Muskegon

Muskegon County Advisory Vote on LRB Casino Proposal

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From the Muskegon Chronicle:

The Muskegon County Board of Commissioners will put a non-binding casino referendum on the countywide Nov. 4 general election ballot.

The vote will be advisory in nature, giving county commissioners the voters’ direction on how to handle issues concerning the Manistee-based Little River Band of Ottawa Indians attempt to place its second casino at the former Great Lakes Downs horse-racing track in Fruitport Township.

The casino advisory vote was proposed by county board Chairman James Derezinski in response to a citizen group forming in light of a previous casino resolution of support by the county board. A group has formed calling for an open debate of the county board’s support for a Fruitport Indian casino after the tribe announced it had purchased the former racetrack last month.

County officials indicated that a public vote for the casino would not insure the tribe the successful development of a Muskegon County Indian casino. Likewise, a vote against the casino will not necessarily prohibit an Indian gambling facility at U.S. 31 and I-96.

The issue of Indian casino development is decided in agreements between the tribe and the state of Michigan and the tribe and the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. The tribe is a sovereign nation under U.S. law.

The specific language for the Indian casino advisory vote will be drawn up by county attorney Theodore Williams. The ballot language is expected to be back before the county board Aug. 26.

LRB Purchases Great Lakes Downs

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From Indianz:

The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians purchased a defunct racetrack in Michigan for an undisclosed price.

The tribe wants to open a casino at the site near Muskegon. But official said there is no timetable for development. The tribe operates a casino on its reservation, about 80 miles away. The tribe has a branch office in Muskegon. Another Michigan tribe, the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, has expressed interested in a casino in Muskegon.

Get the Story:
Little River tribe buys Great Lakes Downs with hopes of opening casino (The Muskegon Chronicle 7/17)
Muskegon casino could face same opposition Gun Lake tribe encountered in Wayland Township (The Grand Rapids Press 7/17)
Tribal group wants casino at Great Lakes Downs (WOOD 7/16)
Magna sells Great Lakes Downs (The Thoroughbred Times 7/16)

Lac Vieux Desert Band Cuts Deal with Muskegon

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From Indianz:

The city council in Muskegon, Michigan, voted 5-2 to approve an agreement with the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa for an off-reservation casino.

The deal requires the tribe to pay $2 million a year for municipal services plus 4 percent of net gaming revenues and other service fees. The total annual payment is estimated at $4.5 million. The agreement is non-binding and non-exclusionary. The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians is also proposing an off-reservation casino in the city.

Continue reading →

Little River Ottawa Muskegon Casino Details

Matthew L.M. Fletcher1 Comment

From the Muskegon Chronicle:

Tribe proposes $100 million casino with 800 jobs

A downtown Muskegon casino proposed by the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians would be nearly twice the size of the band’s Little River Casino in Manistee.

It would also appeal to a different market, tribal leaders told members of the Muskegon City Commission Monday night — an urban market that would pull in people from around Muskegon, Grand Rapids and as far east as Lansing, as opposed to the destination-resort setting of the Manistee gaming facility.

Continue reading →

Little River Ottawa Proposal to Game in Muskegon

Matthew L.M. Fletcher2 Comments

From Indianz:

Little River Band interested in off-reservation casino

The Little River Band of Ottawa Indians is entering the off-reservation casino game in Muskegon, Michigan.

The tribe plans to make a presentation to the city commission on Monday. Ogema Larry Romanelli says the tribe is interested in a casino in Muskegon — about 80 miles from tribal headquarters in Manistee. The Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians recently proposed an off-reservation casino in Muskegon. The tribe’s headquarters are about 500 miles away. The Grand River Band of Ottawa Indians, an unrecognized tribe, is also interested in a casino in the city.

Get the Story:
Muskegon officials to hear another casino pitch (The Muskegon Chronicle 2/8)

Second DNR Explanatory Meeting

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From the Ludington Daily News: “Chris Dobyns of the Michigan Attorney General’s office explained that several legal precedents were in the tribes’ favor heading into the negotiation on inland rights. The Canons of Construction, which are long-standing legal guidelines, explain that any ambiguous language in a treaty like “until the land is needed for settlement,” should be construed liberally in favor of tribes. Court rulings against the state of Minnesota and Wisconsin have reinforced this.”

More from the Ludington Daily News: “What will most residents notice once the new tribal consent decree kicks in? Nothing different, according to Little River Band Natural Resources Commission Chair Jimmie Mitchell, who spoke to the Daily News shortly after the agreement was announced.”

Michigan Anishinaabek Cultural Preservation and Repatriation Alliance & WMU

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From the Battle Creek Enquirer:

WMU helps museum identify human remnants as Native American
The Enquirer

Professors from Western Michigan University identified human remains in the Kingman Museum collection to be those of Native Americans on Tuesday.

Anthropologist professors and several students inspected 11 boxes of remains, scalps and cultural artifacts at the museum’s request.

The museum was complying with the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), which federally regulates that institutions identify and return certain Native American cultural items to lineal descendants or culturally affiliated Indian tribes.

The Michigan Anishnaabek Cultural Preservation and Repatriation Alliance (MACPRA), which represents the state’s federally recognized and historic Indian tribes, asked that Kingman identify the unknown remains.

The bones came from as nearby as Coldwater Avenue in Battle Creek and as far as the Grand Canyon and Peru. Remains found in Alaska and near Muskegon were deemed to be those of several Native Americans and the others were either unidentifiable or purchased through medical companies.

Here’s the National NAGPRA site.

Here’s the full text of the statute.