Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2006-08-18

              INDEX
NEWS AROUND INDIAN COUNTRY 2
NEWS BRIEFS 3
COMMENTARY/EDITORIALS 4
CLASSIFIEDS 7
Maine blueberries
- big business,
tradition for
American Indians
page 5
88th annual Crow Fair
begins today
page 5
Your order to remove
me from future budget
meetings
page 4
We have turned the
proverbial hatchet on
each other
page 4
AIRC is irrelevant
in view of area
tribal colleges
- or vice versa
page 4
Leech Lake faces
referendum voice
By Diane White
BEMIDJI, MN-According
to concerned Leech Lake tribal
members who received copies of
a term sheet between the Leech
Lake Band of Ojibwe (Band) and
Dougherty Funding LLC (a Minneapolis financing firm), dated
as of July 24,2006, the Band is
in the market for a $14,359,882
loan.
This loan request and proposal
comes at a time when the Band
is facing a huge government
fund deficit which inside sources
whisper to be around half of the
$10.9 million that was unaccounted for in the 3rd quarter unaudited financial statements for
fiscal year 2006. The term sheet
is only a proposal and according to sources has not yet been
signed. However, for two weeks,
Press/ON received pressure from
both sides of the table to print or
not to print the findings.
According to the document,
Dougherty Funding LLC is
negotiating a loan for an estimated $14,359,882 to the Band.
As of today's date, the Band is
reportedly "on hold" with this
loan agreement according to
an internal Leech Lake source.
According to another source
close to the action who pointed
at Chairman George Goggleye
to be the leader pushing for the
loan in order to balance the fiscal year 2006 budget. The term
sheet had a handwritten note on
it indicating how the Band plans
to use the money to 1) pay off
the Bremer Bank loan and 2) $10
million is noted as "borrow," but
without explanation.The Bremer
Bank-loan has historically been
reported at an estimated $3 million balance. There is no official
report of how the loan will be
used.
LLBO's financial status is
extremely serious and this is con-
super high interest rates without
of the people
VOICE      OF      THE      PEOPLE
web page: www.press-on.net
firmed by the excessive interest
rate charged by Dougherty. The
interest rate on the loan is a fixed
rate of 8.5% annually. This rate
is 3.25% higher than the Federal
Reserve's interest rate of 5.25%.
The Federal Reserve interest rate
is the rate at which banks provide
loans to each other, generally on
a short-term basis and serves as
a guide to lenders.
According to Bankrate.com, a
30-year mortgage fixed interest
rate is at 6.07% and a 15-year
mortgage fixed interest rate is
5.78%. Notice that the shorter
them term of the loan, the lower
the interest rate.
In addition to the 8.5% fixed,
annual interest rate, LLBO will
pay an annual servicing fee on
the outstanding principal amount
serviced at .25% and this is paid
on a monthly basis.
The total cost of the loan based
upon the loan agreement term
document is estimated to cost the
Band $16,005,839. That is, in
addition to the repayment of the
principal value of the loan!
Principal of Loan $14,359,882
Interest     15,548,529
Service Fee        457,310
Total     $30,365,726
Press/ON has reviewed the
terms of the loan and found:
Early repayment of the loan is
currently being negotiated. That
could mean that if the Band were
to have a financial windfall and
be able to pay the loan back early,
there might be penalties for early
repayment.
This is a secured loan, which
means the Reservation Business
Committee has agreed to offer
collateral for this loan. The loan
is secured by 1) a first security
interest (a stake) in the REVENUES derived from the operation ofthe NORTHERN LIGHTS
and WHITE OAK casinos; and
2) a first lien on available gaming equipment in NORTHERN
LIGHTS and WHITE OAK
casinos. The REVENUE means
Dougherty is paid before ANY
expenses, including PAYROLL.
The Band must enter into a
depository agreement, such
as one they already have with
Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux
Community (SMSC) and Press/
ON revealed from Leech Lake
Gaming financial statements that
at times Gaming was behind in
payments to SMSC. According
to sources, the SMSC loan was
for approximately $40 million
had a 6.5% interest rate and is
still on the books.
