Categories
Mohegan

Bellator 264 predictions — Gegard Mousasi vs. John Salter: Fight card, start time, odds, expert picks, stream

The Bellator cage returns to Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on Friday for Bellator 264. The card is headlined by Gegard Mousasi defending his middleweight championship against John Salter.

Mousasi won the Bellator middleweight title for a second time in his most recent outing, taking a unanimous decision victory over Douglas Lima this past October. The victory was the second consecutive win for the Strikeforce and UFC veteran and came two fights after a majority decision loss to Rafael Lovato Jr. that ended Mousasi’s first run as Bellator champ.

The loss to Lovato is Mousasi’s only loss since 2016, a stretch that includes 11 fights across both Bellator and the UFC.

Salter is also a UFC veteran, though his Octagon career came to a close after just three fights, all in 2010. Since that 1-2 stint in the UFC, Salter has compiled a 13-2 record, including going 8-1 in the Bellator cage. Like Mousasi, Salter’s lone Bellator loss came against Lovato.

Can’t get enough boxing and MMA? Get the latest in the world of combat sports from two of the best in the business. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news.

Salter earned his shot at Mousasi and the title with a three-fight winning streak, most recently defeating Andrew Kapel by submission in August 2020. That finish continued Salter’s impressive trend of avoiding the judges’ scorecards, with only one of his 22 career fights going to decision.

Four other fights fill out the undercard on Friday night, including some interesting contests in the welterweight and bantamweight divisions. Former champion Andrey Koreshkov is back in action when he faces Sabah Homasi in the co-main event at 170 pounds. Koreshkov has not fought for the promotion since October 2019. Plus, Magomed Magomedov and Raufeon Stots…

Continue reading

Categories
Nanticoke

Justine Chernikovich

Justine Chernikovich, 82, affectionately known as Tina, passed away Monday, Aug. 16, 2021, at her home surrounded by her loving husband and daughters.

She was born Dec. 15, 1938, a daughter of the late Joseph and Annetta Yarmel Laburda. She resided in the Hanover section of Nanticoke most of her life and was married to Paul Chernikovich, with whom she would have celebrated 60 years of marriage on Oct. 14.

Tina was employed by RCA in Mountain Top for many years and later became a housekeeper to many families who called her their own. She was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother who loved her husband, children and grandchildren dearly as they were her greatest joy. A long-time member of St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church, Tina served as the first female parish president. She was an integral part of all the fundraising, bazaars and church activities for many years. Her faith was unshakable, as she read her bible daily.

She was preceded in death by her parents; a sister, Dolores Sheldon; and brothers, Joseph and Bill Laburda.

Surviving are her husband, Paul; daughters, Kimberly Bonham and husband, Kevin, Bear Creek Village; and Karen Tomalis and husband, Gary, Dallas; grandchildren, Kaia Bonham and Braden and Adelyn Tomalis; a sister, Irene Miller, Bear Creek Twp.; brother-in-law, Joseph Chernikovich and his wife, Jamilia, Delaware; as well as many nieces and nephews.

Tina was known for her wonderful cooking and baking skills — particularly her paska bread — which she enjoyed sharing with family and friends. Tina delighted in the simple pleasures of life. These included watching the Mets on TV with her husband and family, sharing meals she had prepared for them and laughing often, as she had a gentle sense of humor. She was sure to bring a smile to everyone’s face. Tina was selfless, hardworking…

Continue reading

Categories
Mohegan

Bellator 264 loses fight after Kendly St. Louis misses weight by 6.5 pounds

A big weight miss has left Friday’s Bellator 264 event with eight fights.

MMA Fighting confirmed with Mohegan Tribe director of athletic regulation Mike Mazzulli that a lightweight bout between Justin Montalvo and Kendly St. Louis has been cancelled after St. Louis missed weight by 6.5 pounds (including the one-pound allowance for non-title bouts) at Thursday’s official Bellator 264 weigh-ins.

The cancellation was first reported by MMA Junkie.

Montalvo successfully weighed in at 155.75 pounds. It is not yet known whether Montalvo will still receive his show purse with his bout being removed from Friday’s lineup.

This was to be the Bellator debut for both Montalvo and St. Louis. Montalvo sports a 2-0 record in MMA with finishes in both of his pro appearances, while St. Louis (3-4) has lost three of his past four fights.

