Gambling corporations are refining their Toronto casino plans and several locations are beginning to bubble to the surface. According to the National Post, Ceasars is eyeing the Toronto Convention Centre near Front and John while MGM Resorts International likes Exhibition Place. The general consensus is that no more than 10 percent of any resort would be devoted to gambling. OLG, also interested, says it won't force a casino on Toronto if we're not interested. Thanks, guys.

Rob Ford didn't exactly make a splash in the local press during his trade visit to Chicago last week. The Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times didn't devote so much as a column inch to the event but NBC writer Edward McClelland has more than made up for that with his opinion piece entitled "Big, Obnoxious Toronto Mayor Visits Chicago." McClelland says the "loud and obese" Ford was a perfect fit in Chicago.

Could NDP MP Olivia Chow change her mind and make a run for mayor? The Star says Chow is now offering a "wait and see" instead of a flat "no."

Looks like gourds could be the latest victims of austerity cuts. The Parks Department says it won't clean up jack-o'-lanterns left at neighbourhood pumpkin parades over the next couple of months and will issue fines to organizers who leave rotting vegetables in public parks.

Things are getting noisy for residents on the western reaches of the Bloor-Danforth line. According to a report, deteriorating rails and train wheels mean train noise is through the roof (or floor, actually).

Finally, as we discovered yesterday, the first of many new streetcars arrived in Toronto yesterday ready for its first test on city streets. The National Post has a cool infographic comparing the new Bombardier vehicle with the existing stock of CLRVs and ALRVs. Bottom line, they're bigger, lower and air conditioned.

IN OTHER NEWS:

• Baltimore Orioles bomb Blue Jays 12-2 [The Star]
• Ottawa adds $100M for Pan Am aquatic centre [Globe and Mail]
• Ryerson holds emergency meetings in wake of sex assaults [The Star]
• Ford's office asked province about money for football field [The Star]

Photo: "Chinatown No.2 Toronto" by aaron schwartz in the blogTO Flickr pool.