Battle Intensifies Over Proposed Temecula Rock Quarry (CA – Liberty Quarry)
Los Angeles Times (January 31, 2012) Conservative politicians rail against corporate arrogance and environmental devastation, while union workers push the project as a job creator. The issue is heading toward a vote before Riverside County supervisors.

Concerns Over Jobs, Environment Dominate Hearing (CA – Liberty Quarry)
Press Enterprise (January 30, 2012) The yearning for employment in tough times and the fear of toxic air and environmental ruin drew more than 1,000 people to the Riverside Convention Center on Monday on the first of at least two daylong public hearings on a proposed gravel mine outside Temecula.

San Manuel Tribe Hires Back Former Lobbyist (CA – San Manuel Band)
Press Enterprise (January 30, 2012) The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians near San Bernardino has hired back its longtime Sacramento lobbyist, Frank Molina, with whom it parted ways last March amid an investigation by the state's political ethics agency.

Groups Sue Over Navy Sonar Impacts On Marine Mammals (CA – Wildlife Protection)
SF Bay Indymedia (January 30, 2012) A broad coalition of conservation groups and American Indian Tribes on January 26 sued the Obama administration for failing to protect thousands of whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, and sea lions from U.S. Navy warfare training exercises along the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington.

Lansing Mayor Offers Apology In Wake Of American Indian Remarks (MI – Off Reservation Casino)
Detroit Free Press (January 30, 2012) Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, under fire for what two Michigan tribes described as a string of anti-Indian racial slurs at a fund-raising speech last week, denied Monday that he directed his remarks toward Americans Indians, but apologized “to any and all who were offended by my choice of words.”

Lansing Casino Faces Obstacles (MI – Off Reservation Casino)
The State News (January 30, 2012) Two Michigan Indian tribes accused Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero of making racist attacks toward them Monday, as the debate to build a casino in downtown Lansing grows more heated and the likelihood of the project ever coming to fruition appears slim, some experts said.

Survey Finds More Residents Support Tribe’s Casino Plan (WA – Off Reservation Casino)
Spokesman-Review (January 31, 2012) About 40 percent of Spokane County residents surveyed last fall said they favor plans by the Spokane Tribe to build a casino near Airway Heights.

Mahjong Ruling Could Pave Way for Online Poker (US/NY – Online Gaming)
Online Casino Reports (January 31, 2012) Mahjong, the traditional Chinese tile-based table game, could provide a welcome precedent for those hoping online poker is legalized in the US, after a New York state judge recently ruled the game is one skill and not just chance.

Gaming Firms 888, Caesars Extend Licensing Deal To U.S. (US – Online Gaming)
Reuters (January 31, 2012) 888 Holdings Plc said a unit of private equity-owned Caesars Entertainment Corp extended its UK software licensing agreement with the British online gaming company to the United States.

DC Council Poised To Repeal Nation’s First Government-Sponsored Online Gambling Program (DC – Online Gaming)
Washington Post (January 31, 2012) After becoming the first jurisdiction in the nation to legalize online gambling within its borders, the District of Columbia is poised to repeal the program before it launches.

Illinois Expected To Be First State To Implement Online Gambling (IL – Online Gaming)
Gaming Today (January 30, 2012) Illinois is expected to be the first state to implement online gambling, although it will be limited to the sale of lottery tickets.

Gaming: Expanding Online (CT – Online Gaming)
Hartford Business Journal (January 30, 2012) At the turn of the year, Governor Malloy voiced his support for a U.S. Department of Justice ruling paving the way for online gaming.

Odds Are, U.S. Will Resume Its Betting Rise (US – Gambling Expansion)
Forbes (January 30, 2012) In a couple of months we’ll get the latest tabulations of the yearly legal-gambling take in the U.S. After growing briskly for much of the new century, the casino side sagged when the financial crisis began to hit in 2007.

New Hampshire Gets Serious On Casinos (NH – Casino Regulation)
Gambling Compliance (January 30, 2012) SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED New Hampshire lawmakers are set to hash out their differences on a casino bill that is shaping up to be one of the more serious gambling expansion proposals seen in the Northern New England state in several years.

Mashpee Tribe Under Deadline To Propose Casino Site (MA – Casino Expansion)
South Coast Today (January 31, 2012) With the clock ticking on a July 31 deadline to negotiate a deal with the state, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe has yet to announce a site for its proposed Indian casino.

Saint Regis Tribal Gaming Commission Shuts Down Casino (NY – Casino Closure)
Standard Freeholder (January 30, 2012) Saint Regis Tribal Gaming Commission has closed Three Feathers Casino.