Patriots QB DREW BLEDSOE joined the Boston Pops for a
reading of Clement Moore's "Twas the Night Before Christmas"
(NFL)....The office of billionaire RON PERELMAN confirmed that he
has applied to the NJ Casino Control Commission to buy a casino
(N.Y. POST, 12/23)....The Royal and Ancient Golf Club changed its
rules to allow ARNOLD PALMER to make his farewell appearance at
the British Open (AP, 12/23).
-end-
A group of African-American business leaders is questioning
the percentage of minority contractors that received bids on the
$174M new stadium for the expansion NFL Panthers. Troy Watson,
president of the Metro-Charlotte Minority Chamber of Commerce,
met with a team representative earlier this week in an effort to
clarify the percentage. In a 1993 agreement between Richardson
Sports, which owns the team, and representatives of the Carolina
minority community entitled the "Fair Share Agreement," the
team's owners made a goal of awarding minorities 15% of the job
to minority contractors. Watson says an informal survey found
two minority contractors have won bids for the stadium.
Richardson Sports Asst Dir of Operations Charles Waddell says
they have met the goal and that a lack of information is behind
the controversy (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 12/21).
