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West Virginians have a better chance of bumping into a non-casino gambling device than residents in any other state, a report by the State of Maryland revealed.According to the 2003 report, West Virginia had one video lottery terminal for every 55 state residents.By contrast, Delaware's ratio was 150 people per machine, Iowa's was 850 per device, Louisiana 254, New Mexico 871, New York 1378, Oregon 382, Rhode Island 424, and South Dakota 92.The eye-opening report revealed that in Maryland, the legislature understood a constitutional amendment would have to be passed just to expand VLTs -- a stark contrast to On a related matter, the Indianapolis Star reported last week that a legislative committee is recommending that racetracks there be charged a $400 million licensing fee for each slots franchise. Compare that to the mere $1.5 to $2.5 million West Virginia tracks are being charged for the privilege of adding table games. Indiana's propsal would limit the number of slots to 1,500 machines, compared to nearly 20,000 in West Virginia by 2007, counting those at tracks and countless retailers.Secretary of State Betty Ireland and the West Virginia Association of Rehabilitation Facilities (WVARF) introduced the ‘Here to be Heard: Voter Registration for West Virginians with Disabilities’ campaign in a joint press conference Monday. In partnership with WVARF, the Secretary of State’s Office will hold voter registration drives at more than 30 WVARF locations across the state starting on Monday, April 2nd in Morgantown.“The loudest voice an individual can have on election day is his vote,” Secretary Ireland said. “So I’m very excited about our partnership with WVARF and what this program will mean for people with disabilities—giving them a voice through their right to vote.”Tim Morris, President of WVARF, says he too is excited that clients at community rehabilitation programs can take advantage of such a great opportunity. “As has been said, democracy does not guarantee equality, only equality of opportunity,” Morris said. “The ‘Here to be Heard’ campaign will not only serve as a voter registration drive, but also as an opportunity and educational awareness effort to get West Virginians with disabilities involved in the election process.”Secretary Ireland pointed out that we have achieved many voting milestones for our citizens with disabilities including the new accessible electronic voting machines that were used for the first time in the 2006 elections. “We heard many wonderful success stories, after the elections last year, about people with certain disabilities who had voted independently and in complete privacy for the first time on the new voting machines.”The WVARF leadership approached Secretary Ireland with the idea of the ‘Here to be Heard’ campaign and requested her participation in the project. “Secretary Ireland became involved immediately,” Morris said. “She has long been very attentive to the needs of our citizens with disabilities."Bob Adams, the Charles Town resident who has announced his intention to seek the State Senate seat held by John Yoder if Yoder does not seek re-election, addressed Monday's meeting of the Gateway Republican Women, focusing on recent actions by the Maryland legislature on the issue of traditional marriage.“We’re facing an imminent threat from the north on our values and our traditions,” says Adams. “Our society’s common sense definition of marriage as between one man and one woman is under attack from our nation’s courts.”Adams has a long record on the national level of fighting for traditional marriage. He was scheduled to address the Gateway Republican Women last night in Martinsburg.An attempt to constitutionally ban same-sex marriage in Maryland died on Thursday when a House committee voted to kill the measure. The judiciary committee voted 12-8 to reject House Bill 919, which also sought to bar public schools from teaching about “same-sex relationships.” The measure was considered unlikely to pass the General Assembly and would have faced a gubernatorial veto.The Raleigh County Commission on Monday finally turned over documents it forced a local resident to file a Freedom of Information Act request to receive.The commission notified Dereck Severt, the new county GOP chairman, the list of boards and commissions he had requested was ready -- at a cost to Severt of more than $100.When Severt originally requested the information several weeks ago, he was shocked to be told he would have to file the FOIA request to receive it. Many counties in states across the nation list boards and commissions and their members on their websites.