Wednesday, August 30, 2006

"Fatal Error" as insensitive as the Emmy's?


I've been watching Channel 3's news coverage of the Lexington plane crash and I find they're need to give the disaster a title to be tasteless and tacky. To sum up a terrible tragedy with a constant graphic that says "Fatal Error" is horrible, especially when one of the people who may be responsible for that "Fatal Error" is fighting for life in the hospital.

Note to Channel 3.... Go back to "Investigating the Truth" and leave the ridiculous practice of giving titles for each news story to the networks.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Bush -- My Committment "Means Something"

From George's interview with Brian Williams: “When it’s all said and done, the people down here know that I stood in Jackson Square [a year ago] and said, ‘We’re going to help you,’ and we delivered,” he said. “What matters is that we help the good people here rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, and we’re going to do that.

“You know, commitments in politics sometimes mean nothing,” Bush added. “I made a commitment that means something.”


He should be committed. While he admits to Katrina being a mess, the fact is, he became contrite and made a "committment" days after he should have gone into action. Nobody pretends the President should be Superman, but when a city is suffering from a disaster of this magnitude and you're too busy honoring your committment to Mark Wills and his gift of a guitar, or to giving John McCain a birthday cake, you aren't a leader. You're the bonehead drunk college boy you've always been.

Funniest part, Bush saying I have an "ecelectic" reading list.

Alright Rumsfeld, let's go after them all.....

Okay, Rummy, all of us critics of your failed policy to eliminate terrorism by attacking a country that had next to nothing to do with it are wrong. We need to go after facists because they could lead to another Nazi Germany. Let me call your bluff.

Why don't you send troops to North Korea, Iran and Cuba? Or are you just a big pansy posturing for the cameras and grasping at any straw you can to defend the boneheaded psychotic moves of you and your bonehead bosses in pursuing a war that's made the region unstable.

Go ahead. If you're so damned smart, then take your policy to its ultimate conclusion. Surely if your right, invading the lands of all of these facist dictators that exist in the world will end in triumph for good for the entire planet.

How about it Rummy? And just to show how righteous we are, make sure that our invading troops have inadequate supplies and laugh about it if questioned.

You and your bosses are a joke, and the people finally realize, many years too late, unfortunately, that it's not a funny one.

Don't tell me I'm morally or intellectually confused. You are both immoral and stupid, as is your entire administration.


SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Aug 29 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld turned up the heat on critics of U.S. policy in Iraq and the war on terrorism in a speech on Tuesday recalling the world leaders who sought to appease Nazi Germany in the 1930s.

"With the growing lethality and the increasing availability of weapons, can we truly afford to believe that somehow, some way, vicious extremists can be appeased?" Rumsfeld asked the American Legion U.S. military veterans group.

"Can folks really continue to think that free countries can negotiate a separate peace with terrorists?"

The Bush administration is coming under increasing criticism from congressional Democrats and some Republicans over the direction of the Iraq war nearly 3-1/2 years after a U.S.-led invasion toppled President Saddam Hussein. Opinion polls show eroding U.S. public support for the war.

Rumsfeld said it was important to note that "any kind of moral or intellectual confusion about who and what is right or wrong can weaken the ability of free societies to persevere" in any long war.

In a speech heavy on condemnation of news coverage of the war, Rumsfeld told the American Legion that insurgents and terrorists are waging a campaign to demoralize the American public.

Rumsfeld, in his second speech in as many days to military veterans, tried to draw links between the current hostilities and World War Two.

Taking on the Bush administration's current critics, Rumsfeld referred to the period before the earlier war, and said that "some seem not to have learned history's lessons."

"It was a time when a certain amount of cynicism and moral confusion set in among Western democracies, when those who warned about a coming crisis -- the rise of fascism and Nazism -- they were ridiculed or ignored," Rumsfeld said.

"Indeed, in the decades before World War Two, a great many argued that the fascist threat was exaggerated or that it was someone else's problem. Some nations tried to negotiate a separate peace, even as the enemy made its deadly ambitions crystal clear."

"It was, as Winston Churchill observed, a bit like feeding a crocodile, hoping it would eat you last," Rumsfeld added.

"I recount that history because, once again, we face similar challenges in efforts to confront the rising threat of a new type of fascism," he said.

MIDTERM ELECTIONS

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada took issue with Rumsfeld's comments.

