From the Muskegon Chronicle. Click through for the slideshow and captions.
Also, live blogging coverage of the event, also from the Chronicle. Not sure why the updates end before the hearing did.
Video excerpt, starting with Rep. Johnson and Ogema Romenelli.
Supporters of the LRBOI Fruitport casino are testifying now in front of the MI Legislature’s Regulatory Reform Committee at Muskegon Community College. From the site:
9:30 AM
Regulatory Reform
Muskegon Community College James L. Stevenson Center for Higher Education – Room 1100 221 South Quarterline Road Muskegon, MI 49442
The first video for the TurtleTalk channel is up. We’ve also added an RSS feed to the side of the blog where viewers can click on the link to whatever video was posted most recently.
We’ve started a Vimeo channel for videos. I don’t expect it to be very busy, but we are adding a CLE on protecting Intellectual and Cultural Property Rights that was filmed at the Squaxin Island Museum in February. It should be up and running tomorrow.
If you’re interested, the link to the channel is here. If you’re interesting in having a relevant video hosted there, let us know. It’s a public venue, however, much like this blog, so you’d have to have all the necessary releases.
From the Battle Creek Enquirer:
Huron Potawatomi announces tribal election results
Michelle Rahl • Reader Submitted • June 28, 2010
-The Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi (NHBP) announced today the results of its election for Tribal Council. Three seats on the five-member Tribal Council were up for election on Saturday, April 24, 2010.
Tribal members voted to re-elect RoAnn Beebe-Mohr of West Olive to the Tribal Council along with newcomers Dorie Rios of Battle Creek and Nathaniel W. Spurr of Grosse Pointe. The positions are three-year terms. The Tribal election board certified the votes last month.
Beebe-Mohr, Rios and Spurr will join Homer A. Mandoka of Bronson, Michigan, and Jamie Stuck of Scotts, Michigan, who were re-elected to the Tribal Council last year.
Following the ‘swearing in of the new Council Members’, the Tribal Council voted to appoint Council members to the follow officers positions:
Homer A. Mandoka – Chairperson
Jamie P. Stuck – Vice-Chairperson
RoAnn Beebe-Mohr – Secretary
Dorie Rios – Treasurer
Nat W. Spurr Sergeant-at-Arms
“With the next election two years away, the Tribal Council will be able to roll up our sleeves and strive to accomplish our long-term goals and objectives” said Homer A. Mandoka, Chairperson of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi. “One of the Tribal Council’s main goals is the implementation of our Land Use Master Plan, which identifies land use for program and service expansion, including educational and recreational use, along with safe and affordable housing while preserving open spaces.”
The Tribal Council recently completed a tribal governance-training conference called “Building Strong Sovereign Nations.” The training was administered by the Michigan State University Extension and funded with a start up grant provided by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. Additionally, the Tribal Council brought to the reservation for a two day intensive training session on parliamentary meeting rules with renowned trainer – James Mills of Creating Stronger Nations.
There are more than 1,100 Tribal members. The Tribe’s administrative offices are at the Pine Creek Reservation in Athens Township with a satellite office in Grand Rapids to better serve members.
While it’s not the memorandum floating around the Michigan state capitol from Interior to Rep. Bert Johnson regarding the Little River request, this press release and memorandum were released yesterday by Interior. (h/t Indianz).
From 6/25/10 MIRS (subscription only):
Feds Nix Indian Casino Expansion, For Now
At least for the time being, the U.S. Department of the Interior delayed a Michigan Native American tribe’s plan to move forward with a casino project near the site of the now-defunct Great Lakes Downs Racetrack near Muskegon.
The Little River Band of Chippewa Indians wants to open a casino on the Great Lakes Downs location. The tribe was one of the four tribes that compacted with the state in 1998 for the right to operate class III (Las Vegas style) casinos. It currently operates a casino in Manistee.
Because the location is not within current tribal boundaries, there are several hurdles the tribe would need to clear in order to operate a casino at the Muskegon site. One hurdle has already been cleared. On March 19, Gov. Jennifer GRANHOLM signed two amendments to the state’s compact with the Little River band that would let it build the new casino.
The Governor attached her signature after a deal was negotiated between her administration and the tribe.
“It would mean considerable revenues,” John WERNET, deputy legal counsel told MIRS today. “The good news would be that this would mean more dollars for the School Aid Fund (SAF). The bad news is that this would take years before it happened.”
The next step would be to have the Legislature approve one of the amendments. This is HCR 0054, sponsored by Rep. Doug BENNETT (D-Muskegon), which is currently before the House Regulatory Reform Committee.
Meanwhile, the other amendment to the compact was sent to the U.S. Department of Interior for approval. That’s where the project hit a roadblock.
Continue reading
SCOTUSblog continues to not take any chances with Indian law cases, listing both Cobell v. Salazar and Arctic Slope Native Association v. Sebeliusas petitions to watch for tomorrow’s conference.
Links to our coverage of the Cobell cert petition and government opposition are here and here.
From the NYT’s Lens Blog–click through for the slideshow of Adam Sings in the Timber’s photos.
It often seems as if America has only two frames through which to view its native culture: ceremony and pageantry or poverty and addiction.
“They are both opposite ends,” Adam Sings in the Timber said. “There is so much more in the middle.”
Mr. Sings in the Timber has had ample opportunity to reflect on how Indian culture is portrayed. He is a freelance multimedia and video producer for Reznet, a Native American news, information and entertainment Web site that trains and mentors college students who are preparing for journalism careers. He has also been documenting the everyday life of the Crow Tribe in southeastern Montana.
Turtle Talk 
You must be logged in to post a comment.