Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2002-02-22

              INDEX
News Around Indian Country
Commentary/Editorials/Voices 4
Smoke Signals of Upcoming Events
Classifieds
Fidelia was a
great success at
■ Bug-O-Nay-Ge-
| Shig School
Justice was
not done
pg4
Unemployment - have
Indian casinos helped
solve the problem?
pgi
Audit reveals Red Lake
Gaming Management
overstated gaming
income by $2,242,056
pg 1
Red Lake
financial
affairs in
chaos
pg4
Audit reveals Red Lake Gaming Management
overstated gaming income by $2,242,056
By Bill Lawrence
According to audited financial
statements dated January 10th
2002 for fiscal year 2001 (October 1, 2000 - September 30,
2001) prepared by the independent auditing firm of Miller.
McDonald, Erickson. and
Moeller of Bemidji, Minnesota,
Red Lake Gaming Enterprises
had a net income of $4,262,733.
This is significant because Red
Lake Gaming Enterprises management had reported on October 22, 2001 that Red Lake
Gaming had a net income for
fiscal year 2001 of S6,504,789.
The Miller McDonald Audit reported transfers to the Red Lake
tribe of $4,889,199. leaving a
deficit of gaming funds of
$226,000 ($4,889,199 minus
$4,262,733). In their October
financial report, Red Lake Gaming Management listed transfers
out to the Red Lake Band and
band programs in fiscal year
2001 of $4,186,279 resulting in
a net profit of $2,318,510.
However, this amount does not
appear to include other required
payments such as debt payments or other uses of cash.
Other discrepancies between the
Miller McDonald audit and the
financial statements prepared by
die Red Lake Gaming management were that the Miller
McDonald audit reported fiscal
year 2001 gaming revenues of
$30,900,924 and expenses of
$26,634,764 for operating income of $4,266,160. But, the
Red Lake Gaming management
reported total revenues of
$32,093,041 and expenses of
$24,016,813 for earnings before
income tax and depreciation allowance (EBITDA) of
$8,076,228. However, in Red
Lake Gaming management's
calculations depreciation allowance of $1,529,028 and interest
income of $42,411 was deducted to arrive at a net income
of $6,504,789. Miller
McDonald reported profits were
$7,393,272 in fiscal year 2000.
compared to only a $4,262,733
profit in fiscal year 2001, despite four, months of operating
the new $40 million hotel and
water park at the River Road
Casino.
The discrepancies in financial
numbers between the audit prepared by Miller McDonald and
that prepared by Red Lake
Gaming management is also
significant because Red Lake
treasurer Dan King and Gaming
management used their questionable financial report to pres-
AUDIT to page 3
Unemployment-
the problem?
by Clara NiiSka
Expansion of casino gambling in
Minnesota is being considered seriously by the State legislature,
again. The House Committee on
Governmental Operations & Veterans A flairs is holding hearings on
nine gambling-expansion bills currently before it. The hearings are
being held on Friday, February 22,
in the Basement Hearing Room.
The current crop of bills propose
a range of state-sponsored gambling enterprises. The bills presently being heard by the House
committee are summarized in the
box, "Gambling bills before the
Legislature," which accompanies
this article.
Obviously, bill sponsors hope
that the proposed casinos, video
lottery terminals, sports pools aid
other Minnesota gambling enterprises will increase government
revenues without raising taxes.
have Indian casinos helped solve
Some see potential state income
from gambling as a sort of 'windfall,' making it possible for the
State to fund projects and programs for which taxpayers are
likely to resist a direct levy. Others
see it as a 'bailout,' resolving the
state's projected budget shortfalls
without cutting state services or
raising taxes. One knowledgeable
source sharply criticized such state
fundraising strategies as "eroding"
tlie social contract between taxpayers and state upon which democracy is founded; absolving both the
state and citizenry of tlie mutual responsibilities inherent in tax-
funded state programs^
In addition to the envisioned
multi-million dollar revenues from
state-sponsored gambling, a wide
range of "pros" and "cons" have
been voiced by gambling advocates and opponents. The issues
are not simple. The Friday, Febru
ary 22nd legislative gambling hearings will be held after this newspaper goes to press; hopefully the
House Committee will consider
the issues carefully and Press/ON
will have a detailed report on at
least some facets ofthe complex
issues around state-run gambling
enterprises next week.
"Jobs, jobs, jobs" - especially increased employment prospects in
impoverished rural areas - is
among the often-voiced arguments
advocating Indian-run gambling
enterprises. Do casinos actually increase employment, or do they
merely move jobs from one sector
ofthe economy to another, shifting
jobs from one group to another
rather than creating real economic
growth?
