Free Republic

A state agency that lost its bid to seize the home of piano tuner Charlie Birnbaum in state Superior Court last month plans to continue its lengthy legal battle to acquire the Oriental Avenue property.The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, or CRDA, on Wednesday filed a notice appealing the Aug. 5 decision from Superior Court Judge Julio Mendez, who wrote the state agency's effort to condemn Birnbaum's property is a "manifest abuse of the eminent domain power." The agency has targeted the brick walkup that has been in Birnbaum's family for more than four decades as part of a mixed-use development project in...

Philadelphia Park opened southeastern Pennsylvania's first slot-machine parlor and the second statewide yesterday, attracting gamblers who said they were happy for a local alternative to the casinos in Atlantic City. Hundreds of people poured in when the doors opened shortly after 11:30 a.m. and began stuffing bills into the machines, and the ca sino enjoyed a brisk business in its first hours of operation. Ines Beiez, 47, a North Philadelphia woman who was one of the first to sit down at a machine, said Philadelphia Park would become her gambling destination of choice. Although she was a frequent patron of...

Don't bet on legalized gambling in Texas Backers say opposition has momentum despite public's support 07:15 AM CDT on Thursday, May 12, 2005 By DAVE MICHAELS / The Dallas Morning News AUSTIN – Forget about hearing the "ka-ching" of slot machines in Texas this year. That's the prediction of most gambling supporters, beaten back by opposition from a coalition of conservative Republicans and anti-gaming Democrats.

TULALIP RESERVATION — The Tulalip Tribes announced today they are laying off 240 employees of the Tulalip Casino, the latest sign that the huge, glitzy casino is not doing as well as tribal leaders expected. The layoffs will bring the total casino workforce to just over 1,400. Before the casino opened in June, tribal leaders hailed it as a "cash cow" and projected it would bring in $161 million in revenue by the end of 2003. Revenues and visitor-levels have stayed close to projections, but expenses have been high, tribal leaders said.

If you saw Wednesday's Herald, you, too, probably got a warm feeling looking at the picture of Richard and Betty Harrington, the ``miracle couple'' from Wakefield whose worries over staggering medical bills vanished when he realized he'd won $4 million with a scratch ticket. Who could help but rejoice for this woman who survived a double-lung transplant and her husband whose health insurance was canceled? Read on. ``I'll admit I was torn,'' Ruth said. ``Obviously I was happy for them because they deserved a break. But what drove me crazy was wondering how many other people who never bought a...

UNCASVILLE, Conn. - The Mohegan Sun casino officially threw open the doors of its glitzy $1 billion hotel expansion this weekend with a star-studded $2 million bash that was more fun than creaming the house with a royal flush. Ex-President Clinton wailed on the sax with the Blues Brothers, talk-show titan Rosie O'Donnell dueted with Cyndi Lauper and Cher was Living Proof that Vegas-style entertainment has a new home in New England. ``When you have Cher, Cyndi Lauper and Steven Tyler in the house, why would you even think of going to bed?'' ex-``Party of Five'' gal Jennifer Love Hewitt...

<p>WASHINGTON — Tired of poor Kentucky workers losing their money in Ohio's riverboat casinos, one Kentucky lawmaker has declared war on his neighbor.</p> <p>Rep. Tom Burch, D-Louisville, filed a resolution in the chamber this week that "encourages the purchase and armament of one particularly effective submarine, namely, the USS Louisville 688 VLS Class Submarine, to patrol the portion of the Ohio River under the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth to engage and destroy any casino riverboats that the submarine may encounter."</p>