ottawa

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.

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DC Circuit Vacates EPA Mercury Emissions — New Jersey v. EPA

Matthew L.M. Fletcher1 Comment

Here is the opinion.

Here is a link to our previous post that included several briefs, including the tribal brief.

Congrats to the petitioners!

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)

Milford’s Version of Michigan Indian History

Matthew L.M. Fletcher6 Comments

From the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers:

Milford Moments in Time
By Joyce M. Clark

According to the book “Ten Minutes Ahead of the Rest of the World, A History of Milford,” Elizur and Stanley Ruggles were attracted to the Milford area back in 1831 because of its flowing river. They were also smitten by the beauty of the land, and so they staked their claim. However, both the local waterways and rich surrounding land were utilized by many people long before these pioneers settled the area.

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Grand Traverse Band Trust Land Acquisition

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From the Leelanau Enterprise (H/T Indianz):

132 acres ‘in trust’ for GTB

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has finally processed the paperwork required to place 14 parcels totaling 132 acres of land “in trust” for the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.

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GTB Revenue Sharing

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From the Leelanau Enterprise (H/T Indianz):

2 percent funding process begins

County receives 10 applications for aid from tribal program.

Requests for “2-percent” casino revenue funding from the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians will be considered for endorsement by the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners at the board’s executive committee next week.

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Inland Agreement Photos

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

 From Indian Country Today:

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Photos by Theresa Keshick — Pictured are the signatories of the commemorative signing of the 2007 Inland Consent Decree between five tribes – Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Bay Mills Indian Community, Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians – and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. government Oct. 25. More than 100 people were present to witness the signing. (Below) Some of the signatories included Alice King Yellowbank, member of the Little Traverse Bay Bands Tribal Council; Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Chairman Frank Ettawageshik; and Albert Colby Jr., tribal administrator of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians.

Indian Country Faces and Places welcomes your submissions. Send your high resolution photographs and a short description to photo@indiancounty.com and place ”Faces and Places” in the subject line.

New Short Story: “Thinking About What I’ve Done”

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

The new issue of Red Ink just arrived in the mail. I have a short story in this edition, Thinking about What I’ve Done. It’s about Indian lawyers, sorta.

Inland Settlement Letters to the Editor (Detroit News)

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From Indianz:

Readers of The Detroit News support a treaty rights settlement between the state of Michigan and five tribes.

Alex Hess: “In my opinion it is important that we honor the Native Americans because this originally is their land..”

Isaac C. Griffin: “The land is a Native American reservation and it should remain that way.”

Garrison Warr: “Even though 171 years have passed, it does not mean that these sports fishermen and the charter boat operators have the right to break the treaty that was made with the Indians, and do what they please with property which does not belong to them.”

Mike Stankiewicz: “Instead of bossing around the Native Americans even more, I feel we should respect the fact that their ancestors lived on this ground for many years before the white man came along.”

Get the Story:
Indians deserve support in fishing dispute (The Detroit News 11/20)

Challenge to EPA’s Mercury Rule — New Jersey v. EPA (CADC)

Matthew L.M. Fletcher1 Comment

The D.C. Circuit will hear oral argument in the challenge to EPA’s regulations applying to coal-fired plants, New Jersey v. EPA, on December 6, 2007. The panel includes Judges Rogers, Tatel, and Brown. The order on oral argument is here: D.C Circuit Order

Selected briefs are included below:

State Governments Opening Brief

Environmental Groups Opening Brief

Treaty Tribes Opening Brief

EPA Brief

Brief of States Supporting EPA

State Government Reply Brief

Environmental Groups Reply Brief

Treaty Tribes Reply Brief