National Harbor

Three companies have put in bids to build a Prince George's County casino, leading to a high-stakes competition to operate what could be one of the most lucrative gambling venues on the East Coast. On Friday, the deadline for bids, Penn National Gaming proposed a $700 million Hollywood Casino Resort at Rosecroft Raceway, and the owner of a Pennsylvania casino proposed an $800 million Parx Casino Hotel & Spa nearby in Fort Washington. The two bids will compete with a plan by MGM Resorts to operate...

Sharing the Journey grief support group A drop-in meeting that promotes healing for those grieving the death of a loved one. Thursday, 6-7:30 p.m. Chesapeake Life Center, 9500 Arena Dr., Suite 250, Largo. 410-987-2129. www.chesapeakelifecenter.org . $10 per session. Registration required. New Carrollton dance classes A weekly class to learn how to square and line dance. Sponsored by the Good Luck Squares, a program of the New Carrollton ReCouncil. Thursday, 7:15-8:30 p.m. Robert Frost Elementary School,...

Charles Ramsey, the Cleveland dishwasher who heard a scream, kicked in a door and rescued three women from horrific captivity, stepped out of a white Rolls-Royce on U Street NW Friday night and seconds later was on Alex Soto's Facebook page. "You're kidding me," shouted Soto, who was strolling in front of Ben's Chili Bowl with his girlfriend when Ramsey miraculously emerged from the gleaming Rolls. "You're, like, a lifesaver. I've been watching this on the news all the time and here...

Liz Willis's commute changed after the Woodrow Wilson Bridge trail opened almost four years ago. First, she explored it on foot and by bike to experience the scenic views. Before long, she had started biking, one way, over the bridge to her job at Fort Belvoir. Now, she's commuting back and forth, nearly 40 miles in all, on workdays. "It has been an ad­ven­ture," Willis said. "I go very slow, I enjoy the ride and I meet people all along the way. " The paved pathway that...

Some residents of the Riverbend area of Fort Washington have been neighbors for decades, raising their children, attending picnics and potluck suppers, holding holiday decorating contests, and running food and toy drives. "Folks really watch out for one another. You see some of the old-fashioned neighborliness folks used to have before the hustle and bustle of the day," said Zeno W. St. Cyr II, who is president of the citizens group for the Riverbend subdivision. One stealthy neighbor in Riverbend Estates has been known to leave vases...

For those who have always wanted to feel the rush of jumping out of an airplane without actually, well, jumping out of an airplane, you may be in luck. Executives at iFly, which claims to be the world's largest operator of vertical wind tunnels that simulate the sky diving experience, are on the hunt for two to three locations in the Washington area and could open their first here as early as 2013. Vertical wind tunnels that simulate skydiving are not new but are beginning to expand as an attraction in...

Officials from MGM Resorts on Wednesday confirmed that the company will bid this week for a license to build and operate a new casino in Prince George's County. MGM announced plans for a news conference on Thursday, the day before bids are due to the state, at their proposed casino site at National Harbor , the 300-acre mini-city on the banks of the Potomac River. Following the morning news conference, company officials said they plan to drive their bid materials up to Baltimore to the...

The best thing about the new National Children's Museum ? "Frederick" was the verdict from my 8-year-old. He ran into an old classmate he hadn't seen in a while and he said that seeing Frederick was the highlight of his visit to the new $7 million interactive children's museum that's been eight years in the making. And I have to agree with him. Compared with children's museums across the country that we have visited — Baltimore, Boston, New York, Miami, Durham, N.C., San Francisco,...

National Harbor, the little city being built by Milton Peterson, took shape all year along the banks of the Potomac River in Oxon Hill, where yachts filled the marina all summer. Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, above, opened in April. Gaylord, the largest hotel and convention center on the Eastern Seaboard, has several restaurants and stores, two art galleries and a couple of accessory shops at the 300-acre waterfront development. Two other hotels are open at National Harbor.

