Michigan Indian

House Hearing on Bay Mills/Sault Tribe Off-Rez Gaming

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From Indianz:

Not sure what it means below that Alicia Walker is chair at Sault Tribe….

The House Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing this morning on two off-reservation casino bills.

H.R. 2176 and H.R. 4115 settle land claims for the Bay Mills Indian Community and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. The tribes would be able to open casinos on sites hundreds of miles away from their existing reservations. The bills have been approved by the House Natural Resources Committee. But Rep. John Conyers (D-Michigan), the chairman of the Judiciary committee, opposes the measures. The hearing takes place at 10am and will be broadcast at http://judiciary.house.gov.

Continue reading →

Bouschor Appeal to Sault Tribal Court Denied

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

NEWS RELEASE

SAULT STE. MARIE
TRIBE OF
CHIPPEWA INDIANS

*************************
Bouschor’s appeal to become candidate denied

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – (March 7) – The Sault Tribe Court of Appeals issued a ruling today denying former tribal chairman Bernard Bouschor’s appeal on the election committee’s ruling that according to a specific tribal law, Mr. Bouschor and other defendants in an ongoing lawsuit are not eligible to be a candidate for elected office until such litigation has been resolved.

Continue reading →

Protecting the St. Mary’s Waterway

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From the Sault (Ont.) Star:

First Nations will bridge the river to protect the St. Mary’s on World Water Day, March 22.

Elders from both sides of the border will share their knowledge about water ceremonies and raise awareness about the need to protect local waterways. Garden River and Batchawana First Nations, Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians and the Bay Mills Indian community will all be on hand.

The four tribes first came together in 2004 to sign the Tribal and First Nations Water Accord, under which they work to influence the Canadian and U.S. governments to protect St. Mary’s River and its ecosystems.

The event takes place from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Sault Tribe Cultural Building in Sault, Michigan. Traditional food will be served, bring a dish to pass.

Sault Tribe Seeking Investors in Greektown

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From Crain’s Detroit Business:

Tom Celani, owner of MotorCity Harley Davidson and MotorCity Power Sports, has dropped plans to acquire a stake in Greektown Casino L.L.C.

Under a plan announced in January, Celani was to become president of casino operations and buy a 22 percent stake in the company from the majority owner, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.

Continue reading →

Pokagon Revenue Sharing Dispute Under Negotiation

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From the Michigan City News-Dispatch:

ST. JOSEPH, Mich. – Negotiations between the state and the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians to resolve problems blocking the distribution of casino revenue to local governments should wrap up in 60 to 90 days, a tribal official said.

The tribe, saying it was concerned over actions taken in forming the Local Revenue Sharing Board and its bylaws, withheld in escrow the first payment from electronic gambling earnings at the Four Winds Casino in New Buffalo Township. The payment was due in December.

Continue reading →

ICT: Saginaw Chippewa vs. the Unions

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From ICT:

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – In an effort to ward off unionization efforts under the federal National Labor Relations Act, some tribes have adopted labor laws that allow employees to organize under tribal law. The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe has taken a different approach.

”The position of this tribe is that the National Labor Relations Act does not apply to Indian tribes and the National Labor Relations Board does not have jurisdiction, and, that being the case, we don’t believe we have to adopt an ordinance that allows union organizing to occur. The ordinance the tribe adopted prohibits union organizing,” said Saginaw Chippewa attorney Sean Reed.

Continue reading →

Radio Podcast re: Grand Traverse Band’s Successful Child Welfare Program

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

More than 18,000 children and teens live in Michigan’s child welfare system. Officials in Lansing say there are too many kids who have been taken from their homes to live in the care of strangers. In Leelanau County social workers with the local Indian tribe say they had almost 40 kids in state care a decade ago – but not anymore. What the Grand Traverse Band is doing right And what native traditions of family life can teach us about helping struggling families stick together.

Here is the radio podcast.

Frank Ettawageshik on CNN

Matthew L.M. Fletcher2 Comments

From cnn.com:

Shoutout

AZUZ: Time for the Shoutout! From which Native American tribe was the leader Geronimo? If you think you know it, shout it out! Was it: A) Apache, B) Blackfoot, C) Cherokee or D) Dakota? You’ve got three seconds — GO! Geronimo was an Apache leader known for his courage and determination.

Saying Sorry

LLOYD: All of those tribes, along with the rest of the Native American community, are getting an apology from the U.S. government. Now, you guys know that saying “I’m sorry” isn’t always an easy thing to do. But it’s important, especially when you’re apologizing for wrongs that took place over hundreds of years. Kate Bolduan fills us in on the details.

Continue reading →

Jeff Parker in Business Week re: Metro Detroit Casino Proposals

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From Business Week:

MGM Mirage’s Hidden Card

The flyers mailed to homes across Michigan in late January looked like the handiwork of a group bitterly opposed to gambling. They pictured dice emblazoned with exclamation marks, piles of crumpled-up cash, and text blaring: “Washington Poised to Force Two New Casinos on Michigan Families. Only You Can Stop the Special Interests.” The outfit behind this grassroots campaign calls itself Gambling Watch.

As it turns out, Gambling Watch is a tiny operation financed by MGM Mirage (MGM), one of the world’s largest gaming companies. MGM is locked in a bitter dispute with two Native American tribes that hope to open casinos in Michigan. The Las Vegas company inaugurated a new $800 million casino in downtown Detroit in October and is not in the mood for competition. There’s nothing underhanded about its tactics, MGM says. “We’ve made no secret of where we are on this,” says Alan Feldman, senior vice-president for public affairs at MGM Mirage.

Continue reading →

Detroit News: Feds Defend Casino Plan Rejections

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From the Detroit News:

WASHINGTON — Indian tribes face long odds in winning federal approval for casinos hundreds of miles away from their reservations, the Bush administration told Congress on Wednesday.

In defending the decision to reject 22 such off-reservation casino applications around the country, officials further angered tribal leaders who told the House Resources Committee that the government is trying to force Indians to stay on reservations with high unemployment and few opportunities.

Continue reading →