State Representative Jim McClendon (R-Springville) on bingo:

“I think we spent an unnecessary amount of the legislature’s time on the gambling and slot machine issue,” he said.

“It squeaked out of the Senate, but it looks like a bill that came out of the Senate because of something illegal going on,” he said. “It was a bill that looks like it was put there to make a handful of families in the state rich beyond our wildest dreams.”

Rep. McClendon said that the gambling interests wouldn’t want a system that levels the playing field.  “The bingo issue is dead for now. But it is only dead until the next legislative session. Because of the corrupt bill that was offered, it didn’t have a chance from day one… But I predict we’ll see people in jail most likely before this all shakes out.”

See more in tomorrow’s News-Aegis, in the green racks across St. Clair County!