Facility Notes

In Chicago, Andrew Herrmann reported SMG, which is negotiating a new management contract for Soldier Field, has "made a pitch of hosting an outdoor Blackhawks hockey game" at the stadium. Chicago Park District Superintendent Timothy Mitchell said that the district "would like the hockey plan to include a college contest and a way to allow people to use the rink for pleasure skating in a week-long event." SMG Senior VP Michael Evans: "I don't want to get into where we're at in negotiations in terms of time frame, but there will be a game at Soldier Field. It's just a matter of when." But Blackhawks President John McDonough said discussions have "been informal on a what-if basis" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 2/13).

HALL'S TWELVE: In Louisville, Gregory Hall reports Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear has proposed "up to 12 casinos that could generate as much as $600[M] a year in revenue for the state." The plan would "allow seven racetrack-operated casinos and five free-standing gambling halls" with an annual estimated revenue of "20[%] more than the $500[M] Beshear cited in his campaign." Beshear said that Kentucky "needs casino gambling to work its way out of the 'financial quagmire' that plagues it" (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 2/15).

TROJAN VICTORY: A L.A. TIMES editorial calls the deal between USC and the L.A. Coliseum Commission to keep the school's football games at Memorial Coliseum a "good deal all around," as the commission "cements in place a high-profile tenant that routinely attracts nationwide media coverage." USC may be "just a college team, but it is one of the best-known sports programs, collegiate or professional, in the nation." The editorial: "The rest of the neighborhood benefits as well, extending downtown's renaissance even farther to the south" (L.A. TIMES, 2/15).