January 27, 2021
The federally-recognized Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation has announced the signing of a deal that is to see it spend approximately $12.5 million in order to bring a casino back to Puerto Rico’s famed Fairmont El San Juan Hotel.
The Connecticut-based tribe used an official Tuesday press release to declare that the agreement with local hospitality investments firm LionGrove will involve the beachfront property in the eastern San Juan suburb of Carolina premiering a 15,000 sq ft casino complete with a range of slots and gaming tables as well as ‘first-class service’ that is destined to complement ‘the resort’s well-appointed luxury accommodations and amenities.’
MASHANTUCKET - The Foxwoods Resort Casino has long been looking for opportunities to expand since the 2008 financial crisis, and over a decade later, it seems like “the right fit” was found.
“It checked so many boxes for us that we were excited to be a part of it,” Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation Chairman Rodney Butler said.
On Tuesday at a press conference in Puerto Rico, Foxwoods and LionGrove LLC announced their intention to reopen the casino at the historic Fairmont El San Juan Hotel as the Foxwoods El San Juan Casino in Carolina, Puerto Rico.
The casino is set to open by the end of 2021 and will be the first venture by Foxwoods outside of the continental U.S. So far, Foxwoods has invested $12.5 million in the project and expects it will create 150 casino jobs, and more than 300 jobs total.
New London At the walk-up food distribution site at St. Mary’s Star of the Sea Church on Huntington Street, recipients on Friday collected prepackaged bags of canned goods and pasta, a 5 pound bag of potatoes, two bags of apples, a bag containing three or four pounds of frozen ground turkey, along with two or three bottles of juice and a half-gallon of milk.
“I haven’t used a food pantry in 15 years,” said Kasey Belair of Waterford. “I’m grateful for everything.”
Belair, whose hours were cut at Mohegan Sun Casino, said her husband is retired and her mother is disabled. Much of the food she received will be for her mother. Belair said she was surprised at the quality of the food in the distribution, especially the frozen ground turkey.
Drew Black Earns National Recognition For His Career In Wrestling
Drew Black Earns National Recognition For His Career In Wrestling
January 23, 2021 03:00AM by Greg Lederer, Herald Staff
Cheshire resident Drew Black is well aware of the impact that the sport of wrestling has had on his life. Over his 23 seasons as head coach at Wesleyan University in Middletown, he has enjoyed attending the annual Connecticut Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dinner to listen to many of his colleagues share their similar stories of determination and perseverance.
“They always do a great job at the event,” stated Black. “I always thought that it would be good to one day get honored. When you’ve done something for a long time, it is always nice to be recognized for your hard work.”
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Mohegan Mitchell Etess, the former top Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment executive who had served since 2015 as a senior adviser to the Mohegan Tribe and as chief executive officer of the Connecticut Sun, the tribe’s WNBA team, left those positions at the end of 2020.
James Gessner Jr., the Mohegan chairman, said through a spokesman Friday that Etess remains “part of the tribe’s extended family” and “a dear friend of the tribe.”
“Eventually, everything has to come to an end,” Etess, 63, said in a phone interview.
In his role as senior adviser, Etess worked on the design plan for the Tribal Winds Casino that the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes have proposed building in East Windsor. The tribes announced in December that they were temporarily shelving the project while focusing on their existing facilities, Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino, which have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.