starts. The department began reconsidering the Mina route after the Walker River Paiute Tribe withdrew an objection to the EIS. The Mina corridor offers some potential advantages over the Caliente route, including being shorter and cheaper. Benson said some rough estimates put construction of the Caliente route at $2 billion and the Mina route at $1 billion. For more information on the Yucca Mountain project and transportation lines, go to http://www.ymp.gov. I’m Eric Skye and you’re listening to KWNA News.

Great Basin College Offers CNA Courses

The Great Basin College Nursing Program will now offer two training sessions for students interested in becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). The Nursing Assistant course provides students with the classroom, laboratory and clinical experience to make them eligible to take to the State Certified Nursing Assistant Examination. A CNA license qualifies for an entry level position in the health care industry. For more information on the CNA Program at Great Basin College, contact Jo Dean, RN at 775.753.2216 or Lisa Robinson at 775-753-2301.

The Humbolt County School District will be holding their regular meeting tommorrow at 430PM in the District Office Boardroom at 310 E. Fourth Street. Items on the Agenda include Approval of the District Improvement Plan and Adoption of the 1000 Series of Board Policy.

A workshop will be held at the BLM Elko Field Office to discuss post-fire vegetation rehabilitation objectives as they affect grazing on public lands. The workshop will be held on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. and will be repeated on Saturday, at 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. in the BLM Elko Field Office, 3900 East Idaho Street, Elko, Nev. The workshop is free and the public is invited. The purpose of the workshop is to present and discuss the rehabilitation objectives that have been developed for vegetation which burned on public lands in the 2006 fire season. For questions or more information about the workshops, please contact Shane DeForest or any Rangeland Management Specialist at the BLM Elko Field Office at (775) 753-0200. I’m Eric Skye and you’re listening to KWNA News. Northern Nevada’s Dependable news source.

BLM Discusses Post-Fire Vegetation