The leader of a petition drive to legalize the lottery in North Dakota can no longer play the game.

Rep. Andy Maragos, R-Minot, can no longer play the North Dakota lottery because his wife, Sherry, was hired by the North Dakota Lottery on Feb. 14.

State law prohibits immediate family members of lottery employees to play the game. Sherry Maragos was hired on as a customer relations specialist with the North Dakota Lottery, which is a division of the attorney general's office.

Andy Maragos said jokingly he was mad he can't play anymore, but he is glad his wife landed the job.

Being nixed from playing the lottery is a minor concern for the couple.

Since her job is in Bismarck, she will have to move from Minot to Bismarck, but Andy Maragos plans on living in Minot, at least for now.

"I might move down here at some point," he said.

If he ever does decide to move he would have to give up his seat in the Legislature.

Andy Maragos led a petition drive to allow voters to decide if they wanted to establish a lottery. The initiative passed in November 2002 and the first lottery tickets were sold in March.

Dialing pains

A North Dakota public service commissioner is weighing in on the Navy's request for its own area code over concerns the proposal will affect the way North Dakotans make their calls.

The Navy wants its own area code so that calls to and from Navy numbers can be treated as local.

Public Service Commissioner Tony Clark said the change could have a greater impact than is intended.

"Under one scenario, it could force everyone in North Dakota to dial the 701 area code for all calls, including local calls," Clark said.

Clark authored a resolution urging the Federal Communications Commission to thoroughly examine the concerns raised and to get input from state commissions. The resolution was adopted by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners in Washington, D.C., recently.

Business-friendly legislators

A Bismarck Legislator was among three to win an award for his voting record supporting small businesses.

The National Federation of Independent Business' North Dakota office on Wednesday presented Rep. Mark Dosch, R-Bismarck, Sen. Randy Schobinger, R-Minot, and Speaker of the House Matthew Klein, R-Minot, with the Guardian of Small Business award.

In a press release, the NFIB states that Dosch led his entire delegation to a 100 percent voting record on issues critical to small-business owners during the 2003 session - the only full delegation to attain such an achievement.

Senators billed $5.9 million

The Dakota Resource Council has lost one battle against companies that want to make genetically-modified wheat, but the organization is not giving up easily.

On Friday the organization handed out mock invoices to 30 senators who voted against Senate Bill 2235. The bill would have protected farmers by making the genetically-modified wheat manufacturer liable for economic injury to a farmer if markets are lost due to contamination from the corporation's product.

The bill failed earlier this month.

Each of the 30 senators who voted against the bill were given an invoice representing one-thirtieth of what an Iowa State University study determined could be the loss farmers could be faced with if genetically-modified wheat is introduced in the state.

(Reach reporter Tom Rafferty at 223-8482 or tom.rafferty@bismarcktribune.com.)