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Minnesota top pull-tab stateNews Story
Imagine that every fruitless pull of a casino's slot machine produced a colorful bit of trash and you get an idea of how the garbage bins at American Legion Post 1776 overflow on a good night.Last year $6.4 million worth of pull-tabs were sold from this tidy metal-clad hall -- tops in a state that is tops in the nation -- allowing Post 1776 to pass a profit of $246,000 on to hundreds of schools, sports programs and charities.Though they're sold without the glamor of Las Vegas or the marketing bu
Jul 5, 2004, 8:32 am - Lottery News

Minnesota lottery cuts millions from budgetNews Story
Told to cut the fat, the Minnesota State Lottery has trimmed staff, closed offices and reworked or severed business deals to save millions of dollars a year.While the money represents a small share of lottery expenses, the savings will be welcomed by a state struggling to find ways big and small to avoid future budget deficits. The cuts and robust ticket sales mean that the lottery will send more money than ever to the state this year.The changes occur as state gambling agents appear to be in th
Jun 14, 2004, 8:32 am - Lottery News

Minnesota Lottery to close officesNews Story
The Minnesota State Lottery will cut 15 jobs and close its offices in Brainerd and Eagan in a move intended to save $1 million beginning in July.Interim lottery director Mike Vekich said Wednesday's moves will make the lottery more efficient and effective. The restructuring was a response to a legislative auditor's report released in February, he said.The job cuts affect three Brainerd employees and two in Eagan. Nine workers in Roseville also received layoff notices. Accountants, secretaries,
May 13, 2004, 6:54 am - Lottery News

Four of 16 Lottery-Winning Lunch Ladies Have Left KitchenNews Story
Four of the 16 Holdingford, Minnesota school employees who won half of a $190 million Powerball jackpot in October have left the school.Susan Breth says she'll leave her job as part-time cook at the end of the school year. She joins Barbara Nelson, Donna Lange and Alice Kobylinski in retirement.Kobylinski was a custodian for the district. The rest were cooks.The group won the lottery after years of chipping in a quarter each to play every payday. Despite their millionaire status, most of the wom
May 6, 2004, 7:27 am - Lottery News

Minnesota Senate wants lottery examinedNews Story
After soundly rejecting a call to abolish the state lottery, Minnesota senators voted unanimously Monday night to study ways to change its management and business practices.The bill comes on the heels of a legislative audit that was critical of promotions and vending contracts by the lottery. During that review, the lottery's director, George Andersen, committed suicide.The bill sets up a task force that will report to the 2005 Legislature on whether the lottery should be run by a state agency,
Apr 13, 2004, 5:12 am - Lottery News

Minnesota lottery chief's suicide note: 'Pity me, blame no one else'News Story
Before committing suicide in January, Minnesota State Lottery Director George Andersen left handwritten notes encouraging his family to not look back. He said he thought lottery operations were proper and am told they are not. Pity me, blame no one else. He added in another note: I must carry the burden and it is too much. . . . Andersen, 53, had run the lottery since it started in 1990 and had done so with little legislative oversight. The state Legislative Auditor reported recently that t
Mar 26, 2004, 8:42 am - Lottery News

Autopsy: Minnesota lottery director died of overdoseNews Story
The longtime director of the Minnesota State Lottery, who committed suicide in January during a legislative review of the lottery's operations, died from an overdose of pain medication, a final autopsy report found.Earlier reports had said he died of hypothermia in freezing weather after cutting his wrists.Toxicology tests show that George Andersen took a fatal dose of hydrocodone, more commonly known as Vicodin, the medical examiner's office said Thursday.Andersen, 53, was found lying outside h
Mar 26, 2004, 8:39 am - Lottery News

Interim Minnesota lottery director cites progressNews Story
After about a month on the job, Michael Vekich says hes making progress in reforming the way the Minnesota State Lottery operates.Vekich told lawmakers on Tuesday that lottery officials have addressed nearly 70 percent of the state Legislative Auditors 49 recommendations in a report that was released last month.We have accomplished a lot, said Vekich, who was appointed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty to serve as interim director of the lottery in February following the suicide of Director George Andersen.T
Mar 19, 2004, 4:41 am - Lottery News

Minnesota Lottery moves to boost integrityNews Story
Legislation designed to increase accountability at the Minnesota Lottery moved forward Wednesday, while fallout from the lottery's troubles continued.A Senate committee passed a bill that would have the state lottery director serve at the pleasure of the governor, which means he or she can be removed for no reason. Current law requires the governor to show misconduct before firing the director.Sen. Ann Rest, DFL-New Hope, introduced the bill this year after reports the lottery director may have
Mar 4, 2004, 4:24 am - Lottery News

Minnesota Lottery Cancels $1.3 Million in Contracts with Media RareNews Story
The Minnesota Lottery says it's canceled promotional contracts worth $1.3 million a year with Media Rare.That's the St. Paul company that auditors said received special treatment under former lottery director George Andersen.A lawyer for the lottery says the contract cancellations will be effective April 27. The contracts were for promotional TV and radio shows.The lottery also is considering canceling an additional promotional agreement with the company involving a special vehicle. Already, the
Mar 3, 2004, 4:05 am - Lottery News