Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/626125
ByScottMcfetridge and Ken Ritter TheAssociatedPress NIPTON Lottery ticket buyers have to suspend their belief in math to drop $2 on an infinites- imal chance to win the Powerball jackpot, but in Nevada, they also have to drive across the desert and wait in lines that can stretch for hours. In Hawaii and Alaska, they need to cross an ocean or mountains to reach a lottery kiosk. As if the 1 in 292.2 mil- lion odds of winning weren't inconvenient enough, people who live in the six states that don't participate in Powerball must put in considerable extra effort to get a ticket. With the giant jackpot on his mind, retiree Wil- liam Burake drove 45 min- utesMondayfromhishome in Henderson, Nevada, to buy tickets in Nipton, Cal- ifornia. Then he waited three hours to spend $20 on 10 tickets at a store that is among the nation's busi- est lottery retailers. "I thought maybe I'd be part of history," said Burke, a Vietnam veteran who joined hundreds of people bundled in coats and scarfs before the doors opened at the Primm Val- ley Lotto Store off Inter- state 15. None of the six states has a lottery of any kind. Religious beliefs have posed a barrier in Ala- bama, Mississippi and Utah. Alaska has been more concerned that a lottery wouldn't pay off in such a sparsely populated state. In Hawaii, lawmak- ers have proposed lottery measures, but the idea al- ways fails. And in Nevada, the lottery snub is largely a nod to the state's casinos, which have no interest in the competition. The Multi-State Lottery Association, which runs Powerball, reports that some of the biggest ticket sales come from border cit- ies. That means residents of one state are driving to another to play Powerball, then probably spending a bit more on gas, soda or doughnuts. "What that means for policymakers, that's their business," said Gary Grief, executive director of the Texas Lottery. "I'm sure they're watching those dol- lars flow out of their state." In Alabama, people have been talking about insti- tuting a lottery for years, in part because of sales in border states. Faced with tight state budgets and demands from voters, Re- publicans and Democrats on Tuesday introduced ri- val lottery bills for the leg- islative session that begins in February. Republican state Sen. Jim McClendon, one of the bill sponsors, said he was considering the idea long before this month's Pow- erball mania. The jackpot offers "fortuitous" timing, he said, and highlights the huge number of Alabama residents who are buying tickets elsewhere. LONG ODDS BENMARGOT—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS A lottery player fills out numbers on a Powerball form Tuesday in Oakland. Lottery players go to g re at l en gt hs f or Powerball tickets By Gillian Flaccus and Michael Biesecker The Associated Press LOS ANGELES California regulators on Tuesday re- jected Volkswagen's re- call plan for some of the German automaker's most popular diesel models that used software to inten- tionally deceive govern- ment emissions tests, in- cluding the Beetle, Jetta, Golf and Passat. The rejection doesn't rule out an eventual re- call plan for owners of the 75,688 affected 2.0-liter diesel cars in California. But it does prolong the limbo for drivers who bought the diesels un- der the false impression that they were getting a cleaner engine along with a more powerful car and better mileage and who have been waiting for a path forward since the scandal unfolded last Sep- tember. The action also leaves the possibility of a buy- back for VW owners. The California Air Re- sources Board said Volk- swagen's plan was unac- ceptable for a variety of reasons, including that it did not adequately iden- tify the affected vehicles; did not include a suffi- cient method for obtain- ing the car owners' names and addresses; and did not include adequate in- formation on how the fix would affect future emis- sions results. The state agency also issued a formal notice against the German au- tomaker, alleging its de- ception and failure to propose a timely solution had violated the state's clean air regulations and "fundamentally un- dercut" efforts to protect residents from harmful pollutants. That finding will likely mean future fines for VW as the investigation con- tinues. "V W's submissions are incomplete, substan- tially deficient and fall far short of meeting the legal requirements," An- nette Herbert, head of the agency's emissions com- pliance, automotive reg- ulations and science divi- sion wrote in a letter to VW executives. The state agency is working to quantify the damage done by the excess nitrous oxide and particu- lates spewed into the air to help reach a resolu- tion, said David Clegern, an agency spokesman. "How many more peo- ple suffered asthma at- tacks? How many more people died early?" he said. "It's not just about vehicles, it's about public health and the environ- ment as well." The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which is also investigating VW, issued a statement saying it agreed with California regulators but was oper- ating on a different time- table. The rejection only ap- plies to 2.0-liter diesel en- gines registered in Cali- fornia. The cars covered in- clude VW Jetta SportWa- gen (2009-2014); VW Bee- tle (2013-2015); VW Beetle Convertible (2013-2015); VW Golf (2010-2015); VW Jetta (2009-2015); VW Passat (2012-2015); VW Golf SportWagen (2015); and the VW-owned Audi A3 (2010-2013 and 2015). A recall plan for 3.0-li- ter diesel engines, in- cluding some sold under the VW-owned Audi and Porsche brands, is due next month. In a statement, VW said it was continuing to work with both state and fed- eral regulators and the re- jection of its recall plan Tuesday did not mean a recall would not occur. "Today's announcement addresses the initial re- call plans Volkswagen submitted ... in Decem- ber," the statement read. "Since then, Volkswagen has had constructive dis- cussions with CARB, in- cluding last week when we discussed a framework to remediate the (diesel) emissions issue." The development is not necessarily a major set- back for VW, said Karl Brauer, a senior analyst with Kelley Blue Book. The automaker has been working on a po- tential fix, but it needed more time — something that California regulators were not willing to give. "It sounds like they didn't have enough spe- cifics," he said. "I think they had a framework of a plan, and it wasn't enough detail for CARB and EPA to be happy with it." Those specifics may well be on the table Wednesday when the Ger- man automaker's top ex- ecutive, CEO Matthias Mueller, meets privately with Environmental Pro- tection Agency Adminis- trator Gina McCarthy in Washington, D.C. Both VW and EPA de- clined Tuesday to provide any further detail about what the two will dis- cuss, or even what time the meeting will take place. But federal regula- tors have not shied away in recent days from pub- licly expressing their frus- tration with the company. Asked about the issue at a public appearance last week, McCarthy said EPA has yet to identify "a sat- isfactory way forward" to- ward a fix for the owners of VW's diesel cars. "We are really anxious to find a way for that com- pany to get into compli- ance, and we're not there yet," McCarthy said. EMISSIONS California regulators reject VW recall plan NICK UT — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE A 2013Volkswagen Passat with a diesel engine is evaluated at the California Air Resources Board emissions test lab in El Monte California air quality regulators, on Tuesday rejected Volkswagen's recall plan to fix vehicles including the Beetle and Jetta that were programmed to trick government emissions tests. 365-7194or365-4322 OPEN 7 DAYS 6am-10pm 8080 AIRPORT ROAD Your full service: Meat Department, Deli & Groceries www.kentsmeats.com On-site HARVESTING CUTTING & CRYOVACING 413WalnutStreet•530-528-8000 Sat.-Mon. 10am-4pm • Tues-Fri 10am-5:30pm Se Habla Español www.redbluffgoldexchange.com www.angelsamongusall.com ServingOurCommunityForOver21Years Pleasedropthemoffat The Gold Exchange All items will be donated to the homeless shelter Even Travel Size? Soap, Shampoo, Conditioner, Toothpaste, Might You Have Extra Toiletries? 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