Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2008-04-15

              ■   .  :•:.■   y-   ■
'
':':-■■:' '    "
INDEX
NEWS AROUND INDIAN COUNTRY 2
NEWS BRIEFS 3
COMMENTARY/EDITORIALS W
CLASSIFIEDS 7
Historic Grand
Canyon shop to
close after 102 years
at the rim
page 5
Don "Mickey" Finn's
Political Career Tells
Real "Truth-
page 5
B. Luke Wilson The
Two-faced Munster
of Leech Lake
page 5
White Earth Tribal
Council Salaries are
Public Knowledge
page 4
Look for 'hand-up'
not 'hand-out' from
next President
page 4
Red Lake woman sentenced to 10 years for
murder of Angela Brown
VOICE      OF      THE       PEOPLE
A31-year-old Red Lake woman
was sentenced yesterday to 10
years in federal prison for the
murder of Angela Joy Brown,
also of Red Lake, on May 2,
2007. Melanie Frances Bedeau
must also serve five years of
supervised release and pay
restitution to Brown's family.
"The sentence reflects the
seriousness of the offense
charged," said United States
District Court Judge David Doty,
who issued the sentence April 14
in Minneapolis. "Ten years is a
long sentence."
Bedeau pleaded guilty to one
count of murder in the second
degree on Jan. 11,2008. She
was indicted on Aug. 22,2007.
According to Bedeau's plea
agreement, Bedeau and her
boyfriend attended a wedding
party at her sister's home,
located within the Red Lake
Indian Reservation, on May 2,
2007. There were many people
outside the house in and around
the driveway. At about 11 p.m.,
Bedeau and her boyfriend got
into an argument.
Bedeau became angry as
a result of the fight, and was
heard saying something to the
effect that certain people were
"going to die." She got into her
truck, accelerated it at a high
rate of speed and hit two people
standing near the driveway.
Brown was killed and Bedeau's
sister was seriously injured.
According to the plea
agreement, Bedeau
acknowledged she acted
recklessly, and admitted that
she was under the influence
of alcohol at the time of the
incident.
This case was the result of an
investigation by the Red Lake
Police Department and the
Federal Bureau of Investigation,
and was prosecuted by Assistant
U.S. Attorney James E.
Lackner.
Leech Lake Reservation man is first person
charged in Minnesota under Adam Walsh Act
A 48-year-old Leech Lake
Indian Reservation man is the
first Minnesota resident charged
under the Adam Walsh Child
Protection and Safety Act of
2006. Bradley Wilford Senogles
was indicted yesterday in federal
court with one count of failing
to register as a sex offender.
Senogles's indictment alleges
that from July 2007 to March
14, 2008, he did knowingly
fail to update his sex offender
registration when he relocated
to the reservation.
The Act makes it a federal
felony for convicted sex offenders
to fail to register with their
local authorities. It is named
after Adam Walsh, the son of
John Walsh, the host of the
television program "America's
Most Wanted." Adam Walsh was
abducted from a shopping mall
in 1981 and found murdered 16
days later. His killer has never
been found.
According to a United States
Marshals Service affidavit,
Senogles was convicted in
October 2001 of sexual abuse of
a minor, and served 24 months
in federal prison. On March
14, 2008, the Marshals Service
checked for Senogles's name
on the Minnesota Bureau of
Criminal Apprehension (BCA)
Predatory Offender Registry.
According to the BCA,
Senogles had not returned his
annual verification letter, as
required by law. BCA records
indicated that the verification
letter was sent to Senogles's
Minneapolis address, but was not
returned nor had he registered
at any other address.
The Marshals Service learned
that Senogles was living in
Cass Lake on the Leech Lake
Reservation and was not
registered as a sex offender
there. Authorities determined
that Senogles moved out of
Minneapolis several months
ago.
If convicted, Senogles faces a
potential maximum penalty of
10 years in prison. All sentences
are determined by a federal
district court judge. This case
is the result of an investigation
by the U.S. Marshals Service and
the BCA, and is being prosecuted
by Assistant U.S. Attorney
Kimberly A. Svendsen.
Note: An indictment is a
determination by a grand jury
that there is probable cause to
believe that offenses have been
committed by the defendant.
The defendant, of course, is
presumed innocent until he or
she pleads guilty or is proven
guilty at trial.
Student
walkout
encouraged in
Mahnomen
Associated Press
MAHNOMEN, Minn. The
Manhomen School Board's
decision not to renew first-
year high school principal
Susan Ninham's contract has
upset some residents, who are
encouraging students to walk
out of class.
Ninham, an Ojibwe,
had suggested that teacher
complaints about how she's
handled conflicts with American
Indian students may be racially
motivated.
More than 100 residents
showed up at Monday night's
board meeting to support
Ninham. School board members
say race was not a factor in their
decision to let the principal go.
Residents are encouraging
elementary and high school
students to walk out of their
final class period Thursday.
Damian Badboy, co-founder of
the newly formed Anishinaabeg
League for Better Education,
said league members will
address students in the high
school parking lot Members will
update students on Monday's
STUDENT to page 6
Vegas-style slots mark arrival
of 'real casino'
By Steve Huettel
Times Staff Writer
TAMPA—A little slice of Vegas
arrived in the Tampa Bay area
Tuesday. But quietly.
