Agastian Koenen

Police Thought Seized Video Gambling Machines Were Legal

Video Gambling Machines

(AP) – The State Law Enforcement Division says four people have been arrested after 19 illegal gaming machines were found in businesses in Port Royal and Beaufort.

Port Royal Police Chief James Cadien says he knew a shop in town had video gambling machines for years, but didn’t realize the business might be breaking the law until state investigators visited the store last week.

Payouts for video gambling machines that are based on skill, not chance, have been banned in South Carolina since 2000.

SLED Inspector Stacy Drakeford says owners can easily change a
legal machine into an illegal video gambling machine.

Public Data Shows Hundreds of Chemicals in Tap Water

Hundreds of Chemicals in Tap Water

(AP) – Thirsty? Your tap water might be coming with
some extra chemicals.

An environmental group says its analysis of records in 42 states found 141 unregulated chemicals and an additional 119 for which the Environmental Protection Agency has set health-based limits.

Most common among the chemicals found are disinfection byproducts, nitrates, chloroform, barium, arsenic and copper.

The Environmental Working Group compiled data from nearly 40,000 water utilities in states that agreed to provide data they collected from 1998 to 2003.

An EPA spokeswoman says the agency gathers its own water
monitoring data, reviews the latest research and looks at treatment
methods and technology.