MyFriendCleveland

I’ll Take a Bud and a Keno Card

Hey, remember when people wanting gambling in Ohio? Gov. Ted Strickland made sure he put his foot down on that, keeping games like the deadly, prostitution-causing Tic Tac Fruit out of our watering holes. Well, now there’s a problem. Ohio is hard up for money, cuts have already been made to the Department of Education, and other state funded programs like The Department of Agriculture are stepping in to help by… turning down all the their thermostats. Because of this lack of funds Strickland has proposed a new plan, one that allows lottery-style games, not games of chance. Strickland wants to put Club Keno games into bars hoping to raise $73 million a year in the process. Of course Ohio Skill Games, the company behind Tic Tac Fruit, is pissed, seeing Strickland’s move as a hypocritical one that is throwing around the term “lottery” simply to cover up the fact that only the government will be benefiting from this style of gambling, not private citizens. Still most people are overlooking a serious issue here. How are going to feel slamming back some shots while a 75-year-old woman is trying to get her Keno on next to you? Unless you’re into that, you sick asshole.

Voting, Voting, Voting… Voting

Let’s dish this out real quick like. The voting machines currently set to be used in Cuyahoga Country, as well as many other parts of the state, have problems. Memory cards erase votes, systems are confusing, blah blah blah. Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner stepped in last month to order the state to get new machines. Yesterday, The Cuyahoga County Commissioners voted to spend $1.4 million on renting new optical scan machines. Only one of three commissioners voted against the decision stating that, “the system we’re prepared to adopt was just decertified in the state of Colorado because of security problems.” Basically we’re all screwed. Put on a happy face and keep it through the recounts.

Rock Hall’s Got Something Good, Hopefully

February is Black History Month, a month The Rock Hall dedicates to black music. This year the focus will be on famed Memphis label Stax records. For those of you not familiar with Stax, I’m going to say Otis Redding and leave it at that. The Rock Hall will be sponsoring a number of events to celebrate Stax, so check it out.