"The Bush White House is more interested in lashing out at its political enemies and distracting from its failures than it is in winning the War on Terror and in bringing an end to the war in Iraq," Reid said in a written statement.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also addressed the convention, telling veterans if the United States pulled out of Iraq too soon it would embolden extremists.

"We should not assume for one minute that those terrorists will not continue to come after the American homeland. That is why President (George W.) Bush calls Iraq a central front in the war on terror," said Rice.

Bush is scheduled to address the group on Thursday.

Rumsfeld's comments come as members of the Bush administration, ahead of November elections to determine control of the U.S. Congress, connect the Iraq war to the broader fight against terrorism.

Rumsfeld also condemned two news organizations, CNN and Newsweek magazine, for comments by some of their senior officials about the U.S. military.

In separate speeches on Monday to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, both Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney said pulling out of Iraq prematurely would be a sign of American weakness to terrorists and other foes. (Additional reporting by James Nelson)

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Does anyone watch the news on the left coast?

The Emmy's opened up with a spoof of Lost and Conan O'Brian going down on a plane. Whatever bonehead decided to go ahead with the opening deserves to be fired. I like Conan, but I can't believe he wouldn't have pulled the thing.

Awards’ plane-crash spoof intro
By Jamie Gumbrecht
HERALD-LEADER CULTURE WRITER
LEX 18 News ended an evening recap of yesterday’s coverage of the Comair Flight 5191 crash for the live broadcast of the prime-time Emmy Awards. The annual TV awards show opened with shots of host Conan O’Brien bouncing inside a plane before it crashed on an island in a spoof of ABC’s hit show Lost.

WLEX’s president and general manager, Tim Gilbert, who was home watching the telecast with his family, was “stunned” by the intro; if station managers had known about the intro before the broadcast, Lexington viewers wouldn’t have seen it, he said.

“It was a live telecast — we were completely helpless,” Gilbert said of the Emmys. “By the time we began to react, it was over. At the station, we were as horrified as they were at home.”

Gilbert said he’ll complain to NBC, but he said an apology won’t make up for insensitivity.

“They could have killed the opening and it wouldn't have hurt the show at all,” Gilbert said. “We wish somebody had thought this through. It’s somewhere between ignorance and incompetence.”

Lexington Crash of Comair 5191


I'm watching Comair President Don Bornhorst talking about the crash of Comair 5191 that crashed this morning in Lexington, KY, about an hour away from Louisville. WHAS 11 is showing video of the crash site taken by Reed Yadon, who appears to be the only pilot who got decent footage of the site. The "intact" plane looks like it burned up rapidly. The roof missing. It's not clear if it burned off or was removed by rescuers. For lack of a better cliche, it's almost surreal to see an accident in this state.

The accident appears to have been caused by the unthinkable, going down the wrong runway.

It's an intriguing dance watching the airline and airport authorities having to give news conferences, but refusing to give much information, allegedly to not speculate or hinder the investigation, but certainly so that they can keep their legal impacts to a minimum.

With 49 people dead, I'm sure that this accident will impact someone I know. There have been reports that a UK baseball player was on board who was just married. That report disappeared later in the day.

My prayers and thoughts go out to everyone involved, including the victims, the rescuers, the responders, and the people at Comair.

Interesting fact, this is the first major crash in the US since a crash 10 days after 9/11.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Milner Hotel Implosion - 1995

Images of the implosion of the Milner hotel taken from the Fifth Third building.





Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Teacher pulled from classroom for flag burning

I've always found flag burning to be a waste of a good flag, but not offensive. To me, the real symbol of the United States is our Constituion, which guarantees your right to protest the government. If this guy is let go after 20+ years of service, it sounds like it will be an injustice.


Teacher's flag burning inflames many
A Stuart Middle School teacher has been removed from the classroom after he burned two American flags in class Friday as part of a civics lesson, according to Jefferson County Public Schools officials.

By Chris Kenning
ckenning@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

A Stuart Middle School teacher has been removed from the classroom after he burned two American flags in class during a lesson on freedom of speech, Jefferson County Public Schools officials said.

Dan Holden, who teaches seventh-grade social studies, burned small flags in two different classes Friday and asked students to write an opinion paper about it, district spokeswoman Lauren Roberts said.

A teacher in the school district since 1979, Holden has been temporarily reassigned to non-instructional duties pending a district investigation. The district also alerted city fire officials, who are conducting their own investigation.

“Certainly we’re concerned about the safety aspect,” Roberts said, along with “the judgment of using that type of demonstration in a class.”

