In Detroit, Louis Aguilar reports Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock “urged the state government Tuesday to support plans to build a new hockey arena in downtown Detroit and vaguely referred to a development perhaps connected to it -- a mall.” Babcock said, "If you want the city to come back, you got to revitalize downtown. And a big part of that's going to be the new arena, and the mall and the stuff going around it.” Aguilar notes Babcock's “reference to ‘the mall’ feeds into speculation that a shopping center might be connected to an arena development plan” (DETROIT NEWS, 2/22).
NO HARM DONE: In Orlando, Mark Schlueb reports Judge Alice Blackwell yesterday ruled that she “will not stop a security fence from going up between the 2012 NBA All-Star Game and businesses across the street.” A group of merchants had asked Blackwell for “an emergency injunction to block the 8-foot fence from going up Thursday night through Sunday.” But after hearing testimony, Blackwell ruled that the “potential economic harm to the businesses wasn't reason enough to alter the security plan for the high-profile event.” Magic President Alex Martins testified the fence “is part of a security plan developed by the NBA, FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security” (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 2/22).
NOT A KOSHER DEAL: In N.Y., Mitchel Maddux reports a judge yesterday “ruled against a vendor who made a federal case" out of the Mets' "order that it not peddle kosher hot dogs on Friday nights and Saturdays.” In '09, Citi Field’s inaugural season, the Mets and Kosher Sports “signed a pact that did not specifically address the issue -- and the company set up shop in the stadium.” But soon the Mets “ordered the firm not to open its hot-dog stands during Friday night and Saturday day games -- when sales are especially good.” The company “did as the team demanded, but also filed suit, pointing out that its contract did not specifically prohibit Sabbath sales” (N.Y. POST, 2/22).
SMOKING SECTION: In Daytona Beach, Skyler Swisher reported smoking "will no longer be allowed" in Daytona Int'l Speedway's grandstands starting with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400 in July. Fans will “be required to use designated smoking areas behind the grandstands.” DIS President Joie Chitwood said that the ban “is not mandatory yet because smokers purchased their tickets under the presumption they could smoke” during this weekend's NASCAR races (Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL, 2/21).
