Onondaga County committee approves off-track betting

The Onondaga County Legislature’s Ways and Means Committee approved a proposal to allow Off-Track Betting during a meeting earlier this morning. The vote passed by a margin of 4-2, with one abstention.

"The county is diving into a cesspool of vices," Democrat Mark Stanczyk, said. Cnycentral.com reports lawmakers argued over whether the county should allow gambling.

Legislators in favor of the proposal bringing OTB to Onondaga County say this is a good way to bring money into the county. The bill's co-sponsor, Legislature Chairman Jim Rheinhart, says OTB could generate more than $1 million for the county.

E.U. helps out airlines after volcano ash 

The European Union warned governments against providing airlines with money to make up for losses from flight cancellations. But, the E.U. proposed other measures to help airlines recover from the weeklong shutdown of air travel. 

The International Air Transport Association says the airline industry lost more than $1.7 billion earlier this month. The New York Times reports air traffic levels in Europe have been back to normal since Thursday.

The E.U. transport commissioner says airlines should be allowed to use night flights to ensure that stranded passengers return home. “Any support must respect a level playing field,” he said.

Crawford beats out Jason Terry

ESPN reports Atlanta Hawks guard Jamal Crawford is the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year. Crawford won the award with 580 of a possible 610 points.

He beat out Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry - who finished second - and Cleveland Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao - who finished third. 

"You have to check your ego at the door," Crawford said. "It's all about winning. You do what you've got to do."