Pat Summers, whose daughter was in Holden’s class, said he was among more than 20 parents who showed up at the school Monday upset about the incident. Holden apparently told the students to ask their parents what they thought about the lesson, he said.

“She said, ‘Our teacher burned a flag.’ I’m like, ‘What?’ ” Summers said. “When I was (at the school) at 8 a.m., the lobby was filled with probably 25 or 30 parents” who were upset, he said.

Holden could not be reached Monday for comment.

Roberts said the flag burning did not appear to be politically motivated, based on an interview with Holden.

Summers said no advance notice had been given to parents, nor were school administrators aware of Holden’s plans, Roberts said.

Stuart sixth-grader Kelsey Adwell, 11, said students were abuzz about the incident yesterday.

“They just can’t believe that a teacher would do that — burn two American flags in front of the class,” she said. “A teacher shouldn’t do that, even though it was an example.”

Kentucky has a statute last amended in 1992 making desecration of a national or state flag in a public place a misdemeanor, but the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that flag desecration is protected speech.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky said the federal ruling would trump the state statute.

Congress has tried unsuccessfully to prohibit flag burning with a constitutional amendment. The latest attempt failed in the Senate this year.

Beth Wilson, director of Kentucky’s ACLU, said the district is allowed to decide what’s instructionally appropriate.

But “if a school is masking their objections to flag burning under the guise of safety, it raises questions about freedom of speech and academic freedom,” she said. She said her group would monitor the case but did not plan to get involved at this point.

Regardless, school board member Pat O’Leary said the flag burning was unnecessary and could have offended some students, including those in military families.

“A teacher doesn’t do that,” he said. “It’s just disrespectful.”

Rebecca Creech, a Stuart sixth-grader, said she also thought it was “wrong.”

Ginny Adwell, Kelsey’s mother and the school’s PTA president, said some parents who called for Holden to be fired were “going a little bit overboard” and should remember that the teacher was trying to provoke thought.

Brent McKim, president of the Jefferson County Teachers Association, said Holden has “been teaching for many years, and has by all accounts a good teaching record. It was not a political statement and was meant to illustrate a controversial issue. To fire someone because of that would be inappropriate,” he said. “It wasn’t like he was taking one side or another.”

McKim said he was gathering facts that would determine whether the district was justified in removing Holden from the classroom.

In 2001, a teacher in Sacramento, Calif., faced suspension for using a lighter to singe a corner of an American flag in class.

The teacher later was fired, but district officials cited numerous acts of poor judgment and disregard for superiors.

Reporter Chris Kenning can be reached at (502) 582-4697.

Saturday, August 19, 2006

Wanted -- Old Pictures


My wife and I grew up here and we often talk about how things used to be in the 70s and 80s when we were young. The old layout of Mall St. Matthews. The undeveloped stretches of Hurstbourne and Westport Road. Old stores, old landmarks, old newscasters, etc.

So help me and everyone else with those memories. I am looking for old pictures and video (pre 1990) of Louisville, it's celebrities, its landmarks, its events, and anything else you can provide. I'll post as many as I can on this blog for everyone to see.

Of particular interest to me:

Shots from the 70s and 80s of what malls, stores, the skyline and events were like.

Footage or pictures of anchors, weather people, and other local celebrities.

Scans of old newspaper clippings of interest.

E-mail these items to crutnacker@gmail.com.

Ford -- Their own fault

While watching coverage of work shutdowns at local Ford plants one worker summed up the situation perfectly. He said that Ford has relied too much on gas guzzling SUVs and Trucks at the expense of developing smaller and more fuel efficient money makers.

I've read that domestic car companies make little if any money on the small car segment. Indeed, the competition is brutal, with Toyota, Honda, and Nissan putting out nice small and midsize cars that are relatively cheap and reliable. Ford's Focus was introduced to great reviews, but Ford's bad habit of keeping the same sheet metal on cars year after year (Taurus anyone?) without a major redesign makes them look dated. Oddly Ford's Mazda has some very sharp looking cars that look fresh year after year.

While it is easy to blame unions and gas prices for domestic automaker's woes, the reality goes much deeper. Domestic models are still not as reliable as their foreign counterparts, their exteriors are often uninspired and their interiors often look, feel, and are cheap. Technology that comes standard on foreign models is optional or non-existant on domestic models. Heck, even something as simple as an interior opening fuel door is tough to find on domestic models.