See the updated Bellator 264 card below (preliminary start time subject to change):

Main Card (Showtime, 9 p.m. ET)

Gegard Mousasi vs. John Salter

Andrey Koreshkov vs. Sabah Homasi

Magomed Magomedov vs. Raufeon Stots

Davion Franklin vs. Everett Cummings

Ty Gwerder vs. Khadzhi Bestaev

Preliminaries (MMA Fighting, 7:15 p.m. ET)

Pam Sorenson vs. Roberta Samad

Jeffrey Glossner vs. Sebastian Ruiz

Orlando Mendoza vs. Jon McNeil

Continue reading

Categories
Nanticoke

Nanticoke Powwow will move to Hudson Fields, offer more attractions

a group of people walking down the streeta group of people walking down the street

The Nanticoke Indian Powwow will move to Hudson Fields for its September gathering. Photo by Brian Leonard

 

The Nanticoke Indian Tribe’s annual powwow is returning this year — and changing sites.

After being cancelled in 2020 due to COVID restrictions, the event will take place at Hudson Fields in Milton from Sept. 10 through Sept. 12. 

Previously, the event has been held on tribal grounds near the tribe’s museum and community center in Oak Orchard. 

Organizers believe Hudson Fields will provide more open space and so open the powwow and its traditions to a whole new audience/ 

“Our powwow is a cultural event, and it’s a gathering of Native Americans to renew and refresh their spirits,” said Chief Natosha Norwood Carmine. “It’s a time of gathering, coming together, remembering and honoring our ancestors and our elders, and teaching our youth and the generations to come.”

Carmine said that while they will miss the ambiance of the trees native to their ancestral grounds, hosting the powwow at Hudson Fields also will allow for more distancing in light of the COVID delta variant. 

The powwow will feature traditional activities like crafts, dances and songs, as well as the beloved annual pig roast. 

“There are so many local people in Sussex County who have never been to the powwow and hopefully this will allow them to come share in our culture, witness our dance, partake of some of our native foods, and to visit the vendors who work very hard making their crafts and wares,”…

Continue reading

Categories
Mohegan

Connecticut Barber Expo at Mohegan Sun Casino, August 14-16

[] { window.prebidData.slotMap[slotKey].push({ ‘bidder’: ‘optimera’, ‘params’: { ‘clientID’: clientID, ‘device’: (window.innerWidth || document.documentElement.clientWidth) >= 768 ? ‘de’ : ‘mo’, } }); }); ]]> Connecticut Barber Expo at Mohegan Sun Casino, August 14-16 2&&void 0!==arguments[2]&&arguments[2];i(this,e),this.apstagSlots=[],this.prebidSlots=[],this.prebidData={analytics:[],priceGranularity:{},sizeConfig:[],slotMap:{},userSync:{}},this.googletag=t,this.isApsEnabled=o,this.isPrebidJSEnabled=a,this.setUpSlot=this.setUpSlot.bind(this),this.refreshSlots=this.refreshSlots.bind(this),this.isPrebidJSEnabled&&(window.pbjs=window.pbjs||{},window.pbjs.que=pbjs.que||[],window.prebidData&&(this.prebidData=window.prebidData,window.NXSTdata&&window.NXSTdata.content&&window.NXSTdata.content.pageDcode&&this.prebidData.slotMap&&Object.keys(this.prebidData.slotMap).forEach((function(e){n.prebidData.slotMap[e].filter((function(e){return”rubicon”===e.bidder})).forEach((function(e){e.params.inventory={d_code:window.NXSTdata.content.pageDcode}}))}))),window.pbjs.que.push((function(){window.pbjs.setConfig({sizeConfig:n.prebidData.sizeConfig,priceGranularity:n.prebidData.priceGranularity,userSync:n.prebidData.userSync,targetingControls:{allowTargetingKeys:[“BIDDER”,”AD_ID”,”PRICE_BUCKET”,”DEAL”]}}),n.prebidData.analytics.length&&window.pbjs.enableAnalytics(n.prebidData.analytics)})))}var t,n,a;return t=e,a=[{key:”apstag”,value:function(){return window.apstag||null}}],(n=[{key:”setUpSlot”,value:function(e,t,n,i,o){var a=this;this.pushCmd((function(){var n=null;if((n=t.is_oop?a.googletag.defineOutOfPageSlot(i,e):a.googletag.defineSlot(i,t.size,e))&&(o&&Object.keys(o).forEach((function(e){n.setTargeting(e,o[e])})),t.sizes.length&&n.defineSizeMapping(t.sizes),t.is_companion&&n.addService(a.googletag.companionAds()),n.addService(a.googletag.pubads())),n){var r=[];if(n.getSizes?r=n.getSizes(window.innerWidth,window.innerHeight).map((function(e){return[e.getWidth(),e.getHeight()]})):t.sizes.length&&(r=Object.values(t.sizes.reduce((function(e,t){var n=e;return t[1].forEach((function(e){n[e.join(“,”)]=e})),n}),{}))),r.length&&(r=r.filter((function(e){return!(88===e[0]&&31===e[1])}))),r.length){var s=o&&o.pos,d=[n.getAdUnitPath().split(“/”).slice(0,3).join(“/”),s].join(“/”);if(a.apstagSlots.push({sizes:r,slotID:n.getSlotElementId(),slotName:d}),a.isPrebidJSEnabled){var l=a.getPrebidBidsForSlot(s);s&&l.length&&a.prebidSlots.push({code:n.getSlotElementId(),mediaTypes:{banner:{sizes:r}},bids:l})}}}}))}},{key:”getPrebidBidsForSlot”,value:function(e){return e&&this.prebidData.slotMap&&this.prebidData.slotMap[e]?this.prebidData.slotMap[e]:[]}},{key:”initVisibleSlots”,value:function(){var e=this;this.pushCmd((function(){e.googletag.pubads().getSlots().forEach((function(t){e.pushCmd((function(){e.googletag.display(t.getSlotElementId())}))}))})),this.refreshSlots()}},{key:”refreshSlots”,value:function(){var e=this;this.pushCmd((function(){e.initPrebidRequest((function(){e.googletag.pubads().refresh()}))}))}},{key:”initPrebidRequest”,value:function(e){this.isPrebidJSEnabled?this.isApsEnabled?this.fetchHeaderBids(this.apstagSlots,this.prebidSlots,2e3,e):this.fetchHeaderBids([],this.prebidSlots,2e3,e):this.isApsEnabled?this.fetchHeaderBids(this.apstagSlots,[],2e3,e):this.pushCmd(e)}},{key:”fetchHeaderBids”,value:function(e,t,n,i){var o=this,a=this.constructor.apstag(),r=[],s=this.isApsEnabled&&e.length;s&&r.push(“a9”),t.length&&r.push(“prebid”);var d={adserverRequestSent:!1};r.forEach((function(e){d[e]=!1}));var l=function(){!0!==d.adserverRequestSent&&(d.adserverRequestSent=!0,d.sendAdserverRequest=!0,o.googletag.cmd.push((function(){s&&a.setDisplayBids(),o.isPrebidJSEnabled&&”function”==typeof window.pbjs.setTargetingForGPTAsync&&window.pbjs.setTargetingForGPTAsync(),i()})))},c=function(e){!0!==d.adserverRequestSent&&(“a9″===e?d.a9=!0:”prebid”===e&&(d.prebid=!0),r.map((function(e){return d[e]})).filter(Boolean).length===r.length&&l())};s&&a.fetchBids({slots:e,timeout:n},(function(){c(“a9”)})),o.isPrebidJSEnabled&&window.pbjs.que.push((function(){var e=t.map((function(e){return e.code}));window.pbjs.addAdUnits(t),window.pbjs.requestBids({adUnitCodes:e,bidsBackHandler:function(){c(“prebid”)}})})),window.setTimeout((function(){l()}),n)}},{key:”pushCmd”,value:function(e){this.googletag.cmd.push(e)}}])&&o(t.prototype,n),a&&o(t,a),e}(),r=n(25);function s(e){if(window&&window.sessionStorage)return window.sessionStorage.getItem(e)}function d(e,t){if(window&&window.sessionStorage)try{window.sessionStorage.setItem(e,t)}catch(e){}}var l=n(5),c=n(17),u=window.amScripts,g=u.page_attributes,p=u.gpt;Object(r.a)(),googletag.cmd.push((function(){googletag.pubads().enableSingleRequest(),googletag.pubads().enableAsyncRendering(),googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(),googletag.companionAds().setRefreshUnfilledSlots(!0),googletag.pubads().disableInitialLoad(),googletag.pubads().enableVideoAds(),c.a&&googletag.pubads().setPublisherProvidedId(c.a),googletag.enableServices()})),googletag.cmd.push((function(){var e=googletag.pubads(),t=p.ab_test;g.article_id&&e.setTargeting(“pid”,String(g.article_id)),g.page_type&&e.setTargeting(“pagetype”,g.page_type);var n,i,o,a=(n=t.min,i=t.max,o=Math.ceil(n),Math.floor(Math.random()*(Math.floor(i)-o))+o);e.setTargeting(“pagetest”,String(a));var r=encodeURIComponent(window.location.search).substring(3).replace(“%26″,”&”).replace(“%3D”,”=”),c=new URLSearchParams(r);c.has(“page_key”)&&e.setTargeting(“page_key”,c.get(“page_key”));var u=s(t.storage_key);if(u||(u=a,d(t.storage_key,u)),e.setTargeting(“sessiontest”,String(u)),window&&window.NXSTdata.content.persistentId&&e.setTargeting(“pers_cid”,window.NXSTdata.content.persistentId),window&&window.NXSTdata.content.pageDcode&&e.setTargeting(“d_code”,window.NXSTdata.content.pageDcode),window&&window.NXSTdata.content.nlpCategories){var f=Object.entries(window.NXSTdata.content.nlpCategories).sort((function(e,t){return e[1]!==t[1]?t[1]-e[1]:e[0].length!==t[0].length?t[0].length-e[0].length:e[0].localeCompare(t[0])})),w=[];f.forEach((function(e){e[0].split(“/”).forEach((function(e,t){if(e){var n=e.replace(/[^A-Z0-9]+/gi,”_”);n=0===n.indexOf(“_”)?n.substring(1):n,w[t]=w[t]||[],w[t].push(n.slice(0,24).toLowerCase())}}))})),w.forEach((function(t,n){0n&&e.setTargeting(“nlpcat”.concat(n),t)}))}if(window&&window.NXSTdata.content.nlpSentiment){var h=window.NXSTdata.content.nlpSentiment.score,b=”0″;0!==h&&(b=0Continue reading