The Seminole Hard Rock
Hotel & Casino switched on 56
Las Vegas-style slots, the only
legal ones in the state outside
South Florida, to the delight and
surprise of gamblers like Sue
Kinch of Englewood.
"It's awesome," said Kinch,
who watched Tuesday evening as
players sat mesmerized at every
machine, usually with someone
standing behind to take their
chairs. "Now, I feel the Hard
Rock is closer to being a real
casino."
Casino executives postponed
advertising the new slots until
the initial 725 machines were
ready for the official debut May
1, worried customers would
be unhappy with long lines.
Most players Tuesday weren't
expecting to find the small
cluster of slots among 3,000
VEGAS to page 6
Judge: Feds failed to study how
delta pumping affects salmon
ByPAULELIAS
Associated Press Writer
SAN FRANCISCO - A
federal judge on Wednesday
ruled that water regulators
failed to. consider the effects
of global warming and other
environmental issues related to
the decline of California salmon
populations when they approved
increased pumping from the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
U.S. District Judge Oliver
Wanger said a 2004 study
prepared by federal regulators
to support the increased water
exports was scientifically
inadequate.
"There is no analysis of adverse
effect on critical habitat," Wanger
wrote about winter-run chinook
salmon.
The judge also ruled that there
was a "total failure to address,
adequately explain, and analyze
the effects of global climate
change on the species."
The study had concluded
that more water could be taken
SALMON to page 6
Tribal police gain power to arrest Activist warns
non-Indians on reservation Indians could
Associated Press
TULALIP, Wash. - Snohomish
County Sheriff John Lovick
wants every lawbreaker to know
that Tulalip THbal police have the
right to stop and arrest anyone
on the reservation, whether they
are a tribal member or not
About 80 percent of the people
who live on the 22,000-acre
reservation are non-Indian and
the majority of the 20,000 to
30,000 people who visit the
reservation each day aren't tribal
members.
Since the tribal police
department was formed 11 years
ago, some of non-Indians living
on the reservation have contested
the tribal officers' authority,
from torn-up traffic citations to
dangerous confrontations.
By forging a partnership
between tribal police and county
authorities, the new sheriff
believes police protection ofthe
reservation will improve and
his deputies workload will be
eased.
Lovick cross commissioned
17 of the 22 tribal officers on
Friday, giving tribal officers
authority to arrest non-Indians
on the reservation. The cross
commission came just two weeks
after Gov. Chris Gregoire signed
legislation that allows tribal
police to expand their authority
on Indian reservations.
Without the deputization, "I
can't protect my community,
and that's just ludicrous," new
Tulalip Tribal Police Chief Scott
Smith said. Such agreements are
not eveq necessary for city police
officers. '
"We're as professional a police
department as any other," Smith
said. "This isn't going to be a
haven for you because you're not
an Indian."
The partnership is the first
in Snohomish County. Former
Snohomish County Sheriff Rick
Bart didn't grant commissions
to any tribal officers, except to
former Tulalip Tribal Police Chief
Jay Goss. He did not believe they
met the qualifications of other
sworn officers.
Under the previous rules,
tribal police could investigate
any crime or stop anyone on the
reservation. But if the suspect
wasn't a tribal member, the
officers were required to call a
sheriffs deputy or Washington
State Patrol trooper to make the
arrest.
RESERVATION to page 6
turn to McCain
By RON JENKINS
Associated Press
OKLAHOMA CITY - American
Indian activist Kayln Free, a
superdelegate to the Democratic
National Convention from
Oklahoma, has a warning for the
prospective nominee of her party:
Don't take the Indian vote for
granted against Republican John
McCain.
Free is president of the Tulsa-
based INDN List and the INDN
Education Fund. INDN stands for
Indigenous Democratic Network
Her organization has been active
in electing Indian candidates to
office.
She is still a little peeved over
the failure of either Hillary Clinton
or Barack Obama to attend an the
INDN-sponsored presidential
forum, known as the "Prez on
the Rez," in California last August
Three Democratic candidates
who eventually dropped out of
the presidential race attended the
event: Bill Richardson, Dennis
Kucinich and Mike Gravel.
Free said Clinton first turned
down an invitation and Obama
followed suit
MCCAIN to page 6
web page: www.press-on.net
We Support Equal Opportunity For All People
A weekly publication.  Copyright, Native American Press, 2008
Founded in 1988
Volume 19 Issue 51
April 15, 2008
What are Indians off reservations rights?
Oral arguments were held at the Minnesota Supreme Court Chambers in the State Capitol on
March 6, 2008. The hearing was well attended, and included about thirty, 7-12 grade students
from the Minisinaakwaang teadership Academy in East Lake Minnesota. The Supreme Court
heard arguments as to whether Indians are full citizens when off reservation.
