Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2005-09-02

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INDEX
NEWS AROUND INDIAN COUNTRY 2
NEWS BRIEFS 3
COMMENTARY/EDITORIALS 4
CLASSIFIEDS 7
Spirit Lake Tribal
members reject
Fighting Sioux
nickname
page 3
Reader requests
publication of letter
to Red Lake Tribal
Council
page 4
Where's the Leech
Lake News?
page 4
Leech Lake,
DRM Director not
trustworthy
page 4
Time for Red
Lake to accept
responsibility for
its problems
page 4
Lower Sioux Tribal Judge dismisses Election Protest
By Bill Lawrence
The observance of the rule of
law has resulted in validation of
the Lower Sioux election results.
In the August 5 election newcomers, Sheldon Peter Wolfchild,
Scott Adolphson and Shannon
Blue were the top three vote getters. They defeated incumbents
Anne Pendleton Larsen, Robert
D. Larsen and Brian Pendleton.
Wolfchild, Adolphson and Blue,
calling themselves The Slate of
Three, ran as a team, urging voters to elect all three. They stated
firmly that in order to be effective
all three must be put into office.
The incumbents filed a Notice
of Protest of the outcome of the
August 5 election within the
statutory time limit. Four other
unsuccessful candidates, Cathy
Pendleton, Russ Pendleton and
Charles Watterson, joined them
in their protest.
Leech Lake
Chairman goes
beserk
By Diane White
Minneapolis, MN—The
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
(LLBO) tribal council members,
Chairman George Goggleye,
Jr., Secretary-Treasurer Arthur
"Arthur" LaRose, and District
1 Representative Burton "Luke"
Wilson spoke at the Twin Cities
Local Indian Council meeting
last Tuesday, August 30.
The Twin Cities LIC meets
on the last Tuesday of every
month. Also officially present
were Executive Director Lenny
Fineday and new hire John Her-
rara, Business Manager. There
were about 40 people present at
the meeting.
During the meeting when
George Goggleye, Jr. was
speaking, constituent Skip
Lyons asked him, "By what
authority do you have to take
away the Secretary-Treasurer's
authority and job duties?"
To which Goggleye first
stated it was not his action, but
the action of the Tribal Council
that-removed the power and
authority of the Secretary-
Treasurer. However, not only
was Lyons not satisfied with
the Chairman's answer, but audience member wanted to know
from George what the council
was doing.
Lenny Fineday attempted to
respond on behalf of the Chairman stating it was constitutional,
but he was cut off by a woman
in the audience who yelled, "We
want to hear from George."
Without any answer to the
question, Goggleye then blamed
LaRose for two years of mismanagement before he stormed
over to Lyons with arms waving, hands flailing, finger pointing and he was yelling at him,
"A year ago you were against
Pete White, but now you are on
the other side."
Lyons stated to the Press, "If
it weren't for the table between
us I think he would have physically hit me."
According to LaRose, "Goggleye attempted to turn the tables
on Skip, but it didn't work,
because people in the audience
and even myself, I told him, he
was acting unprofessional."
Briefly, they charged the election
winners distributed false information, engaged in campaign activity
within and near the polls, offered
food and drink to voters and in
general created an atmosphere
that was intimidating to voters.
They asked for a new election to
be supervised by the court.
The case was heard in the Court
ofthe Lower Sioux Community on
August 26, before Deputy Judge
Leif Rasmussen. The hearing
lasted approximately 5 lA hours.
The Protesters (incumbents and
unsuccessful candidates) were
represented by their attorney
Thomas L. Fabel, Esq.; Respondents (the Slate of Three) were
represented by Raphael T Wal-
lander, Esq. and Patrick Sauter;
John Jacobson, Esq, represented
members of the Lower Sioux
Community Council.
According to Lower Sioux Elec
tion Ordinance for Regular Elections, the burden of proof rested
with the Protesters.