The depository agreement with
Dougherty means LLBO must
deposit funds into a bank account
acceptable to Dougherty. The
deposits are subject to the rules
and regulations ofthe Minnesota
Gambling Control Board and
not the National Indian Gaming
Commission (NIGC), which currently oversees Indian gaming
operations.
The deposits will be made 6
different accounts, as follows:
1) into an OPERATING ACCOUNT on a monthly basis,
which pays monthly operating
expenses;
2) into a SECURED OBLIGATIONS ACCOUNT. The Secured
Obligations Account pays off the
debt.
3) into a CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS AND REPAIR
RESERVE. Deposits will equal
5% of the Casino Revenue for
NORTHERN LIGHTS and
WHITE OAK casinos.
4) into an EQUIPMENT OBLIGATIONS account, which
pays the debt service on the
Equipment Loan(s).
RATES to page 6
Native am-*
American
Press
We Support Equal Opportunity For All People
A weekly publication.  Copyright, Native American Press, 2006
Founded in 1988
Volume 19 Issue 9
August 18, 2006
Judge rules
jurisdiction over
traffic offense
falls to the state
A previous Minnesota Supreme
Court decision was behind an
order on July 25 by Mille Lacs
County District Judge Steven
Ruble to deny a subject-matter
jurisdiction challenge put forth
by a Leech Lake Band member
who was stopped for a traffic offense on tribal land in Mille Lacs
County.
Defendant David Michael Davis , a registered Leech Lake Band
member, was cited in December
of 2005 for speeding and driving
without insurance on land held in
trust for the Mille Lacs Band.
Davis' attorney, Frank Bibeau,
made a motion to have Davis' case
tried in Mille Lacs Band Tribal
Court.
Bibeau supported his argument with a 2004 United States
Supreme Court ruling that held
any member of a recognized tribe
cannot be prosecuted for traffic
offenses on tribal land, even if
those offenses occur on tribal land
JUDGE to page 3
Confusion, anger, resentment, fear
visit Onamia family after brutal attack
Cecil Nepoose, left, props a feathered bustle on his car while he adjusted his headdress in preparation forthe Shoshone-Bannock Indian Festival, Saturday, Aug. 12, 2006, in Fort Hall, Idaho. Nepoose
traveled from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to take part in the Native American dancing at the festival.
(AP Photo/The Post Register, Ben Fredman)
None of it makes any sense
to the mother of a 26-year-old
Wahkon man who was tied up,
beaten and had his life and the
lives of his family threatened by
three individuals last week.
June Day of Onamia said when
she found out her son, Michael
Day, had been the victim of an
assault on Aug. 8, she was angry.
When she found out the alleged
reason for the assault, she was
flabbergasted.
Michael Day told his mother the
people who beat him up were trying to get information from him
regarding the events leading to a
recent arrest of a family acquaintance. The assailants were trying
to get to his mother and brother,
Michael Day said.
About five days before the
assault on Michael, the home of
June Day was searched on a warrant by the North Central Drug
Task Force and Tribal Police, June
ATTACK to page 3
Three in custody following assault
Three Onamia area residents
were arrested on multiple charges
in connection to an assault of a
26-year old Wahkon man.
Breanna Jana Day, 19, Wesley
Eugene Anderson, 21, and Donovan Lee Davis, 22 were taken into
custody on Aug. 8, according to
the formal complaint from Mille
Lacs County District Court.
The three are alleged to have
punched victim Michael Day
repeatedly after tying him up with
a bed sheet.
Michael Day told officers
Anderson pulled out a handgun
and threatened to kill him and
his children if he went to the
police, according to the formal
complaint.
All three have been charged
with second degree assault with
a dangerous weapon, terroristic
threats and false imprisonment.
Davis is being held in the Mille
Lacs County Jail on $400,000
unconditional bail or $200,000
with conditions. However, the
Department of Corrections has
ASSAULT to page 7
Feds, tribal police unite in meth bust
By Michael Ferraresi
Angelique Soenarie
The Arizona Republic
More than 500,000 doses of
methamphetamine are off the
Salt River Reservation after a
seven-month investigation by
tribal police and federal narcotics
agents.