The signature holiday attraction of the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center at National Harbor contemplates what an ice age would be like if there were carefully crafted holiday scenes everywhere. The event, in a 15,000-square-foot room, features 2 million pounds of ice hand-sculpted by 40 international artists over 40 days. Walk across an ice bridge, get your picture taken in an ice sleigh, take in 10 holiday scenes or ride down a two-story ice slide. Remember to bring a winter coat, though if you forget, the attraction will provide one for...

It's hard to spend a couple of days in Atlantic City and feel anything but alarmed by the explosion of casino gambling in Maryland. It wasn't just the early morning bra left behind in the elevator that made me cringe. Or the completely soaked Snooki look-alike running down the hotel hallway. I could even laugh at the hookah-smoking DJ presiding over a Mother's Day brunch and the mom's special of two vodka shots and a rose. Yes, I somehow ended up in Atlantic City on Mother's Day weekend.

A spokeswoman for Penn National Gaming said Monday that the company's vision for a casino at Rosecroft Raceway includes 3,000 slot machines, six times what was indicated in a summary of bids released by Maryland regulators Friday. Penn's proposal was one of three received for a Prince George's casino by Friday's deadline. MGM Resorts and Greenwood Racing are also competing for the license, which could be awarded by the end of the year. A "registry of proposals" released by the state...

Three companies have put in bids to build a Prince George's County casino, leading to a high-stakes competition to operate what could be one of the most lucrative gambling venues on the East Coast. On Friday, the deadline for bids, Penn National Gaming proposed a $700 million Hollywood Casino Resort at Rosecroft Raceway, and the owner of a Pennsylvania casino proposed an $800 million Parx Casino Hotel & Spa nearby in Fort Washington. The two bids will compete with a plan by MGM Resorts to...

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Two more casino companies applied for a license Friday to build a casino in Maryland near the nation's capital, bringing the number of applicants to three for one license. Penn National Gaming Inc. and Greenwood Racing Inc. both submitted proposals to meet a deadline with the state. Penn National, which is based in Wyomissing, Pa., is proposing a $700 million casino at the company's Rosecroft Raceway in Prince George's County, about 13 miles from Washington.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A subsidiary of MGM Resorts International has filed a proposal for a casino at National Harbor. MGM National Harbor filed the proposal on Thursday with the State of Maryland Video Lottery Facility Commission. The proposed casino would be built on more than 20 acres of land at National Harbor by the Potomac River in Prince George's County. It would be just south of Washington near the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. MGM executives say it would create thousands of...

THU 09 "Short Stories" Local artist Mary Wang's exhibit of oil paintings focuses on the two-dimensional, object relationships, scale and space. Closes Thursday. Greenbelt Arts Center, 123 Centerway, Greenbelt. 301-441-8770. www.greenbeltartscenter.org . Free. "Clowning Around" Bob Brown Puppets turn the stage into a circus big top. 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. Publick Playhouse, 5445 Landover Rd., Cheverly. 301-277-1710. www.pgparks.com . $4, children $3. UniverSoul Circus The...

Steven Pearlstein's column in the April 21 Business section ["National Harbor Hindered By Petty Political Moves"] accurately described the shameful actions of some Prince George's County "leaders. " Milt Peterson, National Harbor's developer, has abided by (and surpassed) the agreements that he made with the county about hiring minorities. Now state Sen. C. Anthony Muse and the Exums (state Sen. Nathaniel Exum and his daughter Camille Exum, a member of the County Council) are engaging in extortion-like behavior in their efforts to squeeze more...

The National Harbor waterfront development, which opened to visitors on a limited basis this week, has begun auditioning performers interested in participating in a holiday celebration planned for late November through December. About 175 performers are needed for the program, dubbed "Voices of National Harbor Candlelight Processional," a musical narrative of the story of Christmas, which will be directed by Emory Andrews, director of the award-winning Oxon Hill High School Choir.

Officials from MGM Resorts on Wednesday confirmed that the company will bid this week for a license to build and operate a new casino in Prince George's County. MGM announced plans for a news conference on Thursday, the day before bids are due to the state, at their proposed casino site at National Harbor , the 300-acre mini-city on the banks of the Potomac River. Following the morning news conference, company officials said they plan to drive their bid materials up to Baltimore to the office of the Maryland...