On March 6, 2008 oral
arguments were heard at the
Minnesota Supreme Court
Chambers in the State Capitol
Building in Saint Paul to decide
whether Minnesota Chippewa
Tribe (MCT) Minnesota residents,
living in some Minnesota
counties, have the same civil
rights as non-Indian residents,
off-reservation. The hearing
was well attended, and included
about thirty, 7-12 grade students
from the Minisinaakwaang
Leadership Academy in
East Lake Minnesota. The
Minisinaakwaang Leadership
Academy is a charter/magnet
school developing future tribal
leaders through experiential
learning methods to be more
effective critical thinkers and
problem solvers.
The story began in July
2004, when Buddie Greene,
a 19 year-old single mother
living in Malmo, Aitkin County
, Minnesota, applied for
Minnesota Family Investment
Plan (MFIP) grant funds for her
and her daughter. As a condition
of receiving MFIP funds, Buddie
like any other person, was
required to participate in an
Employment Services Program
to help her find employment.
When Aitkin County asked
Buddie to complete a Tribal-
Reservation Membership form
(likely based upon her physical
appearance), she identified
herself as an enrolled member
of the MCT. Because Greene
acknowledged she was an Indian
on a single-page form, she was
referred to use the Employment
Services available for some
Indians through the MCT. The
MCT service offices are located
in Cass Lake, Duluth, Virginia,
Cloquet and Bemidji, almost 70
miles from Greene's home.
However, Greene promptly
requested to be referred back to
the Aitkin County Employment
Services program, which was
only 17 miles from her home.
But Greene was denied and was
informed that because "Aitkin
County has referred you to the
...MCT [which] is mandated to
provide you service and can not
refer you elsewhere." Buddie
Greene wanted to use the same
state services as her non-Indian
neighbors, but Aitkin County
would not serve her and Greene
and her young daughter were
sanctioned 30% of support
benefits for not using the MCT
services to which she was now
mandated.
Greene appealed to the
Minnesota Department of
Human Services and Aitkin
County District Court arguing
she was a resident, tax-paying
citizen of Aitkin County,
Minnesota and the United States,
and as such she should enjoy
the same civil rights and access
to public services as any other
resident, tax-paying citizen
under the Equal Protection
clauses ofthe United States and
Minnesota constitutions.
On June 19, 2007, the
Minnesota Court of Appeals held
that "because the channeling
of appellant's right of access
to her tribal service occurs as
ARGUMENTS to page 5
Youth group from N.D. reservation
arrives for papal Mass
By KAREN MAHABIR
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - When Pope
Benedict XVI celebrates Mass
in the nation's capital Thursday,
a small church group from a
North Dakota Indian reservation
will mark the end of its two-year
quest to see the pontiff.
Members of St. Michael's
parish on the Spirit Lake Nation
reservation formed ayouth group
in 2006 and immediately began
holding fundraisers with the goal
of seeing the pope.
At first, they hoped to see him at
World Youth Day in Australia, but
that proved too expensive. Then
the group set its sights on Rome,
YOUTH to page 6
As bison die in Yellowstone,
tribe tends to their spirits
By MATTHEW BROWN
Associated Press Writer
GARDINER, Mont. - Kneeling
on a sagebrush flat pocked
with the footprints of bison
recently sent to slaughter from
Yellowstone National Park,
Lakota spiritual chief Arvol
Looking Horse prayed for
forgiveness.
"When we first came upon
the earth, we were the 'Buffalo
People,'" Looking Horse said
Tuesday, as a cold wind whipped
off the Gallatin Mountains. "We
must do what we can to protect
the buffalo. Whatever happens
to them, happens to us."
It's been a bloody year for
bison, also known as buffalo,
in Yellowstone. Government
wildlife agents and hunters
have killed or removed a record
BISON to page 6
Temporary jail release is denied
Associated Press
PIERRE, S.D. - A Crow Creek
man accused of killing his half
brother was denied a temporary
release from jail to have a
physical and alcohol and drug
assessment, according to court
documents.
The attorney for Torin Forrest
Crowe asked that Crowe be
released from the Winner jail
into the custody of his wife
so she could drive him to the
Indian Health Service hospital in
Fort Thompson nearly 70 miles
away.
The request said no other
J Al L to page 6
Bois Forte tribal
rep censured for
alleged misuse
of funds
Associated Press
TOWER, Minn. - The Bois Forte
Reservation Tribal Council has
censured a representative for a
second time and started a petition
to remove him from office.
Mark Drift is accused of
misusing tribal funds. In a news
release, the tribal council said
an investigation revealed Drift
used a band credit card to get
cash at other tribes' casinos and
failed to reimburse the Band for
unauthorized expenses.
Drift did not immediately
reply to an e-mail message left
A current phone listing for Drift
was not found.
According to the tribal council,
Drift has not been charged.
Investigators with the federal
Bureau of Indian Affairs are
looking into the matter and could
file charges. "It is unfortunate
that this incident occurred, but
it is fortunate that we had the
procedures in place to discover
it" said David Morrison, the tribal
council's secretary-treasurer.
The tribal council on Tuesday
ordered Drift to repay the money.
It also started a petition calling
for Drift's ouster, which would go
through if 20 percent of eligible
band member voters living on the
reservation sign it