Author: Meredith Orban

In the digital age sending sexually explicit photos, messages or videos from a cellphone or over the internet has become so common it has a name: “sexting.” While not exclusive to any one age group, a National Center for Missing and Exploited Children study found that 19% of teens, nearly one in five, have engaged in sexting. When a minor takes a naked photo of him or herself and sends it to a boyfriend or girlfriend, that child is technically committing a crime: disseminating child pornography. It’s a crime that carries hefty penalties and could land teens on sex offender registries. This has become a tricky issue nationwide and prosecutors have had to grapple with some tough questions. If a minor takes a nude self-portriat should that child be charged? What if the “photographer” sends it to a friend who then sends a blast email to the whole school? Who, if anyone, should be punished in that situation? And should the repercussions follow a minor for the rest of his or her life?

Connecticut is one of at least fifteen states considering legislation to address teen sexting. State Representative Rosa Rebimbas introduced a bill that would create a lesser category of punishment for minors who transmit child pornography electronically. Rebimbas says that in many cases a felony punishment doesn’t fit the crime and her bill is designed to give prosecutors options. If passed, under the new law prosecutors would be able to charge minors with a class a misdemeanor rather than a felony. “The felony conviction of course could carry with it a prison term, also hefty fines in combination with that and again the most devastating is the fact when you have a felony conviction it could be very difficult for anyone who’s searching for jobs as well as having to register as a sex offender,” says Rebimbas. Make no mistake though, she doesn’t plan on letting kids off with a slap on the wrist if punishment is warranted. “The misdemeanor would be something that would stay on their record, absolutely and I think the important point in that is to hold minor children accountable for their actions because there are true victims as a result of these acts,” Rebimbas explained. And, she says, prosecutors would still have the choice of not prosecuting at all if the behavior is not malicious.

Not everyone thinks more laws are the right solution to the problem though. Connecticut Victim Advocate Michelle Cruz says education is key. “I think we’re in a society where a lot of times what we try to do is we see an issue, we want to resolve it so we think legislation. Sometimes the best answer is education, not codifying certain behaviors,” says Cruz. Cruz believes creating a law that defines teen sexting as a crime and is targeted to put them in the criminal justice system is not the way to go. “I feel that carving a specific section for an age specific group of individuals for pornography is dangerous. Now we’re codifying sexting and we’re saying to kids, this is pornography and we’re identifying it by creating a law to penalize them,” she said. Cruz advocates mandatory education to teach teens about the potential ramifications of sexting.

Both sides agree that there is no clear cut solution though. Ernie Allen, President of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children notes that it is not a problem that can be responded to in a one size fits all manner. “The vast majority of sexting does not require criminal prosecution. It requires education and counseling, teaching kids that there are repercussions from this behavior. We have a campaign out there called think before you post. However, I think minimizing it ignores the fact that some elements, some examples of this behavior are very serious and do rise to the level that require criminal prosecution,” he says.

Surrounded by state and local GOP leaders, Conservative Democrat-turned-Republican Steve Levy today announced his bid to run for Governor of New York on the Republican ticket.  Levy, a former state assemblyman who currently serves as Suffolk County Executive, held two press conferences to declare his candidacy:  one outside the state Capitol building in Albany and another in New York City’s Battery Park. 

Mr. Levy has compared himself to Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown, saying today, “You know in Massachusetts it was perceived very early on that there was going to be a coronation and he came along and said ‘hold it, not so fast… the people will decide who will represent them.’”  Levy called his own candidacy a grassroots movement that goes beyond party saying, “what I’m doing is laying out my particular perspective on the recipe we need to save this state from going bankrupt and anyone who wants to join with me from any party I’ll embrace and walk with, but so far these (Republicans) are the folks who are with me.” 

This morning in Albany, Levy signed the paperwork to change his registration to the Republican Party. The switch is not effective immediately and because of that Levy campaign strategist John Weaver says the candidate will need to get fifty percent of the votes at the upcoming state convention in order to be in the primary.  Weaver is confident though that Mr. Levy will get those votes, and added that Levy is officially a Republican today.

Standing on the Hudson River with the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop, Levy declared that the people of New York are “crying out for someone with a proven record as an executive manager who can balance budgets, make the tough decisions to protect taxpayers and save New York from financial ruin.”  Pointing to his record of fiscal restraint, Levy claims he is that leader.

He has the support of New York State Republican Chairman Ed Cox who said in a statement, “We are happy that Steve Levy has come over to the Republican Party with his outstanding record of fiscal conservatism and plan to save New York.”  According to Levy, that plan includes, “Declaring a fiscal emergency, capping spending, capping property tax increases, and structural reform on every level and in every line of the budget.”

On social issues, Levy says he is pro-choice but is against partial birth abortion and on the topic of gay rights that he is in favor of civil unions but marriage should be between a man and a woman.  When asked about the healthcare bill, Levy said this is “not the right bill.”  If passed, he claims it will be hurtful for New York State because it would require the state and local governments to come up with billions more in tax revenue to pay for the expanded Medicaid enrollment. 

Levy will square off against Republican Rick Lazio in the GOP primary.  Lazio’s campaign was quick to go on the offensive today.  In a statement, Lazio campaign manager Kevin Fullington referred to Levy as a liberal Democrat and said, “He is a supporter of Barack Obama… and he has voted for the largest tax increase in New York state history.  He even said that the Obama stimulus package was a ‘manna from heaven’ that would ‘save lives’.”  

NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is the likely Democratic gubernatorial candidate.  Citing an “accumulation of obstacles” current Democratic governor David Paterson dropped out of the race late last month.  Paterson’s administration had been dogged by scandal, low approval numbers and dwindling Democratic support.

Update February 10, 2010 11:27am

Strafford County Attorney Thomas Velardi reports that Leeland Eisenberg was taken into custody this morning by the County Department of Corrections and has been returned to the Strafford County House of Corrections.  Velardi has not gotten a full briefing but says preliminary reports indicate Eisenberg was picked up at his home.  He was taken into custody without incident.

Update: Feb. 9, 2:40 pm

Leeland Eisenberg, the man who was convicted on seven counts of kidnapping and also of criminal threatening after a November 2007 hostage taking at then presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s Rochester, New Hampshire campaign office, is a fugitive according to Strafford County Attorney Thomas Velardi. Velardi says that after a 9:30am hearing yesterday, Eisenberg was released around lunchtime or 1:00pm yesterday and he’s already cut off his electronic monitoring bracelet. Once the bracelet was removed this morning, Velardi asked the court for an arrest warrant and it was immediately granted. They’ve set extradition limits for the continental US and a BOLO (be on the lookout) has been put out for all local law enforcement. Velardi urges the public to call any leads into local law enforcement and notes that Eisenberg has been violent in the past. At this moment, authorities have no direct leads one way or another as to Eisenberg’s whereabouts past about 11:00am when there was a possible lead that he was in the immediate Dover, NH area. Because Eisenberg is on probation this is a Department of Corrections case, but local law enforcement can and will assist in apprehension if tips are called in.

Velardi says that Eisenberg does have a history of escape when incarcerated in Massachusetts in 1980- that Eisenberg did a “walk away” type of escape. Because of this, Velardi’s position has always been that Eisenberg should be at the State Prison, not the House of Corrections where he had been incarcerated. Velardi also notes that Eisenberg has violated his probation in the past. Violations include failing to charge his GPS so it went dead, failing to take scheduled breath tests, and missing his medications on a few occasions.

In November 2007 Leeland Eisenberg took several hostages in Clinton’s local campaign office and threatened to blow the building up with a bomb strapped to his body. The bomb turned out to be fake.

–Photo Courtesy of AP

The state of Pennsylvania is betting big on table gaming. Earlier this month, Governor Ed Rendell (D) signed into law a bill that permits table games such as blackjack, poker, roulette, and craps in addition to slots, which were legalized in the state in 2004. Along with the expansion of the state’s nine gaming facilities comes the creation of new jobs. State Representative James Wansacz (D), a member of the Gaming Oversight Committee, estimates that table gaming will mean ten thousand jobs in the state. “It’s clearly proven so far to be a tremendous tax revenue generator and job generator. Table games I think will add to that”, said Frank Fahrenkopf, President and CEO of the American Gaming Association of the slot facilities.

Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs has already begun the hiring process and they’re looking to fill 500 positions. They’re hiring for a wide array of openings. From jobs directly related to the table operations such as dealers and supervisors to security, cashiering and food and beverage type jobs. “We’re going to have 60 table games, five hundred employees more there, creating jobs there, creating tax revenue for the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and creating a more complete gaming experience”, said Mitchell Etess, President & CEO of Mohegan Sun.

Other operators also have big plans for big hiring. Wendy Wilson, spokeswoman for the Mount Airy Casino Resort in the Poconos, says close to 1,000 applicants showed up at a recent job fair they held to fill 275 to 300 fulltime positions. Applicants came from neighboring states like Connecticut and Pennsylvania and also from as far away as San Diego and Seattle. “We had hundreds go through the door, they interviewed all day, well into the night. We’re going to cull those resumes and see the best possibilities and take it from there”, Wilson said. Similarly, Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh is planning to hire 350 people. They’re looking for dealers, supervisors and pit bosses. “Our current employees will have the first opportunity for those positions”, said spokesman George Matta, “so the openings will trickle down to the whole operation”. Some properties, such as Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, are not yet announcing what kind of hiring they plan to do. Ron Reese of Las Vegas Sands Corporation says they’re waiting for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to draft the gaming regulations before they finalize their design plans and make hiring determinations.

The employment picture is not quite so rosy in the gaming industry nationwide though. The American Gaming Association estimates that revenue is down about ten percent industry wide and layoffs go hand in hand with drops in revenue. “I mean, lets face it many of the jobs in this business are volume related so if your business is down twenty five percent you probably need less people to work there” said Etess of Mohegan Sun. “I have to believe that we’re probably down in direct employees somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 people nationwide”, said Frank Fahrenkopf of the American Gaming Association. Mohegan Sun in Connecticut took a different approach to dealing with the economic downturn. Rather than lay off workers, the company implemented pay cuts in order to keep people employed. “What we did approximately a year ago was we had across the board salary rollbacks for everybody in the building. From the line employee who took a four percent rollback, all the way up to executives, including myself, who took a ten percent rollback”, Etess said. And while nobody really likes to take a paycut, Etess said their employees embraced what they were doing.

Casino Operators and the American Gaming Association have a good outlook on the growth of table gaming in the state of Pennsylvania and nationwide though. “As the economy starts to come back across the country and people hopefully go back to work and we get below ten percent unemployment, then we’ll get more discretionary income and people will enjoy getting away and enjoying the recreation from the casino industry”, said Frank Fahrenkopf.