In the published decision, issued just 4-5 hours after closing
the hearing, Judge Rasmussen
considered and discussed each
of the individual complaints.
His finding in favor ofthe Slate of
Three, Wolfchild, Adolphson and
Shannon, centered on the fact that
the Protesters did not support any
of their complaints by providing
evidence, affidavits or testimony
from any member of the community saying that "such members
relied on" misstatements or questionable campaigning activity of
the Respondents (the election
winners) in determining their
vote.
The Judge noted that the Election Ordinance does not prohibit
certain of the activities that gen-
PROTEST to page 3
Leech Lake Assistant Chief Police
has more accusers
By Diane White
Cass Lake, MNnWomen and
their family members have responded to the Leech Lake Band
of OjibweBs Assistant Pohce Chief
Alvin John Wind, Jr.BS felony
charges of sexual misconduct by
sharing their stories of rape with
the Press/ON. None of their names
will be shared to spare them any
further heartache.
A father shared with the Press/
ON his anguish over an incident
which involved one of his family members. A young woman
who attended a party became intoxicated and needed to be taken
home. According to others at the
party, John Wind volunteered to
escort her home. Instead of going
to her home, Wind brought her to
a home on the Nary Road where he
allegedly raped her.
The family brought the young
woman to the pohce department
and reported the crime, but they
believe it was covered up since
nothing ever happened. The young
woman was not only raped, but she
was further subject to a physical
medical examination to gather
evidence to support the rape.
AU evidence was provided to the
local sheriffs departments, but to
date no charges were ever filed.
This is not the only incident that
has been reported to the Press,
rather, there have been several
reports from women who indicate
Wind has raped them or attempted
to rape them.
Wind plead not guilty to charges,
ACCUSERS to page 3
VOICE       OF       THE       PEOPLE
web page: www.press-on.net
Leech Lake DRM Director pleads
not guilty to DWI
By Diane White
Walker, MN-The Leech Lake
Band of Ojibwe's (LLBO) former
District 3 Representative Richard
Robinson, Jr. was stopped at 1st
Street and Elm Avenue in Cass
Lake and arrested for 4th degree Driving While Intoxicated
(DWI), a misdemeanor, and open
container by the Cass Lake Police
Department on Saturday, August
6 at 11:47 p.m.
Robinson was jailed at Cass
County Detention Center and
bailed out on Sunday, August 7.
According to court records fol
lowing the August 22nd Initial
court hearing, Robinson's blood
alcohol level was nearly twice the
legal limit at .14. The new legal
limit in Minnesota is .08. Robinson entered a plea of Not Guilty
to charges on August 22.
He was released on his own recognizance and ordered to 1) keep
the peace/have good behavior; 2)
promise to appear on October 5,
2005 at 1:00; and 3) no driving
until he is licensed and insured.
If convicted, Robinson faces a
maximum fine of $1,000, court
costs, 90 days in jail, or both.
Crow found guilty in Berry
murder case
Keith Crow, 23, of the Lower
Sioux was found guilty of two
counts of murder by a jury of his
peers Tuesday night in St. Peter.
After two weeks of jury selection
and testimony, closing arguments
were made Tuesday morning, with
the jury receiving the case later in
the day.
Within a few hours, the jury
returned with its decision, which
included verdicts of guilty on a
count of second degree intentional
murder and aiding and abetting first
Building full steam ahead at
The new surprise building at Shingobee Island as of August 31, 2005. To
date, the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe tribal officials have been mum on what
the new project will be. However, District 1 Representative Burton "Luke"
Wilson spilled the beans at the Twin Cities Local Indian Council meeting that
the building will contain slot machines. Photo by Diane White
By Diane White
Walker, MN—Guess Your
Best? What will this building
become? The location is the
Shingobee Island just south of
Walker, Minnesota and just north
ofthe Northern Lights Casino on
Highway 371.