Unemployment insurance claim
rates can shed some light on the
question of whether or not casinos
UNEMPLOYMENT to page 8
Sexual assault: Not an Indian tradition
Help and information available from Healing Families
By Jean Pagano
The Sexual Assault Project,
part ofthe Division of Indian
Work, has put together an informative guide describing sexual
assault in the Indian Community. Sadly, sexual assault occurs in Indian communities at
the same rate as it does in non-
Indian communities. The Sexual
Assault Project seeks to eradicate sexual assault from the Indian community by talking
about the problem, describing
its roots, causes and remedies.
By once again embracing the
old ways and respecting each
person's individual vision and
the sanctity of life, one can begin to remove the scourge of
sexual assault from the Indian
community.
How can one recognize
sexual abuse? What exactly is
sexual abuse? Simply, sexual
abuse is any sexual activity into
which a person is forced,
tricked, or coerced without their
consent. Sexual assault has
nothing to do with sexual intimacy: it is an act of power and
violence, nothing more. Sexual
abuse can happen to anyone, regardless of age, gender, or marital status. Sexual abuse can happen anywhere, from the backwoods ofthe reservation to
one's home, car, or job: anywhere. Victims of sexual assault, family members, and the
community at large can all band
together to help heal the physi
cal and emotional wounds of
sexual assault. The Sexual Assault Project stresses that sexual
abuse is not an Indian tradition.
There are many types of
sexual abuse, ranging from attacks by strangers to assaults by
acquaintances. The fact is that
85% of victims know their rapists. This is a startling and troubling statistic. Although
'stranger rape,' where a person
is raped by an unknown person
or persons, is the most feared
type of assault, it is also the
least common. Other types of
attacks include 'date/acquaintance rape,' which is forced intercourse by a person known to
ASSAULT to page 5
Hunt's State of
the Band
address falls
short of the mark
By Jeff Armstrong
Leech Lake chairman Eli
Hunt kicked off the 2002 MCT
campaign season with a lavish
but lackluster "Third Annual
State ofthe Band" address Feb.
20. Although the less-than-ca-
pacity crowd at the Palace
Casino's Paradise Room was
treated to a commemorative jar
of wild rice and a quality fountain pen marking the event,
Hunt's speech was something
less than historic. Only the
promise of a four main-dish
feast to follow kept the Leech
Lake electorate from sparing
Hunt the embarrassment of publicly stumbling over his prepared text, including a labored
effort to pronounce the name of
his tribal school.
Among the past year's highlights cited in Hunt's speech
were the creation of an appointed Corporate Commission
to manage the reservation's
businesses, a 22% increase in
casino revenue, and the first fi.il 1
HUNT to page 3
Family Circle Prevention Program
A Twenty-Four Week Approach to Wholeness
By Jean Pagano
Tire Lac du Flambeau Family
Circles Alcohol and Other Drug
Abuse (AODA) Prevention Program is an avenue for Indian families to help them replace old problematic ways of interacting (that is,
with drugs and alcohol) with the
nurturing ways of traditional culture. The program takes a two-fold
approach to wellness: AODA prevention and increasing self-awareness and self-esteem through an
awareness of one's culture.
The Family Circle program is
built upon the concept of strong
family allegiance -that there is a
basic family strength that is part of
the Native American cultural heritage. The original Family Circles
program was fourteen weeks in
length and only parents participated Through the input of community elders, a new curriculum
was envisioned, one in which role
modeling would be used to emphasize "a good way of life, a positive
way of thinking." Elders in the
community fulfill an important role
by not only the transmission of
knowledge by the telling of stories
but also through they way in which
they live. Actions always speak
louder than words, and it is by ex
ample that perhaps the best leaning
is viewed and transmitted.
Tlie fourteen-week program was
eventually expanded to a twenty-
four week program, including
Ojibwe language classes. The entire family is now welcomed into
the Family Circle program, from
ages four and up through grandparents.
Tlie program embraces a fourfold message that refers to the collective physical, spiritual, emotional, and intellectual selves. The
physical message is to heal tlie
mind and body for the well being
ofthe soul. The spiritual message
states that participants are involved
in matters ofthe past, present, and
future. The emotional message is
caring for and healing the mind,
the thought process, and the intellectual message is the teachings
that participants maintain to preserve their identities. These four
messages describe the four aspects
of self within the concept ofthe
circle.
The twenty-four sessions incorporate twenty-four lessons: Session One is about self-love and self
esteem. Self-love is tlie basis for
self esteem. It is the first step ofthe
PROGRAM to page 3
Minnesota Chippewa Tribes announces filing dates for
regular June 1,2002 Leech Lake Tribal Council Elections
A regular election will be held
on June 11,2002 to fill the positions of Secretary/Treasurer,
Committeeman for District 1, and
Committeeman for District II for
the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.
