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How to spot a true Cape Cod; Wamp Bingo Slots idea fails in RI, but Casino issue is back in Bay State

Struggling Rhode Island slot parlor faltering under debt
The same "Bingo Slots" plan was suggested for Wamp's M-boro Casino

Barrow said, the instability at Twin River could affect another of Wolman’s projects — an agreement with the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe to build a $1 billion resort casino in southeastern Massachusetts.Nine months ago, Len Wolman led a tour of the completed renovations at what had been the Lincoln Greyhound Park in Rhode Island.  The man who helped create Mohegan Sun, along with other investors, had pumped $225 million into the 1940s-era facility, rechristened it Twin River and added concert space and restaurants, an Irish pub and comedy club to complement the combination dog track and casino’s 4,752 video lottery terminals — Rhode Island’s equivalent of a slot machine.

“We just thought there was huge potential,” Wolman said at the time.  Since that tour, Twin River has faltered financially. It’s missed two loan payments, had bond ratings downgraded and now has a $6 million lien placed against it by a contractor who worked on renovations.  Patti Doyle, a spokesman for the casino, said debt problems have been compounded by a slowdown in the Rhode Island economy and in the entire gambling industry. “That confluence of circumstances almost created a perfect storm,” she said.

“That confluence of circumstances almost created a perfect storm” - Patti DoyleLast week, the casino offered the Rhode Island state government a deal — a one-time $500 million payment if the state agrees to take 25 percent of annual lottery terminal revenue instead of the current 61 percent.  If accepted, that would bring the facility on par with the amount Connecticut’s casinos pay the state each month.

If the offer is refused, Doyle said, the casino has several options.  “It could be a range from restructuring the debt to bankruptcy,” she said... Norwich Bulletin.
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Momentum builds to reconsider casinos

A hearing and vote on allowing slot machines at the state's four race tracks is now expected to take place late this month or in early July, under a promise from House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi, a gambling opponent. While slots are expected to go down to defeat, some see it as the beginning of a new drive to count and enlist supporters for gambling bills next session.The contentious issue of whether to expand gambling in Massachusetts could be back on the Statehouse agenda as soon as this summer, driven by the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe's effort to build a Native American casino in Middleboro.
The House seemingly dealt casinos a fatal blow in March, defeating Gov. Deval Patrick's plan for three commercial casinos by a lopsided vote of 108-46, but Statehouse insiders are now looking at three new fronts in the battle, which will unfold over the coming months...

The recently federally recognized tribe is now widely expected to initiate state compact negotiations with the state in a matter of months - if not weeks. By bringing the state to the table, the tribe will reignite the issue on Beacon Hill. Gov. Patrick said last week the state is prepared to negotiate with the tribe... Standard-Times.
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Quote of the Week:
"We're excited about playing two games in New Bedford, Brockton and Martha's Vineyard. It's a nice mix for the Cape league. In terms of expansion, there's no story. It's not a secret, there's just no story." - CCBL President Judy Walden Scarafile, about the a New Bedford team.How to spot a true (and historic) Cape Cod
The modest houses began springing up in New England centuries ago and are still popular

The Cape Cod may be an icon of post-World War II American suburban development, but the style's history reaches back to the nation's beginnings.  The term ''Cape Cod'' was coined by the Rev. Timothy Dwight, a president of Yale University, who is credited with recognizing the modest houses dotting the New England coast as a class in 1800. A century and a half later, developers scrambling to house returning GIs and their growing families found inspiration again in those simple, economical dwellings. The first houses in Levittown, N.Y., for example, were Cape Cods.

So how can you tell if you're looking at a Cape Cod? Or when it was built?
Location is your first clue. Real Cape Cods are most likely to be found on, well, Cape Cod. Colonial-era Capes were very plain. Look for a steep roof with side gables and a small overhang, and multipaned, double-hung windows. The shutters will be functional -- a necessary defense against the stormy weather that early New Englanders encountered. The one- or 1 ½-story houses are usually made of wood and covered in wide clapboard or shingles. From the outside, the house will be symmetrical, with the door in the center and a large central chimney linking to a fireplace in each room. Inside, there's a center-hall floor plan and hardwood floors...  Miami Herald.
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