From our friends at Casino-Free Philadelphia.

We hope you can attend this Town Hall, so you can help us embolden at least one elected Representative, Senator, Mayor or Council person (and maybe more) to declare publicly that slot parlors do not belong in Philadelphia as part of our Declaration of Independence from Casinos campaign. At this event, we'll provide a comprehensive update and we'll explain how to get involved so we can make real change.

Wednesday, March 18th from 6:45 PM to 8:30 PM

Riverwards Town Hall
St. Michaels Church
4th Street and Fairmount Avenue

A Philadelphia neighborhood association and an environmental advocate for the Delaware River have asked the state's Environmental Hearing Board to overturn a SugarHouse Casino sewer permit.

The permit was issued to the City by the Department of Environmental Protection in last month. SugarHouse is the beneficiary of the permit, however, because it allows the casino developer to enlarge the combined sewer outflow on its site and to hook its sanitary sewer system to the city's waste treatment infrastructure. The outflow is the means by which both runoff and untreated waste water are channeled into the river - and away from people's homes and city streets - when heavy rains overwhelm the sewer system.

Without the permit, SugarHouse cannot build its proposed casino.

Opponents of the proposed Sugarhouse casino in Fishtown are continuing their fight with the unveiling of a new billboard.

The billboard ad, bought by the Philadelphia Neighborhood Alliance, is above Frankford Avenue. PNA delegate Debby King says the billboard, with the words "Get Jobs Fast, Move Slots Now," contains a simple message:

"What it means is, we understand that people in the city want the jobs, and the quickest way to get them, we believe, is to find a more appropriate location. Because the waterfront is no place for this casino."

I am writing to share some good news out of Harrisburg today regarding our fight to re-site Philadelphia's two casinos from their proposed locations along the waterfront to an area of the city that makes more sense from a land-use perspective.

The House State Government Committee, of which I am a member, today reported out legislation (HB2775)that would revoke the submerged land license issued to HSP Gaming Inc., which plans to open the Sugarhouse Casino at the site of the former Jack Frost Refinery.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FAST (Fishtown Against Sugarhouse Takeover)
Press Contacts:
Morgan Jones, cell 215-833-6508
Scott Seiber, cell: 215-432-4229

FACT Letter Reveals Lack of Support

Fishtown Action (FACT) recently sent a letter to the Governor and others requesting inclusion in the resiting process (http://www.planphilly.com/node/3528). A geographical analysis of the signatures indicates that FACT's representation of Fishtown is far smaller than they claim. In addition, the representation they do have is about a mile or more from the proposed site.

July 17, 2008

The SugarHouse principal has taken control of a Pittsburgh gaming hall under construction.

The cash-strapped developer of Pittsburgh's slots casino yesterday signed over control of the project to a firm led by the primary investor in Philadelphia's stalled SugarHouse Casino.

Gambling operator Don Barden, who had missed payments in connection with his $780 million Pittsburgh riverfront casino, the Majestic Star, agreed to partner with Chicago billionaire Neil G. Bluhm and Bluhm's Walton Street Capital L.L.C. to complete the project.

July 5, 2008

Guv says he'll ask SugarHouse, Foxwoods to pick new locations.

Claiming that "the political landscape has changed" in the battle over casinos in Philadelphia, Gov. Rendell said yesterday that he will meet with operators of two proposed gaming houses about abandoning their Delaware River sites.

Rendell spoke a day after two powerful Philadelphia legislators - State House Appropriations Committee chairman Dwight Evans and State Sen. Vince Fumo - threatened the operators with legislative recrimination if they didn't agree to relocate the casinos.

Rendell said in an interview that opposition to the sites by the lawmakers and by Mayor Nutter were reason enough for him to convene a meeting with them and the casino operators.

July 4, 2008

Since taking office, I have taken every opportunity to move legislation and educate my fellow lawmakers on the need to re-site the Sugarhouse and Foxwoods casinos from their proposed locations along the waterfront to an area of the city that makes more sense from a land-use perspective. Representative Bill Keller and others have joined me in making this fight in the legislature and with the city.

I am pleased to report that last night those efforts came to fruition with an agreement among Governor Ed Rendell and House and Senate leaders, including Representative Dwight Evans and Senator Vince Fumo, to sit down with all interested parties and encourage the casino operators to voluntarily re-site to an area of the city that will achieve the economic development goals of the city and state while minimizing the quality-of-life impact on local residents.

July 3, 2008

On the eve of the fourth anniversary of legislation that brought casinos
to Pennsylvania, Philadelphia's legislators had a message for Foxwoods
and SugarHouse: Move willingly from the waterfront and we'll help you.
Fight us, and we'll make you move.

http://www.planphilly.com/files/casinomove.doc

Sen. Vince Fumo and Rep. Dwight Evans are leading the charge, but had
many other members of the city's delegation with them when they
announced a unified effort at a 9 p.m., July 3 press conference.

In a letter to Mayor Michael Nutter and Governor Ed Rendell, Fumo and
Evans called for a casino relocation meeting with the mayor, the
governor, the Philadelphia delegation and the principals of both
Foxwoods and SugarHouse.

July 1, 2008

Neil G. Bluhm, the Chicago billionaire who is bankrolling the development of a $700 million slots parlor on the Philadelphia waterfront, is pursuing a deal to help Don Barden financially in building his casino in Pittsburgh, according to a partner of Bluhm's.

Stymied by legal controversy and neighborhood opposition in Philadelphia, Bluhm now is looking to expand his casino holdings in another part of the state.