All positions are for four (4) year
terms.
Candidates who wish to file for
these positions must file with the
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Secretary/Treasurer or her designee
during regular business hours beginning on February 21,2002. Fil
ing will close on March 4,2002, at
4:30 p.m.
Tliis regular election provides for
an April 16,2002, Primary Election in the event there are more
than two (2) eligible candidates for
, each open position.
Voice     of
T   H   E
People
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Volume 14 Issue 12
February 22,2002
Native artist Jim Denomie
showcased in Phoenix exhibition
Photo credit for portrait of Denomie at the Heard in Phoenix: Paul
Gero. Below: "The National Anthem," oil painting by Jim Denomie.
St. Paul Native artist Jim
Denomie was one of eight artists
showcased at the Native American Fine Art Invitati8nal at the
Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. Once every three years,
eight Native artists are selected
to exhibit at the Heard Invitational. The current exhibition
runs until February 7,2003.
Denomie was bom on Lac
Courte Oreilles reservation in
Wisconsin and presently lives in
St. Paul, Minnesota. His work is
also currently featured in the exhibition "rewriting,;," held by the
private Artfit gallery in Phoenix,
along with the work of Julie
BufTalohead, who lives and
works in St. Paul; Norman
Akers. who teaches at the Institute of American Indian Arts in
Santa Fe, New Mexico; and
Mario Martinez, 2001-2002 Native Artist in Residence at the
National Museum of the American Indian, New York.
Margaret Archulera, Curator
of Fine Art at the Heard Museum, described Denomie as
"... a painter of fantasies. His
paintings are saturated wife
color and provide the viewer
with glimpses -snapshots into
DENOMIE to page 5
Woman charged with murder of
Red Lake elder George Stately
Carol Louise Gillmore, 32, has been charged with the murder of Red
Lake elder George Aloysius Stately, 68, of Red Lake. She appeared in
federal court on Friday, Febiuary 15, where she was also charged with
arson, allegedly setting fire to Stately's home. She was then taken to
Sherburn County Jail in Elk River to await a detention hearing in federal court in Minneapolis on Thursday, February'21.
Gillmore had been a resident ofthe Equae Wii Ga Miig Women's
Shelter. She knew George Stateley, a retired health worker.
Stately reportedly left the casino across the highway from his home
in Red Lake at about 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 13. A friend
of Stately's told police that her phone conversation with Stately about
an hour later was interrupted when someone came to his door. She
told police she heard him say, "Hi Carol. What are you doing here?"
Stately's caller ID indicated that the phone call came in at 9:25 p.m.
Tlie women's shelter log shows that Gillmore left the shelter at 9 p.m.
and returned at 10:10 p.m. After Gillmore returned to the shelter, staff
reportedly noticed blood stains on ha- doorframe, in the shower, and
on the washing machines. F.B.I, special agent John Egelhoffreportedly found traces of blood on Gtllmore's car when he examined it on
Thursday.
George Stately's body was discovered on Thursday, February 14*
after the Red Lake Fire Department responded to an 8:19 a.m. call reporting smoke coming from the home where Stately lived alone.
Firefighters broke into the house to extinguish tlie fire that had allegedly been set in a back room, and found Stately's body in the living
room. They notified Red Lake police criminal investigators Donovan
Wind and Jason Lawrence.
There was reportedly much blood in the house and in the back yard.
Stately had suffered head injuries, and an autopsy done by the Ramsey
County Medical Examiner's Office in St. Paul showed that his throat
had been cut. A hammer and kitchen knife with traces of blood and
hair on them were found on his body. According to the criminal complaint against Gillmore, the living room and laundry room at Stately's
house showed evidence of a struggle, with items knocked from the
STATELY to page 3
Shakopee
Mdewakanton
Sioux lose
gambling tax
case
By Frederic J. Frommer
Associated Press
WASHINGTON —A federal
appeals court, following a ruling
from the U.S. Supreme Court,
ruled Tuesday that the federal government can collect taxes on
Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux
Community's pull-tab games.
Two years ago, the U.S. Court
of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
SHAKOPEE to page 6
Minnesota casinos
face competition
from Canada
Associated Press
GRAND PORTAGE, Minn. -
Grand Portage Lodge and Casino
used to be a magnet for Canadian
gamblers from nearby Thunder
Bay, Ontario.
Despite an expansion, the casino
in the far coma of northeastern
Minnesota was so crowded that
CANADA to page 6