On Tuesday, August 30, in
Minneapolis, at the Twin Cities
Local Indian Council meeting,
several audience members report
the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
District 1 Representative Burton
"Luke" Wilson indicated they
are building: a) Famous Dave's
restaurant; b) marina, c) casino,
d) a retail store; d) fine dining restaurant; or e) all of the above.
The Leech Lake tribal council
has been mum about the plans
with the Press/ON and with local
Cass County officials. The building does not have any windows
and local Leech Lake residents
in the know speculate it will be
a casino—they don't have any
windows.
The Shingobee island complex
was in the news in the winter/
spring of 2003-2004 when then
Chairman Pete White and the
tribal council approved plans
to build the Shingobee Marina
& Casino Emporium. The project was put together without
public notice or input and was
ultimately scraped. White and
Secretary-Treasurer Arthur
"Archie" LaRose purchased
most of the Shingobee Island
with a Bremer Bank loan for
over $3,000,000. Their business
ISLAND to page 5
degree murder in the course of a
kidnapping. The murder charges
stem from an event that took place
in September 2004, in which the
body of Robert Berry, Jr., 50, of
Morton was pulled from the Minnesota River. Crow is one of five
individuals charged with counts of
first degree murder in the case.
Morris Pendleton, Jr. was found
guilty earher this year, and the three
others, including Vemon Jones, Jeff
Pendleton and Willis Swenson still
await trials.
NIGC takes
narrow reading
of Class HI court
decision
Indianz.Com.
The National Indian Gaming
Commission plans to continue
enforcing its Class m regulations
despite a court decision stating
that the agency "overstepped" its
boundaries.
On August 28, U.S. District
Judge John D. Bates held that
NIGC has no authority to issue or
enforce Class III regulations. In a
42-page decision, he said Congress reserved that role to tribes
and states through the compacting
process.
But in a response to tribal leaders, NIGC Chairman Phil Hogen
said the agency disagrees. He said
the NIGC will continue to enforce
its Minimum Internal Control
Standards (MICS) for Class III
gaming.
"We take this view because
experience has clearly shown that
the NIGC MICS have been one of
the most effective regulatory tools
for both the NIGC and tribes to
ensure the integrity of tribal gaming operations and to protect their
NIGC to page 5
Native
American
Press
We Support Equal Opportunity For All People
A weekly publication.  Copyright, Native American Press, 2005
Founded in 1988
Volume 18 Issue 11
September 2, 2005
The Leech Lake veterans are proud to annouce a new Memorial to the MIA/POWs in Vietnam and to soldiers killed in action in five wars: WW1, WW2, Korean, Vietnam, and the Gulf
war. The Memorial is at the Veteran's Memorial grounds in Cass Lake, Minnesota near the
Palace Bingo & Casino.
Family member says Red Lake
youth will be tried as a juvenile
Associated Press
MINNEAPOUS - Ateenager
accused of being involved in the
deadly shooting at Red Lake
High School will be tried as a
juvenile, meaning the case will
be closed to the pubhc.
The decision also means that
16-year-old Louis Jourdain's
case will be heard by a judge
or a magistrate _ not a jury _
and the teenager would face a
lighter sentence if found to be
delinquent.
Jourdain is the son of Tribal
Chairman Floyd Jourdain Jr.
The elder Jourdain did not
return a phone message left by
The Associated Press on Monday
evening.
Shirley Lussier, the teen's
grandmodier, told the Star Tribune
of Minneapolis that a federal judge
had ruled against trying Louis
Jourdain as an adult.
"I just sat there and cried," she
told the newspaper. "I'm relieved
that we've crossed this milestone." Lussier said she heard the
news in a phone call from Floyd
Jourdain.
Louis Jourdain was arrested
shortly after the shootings, which
left 10 people dead, including 16-
year-old gunman Jeff Weise and
YOUTH to page 6
Judge's ruling troubles Red Lake
By Chuck Haga, Terry Collins and Howie Padilla, Star
Tribune
RED LAKE, MINN. - When
she heard that Louis Jourdain
would be tried as a juvenile on
charges that he conspired with
friend Jeffrey Weise, Victoria
Brun felt again the rage she has
felt often since March 21.
