Justice's effects get
$517,000 at auction
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- A gold judicial collar made of glass beads that belonged to the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has sold at auction for $176,775.
The piece was part of a collection of about 75 items of Ginsburg's that were sold to benefit charity. In total, bidders paid nearly $517,000 for items in the online auction that ended Friday. Today marks the two-year anniversary of the liberal icon's death at 87.
The judicial collar was the item with the highest purchase price, and its sale marks the first time any of the late justice's signature neckwear has been available for purchase. Her family donated some of the justices' most well-known collars to the Smithsonian.
Other items that were auctioned included a gavel that sold for $20,400, a pair of Ginsburg's opera glasses that sold for $10,837.50 and a shawl that sold for $12,750. A pair of her black lace gloves sold for $16,575, while a cream pair sold for $12,750.
The auction was conducted by Bonhams, which also conducted an online auction of her books that brought in $2.3 million. In April, some 150 items -- including art Ginsburg displayed in her home and office -- raised more than $800,000 for the Washington National Opera, one of her passions.
Proceeds from the latest sale will fund an endowment benefiting SOS Children's Villages, which supports vulnerable children around the world. Ginsburg's daughter-in-law, Patrice Michaels, is on the organization's advisory board.
Louisiana letting
casino move ashore
The Associated Press
BATON ROUGE -- A riverboat casino in Louisiana's capital city has been given approval to move onto land.
The Louisiana Gaming Control Board last week unanimously approved the casino's request to move off of its aging gambling boat and into the casino's atrium, news outlets reported. The $35 million project, which will create 200 jobs, is expected to start construction in April and be finished by May 2024.
There will be a 16,500-square-foot gambling floor in the atrium along the riverfront in downtown Baton Rouge as well as an oyster bar/bistro that will feature a pizza station, wine bar and bowling lanes. There will also be a 2,500-square-foot sportsbook and lounge.
"We see the high traffic that that brings ... as well as an energy," said Stacy Stagg, vice president of nongaming operations for CQ Holdings, which owns the casino.
There's also to be cruise line dock access. The docks are to be used by American Cruise Lines, which plans to dock riverboats there for 10 hours, WBRZ-TV reported.
Under the plan, the casino's 90-room hotel will also reopen after a renovation. It and its restaurants closed in 2020 amid the covid-19 pandemic.
"It's a massive building," said Terry Downey, president and CEO of CQ Holdings. "There's unlimited potential on this property."
He said demolition has already started inside the hotel.
This will be the second riverboat casino to move on shore in Baton Rouge. Hollywood Casino, also owned by CQ Holdings, broke ground in 2021 and is expected to move landside in the middle of next year.