The Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 1989-05-02

              Olympic gold
winner, Billy rw
speak at B
Fifty Cents
■ -
Rude and deceptive
filming at Bug School
page 4
Founded in 1988
warn
Volume 1  Issue 48
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May 2, 1989
1
' Copyright, the Ojibwe News, 1989
A Bi-Week!y Publication
Bemidji, Minnesota 56601
Jourdain's tax trial set
According to information obtained
from the Minnesota Tax Court,
Roger A. Jourdain is scheduled to
appear before Judge Earl B.
Gustafson for a trial on May 17th at
10:00 A.M. at the St. Louis County
Courthouse in Duluth, Minnesota.
Jourdain is charged with failing to
file Minnesota State Income Tax
Returns for the years of 1979
through 1985. According to court
records, Jourdain's tax liability for
the six year period is $81,000, which
includes back income taxes, penalty,
and interest.
Jourdain claims that he is not
subject to Minnesota Income Taxes
because his Domcile is still the Red
Lake Reservation from which he
was forced to flee due to the May
1979 Uprising.
Since 1979 Jourdain has resided
at 2309 Calihan Ave., Bemidji,
Minnesota, where he has claimed
homestead property rights in all but
one year since 1979. The tribal law
firm of Edwards and Bodine of
Duluth, Minnesota, is representing
Jourdain, presumably at tribal
expense, while the state is
represented by Asst. State Attorney
General Thomas O'Hearn. The news
has been unable to learn if Jourdain
filed his Minnesota Income Tax
Returns for the years 1986 through
1988.
Red Lake BIA agency
contract in limbo
Brave and Princess Contest Winners at the Chief Bug O Nay Ge Shig School's 4th Annual Brave and Princess
Pow-wow Contest, directed by Benny Tonce and Leroy Fairbanks. The high school contest was won by Robie Rock,
and Barb Robinson, and the elementary school honors were given to Edwin and Tony Losh. Submitted photo.
Mission school to
continue operation
According to information obtained
by the NEWS, Bishop Victor Balke
has made a commitment to maintain
the Mission School and is requesting
funding from the Bureau of Indian
Catholic Missions in Washington,
D.C. The Mission School Board has
recendy passed a resolution seeking
funding from other sources.
The school has operated
continually on the Red Lake
Reservation since 1888 and is highly
regarded on the reservation for its
educational excellence. If any
readers wish to contribute a donation
to the school operation, please
contact the Crookston Diocese
Superintendent, Sister Catherine
Kallhoff at 218-281-4533 or write
care of the Crookston Diocese,
Crookston, MN.
According to informtion from Red
Lake Agency Superintendent Rex
Mayotte, the Red Lake Tribal
Council's application to contract all
remaining agency programs
pursuant to PL93-638 appears to be
in limbo. The Red Lake Tribal
Council had applied in late 1987 to
contract the six remaining programs
currently administered by the
agency. The total annual value of the
programs is approximately $2
million. It appears that extensive
opposition by many tribal members
to the contracting has forced at least
five tribal council members to
change their positions and they now
oppose the take over. The
application to take over the
programs had originally been set to
begin on December 1,1988, and was
initially delayed for 60 days. Due to
the current council stalemate, a new
contracting date was never
established.
Johnson resigns; News
begins bi-monthly publication
James W. Johnson, editor of the OfibweNews since July, 1988,
and Mark Boswell, part-time assistant editor, resigned recently
for academic reasons. The News has greatly appreciated all of
their efforts in the publication of the News and wishes them well
in future endeavors. Jim will graduate from BSU this spring.
Boswell will continue to be associated with the News as a
free-lance writer and cartoonist.
The News will take this opportunity to begin publishing
bi-monthly.
Coalition for open and
responsible government on
the Red Lake Reservation
Widespread repudiation and contempt by Red Lake Tribal
members regarding conditions on the Red Lake Reservation have
led to organization of the Coalition For Open And Responsible
Government on the Red Lake Reservation. Objectives of the
Coalition will be to give Red Lake tribal members a forum to
become involved in the May, 1990 tribal elections. The May,
1990 election will involve the following Red Lake tribal council
positions: Chair;man, Secretary, Treasurer, and one district
representative from the Red Lake, Redby, Littlerock, and
Ponemah districts. -
Another important objective of the coalition will be to request
the Bush Administration to monitor and certify that the election
was conducted in a fair and impartial manner before recognizing
the new tribal government. The coalition will also consider
endorsing a slate of candidates for the May, 1990 tribal elections.
Organizers of the Coalition are Adolph Lussier, Robert Head, Sr.,
Roman Sigana, Bill Lawrence, Archie King, Delores Fitch, and
Francis Blake.
The initial meeting of the Coalition will be on May 26th at a
time and place to be announced later.
