Foxwoods Casino

In the first stage of a lengthy approval process, the Philadelphia City Planning Commission supported a zoning change yesterday so Foxwoods Casino could build a slots parlor at the Gallery shopping mall. At the meeting in the Academy of Natural Sciences auditorium, several residents expressed anger that a decision had been made before anyone knew what the project would look like or what impact it could have on the surrounding area. "Slow down!" implored John Chin, executive director of the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp.

1 The rescheduled Eagles-Vikings game gives us something better to watch tonight than a rerun of "The Good Wife. " 2 The Kensington Strangler is too cold to leave the dark, stinking hole he hides in when he's not stalking vulnerable women. 3 The crowds are light at Foxwoods Casino. Oh, wait-there is no Foxwoods Casino. 4 Finally, Mayor Nutter gets to lead a snow-angel flash mob on Dilworth Plaza! 5 Have you noticed how the moon on the crest of the new-fallen snow gives the appearance of cleanliness to the subway steps below?

A state senator from western Pennsylvania is eyeing the license granted to Foxwoods Casino investors for a gambling hall on Columbus Boulevard in South Philadelphia. The Senate Community and Economic Development Committee yesterday approved a bill proposed by state Sen. John N. Wozniak, who wants to move Foxwoods' license to Johnstown, in his district. The committee voted to make the license available anywhere else in the state, outside Philadelphia, if the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board decides to pull the long-delayed Foxwoods' license.

The partners in Foxwoods Casino paid $114,000 in fines to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board on Thursday for delays in developing a gaming hall on Columbus Boulevard in South Philadelphia. So far, the project's investors, known as Philadelphia Entertainment and Development Partners, have paid $300,000 for not adhering to the timetable that the gaming board set Sept. 1. The $2,000-a-day fines will continue, said Doug Harbach, a board spokesman. On April 29, the seven-man panel stunned the Foxwoods group by extending fines indefinitely and moving to revoke the casino's license.

GOV. RENDELL AND Mayor Nutter should be applauded for their collaboration and determination to work with Foxwoods Casino to consider alternative locations away from the Delaware River site. Similarly, Foxwoods should be admired for their newfound openness to doing what's best for the riverfront communities and Philadelphia as a whole. However, one person has been conspicuously absent from the latest discussions and announcements - Frank DiCicco. As the councilman whose district includes Foxwoods' current site, Frank has worked tirelessly on behalf of his constituents to protect them from a casino opening in their backyard.

The investor group behind the embattled Foxwoods Casino planned for South Philadelphia filed a last-minute appeal Monday to salvage the project. The deadline was 5 p.m. Monday for Philadelphia Entertainment & Development Partners L.P. to appeal its license revocation to the state Supreme Court. The deadline came and went, and no such appeal was filed, according to the court's website, and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board said it was never served notice of an appeal Tuesday.

City Council yesterday approved the critical zoning clearance required by Foxwoods Casino to fill the old Strawbridge & Clothier building with slot machines, but the long-delayed casino plan has more obstacles to overcome before it approaches reality. Council voted unanimously to approve Councilman Frank DiCicco's proposed zoning change, which he put forward for a vote even though Foxwoods has yet to sign a lease for the Strawbridge site at Eighth and Market Streets. DiCicco said last month that he would not offer the bill until a lease was signed between the Foxwoods partners and Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT)

Stephen A. Wynn, chairman of Wynn Resorts, said yesterday that he would go to Harrisburg Wednesday to outline to the state Gaming Control Board his plans for a Philadelphia casino that he said would be "the cutest casino you have ever seen. " Wynn discussed for the first time his ideas for reviving the Foxwoods project in South Philadelphia during a conference call with stock analysts after the release of the Las Vegas company's year-end results. Wynn Resorts confirmed Tuesday that it had signed a letter of intent to take control of developing and running the struggling Foxwoods Casino project.

WHY ARE we still fighting City Hall and Harrisburg, where powerful politicians and investors have stacked the deck against casino foes in Philadelphia? The short answer is - because we have no other choice. We have no official say because, two years ago, the state blocked a proposed referendum on whether casinos should be built on the Delaware riverfront. Since then, appeals to city officials to intervene on behalf of us, their constituents, have been ignored or rejected outright.

Wearing anti-casino T-shirts and chanting, "No slots, no casino," about 400 Chinatown residents attacked the Foxwoods Casino project last night, with some protesters shouting, "Get out of town!" The packed meeting at the Holy Redeemer Church and School was the first time Chinatown neighbors had met with Foxwoods executives since Foxwoods announced a plan to put its casino at the Gallery at Market East. In one of the most emotional moments, Lai-Har Cheung, who grew up in Chinatown, shouted at lawmakers and Foxwoods executives that gambling would destroy families.