While I hope Ford recovers, I don't think they'll do it by praying for a miracle or keeping their extensive model lines intact. And I certainly hope things work out for the people they employ and support.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Rolling Stones Opener -- Alice Cooper -- Is That It?

Alice Cooper's website says he's opening for the Stones on September 29th. One can only hope that the Stones make the most of the night and add a couple of more acts. They have three at their Halifax show, including Cooper, Kanye West, and Sloan. I'm not a big Cooper fan, but he would be entertaining to see once.

I'd love to see Van Morrison come along too. An odd triple bill, but so what?

Cricket Promotions Get Out Of Hand

I understand the need for companies to get the word out about their services in unique, buzz creating ways. And who am I to complain if the new to Louisville cellular phone provider Cricket Wireless wants to sell 99 cent gas at various spots around town. But I have to draw the line at their latest gimmick, releasing thousands of crickets around town.

As I was mowing the grass today, I saw swarms of them. Not surprising, since Cricket has an office not far from where I live. Little ones, bigger ones. All jumping everywhere I looked.

I guess what they're thinking is that the unceasing racket they create at night will cause you to look up that old buddy from college to help talk you through the evening.

Of course, dealing with Crickets is much better than the cockroaches I've been dealing with at Cingular.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Charlie's Barber Shop -- Great Haircuts for Guys

Charlie's Barber Shop, located near the Pizza Hut at the shopping center on Taylorsville and Six-Mile, is a great place to get a GUY haircut.

So many salons do a poor job of cutting men's hair. Granted, mine is easy these days since I basically get it shaved down to almost nothing. But Charlie gives you a good haircut for a reasonable price. The shop is clean, has plenty of parking, and Charlie's got a good sense of humor.

Give him a visit.

Visit his website and get a coupon at www.charliesbarbershop.com.

Friday, August 11, 2006

Yung Joc -- Leader in The 'Hood ?????

While I am not for censorship, and believe anyone should be able to produce the "art" they want, I question the value of having a rap artist visit young people about being "leaders of the 'hood", when his lyrics are full of the things that keep people from being leaders of the 'hood.

Consider the song "It's Goin' Down", which he used as music for a dance contest for these young kids. From reading the lyrics, it appears to be your typical rap boast, which became tired about 1987, full of talk of hoes, cash, pistols, and the N word and a few MFs to boot.

I once heard a woman who ran a drug education organization asked why she didn't use celebrities as spokespeople. She mentioned that as soon as you do, that same person gets into trouble that basically obliterates the message they were trying to send. While it's admirable for anyone to want to help inner city youth, it's also naive to think that he's not sending a mixed message, and that his tossing of five dollar bills glamourizes a lifestyle that probably nobody there will obtain. Of course, 18 year old Jacinta Sloan says that much more elegantly than I can in the article below.

Rapper takes time out to meet with youth
By Jessie Halladay
jhalladay@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal





About 100 young people spent nearly two hours squirming on the bleachers of the Presbyterian Community Center as they waited for rap artist Yung Joc.

Finally, a high-pitched scream erupted as he entered the gym.

The rapper from Atlanta was in Louisville Thursday performing at Headliners Music Hall, but after stopping at several radio stations in the afternoon he took a few minutes to talk with young people at the community center on Hancock Street near the Sheppard Square public housing complex.

Yung Joc told the children about how he lost seven friends to violence in 2004. He warned the kids to stay off the streets.

“Y’all got to be the leaders of the ’hood,” Yung Joc told the excited crowd. “Life is too precious. You got one time to do it. Make the most of it.”

After speaking, he held a dance contest, handing out $5 bills to some of the children who danced to his hit song, “It’s Goin’ Down.”

Watching them, he said, “It brightens my day. It means love.”

He said several appearances and the rain kept him from getting to the gym earlier but said he thinks it’s important to get out and talk to young people.

She’nique Jackson, 11, waited patiently for the rapper to appear, hoping he would have a good message for youngsters.

She wasn’t disappointed when he walked through the door.

“He’s a good person who’s not only trying to make money but also trying to help kids,” She’nique said.

Jacinta Sloan, 18, waited for Yung Joc hoping to get a picture or an autograph but had to settle for a quick hug. While she said it was a big deal for a celebrity to come to a public housing neighborhood, she was disappointed.

“It’s just words,” she said. “You can’t make people change just by talking to them. People can relate to what he said, but I don’t know that it’s going to make a difference.”