Categories
Nanticoke

Funeral notices

BOWER, Christopher — Harveys Lake. Funeral services, 4 p.m. Friday, Curtis L. Swanson Funeral Home Inc., routes 29 and 118, Pikes Creek. Visitation, 2 to 4 p.m. prior to the service at the funeral home.

ELKO, William P. — Dupont. Mass of Christian Burial, 9:30 a.m. Friday, St. Nicholas Church, 226 S. Washington St., Wilkes-Barre.

ELMY, Robert W., Sr. — Slocum Twp. Memorial service, 6 p.m. Monday, Nebo Baptist Church, 75 S. Prospect St., Nanticoke. Friends, 5 p.m. until the time of the service Monday at the church.

GDOVIN, John P. “Slimmer” — Wilkes-Barre. Funeral services, 10 a.m. Friday, Parish of St. Andre Bessette, 668 N. Main St. Assemble directly at church by 9:45 a.m. Friday to receive the family. Visitation and shared remembrances, 5 until 7 p.m. Thursday, John V. Morris Family Funeral Home Inc., 625 N. Main St. Masks and social distancing required.

HOLMGREN, Thornwald “Bud” — Newton. Memorial visitation, 8:30 to 11 a.m. Thursday, St. Nicholas Church, 226 S. Washington St., Wilkes-Barre, with a memorial Mass of Christian Burial to follow.

JENNINGS, Margaret Joan — Franklin Twp. Funeral services, noon Thursday, Metcalfe Shaver Funeral Home Inc, 504 Wyoming Ave., Wyoming. Friends, 11 a.m. until service time Thursday at the funeral home.

KONNICK, Jean Ann — Plains Twp. Funeral services, 9 a.m. Friday, Yeosock Funeral Home. Mass of Christian Burial, 10 a.m. Friends, 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.

MORAN, Manus “Mike” — Wilkes-Barre. Funeral service, 10 a.m. Saturday, Lehman Family Funeral Service Inc., 689 Hazle Ave., Wilkes-Barre. Visitation, 9 a.m. until time of service Saturday at the funeral home.

MRUGAL, Martin T. — Plymouth. Mass, 11 a.m. Friday, All Saints Parish, Plymouth.

PANKO-WARNER, Sandra L. — Funeral, 11 a.m. Thursday, Yeosock Funeral Home, 40 S. Main St., Plains Twp. Friends, 10 a.m. until the time of services.

QUINN, Martin Albert “Marty” — White Haven….

Continue reading

Categories
Lenni Lenape

Returning All-Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference girls soccer players for 2021

Check out the top players back in the conference this fall. These list of returning players include all-division teams that were selected by coaches in 2020.

ALL-RED NORTH

1ST TEAM

F-Tehya Scheuten, Mount Olive, Jr.

F-Hayley Brookes, Morris Knolls, Sr.

MF-Mackenzie Creighton, Morris Hills, Sr.

MF-Zoe Rogan, Mount Olive, Jr.