Weise killed her brother,
Derrick Brun, an unarmed security guard, at the start of his
assault that day on Red Lake
High School. Eight people died
at the school, including Weise,
and seven were injured. Weise
had killed two others earlier.
Only one person, has been
charged in the case: Jourdain,
the son of Red Lake Tribal
Chairman Floyd (Buck) Jourdain. On Monday, a federal
judge decided that the teen should
be tried as a juvenile, which
means the proceedings probably
will not be public — and Jourdain
will face much lighter punishment if convicted.
"At first, I was angry," Victoria
Brun said Tuesday. "But then we
talked about it — our family ~ and
we decided that there is a reason
for it. He is a juvenile.
"But now we might never
know actually what or who was
involved in this thing."
U.S. District Judge Donovan
Frank's decision not to have
Jourdain tried in open court as
an adult met with a variety of
responses Tuesday on the reservation. It was not a subject that
caused knots of people to gather
RED LAKE to page 5
Federal health expert visits Red
Lake reservation
By Dave Kolpack
Associated Press
RED LAKE, Minn. - In the
weeks after a student killed
seven people and himself at
the high school on this Indian
reservation, 150 smdents either
quit or only showed up to class
sporadically.
School administrators banned
backpacks to try to make the
school safer. Counselors were
brought in. But smdents were
scared, especially when a second teen was arrested as a possible accomplice in the March
21 attack.
Now, as the Red Lake Band
of Chippewa prepares to start a
new school year, the director of
the Federal Indian Health Service
says he isn't sure how many of
the school's approximately 300
smdents will be back.
"We're doing everything we
can, and that includes mental
health services and working with
the tribe on traditional healing
methods," Dr. Charles Grim said
Tuesday, after wrapping up a tour
of the reservation and meeting
with teachers and administrators.
Smdents are due to return for
orientation sessions Thursday and
Friday at the reservation schools in
northwestern Minnesota. The first
day of classes is Tuesday.
EXPERT to page 6
Red Lake band
critical of
government
response to
shooting
Associated Press
RED LAKE, Minn. - Leaders of
the Red Lake Indian Reservation
say the federal government hasn't
followed through on promises of
financial help after several smdents
were ldlled in a school shooting in
March.
The band is especially impatient
with the Bureau of Indian Affairs,
which budgets and administers
most of the band's federal allocations.
Red Lake leaders drafted a
statement last week criticizing
BIA Director Pat Ragsdale and the
agency for leaving "a trail of broken promises" by not increasing
baseline funding for vital services
on the reservation.
"The tribe has become accustomed to dealing with the BIA's
lack of attention to its responsibilities," according to the statement,
which has not been formally issued
but was shown to the Star Tribune
of Minneapolis.
The statement cites a long-standing dispute over the band's antiquated water and sewer system. A
replacement project was on a hst
of one-time and recurring needs _
totaling nearly $10 mdlion _ that
the band's leaders presented at a
meeting in Washington last spring
with BIA and other officials.
The band also sought funding
to improve law enforcement,
court staffing, social services
and firefighting after the shooting, in which teenager Jeff Weise
killed eight people at the school,
including himself, as well as his
grandfather and his grandfather's
companion at their home.
Noting the emotion Ragsdale
showed when he visited the reservation after the March 21 shootings and the broad promises of
help he made, "the tribe has concluded that perhaps Mr. Ragsdale
is just a good actor who might be
better off in Hollywood."
In an interview Friday, Ragsdale
said he was "sorry that some in
the tribe feel that way" and said
he is "very proud of the effort the
bureau has made" to help the band
recover.
Lisa Spears, self-governance
coordinator for the band, monitors 17 federal programs through
which the band currendy receives
about $14 million annually for
SHOOTING to page 6