Middleborough - Reports that Governor Deval Patrick was poised to begin negotiating a contract, or compact, with the Mashpee Wampanoag for a casino in Middleborough caused some ripples of concern across Southeastern Massachusetts this week. According to the Statehouse News Service, Patrick on Monday had said that, although he expects no additional casino legislation to be forthcoming this session...

Voters in Middleborough today approved a historic agreement to bring the state's first casino to the semi-rural town 40 miles south of Boston. By a margin of 2,387 to 1,335, voters approved the agreement between town selectmen and the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe that calls for the town to receive at least USD $ 11 million a year for hosting the USD 1 billion resort casino.

A crowd big enough to fill a pro sports arena is expected here Saturday for that quintessential rural New England event, the Town Meeting. Generally no more than a few hundred people attend such meetings, even on hot issues, but officials are preparing for three-quarters of this town of 20,000 to show up. Residents will be marking paper ballots on whether to accept a deal with an Indian tribe to build a [[USD]] 1 billion casino.