Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2006-09-15

              INDEX
NEWS AROUND INDIAN COUNTRY 2
NEWS BRIEFS 3
COMMENTARY/EDITORIALS 4
CLASSIFIEDS 7
Xcel spent $23
million op scuttled
nuclear storage
plan
page 7
Childhood Obesity:
Biggest Health Risk
for Kids
page 6
Casino admits
mistake, but will it pay
out? Don't bet on ft...
page 4
To All Leech Lakers
page 4
Thoughts on BSU Indian
Center, Indian Studies
Program
page 4
NOTICE TO OUR READERS
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VOICE       OF       THE'    PEOPLE
web page: www.press-on.net
Fed officials visit Leech Lake Tribal College
By Bill Lawrence
Officials from the United
States Department of Agriculture
(USDA) Rural Utilities Service
visited the Leech Lake Reservation Wednesday, September 13,
2006 to participate in a ribbon-
cutting ceremony for the Leech
Lake Tribal College's addition to
house tribal college employees.
In total, the Tribal College has
received $1.23 million.
Curtis Anderson, deputy administrator of Rural Utilities
projects in Washington, D.C. led
the delegation. Steve Wenzel,
Minnesota State Director for
USDA Rural Development and
his staff from St. Paul were also in
attendance. The group visited the
Leech Lake Reservation Community and Early Childhood Centers
as part of the visit as well as the
Tribal College.
U.S. Senator Norm Coleman
and U.S. Representative Jim
Oberstar (8th District) sent staff
members to the gathering. Wenzel acknowledged their efforts in
obtaining funds. He said to the
Leech Lake attendees, "You have
two good friends in the Congress
who care about these projects and
who work hard with our staff to
make them possible."
Anderson, identified as a representative of the Republican
Whitehouse, said, "President
Bush believes that providing
quality education for all our children is the single most important
responsibility that we have." He
reported the Bush administration
had, since 2001, invested $1 billion in tribal and Alaska native
communities.
The Leech Lake Band of Oji-
wbe has received $5.96 million.
That amount included the $1.23
million for the Tribal College to
erect a building to house construction trades classrooms.
The total funding has facilitated the establishment of the
Tribal College in one location.
The College has moved forward
from offering Extension classes
to creating an Associate of Arts
Degree.
According to Wenzel, tribal
educational facilities are eligible
for funding through the USDA
in that it is a rural development
project.
Of the total $5.86 million,
$500,000 was earmarked for
community centers in 2001 for
Oak Point, Kego and Onigum.
In 2004, $3.59 million was allocated for a water improvement
project in Leech Lake's Tract 33;
$480,700 went for Early Childhood center construction and
$93,000 went for architectural
work for the center. The Bena
Community Center was awarded
$75,000 in 2005 and the groundbreaking ceremony was held in
July. The Onigum Community
Center is now under construction.
Tribal officials acknowledged
that USDA had contributed mightily to the Leech Lake Reservation.
Chairman George Goggleye,
Jr., described the College as the
Tribe's "shining star." He said
the Tribal College completed
an educational circle. "There's
so much that can be done, and
USDA dollars that we're using for
our community centers and early
childhood center - without that,
I'm not sure if any of that could
become a reality." Goggleye
continued, "Tribal general fund
dollars are used, but the USDA
grants make it possible."
Vikki Howard, Director of
Education for the Leech Lake
B and, and Vice Chair of the Leech
Lake College Board of Trustees,
said "To us in Indian Country,
our tribal colleges represent economic development, because we
develop our resources which are
our young people." She added
that tribal colleges have risen in
importance on reservations, in
that the native student population
at tribal colleges is now twice
the number of native smdents at
4-year colleges.
Tribal College President Leah
Carpenter said, "The establishment of our Tribal College here
at Leech Lake is truly an act of
sovereignty."
