Weekend Redux: What You Missed

What you missed while snowshoeing around the Charles.

Saturday
In honor of the holiday season, Boston’s city councilors decided to let bygones be bygones following the nightmare commute during Thursday’s snowstorm. No, not really. They’re taking their criticism to the terrorism place.

[City councilor Steve] Murphy and fellow Councilor Michael Flaherty are calling for hearings to determine why efforts to get tens of thousands of people out of the Hub failed.

“For me, Thursday’s storm is an indication of how much work the city has to do on its emergency preparedness,” Flaherty said.

But other officials tell us that everything is fine.

Peter Judge, spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, said the state is ready for a terror attack or a disaster.

“Folks would be funneled to specific evacuation routes and wreckers would be taking cars and throwing them off the roads to save people’s lives,” he said.

Oh, like those very specific evacuation route signs all over the place? That doesn’t inspire much confidence.

The Globe approaches the regional panic in a different way, calling New Englanders out for being a bunch of sissies in the face of some snow. The article features a picture of some guy traipsing through a slushy puddle in dress shoes. Well no wonder everyone’s whining—if you don’t have gear for winter, you’re going to be cold and wet. Buy some wellies and get on with your life.

Save the Downeaster! We love the option of traveling car-free to one of New England’s coolest cities.

The Globe drops a not-so-subtle hint to Gov. Deval Patrick—it’s time to start pimping your casino proposal.

Interviews with members of the influential panel present a microcosm of the debate that is taking place on Beacon Hill and illustrate the large hurdles Patrick faces, chief among them House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi.

Twelve members of the committee said they are inclined to vote against the proposal, unless wholesale changes are made, such as reducing the number of casinos in the plan, giving more gambling proceeds to cities and towns, or allowing the state’s racetracks to add slot machines. Three members said they are leaning in favor of the proposal. Four said they are on the fence.

“It’s interesting to me that the governor proposed it, but he has not been crusading for it,” said Representative Ellen Story, a Democrat from Amherst who is opposed to the proposal. “He proposed it, and that was almost the end of that.”

Story will get her chance to hear the governor’s side of things at tomorrow’s hearing on the financial impact casinos would have in Massachusetts.

Sunday
We can expect to hear some questions on Tuesday’s hearing about who exactly wins the jackpot when casinos come to town.

A coterie of casino executives who helped the Mohegan of Connecticut build one of the most successful tribal casinos in the world has been paid $369 million in resort and casino proceeds during the last six years – slightly more than has been received by the entire 1,700-member tribe.

Currently, the annual payment to Trading Cove from the Mohegan Sun is about $75 million. Over the last six fiscal years, Trading Cove received $368.9 million, compared with $367.5 million in casino profits distributed to the tribe.

And Trading Cove did it all legally by exploiting a loophole in gaming regulations.

We’re going to save you some money. Read this article about the unsanitary conditions in hair and nail salons, and be too disgusted to get a mani-pedi again.

Brendan Donnelly talked to the Herald’s Rob Bradford about being named in the Mitchell Report. He read from a statement approved by his lawyers, but he claims he didn’t use any banned substances.

In 2004, I was having multiple health issues and was concerned about not getting on the field fast enough. I made a phone call to (Kirk) Radomski about a substance called Anavar. Once I learned Anavar was classified as a steroid I realized that was not an option. That was the end of it.

We’re not sure what New Englanders will appreciate more—John Kerry’s Vietnam heroism, or that he nobly fought for the final Patriots game of the season to be broadcast for free.

The self-control muscle? Is there a class for that at the gym?