"Sun" Sunday

Western Mass Group in Sun's Corner

A western Massachusetts business group has endorsed Mohegan Sun’s plan to develop a destination resort casino in Palmer, one of four projects competing for the one casino license to be awarded in the region. Mohegan Sun announced the Quaboag Hills Chamber of Commerce’s backing in a news release this morning.

"We are thrilled to announce our endorsement of the Mohegan Sun project in Palmer,” Leonard Weake, the chamber’s president, said in the release. “Palmer’s access to a major highway and proximity to four other states make it a perfect location for a destination resort casino. This development project will contribute to increased economic activity around the Mohegan Sun site in Palmer and throughout the Quaboag Hills region."

Mohegan Sun said it hopes to work with the chamber to promote the casino operator’s loyalty program, which encourages patrons to visit locally owned businesses.

Rival Connecticut casino tribes forge alliance

The leaders of the rival Connecticut tribes that own two of the world's largest casinos say they are seeking ways to work as allies as they struggle through extended slumps.  Mohegan Chairman Bruce "Two Dogs" Bozsum and Mashantucket Pequot Chairman Rodney Butler have won concessions in joint talks with Connecticut's governor and say they are seeking out other areas where they can speak with a single voice.  In interviews with The Associated Press, the chairmen said they realized they were dealing with many of the same challenges amid the weak economy and growing competition.

The Pequots and Mohegans are two different tribes. A long time ago, they were once the same tribe, but the Mohegans broke away from the Pequots and formed their own tribe. The two tribes still speak the same language and share many cultural traits, but they have different leadership, similar to American and British people today.  The two tribes fought a war against each other in the 1600s. Today the Mohegans own the Mohegan Sun casino, which is seven miles from the Pequots' Foxwoods Resort Casino in rural southeastern Connecticut.

That's all for now.

Binbin