MF-Audrey McConnell, Randolph, Sr.

MF-Kate Mazzella, Sparta, Sr.

D-Ella Collins, Sparta, Jr.

2ND TEAM

F-Julianna Osterman, Roxbury, So.

MF-Olivia DaSilva, Pope John, Sr.

MF-Abigail Pierson, Sparta, So.

MF-Juliana Dolinski, Sparta, So.

D-Sophia Redmond, Mount Olive, Sr.

D-Hailey Opper, Roxbury, Sr.

HONORABLE MENTION

F-Vanessa Suarez, Roxbury, Jr.

MF-Olivia Enderle, Sparta, Sr.

MF-Mylie McDonough, Morris Knolls, Jr.

MF-Ariana Krone, Randolph, Sr.

D-Nicole Narciso, Morris Hills, Sr.

GK-Aubrey Giordano, Mount Olive, Sr.

ALL-RED SOUTH

1ST TEAM

F-Abigail Fitzsimmons, Mendham, Jr.

F-Kathryn Duff, Morristown, Sr.

F-Kacy Smith, West Morris, Sr.

F/MF-Angelica Castro-Salazar, Mendham, Sr.

MF-Paige Droner, Chatham, Jr.

MF-Cassie Saldarini, Parsippany Hills, Jr.

D/F-Marris Wheeler, Morristown, Sr.

D-Delaney Smith, West Morris, Jr.

2ND TEAM

F-Ashley Kiernan, Chatham, Jr.

F-Lia Manuel, Mendham, So.

MF/F-Molly Cunningham, Morristown, Sr.

MF-Kiera Pohan, Morristown, Jr.

MF-Alexa Murawski, West Morris, Jr.

GK-Sonja Zeepvat, Mendham, Jr.

GK-Alex Jurow, Parsippany Hills, Jr.

GK-Cristina Ryduchowski, Montville, So.

HONORABLE MENTION

MF-Sara Brandt, Mendham, Jr.

MF-Leanne Lombardi, Parsippany Hills, Jr.

D-Ashley Campbell, Montville, Sr.

D-Payton Gjelsvik, West Morris, Sr.

ALL-WHITE NORTH

1ST TEAM

F-Chauncey Gebauer, High Point, Sr.

MF-Martina Brich, Vernon, Sr.

MF-Taylor Squiers, Newton, Sr.

MF-Arin Goriscak, Kittatinny, Sr.

MF-Sarah Harnett, High Point, Sr.

D-Madison Beyer, Kittatinny, Sr.

2ND TEAM

F-Riley Wallace, Vernon, Sr.

F-Leah English, High Point, So.

MF-Claire Merrill, Kittatinny, Jr.

MF-Reagan Hamilton, Vernon, Sr.

MF-Marlene Cimaglia, High Point, Jr.

MF-Jane Einreinhofer, Wallkill Valley, Jr.

GK-Jackie Schels, Wallkill Valley, So.

HONORABLE MENTION

D-Makayla Chiariello, High Point, Jr.

D-Emily Walker, Vernon, Sr.

GK-Hanna Olsen, Kittatinny, So.

ALL-WHITE SOUTH

1ST TEAM

F-Alaina Shramko, North Warren, Jr.

F-Kate Loncar, Jefferson, So.

F-Julia Granda, Morris Tech, Sr.

MF-Kayla Kuncken, Hackettstown, Sr.

D-Laney Kenny, Lenape Valley, Jr.

D-Karlie Kaiser, Hackettstown, Sr.

D-Mia Santana, Lenape Valley, Sr.

GK-Chloe O’ Mahoney, Hopatcong, Sr.

2ND TEAM

F-Christy Brennan, Hopatcong, Sr.

F-Brittany Arcentales, Hopatcong, Sr.

MF-Margaret Reardon, Hackettstown, Sr.

MF-Kelly Zambrana, North Warren, Sr.

MF-Molly Gannon, Lenape Valley, So.

D-Bryn Fitzgerald, Jefferson, Jr.

D-Julia Flynn, Hackettstown, So.

HONORABLE MENTION

MF- Lilly Fejko, Lenape Valley, Jr.

MF- Janie Henderson, Hopatcong, So.

D-Alanna Bishop, Jefferson, So.

ALL-BLUE NORTH

1ST TEAM

F-Henna Andican, Mountain Lakes, Sr.

F-Melissa…

Continue reading

Categories
Mohegan

‘Mickey’s Search Party’ coming to Mohegan Sun Arena

Goofy, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck are among the classic characters who are part of the Disney on Ice presentation of `Mickey’s Search Party.’