NOTICE TO OUR READERS
Effective with this edition the Ojibwe News will become a
bi-monthly publication. Publication dates will be on the 1st and
15th of each month. Since the News is a locally owned private,
non-subsidized publication, it has to be totally self-sufficient to
stay in business. After 47 weeks of continuous operating
expenses, it has become apparent that the economics aren't
currently there to support a weekly Native American Newspaper
in this area. Therefore with the recent resignations of editor Jim
Johnson and assistant editor, Mark Boswell, this seemed like the
appropriate time to change to a bi-monthly publication. The News
management apologies for any inconvenience caused to our
readers for the two week disruption in service. We will strive to
regain your confidence and good will by making the News
worthy of your continued support. As a bi-monthly publication
we will have more time to emphasize Native American stories
and issues. More resources will be placed on obtaining better
coverage of local issues that affect the total community. We are
committed to continue to be both informative, and a voice for the
Anishinabe.
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RLTC application to contract
Red Lake Hospital under review
The News has learned from
sources who wish to remain
anonymous that the Red Lake Tribal
Council's application to contract the
PL93-638 is under current review by
the IHS.. The source indicated that
discussion between IHS and tribal
officials will take place in Denver,
Colorado, in conjunction with a
review of the PL100-437
amendment to PL93-638. The
source further indicated that a short
fall in current funding could
jeopardize the contract if a
substantial amount of transition
funds is ndt made available to the
tribe. According to the current plans,
the effective date of the contract is
set for July 1,1989.
Rock-throwing prompts
warning to fishing protesters
Associated Press
Phelps, Wis.
Police won't tolerate protesters com-'
mining violence against Chippewa
Indians who are spearing fish on
northern Wisconsin lakes, a state official said Sunday.
"We won't tolerate any type of physical abuse like rock throwing," Department of Natural Resources
(DNR) spokesman John Nelson said.
"We have been tolerating the verbal
stuff because people have a right to
their opinion, but that does not extend to the area of physical violence,"
Meanwhile, a Wausau rally by a
group opposed to the Indians' fishing
rights, Protect Americans' Rights &
Resources,  attracted an  estimated
1,500 people who heard leader Larry
Peterson call for recalling state congressmen who haven't shown concern for issues raised by the protest-
jers. *
Peterson gave Gov. Tommy
Thompson credit for returning early
from a European trade mission and
meeting face to face with spearfishing
protesters Saturday at Boulder Junction. But Peterson and other speakers
also criticized Thompson for being
Jourdain gets
salary increase
The Red Lake Tribal council
recently approved a $15*,000
increase in Chairman Roger A.
Jourdain's annual salary. Sources
indicated that Jourdain had
requested the increase in pay for
home health care costs for his
v wife Margaret. Jourdain's
current salary as Tribal
Chairman, before the $15,000
increase, is reported to be
$86,000.
unresponsive to problems involving
spearfishing.
Peterson said the governor was in a
"Catch-22" situation on spearfishing
because the Indians' rights were
granted in a treaty by the federal
government.
Thompson met with business leaders
and treaty rights opponents and said
he would do what he could to reduce
harmful effects of spearfishing. But
he also told protesters it was his
responsibility to enforce the law and
keep the peace.
Police in riot gear have patrolled boat
landings on the northern lakes where
Chippewa are spearfishing under the
guarantee of treaties signed in the
19th century.
Seven people were arrested Saturday
night, including four for throwing
rocks, at North Twin Lake, where a
crowd estimated at 1,000 people
gathered .Saturday night in light
snow.
Nelson said protesters have thrown
rocks in isolated incidents in the past
but never to the degree that occurred
at North Twin Lake.
The arrests Saturday, including two
others at Kentuck Lake in Vilas
County, brought to 67 the number of
protesters arrested since the tribal
fishing season began last week.
Crowds of more than 100 people
have gathered at many lakes at night
when Chippewa fishermen use lights
and multipronged spears to take walleyes and other fish.
Through Saturday night, Chippewa
spearfishers had taken 8,359 walleye
this spring, according to figures compiled by the DNR. The first week's
catch equaled about 17 percent of the
49,000 fish the tribe has said it plans
to spear on 254 lakes this spring.
It is the fifth year Wisconsin's six
Chippewa bands have spearfished
since a federal court ruled the tribe
retained the right to gather food off ,
reservation under 19th-century treaties that ceded much of northern
Wisconsin to the federal government.
Treaty rights opponents object to
rules that allow tribal fishermen different fishing methods and seasons
than sportsmen. They particularly
oppose the spears, which are more
efficient than the traditional rod and
reel.
Allery trial set
for May 15th
Alan Allery, former Director
for the Bemidji Area Indian
health Service, who was charged
with various counts of filing
false travel claims totaling neariy
$15,000, will appear on May
15th at U.S. Federal Court in St.
Paul, MN. Allery, age 42, was
Bemidji I.H.S. Area Director
since 1982 and was responsible
for providing health care services
for Indian people in Minnesota,
Wisconsin, and Michigan.
Sources have told the news that
five persons will be subpoenaed
to testify at his trial. Each of the
counts against Allery carries a
$10,000 fine and/or a five year
prison sentence. Allery is
represented by the Ronald
Meshbesher Law Firm of
Minneapolis. Assistant U.S.
Attorney, Betsy DeLavega, is the
prosecuting attorney.
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