Reporter Jessie Halladay can be reached at (502) 582-4081.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

8 Ways to Promote Your Student Film

When I was helping my friends Cord Douglas and Martin Doudoroff make their film New Sensations at Boston University, we had many misadventures. We set off a whole apartment building's smoke alarm with our smoke machine and had the Boston Fire Department show up. We went to the offices of the now defunct Bradlees and wound up breaking office equipment, spilling paint, and once again setting off another smoke detector (and calling the police). We locked ourselves IN an apartment. We even sent our building supplies flying down the highway because we didn't secure them well enough. But never did we think to strike fear in the hearts of Kentuckiana fisherman by dumping an octopus in the Ohio River.

So, Zachary Treitz.... a salute to you from a fellow BU Film School grad. (Class of '93).


How did the octopus wind up in the Ohio River this week?

Courier Journal


A 21-year-old college student from Louisville said in an interview Thursday that he put it there - after shooting videotape of the animal last Sunday for a film project.

He said he had purchased it - dead - from a local seafood shop.

The six-foot-wide octopus made headlines earlier this week when a Jeffersonville fisherman hooked the dead creature while angling for catfish below the dam at the Falls of the Ohio State Park, across from downtown Louisville.

Its discovery prompted officials to speculate that someone may have kept it as a pet and released it - dead or alive - into the river.

Octopuses are invertebrates that live only in salt water and cannot survive for long in fresh water.

Zachary Treitz, of Crescent Hill, told The Courier-Journal that he’s surprised at the interest in the octopus, which he said he had put in the river on Sunday morning after filming it for a picnic scene in a short film project he has been working on.

“I guess we didn’t think about the interest this would cause,” he said. “It was completely surprising.”

Treitz, a Boston University senior, said he’d purchased the octopus from a St. Matthews seafood store and considered eating it after using it in the film.

But it was too old, he said, so he and companions shoved it into the river. They were amazed, he said, to see it swirl life-like in the river’s eddies before disappearing from view.

Reporter Grace Schneider can be reached at (812) 949-4040.

Got my Rolling Stones Tickets


I'm in the dirt track section at Churchill Downs. Tickets were only $99 apiece. (Hahahahaha.... I said only). For the convenience of using a website and having my tickets mailed to me, I paid just shy of $40 in ticketmaster charges.

One day I'd love to know why this continues. Call me weird, but I wish they'd just bury the stinkin' charges in the price of the tickets, rather than rubbing it in my face.

The seats should be pretty good. By my estimation, I'm less than 200 feet from the stage (assuming the tracks are truly 160 feet wide combined.)

My wife said Terry Meiners said something funny yesterday. Instead of offering a student discount, the Rolling Stones should offer an AARP discount.

Joke all we want, these guys seem to have a better record of surviving their tours than the 20 somethings on American Idol.

And assuming they still make the show (and with 5 million to make, I bet they do). I'll finally get to knock one of my goals off my list at 43things.com

Kroger Plus Card -- HELP




Can someone explain to me why the brilliant cashiers at Kroger come to a dead stop in scanning your groceries until you produce your "Kroger Plus Card"? This is the card that claims to provide you awesome savings, but often merely takes the price of an item down to what it really should be.

I know that the card works at any point in the transaction. Is it that they don't want you to see how inflated their prices are at the end? (You can knock 20 or 30 off a cart full of groceries if you wait until the end to scan it). Is it that the cashiers get in trouble if they don't ask for it and receive it in the beginning?

Friday, August 04, 2006

Discovering half million dollar error nets local couple $180

What a generous lot Caesars Indiana is. The one couple in a casino who doesn't want to screw the company out of its money, and they reward the uncovering of a $500,000 mistake with the equivalent of a couple of hours at the slot machines?

I've NEVER won in any visit to Caesars. I'm lucky if I get 20 minutes of play before the money I take is spent. In fact, I now have an arrangement where I just mail them a check for $50 and I save the gas money getting there. So I think I'd be one of the ones tempted to walk away with 10 times what I put in.

I love how they are going to try to track down the people who took the money and ran. I'd suggest going after the people internally who let $500,000 bleed out of the casino in 2 days without realizing the slot machine had problems.

Personally, I'm going to fly to the Philippines, where apparently the slots are all setup this way. I guess they make it up in volume.


