Ascent Entertainment will earn "about" $4M more a year
     from Avalanche and Nuggets ticket sales at the new Pepsi
     Center arena because "it won't have to pay" Denver's 10%
     seat tax, according to Kevin Flynn of the ROCKY MOUNTAIN
     NEWS.  Since it will build the arena, Ascent "can bank that
     money, and use it to help meet the debt" of the proposed
     $160M arena.  While Ascent "wants to break ground" in three
     weeks, a full agreement is expected this month which "calls
     for city subsidies in the form of property tax elimination
     and sales tax givebacks.  But Ascent will privately secure
     the bulk of the financing" (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 10/6).

          Dallas' plan to build a new sports arena on a parking
     lot next to Reunion Arena "could sink" Mavericks Owner Ross
     Perot Jr.'s "promise to construct a huge shopping, office
     and apartment complex around the arena because the tract is
     too small," according to Gillman & Ingrassia of the DALLAS
     MORNING NEWS.  But so far, neither Perot nor Stars Owner
     Thomas Hicks have agreed to the lot location, which is "the
     only potential site specified" in a letter of intent.  The
     city and teams must agree to a site by November 12, the
     deadline for the City Council to call a referendum on the
     $230M arena deal reached last week (MORNING NEWS, 10/7).

          KS officials and FL-based Int'l Speedway Corp. (ISC)
     reached agreement on a new 1.5 mile oval speedway to be
     constructed in Kansas City, KS.  The estimated $197M
     facility is scheduled to be completed in 2000 and seat
     75,000 (ISC).  In K.C., Eric Palmer reports that financing
     of the track will involve $55.6M from ISC; $87M in revenue
     bonds; $43.2M from the state, "mostly in highway money;"
     $7.5M in local taxes and $3.6M in "commitments from
     utilities."  ISC is slated to pay annual lease payments of
     $4.8-7.5M over the life of the issued revenue bonds, and the
     "lease payments and the state sales taxes generated at the
     track would cover the bond payments."  After the bonds are
     paid off, ownership of tracks property will transfer from
     the Wyandotte County to ISC (K.C. STAR, 10/7).

          During a five-hour public hearing, "key" MA lawmakers
     joined House Speaker Thomas Finneran in "opposing" a new
     Patriots stadium bill and said that the state "should
     receive more than increased tax receipts" for its $50M
     investment in land and infrastructure around the Foxboro
     facility, according to Tina Cassidy of the BOSTON GLOBE. 
     Near the end of the hearing, House Ways and Means Chair Paul
     Haley "essentially declared the bill dead on arrival in its
     present form."  MA Acting Gov. Paul Cellucci testified for
     the bill that would use $30M in state aid on infrastructure
     improvements around the stadium and $20M to buy land at the
     site and lease it back to the team.  The Patriots would be
     required to spend "at least" $50M of their own money for
     stadium renovation.  The panel members "suggested the team
     could reduce taxpayers' exposure through naming rights for
     Foxboro Stadium, ticket surcharges" and the sale of PSLs. 
     Patriots VP/Business Affairs Andy Wasynczuk said the team
     would be "definitely open" to selling naming rights, but
     added that it didn't want to increase ticket prices or
     implement PSLs (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/7).