Sandoval opposes election wagering
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Gov. Brian Sandoval has come out against a proposal to make Nevada the first state to permit betting on federal elections.
The Republican governor described himself as “more of a traditionalist” when it comes to betting.
“As I think through it, unless I’m convinced otherwise, it is not something I would support,” he told the Las Vegas Sun on Friday. “The state has done fine on sports and horse-race betting and other events.”
Sandoval noted state gambling regulators have opposed the proposal in the past, and a state legislative panel failed to support it last week.
State Sen. Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, had hoped to persuade the panel to request a draft of a bill for the 2015 session allowing Nevada sports books to take pari-mutuel wagers on elections for president, U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
Radar picks up hopper swarm
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Weather officials in Albuquerque said a mysterious presence that showed up on its radar the last few nights has turned out to be of the insect variety.
The National Weather Service said a swarm of grasshoppers were detected over Albuquerque’s West Mesa for the fourth night in a row on Friday.
Meteorologist Chuck Jones said the swarm got caught up in winds heading southwest and was being carried as high as 1,000 feet.
Jones said the grasshoppers likely hatched weeks ago and are now grown, leading to their ability to trigger radar images.
Technicians initially thought their equipment was malfunctioning when they saw several unexplained clusters.
Golden Rooster heads to auction
SPARKS, Nev. (AP) — The famous Golden Rooster that spent a half century at John Ascuaga’s Nugget in Sparks is headed for auction this summer with an estimated value up to $300,000.
Nugget spokeswoman Lauren Garber told the Reno Gazette-Journal the 14-pound rooster sculpture made of 18-karat gold was recently removed from the hotel-casino but remains personal property of the Ascuaga family. The Nugget was sold to a private investment group last year.
The rooster is listed in the Coeur d’Alene Art Auction set for July 26 at the Peppermill.
It was unveiled in the Nugget’s Golden Rooster Room in May 1958.
Federal agents charged the casino two years later with violating a law prohibiting individuals from possessing more than 50 ounces of gold unless it was deemed art. A federal jury in Carson City determined in 1960 it qualified.
Girl, 9, attacked with hammer
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — An Oakland woman has been arrested on suspicion of attacking a 9-year-old girl with a hammer at the girl’s elementary school.
Oakland Unified School District spokesman Troy Flint said Saturday Haseemah Dieme was taken into custody at Lafayette Elementary School Friday after authorities said she sneaked the hammer onto campus and attacked the girl inside a bathroom.
Flint said Dieme’s own daughter is in second grade at the school and that she frequently volunteers there.
Flint said the girl was taken to a hospital with injuries but that she was conscious and expected to recover.
Dieme, who is believed to be feuding with the victim’s family, was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.
L.A. sues over foreclosures
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles is suing JPMorgan Chase for mortgage discrimination that the city says led to a wave of foreclosures that blighted neighborhoods, reduced property taxes and increased the need for costly city services.
The city attorney’s lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court, said the bank gave black and Latino borrowers predatory home loans that they couldn’t afford — leading to foreclosures when the housing bubble burst and they were denied refinancing.
JPMorgan said it’s disappointed the city attorney is taking what it called an “adversarial approach” to problems caused by an economic downturn that were beyond the bank’s control.
The city attorney filed similar lawsuits in December against Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Citigroup. They have all denied the allegations.