Wonderland, once a primary source of revenue for Revere, has sat unused since August 19, 2010. Other than Revere Beach, it once was a major draw for tourists to the City of Revere. So it is no surprise that Rizzo, having been sworn in as Revere’s Mayor on January 2nd of this year, would like to see it used for more than MBTA parking.

Read the whole story on the Bent Musket.

Image – Getty Images (Jim Rogash)

“There was a team negotiating on behalf of the city for a mitigation package,” said John Festa, Revere’s director of economic development.

The latest meeting came last Thursday at Suffolk Downs between racetrack officials and representatives from the Revere economic development office.

Suffolk Downs has been fiercely pursuing a resort casino in East Boston.  Click here for more from the Herald.

Skies erupted over Moscow’s Red Square, Rio de Janeiro, Hong Kong, London, Paris and Rome.

At the Vatican, Pope Benedict urged tens of thousands of tourists and pilgrims to pray “for peace thruout the world, for reconciliation and forgiveness” in regions of conflict.  He also called for “a more just and equitable distribution of the world’s resources.”

Thousands of Egyptians marched in Cairo’s Tahir Square, carrying photographs of protesters killed in the uprising that ousted long-time leader Hosni Mubarak in early 2011.

U.S. President Barack Obama and his family celebrated the new year in Hawaii – the president’s birthplace and one of the last places on the globe to welcome 2012.  Hours earlier, an estimated one million revelers in New York City packed Times Square to witness the descent of the city’s giant ball as midnight struck.

Southeast Asian countries were among the first to welcome the new year with fireworks, laser lights, street parties and outdoor performances. Hong Kong and Sydney set the standard with glittering extravaganzas in their harbors, while the Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai hosted lavish light shows in their central squares.

In Tokyo, celebrations were overshadowed by memories of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that devastated large swaths of northeastern Japan, leaving 20,000 people dead or missing.

In his New Year’s message to the Japanese people, Emperor Akihito expressed hope that everyone will cooperate to rebuild Japanese society.

North Korea ushered in 2012 with a new leader and public vows to build “a powerful country of talented people.”  The official Korean Central News Agency said the Korean people “are full of determination to achieve a proud victory in this year’s effort for building a thriving nation.”

- Article from VOA News.

She told her to be a nurse, or better yet, a teacher.

It was advice that Costa took, and students in the City of Revere for the last 42 years have been all the better for it.

Costa has been a classroom teacher at the former Shurtleff School, a visual arts teacher at Revere High School, an assistant principal at the Garfield, a principal at the Whelan School and – for more than a decade – the second-in-command in the district’s Central Office.

At the end of this school year, her impressive educational run in her hometown of Revere will come to a close when she retires. It is for her impressive career and her continuing progressive decisions in 2011 that Costa is the Revere Journal’s 2011 Woman of the Year.

Costa grew up on Revere Street and was raised in the Revere School system.

She said her mother stressed education because she was not able to pursue her education. During the hardscrabble days of the Great Depression on Revere Street, Costa’s mother had to quit school when her father died young. On top of that, her mother was blind and left with eight kids.

Three out of the family’s four daughters had to quit school and work as seamstresses and stitchers.

Read the full story at the Revere Journal.

Suffolk Downs officials confirmed yesterday that they are behind the recent surveys in Boston, Revere, Winthrop, and Chelsea. “We can never do enough listening to the local community,’’ said Chip Tuttle, chief operating officer. He said Suffolk Downs has polled “periodically’’ to help inform the development of its casino proposal. He declined to share the latest poll questions or to comment on the results.

In Foxborough, Wynn Resorts, the company that wants to build a $1 billion casino project near Gillette Stadium, has hired a consultant that specializes in computerized data analysis and mapping technology for political campaigns, relatively new tools that cutting-edge campaigns employ to identify potential voters, tailor their political messages, and get their supporters to the polls.

Read the full story at boston.com.

Then along came multinational casino mogul Steve Wynn, teaming up with New England Patriots owner Robert K. Kraft on a $1 billion plan for a “New England”-style casino resort, hotel, and business convention and entertainment hall complex on 200 acres across Route 1 from Gillette Stadium. Many locals are calling it “FoxVegas.”

Now, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino is pushing back – especially after Wynn on Monday disparaged the East Boston/Revere vicinity as “a rough section” where “you look out on nothing.’’

Referring to the new state Gaming Commission that will decide whether Suffolk Downs or Foxborough – or someplace else – wins the eastern Massachusetts casino license, Menino said: “It’s not Bob Kraft making the decision — it’s the five member commission.’’

Menino said he continues to think it’s obvious Suffolk Downs is the superior choice, especially given its close access to the MBTA Blue Line and its long history as a gambling facility. “I’m just looking for the best one,’’ Menino said. “I think the best one is Suffolk Downs. It’s near the convention center, near the airport. It’s just a natural to m. You know, Suffolk Downs has been there for many years, and it’ll have to [have] some improvements made to the infrastructure around Suffolk Downs but I still believe it’s the perfect location for a casino in our city.’’

Click here for the full story from NECN.

This is the 35th year anniversary of the first Sounds of Christmas concert.  The special guest conductor will be Max Hobart, who was the Orchestra’s Music Director at that first concert in 1976.

The concert is a great way to get into the holiday mood, and it also serves an enormously important function of providing a large amount of food that is desperately needed at the Revere Food Pantry.  So, please plan to attend, and bring non-perishable food items for the pantry.

Click here for an event flyer.

“The full-time casino jobs and tax revenue will come sooner at Suffolk Downs than anywhere else,” said Michael Monahan of IBEW, who believes the East Boston track could be up and running a full year before other contenders are ready because it’s already a gaming facility with a functioning structure.

“The ownership of Suffolk Downs has all their architectural drawings done, they have a (general contractor) selected, and speaking to the electrical portion … our contractors have already budgeted the job and (are) ready to go,” Monahan said.

Click here for the full story.

Read the whole story on the Revere Journal.

The 21,000 square-foot project will feature construction of a cable-stayed pedestrian bridge over Ocean Avenue, an elevated plaza deck above Wonderland MBTA Station, a central plaza, and an at-grade pedestrian crossing over Revere Beach Boulevard. Various park improvements will also be part of the project.

Click here for the full story.