Governor changes course, tells staff to pay for Vegas trip

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Friday, April 15, 2005 | 9:21 a.m.

DENVER -- Gov. Bill Owens on Thursday told his staffers they would have to pay their own expenses for a trip to a gambling conference in Las Vegas, a day after the Associated Press reported that a Wisconsin group was footing the bill.

Owens spokesman Dan Hopkins said no state funds or time were involved in the trip this weekend, but the governor ordered participating staffers to pay their own way to avoid the appearance of impropriety, Hopkins said.

Owens, who is fighting a proposed Indian casino in Colorado and hosted a Western governors' conference on gambling last month, had invited five staffers to accompany him.