Officials targeted drug dealers
preying on addicts in Arizona's
Indian country. Salt River police
announced the bust Wednesday
with other members of a multia-
gency task force created through
the Drug Enforcement Agency,
considered the first to specifically target meth on an Arizona
reservation. Officials said the
partnership between tribal police
and federal authorities could become a model for other tribes.
Most of the 15 pounds of raw
meth, along with other drugs and
guns, were seized from as many
as 16 people focused on dealing
on the Salt River Reservation.
Some suspects were caught
smuggling drugs from Mexico,
officials said,
advertisement
"All credit goes to the DEA for
having the foresight to establish
a partnership in Indian country
that will make an impact," said
Salt River Police Chief Stanley
Kephart.
Salt River Tribal President
Joni Ramos said she and other
tribal leaders, along with police,
have struggled to find a way to
help families devastated by the
grim aftereffects of meth addiction. Some families have children
as young as 13 experimenting
with meth.
A rising number of violent
crimes and more drug overdoses
are just some of the issues the
Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian
Community has been forced to
cope with, tribal leaders said.
"The medical costs that go with
(meth) are just staggering, from
overdoses to the little tiny baby
that was born addicted to this
insidious drug," Ramos said.
"The costs to this community
have been great and will continue
to be a challenge in the foreseeable future."
With the drugs coming up
through Mexico, it is hard for
investigators to say how much
goes to Salt River or to neighboring communities such as Mesa
and Scottsdale.
Mesa and Scottsdale police
contributed to the investigation, along with Immigrations
and Customs Enforcement; the
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and
Firearms; the Federal Bureau of
Investigation; Fort McDowell
police; Tohono O'odham police;
and the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Smaller quantities of cocaine,
heroin and marijuana were also
seized. The meth and other drugs
have a street value of more than
$1 million, officials said.
The maximum penalty for con
spiracy to possess with the intent
to distribute meth is 20 years in
federal custody or a $1 million
fine.
Salt River is considered the
first Arizona Indian community
to actively join a meth initiative,
something authorities hope more
tribes will consider.
"The message we want to deliver is that you cannot act with
impunity in Indian communities," said Paul Charlton, U.S.
attorney for Arizona.
Last summer, the Arizona
Indian Country Methamphetamine Eradication Proposal was
presented to 21 Arizona tribal
police chiefs on ways to address
drug trafficking in Indian communities. That proposal provided
special training for tribal law
enforcement agencies to work
alongside state and local investigators.
The fast-rising meth problem
was also a hot topic among community members at a recent election forum for Salt River Tribal
Council candidates seeking a seat
Sept. 5.
Some pledged to fight for
better treatment programs and
educational public-outreach programs to curb meth addiction.
Salt River is also part of an
emerging group, the Northeast
Valley Coalition Against Methamphetamine, which also relies
on inter-agency information sharing to tackle the meth problem.
California's
only tribal
college close to
collapse after
35 years
By Robin Hindery
Associated Press
DAVIS, Calif. - On a remote
stretch of land where stray chickens outnumber students, California's only tribal college is
clinging to life against seemingly
insurmountable odds.
D-Q University has had its share
of hard times since it was founded
on the outskirts of this liberal university town west of Sacramento
in 1971, during the peak of the
American Indian self-determination movement. Its turbulent
history includes land disputes
with the neighboring University
of California, low enrollment and
a loss of federal accreditation in
early 2005.
But even its most ardent supporters acknowledge that the
school has hit an all-time low.
In June, the board dismissed the
university's interim president, Art
Apodaca, accusing him of squandering the school's few remaining
assets. It also rejected his proposal
to boost enrollment by dividing D-
Q into an Indian-only "D" school
and a separate, non-Indian "Q"
school.
With the remaining six students
drifting away and no money for
even a working telephone line,
a handful of board members and
community volunteers are desperately searching for a way to keep
the school and its mission alive.
"Every day it's a new crisis,"
said Susan Reece, a former board
member who now spends several
days a week on campus sorting
through piles of paperwork left
behind by Apodaca and his predecessors. "Every day there's a
new group of bills and new debts
we didn't know about."
In early August, the six-member
board decided to abandon its efforts to keep smdents on campus
for the fall semester. Instead, it will
try to attract revenue by cleaning
up the campus and renting it out
for workshops and conferences.
