From the Grand Rapids Press:
Standish casino has quiet opening
STANDISH – It opened with little fanfare: no billboards, no advertisements, not even an announcement on the Web site. Just some spotlights, shining in the night from the quiet darkness.
gaming
Lac Vieux Desert Off-Reservation Gaming Proposal (Muskegon) — News Coverage
More coverage from the Kalamazoo Gazette and the Muskegon Chronicle. The Chronicle’s coverage denotes significant skepticism:
Obstacles piled high as tribes consider casino
The standing-room-only crowd at the casino presentation by the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians left Muskegon City Hall on Monday night wondering whether the western Upper Peninsula tribe’s proposal was realistic.
Department of Interior Changes Fee-to-Trust Process
Last week, the Department of Interior rejected fee-to-trust applications for eleven tribes . Matthew has linked to the rejection letters elsewhere on this site. In rejecting these applications, the DoI has changed the method by which it will review all fee-to-trust applications under 25 C.F.R. Part 151. On January 3rd, Assistant Secretary of Interior Carl Artman , issued a letter to the BIA’s Regional Directors that established that all future applications will be subjected to a “commutable distance” test. In other words, if a tribe seeks to have land placed into trust, even for non-gaming economic development purposes, it must be within a distance where tribal citizens on the existing reservation can reasonably commute to jobs at the site. This had previously not been the case.
Lac Vieux Desert Off-Reservation Gaming Proposal (Muskegon)
From Indianz:
Lac Vieux Band seeks off-reservation casino
The Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians is seeking an off-reservation casino in Muskegon, Michigan.
Foxworthy Case in WA COA — Dram Shop Actions and Tribal Immunity — Wash SCt Petition
The Plaintiff has petitioned the State Supreme Court for review.
I don’t have a copy of the Plaintiff’s new petition (assuming there is one), but the petition she filed in October of 2006 is posted in the first message in this thread. The Tribe’s Answer to the Petition for Review (filed in mid-December) is available here.
Our previous posts with lower court materials are here and here.
Florida Seminole Compact — Fla. AG Request for Injunction on DOI Approval of Compact
Yesterday, the federal court in DC denied a motion for a preliminary injunction filed by the Florida AG Bill McCollum that would have prevented the Secretary of Interior from publishing the approval of the Class III gaming compact between the Florida Seminoles and the State of Florida.
Here are the materials:
Romulus Casino Update
From the Journal Newspapers:
Romulus Mayor will pitch casino approval on Capitol Hill
A delegation of city officials hope elected officials will be swayed by testimony they plan to give regarding the impact a casino would have in Wayne County before the Legislature early in 2008.
St. Croix & Bad River Chippewa Trust Acquisition Lawsuit Materials
On December 7, 2007, the St Croix Tribe of Chippewa filed a suit against Dirk Kempthorne and Carl Artman. The Tribe has been working with the Bad River Chippewa and the City of Beloit (Wisconsin) to develop a casino in the city (which is not located within either Tribe’s reservation). The suit alleges that DOI has reversed its procedure of applying the two-step IGRA section 20 determination before the 25 CFR Part 151 determination. The Tribe claims that seeking the Part 151 determination first will be futile because of Secretary Kempthorne’s personal views on off-reservation gaming. The Tribes have already spent a great deal of time and money in developing the plan, meeting the requirements of the various applicable environmental laws, et cetera.
Second Saginaw Chippewa Casino Delayed
From the Morning Sun:
Saganing Eagle’s Landing Casino not looking likely to open by year’s end
By MARK RANZENBERGER
Sun Online Editor
It doesn’t seem likely that the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe will meet its self-imposed deadline of opening the Saganing Eagle’s Landing Casino by year’s end.
Indian Gaming Declines as the Price of Gas Increases
From the International Herald Tribune:
Across the United States, casino operators point to consumer worries, along with higher gas prices, as factors explaining a drop-off in revenues.
Turtle Talk 
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