Gamblers cash in on Caesars casino error
Slot machine paid out $487,000 over two-day period

By Harold J. Adams
hjadams@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal



The Caesars Indiana casino lost nearly half a million dollars over two-days last month on one slot machine that had been incorrectly set to give players credit for 10 times the amount of money they put into it.

Caesars and Indiana Gaming Commission officials say the machine — named Extra Money — paid out $487,000 over the July 21 weekend before an honest gambler from Louisville brought the problem to their attention.

The commission is investigating the matter and might penalize Caesars for failing to follow procedures designed to prevent such a problem, said Jennifer Arnold, its deputy director.

But so far, at least, there’s no indication that criminal behavior was involved, according to casino management and the Indiana State Police.

Caesars, which is on the Ohio River in Harrison County, plans to try to track down the missing money.

But Ernest Yelton, executive director of the Indiana Gaming Commission, said he doesn’t know whether the players who benefited are under any legal obligation.

“I would suggest you consult an attorney,” he told a reporter

Friendly competition exposes problem
The problem came to Caesars’ attention after Kathryn Ford and her husband, David, sat down at two of the Extra Money slot machines on the night of July 23.

“We were going to have a race to see who could accumulate the most at one time on the same machine,” Kathryn Ford said Thursday.

But it soon became apparent that she had a very big advantage.

“He put a twenty in, and I put a twenty in, and my credits registered at 200 (dollars),” she said.

Confused, she tried a different $20 bill “and the same thing happened.”

Ford said she put eight $20 bills in the machine, and without playing even once she found herself with vouchers that could be redeemed for $1,600 in cash.

The extra cash put out by the Extra Money machine caught the attention of other gamblers, she said.

“There was even a young woman who jumped in while I was sitting there,” Ford said. “She … reached across me, popped a hundred in, popped out a thousand and then she took off.”

Ford said she and her husband flagged down a security officer to report the problem.

Machine set for use in Philippines


It turned out that the machine was one of a bank of eight slots in which new software had been installed on July 21, according to a gaming commission incident report.

The other seven machines checked out fine. But the one Ford was using had a switch set in a position for use in the Philippines instead of the United States, and it instructed the machine to multiply credits by 10, the report states.

Ed Garruto, general manager of the casino, said “our testing procedures before putting the game in place were not completely followed.”

Arnold said Caesars needed “to test a machine to make sure that if you put $10 in, you get $10 in credit, and then when you push cash out, that you get what you’re due.”

She added: “It appears that they failed to do that test. Had they done that they would have known that the machine was set to the wrong setting for currency.”

Arnold said the commission will “be looking at what occurred in their operation that allowed this type of breakdown.”

The results of the commission’s investigation will be sent to the agency’s compliance committee for review, she said.

Arnold said that Caesars’ management has been cooperative, but that the casino could still face sanctions, including a possible fine or a requirement for a plan to address any flaws that are found.

Technician suspended
The commission’s incident report said three technicians and one supervisor were involved in the installation and testing of the slot machine’s software.

The technician who set the machine “has been suspended pending investigation with others to follow,” the report stated.

Garruto said casino officials “have considered the possibility of collusion, but at this time we do not believe that it was deliberate or that there was collusion involved.”

He added, “It looks like it was a costly mistake.”

Garruto declined to comment on other possible disciplinary action or whether other employees might be affected.

Casino looks to get back money
Caesars, meanwhile, plans to try to get back its money.

“We are going to contact some of the patrons who may have benefited a great deal and see if we can effect a recovery,” Garruto said.

He said he isn’t sure whether the gamblers are legally required to return the money.

Some of those who benefited will be easy to track down. The incident report says that 24 patrons inserted their Player Cards — which allow the casino to track their gambling and reward them with perks — while getting vouchers out of the machine.

But Garruto said he thought “there were quite a few more” who did not use Player Cards and would thus require more effort to track down.

He said he was grateful that Ford alerted Caesars to the problem.

Ford said she thought about cashing her $1,600 in tickets but decided against it.

“Besides the guilt we would have for … sitting there putting money in the thing and knowing it wasn’t right, we are fully aware that they have cameras all over the place,” she said.

Ford said she and her husband go to the casino about once a week “on what we call date night.”

“We have four kids and a mom that lives with us and a dog, and we both work,” she said. “And one night a week we go and have some fun with young people … and everybody’s there to enjoy themselves and have a good time.”

Ford said Caesars was very nice to her when she reported the slot machine problem. And in the end officials told her she could keep one of those $200 vouchers.