"Hopefully, it will draw in
people from different areas and
let them know we're here," board
member Calvin Hedrick said.
But he acknowledged that in its
current condition, D-Q is nowhere
near ready to accommodate visitors.
The main meeting areas are
largely bare, except for the occasional piece of worn-out furniture
and various items left behind by
former students and staff mem-
COLLAPSE to page 7
American Indians Clash With
GOP Supporters
Associated Press
Bemidji, Minn. Local American Indians clashed with Beltrami
County Republicans over tribal
sovereignty claims at a GOP fundraiser.
About 45 Republican supporters met near Lake Bemidji Monday evening to hear campaign
speeches, while about 40 more
people stood on the periphery
with tribal sovereignty questions
for candidates.
However, the main target of
their inquiries, 7th District U.S.
House GOP candidate Michael
Barrett, didn't show up.
Barrett had scheduled a news
conference at the waterfront during the fundraiser to call on the
federal government to enforce a
1926 U.S. Supreme Court decision which gives Minnesota jurisdiction over a drained lakebed
on the edge of the Red Lake
Reservation.
That ruling, he said, and subsequent others, should be interpreted as giving the state jurisdiction
over all waters on the reservation,
he said in a statement announcing
the news conference.
Barrett canceled his trip to
Bemidji because of a "schedule
conflict," as he wrote in an e-mail
to Beltrami County GOP officers
Sunday.
Doug Lindgren, a Republican
candidate for the House 2B seat,
discussed the issue in his speech
Monday, drawing a heated response from Red Lake Tribal
Secretary Jody Beaulieu, who
described his stance as racist.
Lindgren strongly disagreed and
a brief shouting match ensued.
Beltrami County GOP Chairwoman Kath Molitor said Lindgren only wants to clarify who
has jurisdiction over the lakes and
isn't suggesting they be returned to
state control.
The issue came to the fore on
May 28 when Red Lake Department of Namral Resources officers seized the boat and tackle of
a Princeton man Who had entered
reservation waters.
Descendants of 1862 Indian conflict
seek share of casino profits
By Mary Hudetz
Associated Press
SIOUX FALLS, S .D. -Heather
Larsen, a tribal college student in
Sisseton, says she could afford to
raise her son and pay tuition at a
state university if she got money
from land that was set aside for
her ancestors.
Her father, Jesse Larsen, knows
his lot in life would change, too.
"I got cousins back in Shakopee who are millionaires," he
said.
The Larsens are among 10,000
people nationwide who have researched their family trees to go
after a share of the profits from
tribal casinos in Minnesota.
For almost 20 years, Larsen
and others have watched relatives from Minnesota's Shakopee, Prairie Island and Lower
Sioux Mdewakanton communities profit from three tracts of
land originally placed in trust in
1886 for just a couple hundred
Dakota Sioux Indians and then-
descendants.
Casinos have been built by
the three tribes. The Shakopee
community's Mystic Lake casino,
near Minneapolis, is one of the
country's most profitable.
The controversy stretches back
to the Dakota Conflict of 1862,
when a group of Dakota revolted
against the government because
food and money promised to
them in exchange for land were
not delivered.
Hundreds of white settlers were
killed, 38 Dakota warriors were
hanged in the largest mass execution in U.S. history and thousands
of Dakota Sioux were forced out
of Minnesota as a result of the
fighting.
The original beneficiaries ofthe
disputed lands were members of
the Mdewakanton band of Dakota
Sioux, who did not attack the settlers. Some of the group even
rescued the whites during the
fighting.
Many of them were relocated or
fled to present day South Dakota,
Nebraska, Montana and Canada
with other Dakota Indians, and
some stayed in Minnesota.
The government documented
208 of them in an 1886 census
and bought three tracts of land
for their benefit and their descendants.
"We don't have any history of
those times," Jesse Larsen said.
"We don't have any documentation of how we lived."
But a case in the Federal Court
of Claims means that many _
including the Larsens _ now have
documentation of who they are.
In 2004, Judge Charles F. Lettow ruled that the U.S. government breached its responsibilities
as trust holders to the peaceable
Dakota and their descendants.
But whether any damages will be
awarded is still undetermined.
Regardless, almost 10,000 people nationwide have researched
PROFITS to page 7