FACILITY NOTES

          On Tuesday, ground-breaking ceremonies were held for
     the Blue Jackets new $150M Nationwide Arena, scheduled to
     open for the team's inaugural season in the year 2000.  Team
     and city officials were joined by execs from Nationwide and
     part-owner The Dispatch Printing Company at the event
     (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 5/27)....The VA Lottery Board "rejected
     a proposal to introduce instant video lottery games" at
     stores and restaurants to help raise money for a MLB park in
     Northern VA.  The Lottery Board will, however, introduce
     "sports-themed, scratch-off $1 lottery tickets this year,"
     and estimates that those games will generate "about" $7M
     each year, about half the money analysts say would be needed
     to make annual bond payments on a new stadium.  Supporters
     of video wagering said that the games "would have made up"
     that $7M "gap in annual revenue" (WASHINGTON POST, 5/28).