What?!?! From Crain’s:
Despite having Detroit filled with basketball fans, the weekend of the Final Four produced a 5 percent drop in revenue for the Greektown Casino Hotel compared to the prior weekend.
Revenue meanwhile, increased by 12 percent at MGM Grand Detroit and 6 percent at MotorCity Casino Hotel.
The problem?
Too many people at the casino but not enough of them gambling, said Greektown CEO Randall Fine.
From Indianz:
The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians is seeking $7.5 million in federal stimulus funds to remove dams on the Boardman River in Michigan.
The tribe wants to remove three dams and modify a fourth. The money for the project would come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The dams are in city and county hands but local officials have already been discussing ways to remove them. The tribe decided to take action to meet a deadline to apply for stimulus funds.
Get the Story:
GT Band seeks grant to help remove dams (The Traverse City Record-Eagle 4/17)
From the Herald Palladium:
About $6.2 million in electronic gambling profits and interest from the Four Winds Casino is to be released within a few weeks to a board that will distribute it to local governments and school districts.
The Pokagon-Harbor Country Local Revenue Sharing Board voted unanimously Monday to have the money transferred to accounts the board is opening at Horizon Bank.
The board is aiming to begin distribution within 60 days, said member Jeanne Dudeck, the Chikaming Township supervisor.
The release of the money will end a delay of more than a year by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, which owns the casino in New Buffalo Township. The tribe is holding the money in an interest-earning escrow account.
From Indianz:
The Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan plans to remove people who don’t meet its membership criteria.
It’s unclear how many people will be affected though prior news stories have said up to 125 adults could be removed. A spokesperson said the tribal council has been concerned about the issue for some time. The tribe will spend the next month to determine how many people to remove.
Get the Story:
Tribe disenrolling members (Central Michigan Life 4/15) Related Stories:
Saginaw Chippewa Tribe mum on disenrollment (3/27)
From the Ludington Daily News:
Any confusion over whether tribal conservation officers have the right to stop state-licensed hunters has been removed.
The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians and the State of Michigan have entered into an agreement that satisfies a provision in the 2007 Inland Consent Decree regarding enforcement of conservation regulations, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
The issue came to light locally when Ed Haik, a retired Manistee County sheriff and the deputy chair of the Manistee County Board of Commissioners, noted that there was no legal mechanism for tribal conservation officers to stop state-licensed hunters or anglers. Last month, the county board sent a letter to Gov. Jennifer Granholm opposing any cross-deputization measures and asking for a public hearing on the issue.
From WNDU.com:
Tribe breaks ground on headquarters, mum on satellite casinos
$5 million project underway near Dowagiac
Posted: 6:10 PM Apr 13, 2009
Last Updated: 7:44 PM Apr 13, 2009
Reporter: Mark PetersonIn the past the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians built a casino near New Buffalo.
In the future, the band may build two more casinos in Southwest Michigan, but in the present, work started today on the tribe’s five million dollar administrative headquarters near Dowagiac.
The tribal government headquarters is being funded largely by loans and grants from the U.S. government.Funds for the administration building were provided by a United States Development Authority (USDA) Rural Development loan. Improvements to the roads and parking lot were funded through the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. The infrastructure work was funded through an Indian Community Development Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Groundbreaking ceremonies were held today on the tribe’s sprawling rural campus near Rogers Lake in Cass County.
From the K’zoo Gazette:
Plans for the Gun Lake Casino are quietly edging forward, despite what appears to be an impending bankruptcy filing by Station Casinos Inc., the company hired to manage its construction and operation.
The Gun Lake Band of Pottawatomi is on track to release a schedule for groundbreaking, construction and hiring sometime this spring, according to those familiar with the situation.
The tribe declined to comment this week when asked about the status of the $200 million project, but it has said Las Vegas-based Station Casinos’ problems are not hindering the project.
From the Detroit News (via Pechanga):
Could the big empty shell of a room tucked away in a corner of Greektown Casino-Hotel’s downtown complex serve as a viable event center?
That’s the question facing bankruptcy judge Walter Shapero this afternoon as he tours what Greektown lawyers call an event center and what attorneys for the City of Detroit are calling a breach of contract.
Greektown is arguing for a tax rollback from the city and state that would save it millions a year in taxes levied on gaming revenues. That rollback is dependent on compliance with a revised development agreement approved by Detroit City Council in 2006.
Greektown wants Judge Shapero to rule that the casino has complied with the agreement, opening the door to lower taxes and giving the casino the ability to transfer the agreement, along with the lower tax rate, to a new owner should it decide to sell.
We’ve posted several recent papers. Here is the website for all of our papers dating back to 2006.
Turtle Talk 
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