Anti-Casino Art Attack

A supporter of Casino Free Philadelphia is currently running a big ol’ anti-casino art contest; they’re looking for t-shirts, posters and videos. The deadline has been extended to March 10, so get cracking if you want your shirt to possibly join this other classy/hilarious one.

It’s going to be tough to win the poster contest, though, because this entry posted on the site is incredibly awesome:

“Casino”-like Slots Barn is excellent, as is the impressive amount of detail in this poster. As usual, I am jealous of someone who can draw. Just think of all the bad jokes I could make if I could draw!

I can’t tell, though, if it’s saying the casino would ruin Market East (the Funk-O-Mart will never be the same with a casino nearby!) or that The Gallery ruined Market East (could make a convincing case for it, especially if Chinatown is part of Market East). But, hey, what’s with the bullet holes? The only thing shot at The Gallery is good taste.

I also particularly liked “hookers’ entrance.” Is that really any more blatant than the current signage on the brothels in that area?

Update: The artist, FYI, is Dennis Carlisle.

Foxwoods To ‘Consider’ Other Sites!

Speaking of things that have been going on for enternity: The casinos! Yes, two casinos are slated to open on the waterfront (one in Fishtown, one in Pennsport); they’ve been delayed by neighbors and politicians who realized they can use the casino issue to score political points. Fair enough.

Today, Foxwoods (the Pennsport one) has announced it is “considering” additional locations. With that comes the thinking that this whole thing could be slowed down… even… more.

Foxwoods and SugarHouse, another casino proposed for the Delaware riverfront, were awarded gaming licenses by the state in December 2006 but have run into a series of snags with the city government, state officials, neighborhood groups and anti-gaming protesters. Three other investment groups applied to the state Gaming Control Board for the two casino licenses in the city but were rejected. The decisions were based on the proposed locations, which prompted reporters to ask if the rejected casino applicants might now sue the state. “Anybody can sue anybody for anything,” said Rendell.

More lawsuits, more delays… remember when we were all going to get wage tax reductions by, like, 2006? Whoops.

Also, if you believe that Foxwoods and SugarHouse haven’t already extensively researched possible alternate casino sites in Philadelphia… well, just don’t believe that, okay?

Correction: A reader astutely emails, “Like gaming or hate it, the casinos that are operating have ALREADY contributed enough to knock the Wage Tax down by about a quarter point so as of July 1, 2008 the Wage Tax (once as high as 4.96% for residents) is now 3.98%… and it will go even lower based on already legislated city cuts and could go even lower still if gaming revenues increase.” I’m never making a wage tax joke again.

BREAKING NEWS: Foxwoods Looking At New Casino Locations [Clout]
Photo by Lisa Andres, Creative Commons license

Leftovers: JGT’s Big Top

• Be sure to check out Johnny Goodtimes’ Roadtrip Blog, which he’s doing for Traffic.com as a part of some promotion. You may remember that I posted this early last month. If this isn’t the strangest thing to come out of my blog, I don’t know what is. [Traffic.com Roadtrip]

• What’s scarier in this story: That Penndot managed to put up a sign that says TRUKC, or that said sign costs $3,100. Mhmmm, let’s go with the latter. [AP/NBC 10]

• The now ex-Lehigh student who robbed a bank last December has pled guilty. [AP/The Express-Times]

• The hottest fad in Philadelphia is, of course, barbershop. Baby on board, something, something, Burt Ward. [KYW 1060]

• The Tasty Baking Co. has sold out to the Donald. Well, sorta. The Donald paid Tastykake $1.4 million for the option to purchase the site. It’s like a personal seat license for a casino! [Daily News]

Pittsburgh Casinos Take More Direct Approach

With slot machines heading our way any minute now, the five companies bidding for licenses in order to open slots parlors are attempting to woo local support (ha!) by doing things like sponsoring small baseball teams, saving puppies from alligators, et cetera. But we

Out west in the Steel City — The one without a professional baseball team. Wait, what? They’re a pro team? — the local casinos are taking a little more direct approach:

Dozens of public housing residents were paid about $15 each to attend a rally in support of a planned casino and sports arena, a lawmaker said.

Neighborhood residents confirmed the payments to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which reported Sunday that about 80 people from the Bedford Dwellings housing complex were bused to the event last month.

”Some got paid $15, some got paid less,” said Howard Parker, who lives in the Hill District and talked to several neighbors who attended the rally.

A handful of people among the three buses supported the plan, Parker said, and though not everyone came to get paid, ”that’s the reason why most of them did.”

Ahh, come awn, Philly-area casinos! Pittsburgh gets free money! We want in on that action!

Pittsburgh slots backers paid residents $15 to attend rally, lawmaker says [Allentown Morning Call via Ferrick]

Trumptastic!

Okay, class participation time. Who woke up this morning and said, “You know what this city needs? More condos!” Oh. None of you did? You mean you think the current 15 condo towers under construction — 16 if you count 10 Rittenhouse Square — and 20 delayed or proposed ones aren’t enough? (All those stats courtesy of Phillyskyline’s The Skinny and me counting them up. This doesn’t include townhouse/rowhome-style condos, too.)

Well, you know who did think that? (To get back to my “class participation” metaphor.) That’s right, the purveyor of bankruptcy, bad ideas and bad hair, Mr. Donald Trump! Today, Trump announced his plans to build a 45-story tower of luxury condominums on the waterfront.

According to the Inky, the tower is a $190 million project on Penn St. right at the start of Spring Garden St. (The exact location wasn’t disclosed.) Compared to other waterfront residences, it’d be five stories higher than Waterfront St., which is further north on Penn Street.

Of course, Trump also applied for a casino license in Nicetown (along with Pat Croce and members of Boyz II Men and no, I’m not kidding). But while the slots game in Philly is new, Trump seems to be getting into the condo boom in the city a bit late, especially as all the hype is showing signs of starting to wane. But, really, they could still sell out — Trump said that’s what happened at his 110-story Chicago condo tower. As long as it doesn’t have “TRUMP” in giant letters at the top of it.

Then again, maybe it’s part of a cross-promotional deal. Over at Wookified, the blogger speculates that inevitably the winner of the next Apprentice will make the short trip down to Philly (perhaps NJ Transit-to-SEPTA?) and manage something at the new Trump Tower. Maybe he could then do a crossover with American Dreams, if it hasn’t been cancelled yet?

Trump plans luxury condos [Inky]
The Skinny [Phillyskyline]
The Seal [Wookified]