Steve Wenzel ofthe Minnesota
Rural Development office said
"The buildings that are here today
is evidence of the desire by the
Leech Lake Tribal College ... to
move forward positively in the
direction of educating the young
people of this community and this
area. He indicated Leech Lake
Tribal College is now seeking
major accreditation.
National survey shows Native Americans have
highest illicit drug use
By Bill Lawrence
A 2005 survey of national drug
use is now available on-line. This
article contains highlights from
the report. Our study of the report
concentrated on American Indian
statistics.
The report, entitled "Results from
the 2005 National Survey on Drug
Use and Health: National Findings," (NSDUH) was sponsored
by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
and the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services. It is available
on- line at: Results_2005NatlSur-
veyonDrugUseandHealth_Natl-
Findings.
The Federal Government has
conducted the NSDUH since
1971. It is the "primary source of
statistical information on the use
of illegal drugs by the U.S. population." It collects from a sampling
of households, "noninstitutional
group quarters (e.g., shelters,
rooming houses, dormitories,)"
and from non-military persons
residing on military bases.
The 2005 survey is intended as
the first in a series of surveys to be
conducted through 2009 in all 50
states.
The information is collected
through the use of "computer-as-
Almost 10% of youth (12-17
years) were current illicit drug
users [in 2005].
American Indian/Alaskan natives (AI/AN) experienced the
highest percentage rates of
Serious Psychological distress
(SPD).
In general, the rate of substance dependence or abuse
was highest among AI/AN.
Regarding binge drinking, only
whites topped the AI/AN rate.
sisted" interviews. The system
provides respondents with "a
highly private and confidential
means of responding to questions
to increase the level of honest
reporting of illicit drug use..."
Samples were collected throughout the nation. The information
was collected from four geographical regions: the Northeast, the
South, the West, and the Midwest.
Minnesota is included in the Midwest region. For more information
concerning methodology, samples,
etc., please refer to pages 99-100
and the appendices of the report.
Overall current use of illicit
drugs:
There were approximately 19.6
million Americans (that's slightly
more than 8% ofthe population 12
years or older) who were current
illicit drug users in 2005. Almost
10% of youth (12-17 years) were
current illicit drug users during the
same time period.
Males continue to be more likely
to report illicit drug use (10.2%)
than females (6.1%).   Males
(8 2%) are 2 times more likely than
females (4.%) to use marijuana;
the genders were quite similar in
percentages (2.8 for males and
25 for females) in the rate of nonmedical use of prescriptive and
psychotherapeutic drugs.
Overall, current usage of illicit
drugs was highest among American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/
AN). The rates are as follows:
AI/AN      12.8%
Persons of more than one race:
12.2%
Blacks 9.7%
Hawaiian 8.7%
White 8.1%
Hispanics   7.6%
Among 12-17 year olds, the
highest rate for current illicit drug
use (19.2%) rested with American
Indians/Alaskan Natives (AI/AN).
This rate is almost two times the
amount for other ethnic groups.
Asians current use of illicit drugs
(3.3%) was the lowest.
Current illicit drug usage by
race/ethnicity:
AI/AN      19.2%
Blacks       11%
Whites       10.1%
Persons of more than one race
9.7%
Hispanics   9.4%
Asians        3.3%
Marijuana use: In 2005, overall
usage from 2002 had decreased:
male use of the drug (7.5%) was
greater than female use (6.2%). It
is the reportedly the most "commonly used" drug, being used by
74.1 % of all drug users. Of youths
aged 12-17,6.8% used marijuana.
In the lower years, only 0.9% used
the drug. Usage grows to 5.9% in
the middle years, rising to 13.6%
in 16-17 year olds.
Alcohol use: In males, 58.1%
were current drinkers. In females
the percentage was 45.9%. In
youth ages 12-17 the percentage
of female current drinkers (17.2%)
was higher than the male rate of
15.9%.
