MEETING ON GAMBLING IS MAY 25

Riverboat gambling advocates and opponents will face off at a public informational meeting May 25 at 7 p.m. at the Show Me Center.

Co-sponsors of the event are News Radio 960-KZIM and the League of Women Voters of Cape Girardeau County, neither of which has taken a position on the issue.

Sandy Bonner, voters service director for League of Women Voters, will serve as moderator.

The meeting will be conducted in adherence to League of Women Voters guidelines. No printed material, buttons, signs or other paraphernalia promoting either side of the controversial issue will be permitted.

Yvonne Ketcham, legislative action director for the league, will explain the city ballot to be voted on June 8, as well as the statute, recently passed by the Missouri General Assembly.

Four individuals, two representing each side of the issue, will be given three minutes each to make opening statements, will be questioned, and will be allowed a two-minute closing statement.

Members of the issue panel are Aleece Vogt, marketing director of the Alton Belle Casino; the Rev. Craig Nessan, pastor of St. Mark Lutheran Church and instructor in the department of philosophy and religion at Southeast Missouri State University; Chuck Ruthe, president of the Boyd Group, a Las Vegas gaming and resort company; and Dr. Richard Martin, a member of the steering committee of Citizens Against Riverboat Gambling.

Representatives of three local news media will form a separate panel. Their questions will be interspersed with those of the audience. Media representatives will be Carol Keeler of News Radio 960-KZIM, Jennifer Johnson of KFVS-TV 12, and Jay Eastlick of the Southeast Missourian.

Questions from the audience will be submitted in writing and will be screened by a committee of League of Women Voters members to avoid repetition and to assure that the wording is general enough to be addressed by each of the four panelists.

The meeting will be broadcast live by News Radio 960-KZIM and will be videotaped for later showing on public access cable television.