Greektown Casino's new name, friendly fire during Taylor police training exercise, U.S.'s new ambassador
MONDAY NEWS HIT - One of Michigan's largest casinos and one of the big three stationed in Detroit is getting a new name.
Greektown Casino-Hotel will be renamed as Hollywood Casino at Greektown. Assuming all regulatory hurdles are approved, the name change will go into effect May 1.
The rebranding, which is being overseen by the casino's owner Penn National Gaming, Inc., brings the facility under its Hollywood Casino banner.
"Becoming Hollywood Casino at Greektown will offer our guests the best of both worlds: we’re keeping all of the unique, neighborhood charm that has defined Greektown since we opened our doors, while adding several new amenities that come with being a part of Penn National’s flagship brand family," said John Drake, general manager of Hollywood Casino at Greektown. "Whether you’re a regular, loyal guest or a first-time visitor, we’ll have something new and improved for you to experience and enjoy."
It's not just a new name that the casino is getting, but amenity upgrades as well.
A release about the name change included details about the venue's $30 million renovation of its hotel lobby, which will include a cocktail bar. There's also a redesign of every single one of its 400 guestrooms and suites. Those changes are expected in the coming months.
Hollywood Casino at Greektown will also have new drink lounges, a Detroit Taco Company location, and a new menu overseen by steakhouse chef Petro Drakopoulos.
The casino's tune-up also comes with new payment options that don't require any cash or credit card, as well as improvements to the casnio's self-park and VIP parking garages.
The casino will celebrate its new name during a red-carpet themed private VIP and community special events on Thursday, May 19 from 5-9 p.m., and Saturday, May 21, from 6-11 p.m.
Trump-endorsed candidates win party's backing at state convention
Two candidates who were endorsed by former President Donald Trump won Michigan Republicans’ backing for attorney general and secretary of state at a convention Saturday, clearing their path to face Democratic incumbents in the fall. The meeting of thousands of delegates was a test of Trump’s clout in the party.
His allies — attorney general candidate Matthew DePerno, a lawyer, and secretary of state candidate Kristina Karamo, a community college instructor — emerged victorious from three-person fields at the 10-hour "endorsement" convention in downtown Grand Rapids. The political newcomers support Trump’s false claims about his 2020 loss in the swing state.
They will be officially nominated at a second convention in August and challenge Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in November. Karamo won handily with two-thirds of the vote. DePerno was just shy of the majority needed in an initial vote. But he won a runoff over former legislative leader Tom Leonard that was paused and later restarted after the ballot order of races did not match what was shown on screens flanking the stage.
Trump has said his preferred candidates would not let Michigan be "stolen" in the next presidential election. He lost the state by 154,000 votes to Joe Biden. Trump’s slate drew criticism, however, within a wing of the GOP that views the candidates as unelectable in the fall and was frustrated that party leaders openly backed them rather than be neutral.
— Courtesy of the Associated Press
Friendly fire injures one during Taylor police training exercise
Michigan State Police say an auxiliary officer conducting training with the Taylor Police Department accidentally shot a civilian role player during an exercise this weekend. The incident happened at Heritage Park in Taylor.
Around 5 p.m. Sunday, police responded to reports of an accidental shooting during a Taylor Police auxiliary training session. State police say officers were doing a vehicle take-down training exercise when an officer shot a round from his service weapon.
The shot struck a civilian role player in the stomach during the scenario, according to investigators. The injured person was taken to a nearby hospital in Trenton and was last listed in stable condition.
MSP Detectives said they are interviewing all witnesses present to conclude how the accidental discharge happened.
Solidarity rally for Patrick Lyoya held in Detroit
Detroit Heals Detroit stood in solidarity with Patrick Lyoya's family at The Spirit of Detroit on Sunday. "We really just want justice. We do not trust the police to investigate the police, so we want a separate investigation to be done beyond that," said Sirrita Darby from Detroit Heals Detroit. Lyoya was killed by a Grand Rapids police officer on April 4th. The officer stopped him for what was said to be improper plates.
"My son is here today. I don't want him to have to walk into a space and have to feel like he doesn't belong there, or he feels like he's going to be killed just for being at that space or being killed for just simply being," Sirrita said.
Lyoya was unarmed and face down on the ground when he was shot. The officer was on top of him and could be heard in the video demanding that he takes his hand off the officer's taser. The officer's name has not been released. The group organizers are asking for the name to be released, to see him prosecuted, and for an independent investigation to be conducted.
"These are our demands we're standing in solidarity, and we're ready to ask for justice for Patrick today," Sirrita said. "When you don't heal from your trauma, it goes on generations and generations," said Perriel Pace from Detroit Heals Detroit. Michigan State Police are investigating and forwarding updates to the Kent County prosecutor who will make the decision on charges.
Michigan-native selected as ambassador to Ukraine
As expected, President Joe Biden announced on Monday his nomination of Bridget Brink to serve as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. Brink, a career foreign service officer, has served since 2019 as ambassador to Slovakia. She previously held assignments in Serbia, Cyprus, Georgia and Uzbekistan as well as with the White House National Security Council. The post requires confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
The announcement comes as American diplomats prepare to return to Ukraine this coming week, although the U.S. embassy in Kyiv will remain closed for now.
Austin and Blinken announced a total of $713 million in foreign military financing for Ukraine and 15 allied and partner countries; some $322 million is earmarked for Kyiv. The remainder will be split among NATO members and other nations that have provided Ukraine with critical military supplies since the war with Russia began, officials said.
Such financing is different from previous U.S. military assistance for Ukraine. It is not a donation of drawn-down U.S. Defense Department stockpiles, but rather cash that countries can use to purchase supplies that they might need.
What else we're watching
- The Detroit Police Athletic League is hosting its "Step Up to the Plate" Radiothon Monday, a 13-hour event from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. to help raise funds for the organization, which helps connect youth to sports in Detroit.
- You might have seen the house making the rounds on social media: A haunted home in Pontiac, located at the address 666 Westbrook. The local home, a real estate agent says, the controversial listing has an international following.
- Despite gas prices already being so high, they actually rose by 2 cents since last week in Michigan. AAA says the crude oil market was volatile heading into the last week of April. Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues to have an impact on prices.
- The Ecorse school assistant principal who was arrested on charges of criminal sexual conduct and had his case bound over will be arraigned in circuit court Monday. Melvin Conway, 45, was arrested in February.
- And in this week of crazy lottery news, an Iowa man says a ticket-printing error paved the way for his $1 million win.
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Daily Forecast
After a beautiful, sunny, warm weekend of weather, the Michigan spring will swing back into focus Monday as temperatures dip throughout the day and rain moves in the late afternoon and evening.
Shipping, manufacturing delays upset board game industry
Global shipping prices and transit times are at all-time highs. And that’s prompting businesses across America to raise prices. Some businesses in the gaming industry are paying five times what they did just two years ago to ship the same product.
Nadine Sehnert lives with her husband in Minneapolis, where they have board game meetups. They have over 4,000 board games and like to share their collection with other enthusiasts.
"I’ve got party games, word games," Sehnert said. "Game playing is where you can take risks, you can learn how to take risks without ever really having to risk anything in your life. It’s just a game."
Sehnert uses Kickstarter to support new board game designers. People like her can donate money to a board game idea and wait for a designer to make enough money to produce the game.
"I’ve backed 536 games. Fifty-three have been unsuccessful, so we don’t count those, and I’m still waiting for 57 projects," Sehnert said. "There is only 12 that are over six months old. There’s one that’s two and a half years delayed."
Kickstarter-funded games typically take some time to come in, but wait times have gotten longer.