Goofy, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck are among the classic characters who are part of the Disney on Ice presentation of `Mickey’s Search Party.’

Eight shows scheduled Aug. 19-22

On his biography, Jay Christiansen lists surfing, golf and soccer plus three other sports as hobbies.

Hmm … But it doesn’t mention skating as one of his pursuits.

“The short answer is no, I don’t skate,” said Christiansen, who is athletic trainer for the Disney on Ice show that will bring “Mickey’s Search Party” to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township for eight shows Aug. 19 through Aug. 22.

“I can skate,” he explained during a telephone interview. “But I’m not on the calibre of the athletes I work with.”

The show incorporates all sorts of acrobatic skills and theatrics, along with skating.

In training sessions “at any given moment there could be acrobats tumbling, performers practicing handstands on hoverboards and traditional pairs and single artists skating.”

The premise of “Mickey’s Search Party” is that Captain Hook has kidnapped Tinker Bell with the goal of being able to control magic; the good guys, with some help from the audience, are on a quest to free her.

Along the way, you’ll encounter characters from favorite family films.

Among them, Miguel from “Coco” will cross the Marigold Bridge into mystical Land of the Dead, where skeletons sway on poles over the audience, Elsa from “Frozen” will use a kaleidoscope of crystals to help build her ice palace, “Moana” will set…

Continue reading

Categories
Unami

UN Iraq Special Representative says that finding common ground is essential

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the UN’s Special Representative and head of the United Nations’s Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), told Kurdistan 24 in an exclusive interview on Tuesday that Kurdish parties should work together to best serve the people of Kurdistan.

Unhealthy 

“In any society, it is very risky to take rights, freedoms and in this case autonomy for granted. What I’m saying is you have to take care of it,” she said.

“You have to find common ground, to unify, and to work together in the interest of the Kurdistani citizens.”

“I’m not saying that it’s not okay to have an internal debate. It’s very healthy to have internal debate,” she added. “What is not healthy is constant party rivalry, intra-party rivalry, and partisanship.”

“Again, the interests of the Kurdistani citizens are best served if the Kurdistan Region parties work together and find common ground in the interest of the Kurdistani citizens.”

She also underlined that the UN is working on the assumption that the Iraqi elections will take place on October 10, and that “it’s important for Iraq to move beyond elections to get things done.”

During a conference in Erbil in May, Hennis-Plasschaert said that today’s autonomy should not be taken for granted and that, in order to sustain it, unity will prove essential.

Erbil-Baghdad Dialogue

The UN envoy stressed that a strong relationship between Erbil and Baghdad is in the interest of all Kurdistani and Iraqi citizens.

Baghdad has been chronically late or delinquent in its budget payments to the KRG for years, causing those who depend on government salaries – a large percentage of the public – to face significant and often unexpected missed monthly income.

Last month after receiving a long-overdue disbursement of 200 billion…

Continue reading

Categories
Mohegan

Mohegan “hopeful” of launching Inspire Korea in second quarter of 2023: Bobby Soper

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

US tribal gaming operator Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment remains hopeful it can open its US$1.6 billion Inspire Korea integrated resort by the second quarter of 2023 as it continues efforts to resume construction.

An update on development progress was provided by the company’s International President, Bobby Soper, during an interview for Gaming Laboratories International’s Illuminating Conversations series.

As reported by Inside Asian Gaming earlier this week, Mohegan is currently working towards the final piece of financing needed to complete the project with CEO Ray Pineault telling analysts during an investor call that “meaningful strides” have been made.

Soper, the man tasked with working on that deal, said such financing work was progressing well, adding, “My goal is to close that transaction in the very near future, remobilise, get construction going and opening in 2023.”

With Mohegan having earlier this year been granted a six-month extension to its opening deadline for Inspire Korea from late 2022 to the first half of 2023 due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Soper said the opening would take place, “Hopefully in the second quarter of 2023, or third quarter latest 2023.

“It’s been a rollercoaster, we’ve had our ups and downs, and COVID certainly threw a curve ball,” he explained. “But we’re in the ground, we have significant investment in the ground. We need to finalise some of the final financing and I just spent two and half months in Korea pursuing that. I think we are far along.”

Soper also expressed confidence in Inspire Korea’s long-term prospects, noting that it will not only service the regional gamer via its foreigner-only casino but also offer some much-needed live entertainment options for the local Seoul market.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity,” he said. “It is…

Continue reading