Page 4 - Curt Bailey News Today

With three community meetings complete, the roulette ball bounces back to Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who is expected to make her decision within the next two months and pick one of three proposed Chicago casino locations. 

Known as “The 78” for its potential to become the city’s 78th official community area, the site’s 62 vacant acres have seen other grand plans surface and fail repeatedly over the years — and many in the community say they want the casino proposal to meet the same fate.

A clout-heavy group of casino developers on Thursday pitched South Loop residents on their plan to build a brand new “neighborhood from the ground up” that they say will create a new “epicenter of Chicago tourism.”

Mooring a riverboat has accelerated Rivers 78's timeline for setting up a temporary casino, a throwback to the early days of casino gambling in Illinois.

Neil Bluhm did not attend Rush Street Gaming incoming CEO Tim Drehkoff (left), and Related Midwest CEO Curt Bailey, during Thursday's public meeting.

Rush Street Gaming's plan for a Chicago casino includes building a neighborhood from scratch and creating over 7,000 new jobs.

While the mayor had previously said she wanted to pick one finalist by the end of March to recommend to state regulators who have the final say on issuing a casino license, officials now say that decision won’t be made at least until early summer.

Chicago’s drawn-out casino sweepstakes is down to three-of-a-kind, as Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Tuesday passed on a pair of proposals tied to McCormick Place — and extended her selection process by at least a few months.

/PRNewswire/ -- Formed just six months ago, the Blood Emergency Readiness Corps (BERC) has continued its rapid growth to now include 30 community blood centers...

/PRNewswire/ -- Formed just six months ago, the Blood Emergency Readiness Corps (BERC) has continued its rapid growth to now include 30 community blood centers...