MAGGIE VALLEY — When video sweepstakes machines and small-town government mix, nothing is simple.

This was plain to see last Thursday when the Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen held an emotional meeting to discuss the town’s restrictions on such machines, which have recently been questioned by longtime businesses owners Jo and Torry Pinter Sr. The couple hopes to add a gaming parlor with 50 machines to their now-empty building on the eastern end of Soco Road, though a current town ordinance makes that impossible.

By the ending of the meeting, which was also attended by the Maggie Valley Planning Board, possibilities did seem to be opening up for the couple, as the aldermen agreed to hold a public hearing on an ordinance change. A final date for a decision wasn't clear, however.

Mayor Ron ...