Vikings Look Toward Suburbs

The Atlantic:

The state of Minnesota and the city of Minneapolis have been trying to find a way to keep the Vikings in town. The latest plan proposes a new stadium next to the old one and ready by 2016. That would leave the Vikings playing in the Metrodome through 2015. The city, though, recently announced that its funding plan was coming up roughly $55 million short. The team, already frustrated with the Metrodome, is keeping its options open.
The most serious competitor is a plan being pushed in Arden Hills, a city about five miles outside of Minneapolis. Ramsey County leaders there have been trying to convince the Vikings to move out of Minneapolis with the prospect of a brand new stadium. This project, expected to cost about $1.1 billion, is the stadium of choice for the Vikings.
Ramsey County says it can afford to help pay for the project by raising about $20 million a year through various taxes and user fees at the proposed stadium. Officials are hoping this revenue-generating plan will convince state and local officials and voters to back the plan with an expected contribution of about $650 million.
The idea of using pull-tab gambling to raise additional funding has also been on the table, but many are concerned about the reliability of such a mechanism.

Pull-tabs?  My grandpa would work Bingo at the local Catholic school, and his job was to walk around and sell pull-tabs.  He called them by the doubly accurate name ripoffs.  It is nice that the center cities can always count on their own suburbs trying to poach their attractions.  Especially considering that the suburbs wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for the presence of the center city.