Race/Ethnicity:   Whites seem
more willing than the other ethnic
groups to report current use of
alcohol.  Here are figures for all
the ethnic groups:
Whites      56.5%
Persons of more than one race
47.3%
Hispanic 42.5%
AI/AN      42.4%
Blacks      40.8%
Asian     38.1%
Hawaiian 37.3%
For American Indian/Alaska
Natives in the 12-20 age group,
current alcohol usage rate was
21.7%; 3 groups, i.e. persons of
more than one race, Hispanics
and whites reported higher rates
at 24%, 25.9% and 32.3% respectively. Hawaiian rates for the same
age group were 12%, for Asians
155% and for Blacks 19%.
SURVEY to page 5
Tribal chairman resigns
News Tribune
Fond du Lac tribal chairman
Peter Defoe submitted his resignation to the Reservation Business Committee Monday.
The RBC accepted the written
resignation, the RBC announced
in a message to band members.
Defoe did not immediately return
a phone call seeking comment.
Under the Minnesota Chippewa
Tribe Election Ordinance, a special election must be held within
141 days.
Defoe became tribal chairman
in July 2004. In June of that year
Defoe defeated Robert "Sonny"
Peacock, who had been the band's
chairman since 1988 and was its
executive director from 1980-
86.
Defoe and Peacock served
together on the Reservation Business Committee for years. Defoe
had been the band's secretary-treasurer for 16 years before retiring
in 2002. He said his decision to
run for the chairman's position
was prompted more by a desire
to work again than by anything
Peacock was or wasn't doing.
While Fond du Lac's secretary-treasurer, Defoe served on
the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe's
statewide Tribal Executive Committee, which is composed ofthe
chairmen and secretary-treasurers
of six Chippewa reservations.
Defoe was president during his
last four years on the committee.
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Founded in 1988
Volume 19 Issue 13
September 15, 2006
Navajo police make major marijuana bust
By Natasha Kaye Johnson
Dine Bureau
WINDOW ROCK - Navajo
Nation Police confiscated more
than 1,000 pounds of marijuana
with an estimated street value of
nearly $2 million.
"This is the biggest seizure
by Navajo police," said Sgt.
Daniel Lee, who oversees the
"K-9 unit.
Friday evening, a Tuba City
K-9 police officer pulled over
Jose Rodriguez, 48, of Kansas
City, Mo., for weaving on 1-40
in Houck.
"When he walked up to the vehicle, (the officer) said he could
smell the marijuana already,"
said Lee.
Lee said the officer immediately observed signs of criminal
activity, such as nervousness and
shaking by Rodriquez when he
approached the silver 2000 Ford
F250 crew cab.
The officer saw several bundles of marijuana on the rear seat
covered with a tarp. The bed of
the truck had a hard cover, and
after removing hard cover, the
officer discovered the bed of
the truck filled to the brim. Rodriguez was booked into Apache
County Jail.
Forty-five bundles of mari
juana were found, weighing in
at 1,077.7 pounds. Lee said the
biggest drug bust they had previously was about one and a half
years ago when 600 pounds of
marijuana was confiscated by
Navajo police.
Navajo Nation police have jurisdiction over a stretch of about 30
miles on 1-40, where Lee said the
majority of the major drug busts
occur. A large number of busts
also take place on Routes 89 and
160, with a majority of the drugs
found while carrying out traffic
violations, like speeding.
The truck that was being used to
transport the drugs was confiscated by Navajo police, who are
waiting to for registered owner,
Sandoval Ernesto of Missouri, to
come forward. The truck had been
purchased in Missouri two days
prior to the bust.
If inquiries about the truck are
not made, it will be auctioned off
with the money going into general
funds. In previous years, the Navajo Nation has also confiscated
a boat and a RV.
The case is going to be handled
by the Apache County District
Attorney's office.
Two other drugs busts were
made this weekend by officers
with the K-9 unit.
Jeremy Gene, 19, of Gallup, was
arrested for possession of cocaine on Saturday around 8:29
p.m. Gene was parked in a 2002
Dodge Neon at the Veteran's
Memorial Park in Window
Rock, when police approached
the vehicle and smelled marijuana. The car was searched by
a K-9 officer and 6-8 grams of
cocaine were found, along with
4-6 grams of marijuana and
several pipes.
