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U.S. NEWS Friday 13 March 2020
Atlantic City wants ex-Trump casino razed; owner agrees

By WAYNE PARRY
Associated Press
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) —
Atlantic City officials said
Thursday that they will ask
a judge to order the imme-
diate demolition of a shut-
tered casino once owned
by President Donald Trump,
but its owner says he has
already decided to tear it
down.
The maneuvering over the
former Trump Plaza casino,
now owned by billionaire
Carl Icahn, comes after
pieces of the building's fa-
cade tore loose in recent
days and came crashing
to the sidewalk.
City officials inspected the
building and declared it
an imminent risk to public
safety.
At a news conference
Thursday, Mayor Marty
Small said his administration
would file papers in Supe- Atlantic City, N.J., Fire Chief Scott Evans speaks at a news conference, Thursday, March 12, 2020, in Atlantic City, calling for the
rior Court later in the after- immediate demolition of the former Trump Plaza casino, parts of which have crumbled and fallen onto a sidewalk.
noon, asking a judge to or- Associated Press
der that the nearly 40-year- contracts. If the mayor had in 1984. to public safety. that shut down in 2014 dur-
old building be torn down simply called us instead "We are both on the "We could have had a ing a period of contraction
as soon as possible. of holding a press confer- same page about seeing fatality," Small said. "We in the local casino indus-
But Icahn, who took owner- ence, we could have up- this building demolished, had high school wrestling try, brought about by in-
ship of the casino compa- dated him as well." but maybe with different championships with 13,000 creased nearby competi-
ny through a bankruptcy The statement did not ad- paths," he said. people walking nearby." tion and an oversaturated
proceeding, said through a dress when Icahn hopes to But Small added the recent "There are five big holes in market. Another Trump ca-
spokesman he had already have the building demol- deterioration of outer walls this building," said Fire Chief sino, the Taj Mahal, closed
agreed to tear it down. ished, and the company on the casino hotel build- Scott Evans. "We're going in 2016, though it reopened
"We are puzzled by the did not respond to a re- ing have left gaping hopes to see more panels fall. This under new ownership in
city's action," Hunter Gary, quest for clarification on his that will only get worse with poses a threat to the sur- 2018 as the Hard Rock.
president of real estate for timetable. continued wind and rain. rounding area." Trump cut most ties with
Icahn Enterprises, said in In his news conference, City buildings department In recent years, Icahn has Atlantic City in 2009 aside
a prepared statement. "In Small did note that the city officials and firefighters in- requested the use of more from a 10% fee for the use
fact, we already decided and Icahn have been in ne- spected the building, in- than $5 million in redevel- of his name on what were
to demolish the building, gotiations for several weeks cluding flying drones over opment tax payments that then three casinos in the
and have commenced the regarding the demolition of and next to it, and deter- Trump Plaza made while it city. That stake was extin-
process, including finalizing the casino, which opened mined it is an imminent risk was operating to help off- guished when Icahn took
set the cost of demolition. ownership of the company
Former Virginia House candidate Trump Plaza was one of out of bankruptcy court in
four Atlantic City casinos February 2016.q
charged with revenge porn

CHESTERFIELD, Va. (AP) — Dispatch, and then said Special prosecutor Robert
A former candidate for she did not want to com- Cerullo, who was appoint-
a seat in Virginia’s House ment. ed to handle the case, said
of Delegates has been Last year, she tried but Bynum-Coleman told the
charged with crimes com- failed to unseat Republi- victim’s boss that the nude
monly characterized as can Kirk Cox, who was a photos were taken at work
“revenge porn.” House Speaker at the time. and on company time.
Sheila Bynum-Coleman Virginia laws says it’s illegal He said it’s unclear what
was indicted Monday in to disseminate photos or Bynum-Coleman’s motive
Henrico County on two video of another person in was.
misdemeanor counts alleg- a state of undress with the Cerullo also said that By-
ing that she disseminated intent to coerce or intimi- num-Coleman posted cop-
nude photos of a woman date. ies of the nude photos to a
at her workplace, news Authorities said that By- stop sign near the woman’s
outlets reported. num-Coleman obtained job.
Bynum-Coleman took issue nude photos of the victim Bynum-Coleman, 47, is
with that characterization and showed them to the a Democrat who lives in
of the case in a phone call woman’s supervisor at her Chesterfield and works as a
with the Richmond Times- workplace. real estate agent.q