‘Big Money’ Game Popular State Shows Off New Programs At Information Network Kiosk
They could have been cruising the computer kiosk for auto insurance rates and checking out the state’s basic health plan, but most people were interested in cold, hard receipts for cash.
At a news conference Wednesday, the state showed off several new programs in its Washington Information Network kiosk at NorthTown Mall. Those programs include information on auto insurance and rates, elected officials and the legislative process, the state’s basic health plan and boat safety.
Karen Ausderau, who moved to Spokane from Texas six months ago, was touching and clicking her way through the car-information section. “It didn’t seem too difficult to use,” Ausderau said.
The 11 kiosks across the state were installed in August, mostly in malls.
“This is touch-sensitive,” said Sam Hunt, of the state’s Department of Information Services. “You don’t need to be a computer whiz to work it.”
State and local officials crowded around the kiosk during the news conference to check out its wares. Mall rats in ball caps, fresh out of school for the summer, gathered in back.
They steered away from the auto information, opting for the “big money” game. There’s a one in seven chance that any state resident is entitled to get part of $150 million in unclaimed property, including old utility deposits, tuition refunds and bank accounts.
County Commissioner Phil Harris and City Councilman Chris Anderson vied for the computer screen.
Harris searched for money due the county and found seven accounts adding up to several hundred dollars. He printed out the receipts, which he could send into the Department of Revenue for verification - and money.
Anderson printed out five receipts for more than $200 owed to the city.
Three teenage boys in tennis shoes and baseball caps crowded around the machine.
They typed in their last names to see if any relatives had untapped sources of cash. “I bet your uncle owns something he doesn’t know about,” Jayson Storer, 14, told his friend, Chris Engelhardt.
“Dude, I hope,” said Engelhardt, 14. No such luck.
, DataTimes