On Friday around 6:30 p.m.,
Warren Ciccarello, 19, and
Carleon Ciccarello, 25, no addresses given, were stopped on
1-40 for weaving. After smelling the odor of marijuana, the
officer conducted a K-9 search
where six grams of cocaine
and 118 grams of marijuana
were found. Both men were
detained.
With a large majority of the
drug busts this year being made
by the K-9 unit, Lee is hopeful
that each district will decide to
purchase at least two K-9's. The
program recently purchased
three more dogs, and currently
has a total of ten dogs.
"The dogs are working," he
said.
Anchorage reaches out to rural
Alaska with Agloinga's leadership
By Dustin Solberg
Alaska Newspapers Inc.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)
_ From the window of Roy Agloinga's new sixth-floor office in
Anchorage City Hall, the view is
not distinctly Alaskan.
It's only beyond the brick and
steel ofthe downtown hub that the
Chugach Mountains rise above
the city.
And it is quite unlike the view
from his last office.
"I wasn't raised around mountains," Agloinga said, and it "reminds me that I am not on my own
land."
Not so long ago, he worked in
a simple building where, from
his office window, he looked out
across the flats of the Fish River
stretching out to Golovnin Bay
and an expanse of tundra.
That view was from his home
village of White Mountain, an
Inupiat community 70 miles
southeast of Nome.
It is his native village and, as
the mayor, tribal affairs director for the region's tribes and
a board member of the Norton
Sound Health Corp., it might have
seemed that Agloinga had a hand
ALASKA to page 6
Indian Casinos-RollCall - With
BC-ND-Indian Casinos
Associated Press
The 247-171 roll call Wednesday by which the House failed
to pass a bill that would prohibit American Indian tribes from
building new casinos away from
their reservations. The vote was
short of the two-thirds majority
the bill needed for passage under
House rules limiting debate on
it.
A yes vote is a vote to prevent
tribes from locating casinos off
reservations.
Voting yes were 39 Democrats
and 208 Republicans.
Voting no were 154 Democrats,
16 Republicans and one independent.
X denotes those not voting.
There are two vacancies in the
435-member House.
ALABAMA
Democrats _ Cramer, Y; Davis,
Y.
Republicans _ Aderholt, Y;
Bachus, Y; Bonner, Y; Everett, Y;
Rogers, Y.
ALASKA
Republicans _ Young, Y.
ARIZONA
Democrats _ Grijalva, N; Pastor, N. .
Republicans _ Flake, Y; Franks,
Y; Hayworth, N;Kolbe,Y; Renzi,
ROLLCALL to page 6
Norton protected
Griles after $1M
investigation
Indianz.com
Former Interior secretary Gale
Norton refused to rebuke her top
deputy, J. Steven Griles, despite
his questionable behaviors, a top
official said on Wednesday.
In striking testimony to a House
subcommittee, Interior Inspector General Earl E. Devaney
described an ethical void at the
department. "Simply stated, short
of a crime, anything goes at the
highest levels of the Department
ofthe Interior," told lawmakers.
That characterization apparently included Norton and Griles,
both of whom have left the Bush
administration. Griles admitted
to Norton that he "exercised
bad judgment" when he made
decisions that affected his former
lobbying clients, Devaney said.
Yet Norton was "unwilling
to take any action against him,"
Devaney recalled. The reason:
Griles made a "promise not to do
so again," Devaney testified.
"Ethics failures on the part of
senior department officials "- taking the form of appearances of
impropriety, favoritism, and bias
-" have been routinely dismissed
with a promise 'not to do it again,'"
Devaney said of his seven years
serving through the Clinton and
Bush administrations.
That wasn't the only startling
revelation Devaney made in his
testimony. He disclosed that his
office spent "well over $ 1 million"
NORTON to page 5