Provided by Casino Marousi – Καζίνο Μαρούσι
https://casinomarousi.com
https://casinomarousi.gr

Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter.
A notice for a July 10th public hearing at the dead end of Ram Loop Road in front of Camp Carefree on Friday. B.J. Rierson, who lives on Carlton Road near Camp Carefree, said through tears at a recent planning board meeting that such development would be “destroying our lives.’’
An investor linked with casino development has obtained commercial zoning for a large parcel of land along U.S. 220 near Madison in the Huntsville Township in Rockingham County.
STOKESDALE — Senate leader Phil Berger, a powerful politician who represents Rockingham County and is a proponent of gambling on his home turf, received a campaign contribution in 2022 from a casino developer that seeks to build here, according to state campaign finance records.
Joseph Weinberg, the CEO of Cordish Gaming Group and Cordish Global Cities Entertainment, contributed $5,600 — the maximum allowed that year — to Berger’s campaign in November 2022, records show. The campaign donation was first reported by Carolina Public Press.
Cordish, based in Baltimore, is a major developer of casinos and entertainment districts and wants 192 acres of county land zoned for commercial use — a necessary first step for a gaming operation to be built.
Seven other state legislators also received money from executives or other people connected to The Cordish Cos., campaign finance records show. Among them was Rep. Kyle Hall, a Republican representing Forsyth and Stokes counties, who received $2,500.
Also, lawmakers representing Nash and Anson counties — proposed sites for two other casinos — received contributions as well.
From November 2022 to March 2022, the eight legislators received a total of $34,400 from at least four contributors with ties to The Cordish Cos., according to data from the State Board of Elections and Federal Elections Commission.
And while it’s not illegal for politicians to accept donations to their campaigns, the recent revelation hasn’t sat well with many Rockingham residents who oppose the project. The 192 acres being considered is pristine land along U.S. 220. Heightening tensions is the presence of a place called Camp Carefree, a getaway for chronically ill children.
For both sides, the issue is becoming a high stakes game of deal or no deal.
****
In June, NC Development Holdings, a company with links to The Cordish Cos., requested the county planning board rezone the acreage from “agricultural/residential” land to “commercial” use.
The board voted 5-2 against the move. The company’s request, however, will now go before the county commissioners, who have the power to approve rezoning and where Berger’s son, Kevin, is a longtime commissioner from Madison.
Asked last week whether his son’s vote on the issue would be a conflict of interest, the elder Berger said: “There is no conflict of interest.’’
At the same time in Raleigh, lawmakers are discussing whether to allow the development of casinos in certain parts of the state. Traditionally, gambling has been a hard sell in North Carolina. But in recent years, a number of casinos in neighboring states, and the prosperity they’ve brought, has warmed more legislators to the idea — even at the risk of offending constituents.
Still, there are indications that many state residents aren’t as opposed to the proposition as they once were.
Helping shape the debate has been the fact that Rockingham and the other proposed counties for casino operations are economically distressed and could benefit from a boost of industry.

Meanwhile, opponents of casino development in rural Rockingham said campaign contributions from interested parties is politics as usual.
“I am in no way shocked over the news of these contributions,’’ said Rhonda Rodenbough, who lives on 38-year-old Camp Carefree’s property in the Huntsville Township near Madison and serves on the organization’s Board of Directors. “We pretty much know how politics works.”
A Berger spokesperson directed questions about the campaign contribution to Dylan Watts, director of the North Carolina Republican Senate Caucus.
“Senate Republicans receive contributions from thousands of individuals each cycle,’’ Watts said in an email. “Contributions to campaigns are not conditioned on supporting or not supporting a policy matter. Senator Berger does not even allow policy matters and campaign contributions to be discussed in the same conversation.”
Watts did not address a question about whether Berger will accept future campaign contributions from the casino company or other casino-related businesses.
If made into law, the draft bill would call for the creation of at least four casinos, including three non-tribal operations in Rockingham, Nash and Anson counties.
The bill further details that one developer would build the three casinos with a required investment of at least $500 million per location and a commitment to bring in roughly 1,500 jobs at each site.
The counties are among the state’s poorest, also criteria for casino consideration, according to the draft bill.
“It really is baffling to me the zeal with which this casino is being pushed on Rockingham County,’’ Rodenbough said. “And it bothers me that they just consider the poorest counties. Are you preying on the poor? If it’s such a great thing, why are we the target?”
****
While Rodenbough is most concerned about preserving the camp, more than 2,100 county residents have signed a petition through change.org seeking to block rezoning by county commissioners. Many say the county’s already-taxed infrastructure cannot tolerate a massive new development along a busy highway.
They caution that more than 1,400 homes are planned within a couple of miles off of U.S. 220, as well as scores of new houses proposed or already built on nearby Gideon Grove and Gold Hill roads.
Concerned citizens are meeting Tuesday evening at Ellisboro Baptist Church to discuss fighting the potential development. They worry that the introduction of a big casino complex will glut already full school classrooms, exhaust the county’s two struggling rural hospitals and bring a host of public health problems, such as gambling addiction.
Numerous studies show that when casinos are built in a community, many problems increase including crime, suicide, drinking, domestic abuse, bankruptcy and homelessness.
Asked if the state had a plan for assisting or funding the county’s infrastructure improvements or establishing public health safeguards, Berger said casinos will generate plenty of money to satisfy the county.
“Rural tourism districts can be an economic boost,’’ Berger said. “They would provide thousands of good-paying jobs for our residents and tens of millions of dollars in new revenue for our rural areas.’
“The additional revenues can be used at the county’s discretion to fund infrastructure needs, public safety, education and other priorities. Overall, this is a substantial economic boost that requires no taxpayer-funded incentives. It gives North Carolina the ability to compete with neighboring states where our residents are currently spending their money on gaming.’’
Berger
sspear@rockinghamnow.com
(336) 349-4331, ext. 6140
@SpearSusie_RCN
Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter.
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Guilford County Sheriff Danny Rogers has released photos of a suspect in the Aug. 24 slaying of a woman in the Adams Farm development, and say…
Deputies responded at approximately 10:15 a.m. Thursday to 5600 Wellsley Drive West, where one of the victims had died of her injuries.
The project is expected to start at 9 p.m. Friday and be completed by 6 a.m. Monday, weather permitting.
From a new school, to new district leadership, to expanded health services, here’s a look at what’s ahead for Guilford County Schools in 2023-24. 
Opponents said the 5-0 vote in favor of the rezoning was a slap in the face to most of the nearly 600 people who flooded board chambers and fo…

A notice for a July 10th public hearing at the dead end of Ram Loop Road in front of Camp Carefree on Friday. B.J. Rierson, who lives on Carlton Road near Camp Carefree, said through tears at a recent planning board meeting that such development would be “destroying our lives.’’
An investor linked with casino development has obtained commercial zoning for a large parcel of land along U.S. 220 near Madison in the Huntsville Township in Rockingham County.
Berger
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.

source
Visit
Provided by Casino Marousi – Καζίνο Μαρούσι
https://casinomarousi.com
https://casinomarousi.gr

Contact : casinomarousi@gmail.com

Please follow and like us: