Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2008-06-15

              INDEX
NEWS AROUND INDIAN COUNTRY
NEWS BRIEFS
2
3
Mohegan medicine
woman   follows
great aunf s path
COMMENTARY/EDITORIALS
CUSSIFIEDS
4-5
7
page 3
Calif, redisricting proposal
takes tribal cash
page 3
First annual meeting
of Healthy Brains for
Children
page 4
Letter from the
National Indian
Gaming Commission
page 4
Big win sets stage for
Big Job ahead, Best
wishes
page 4
Melanie Benjamin retains her chieftainship
VOICE      OF      THE      PEOPLE
By Vincent Hill
ONAMIA. The anti-Melanie
Benjamin crowd, with an
entrenched stronghold in the
largest of Mille Lacs Chippewa
reservation districts, failed
to "deliver Melanie's head
on a silver platter" to Marge
Anderson, whom they (sic)
voted for. The incumbent chief
actually won by a landslide,
as she did in the 2000 tribal
election at Mille Lacs: 61 percent
to 39 percent in this election,
and 63 percent to 37 percent in
the 2000 election. Challenger
Marge Anderson was backed by
the old traditional guard, who
are still fighting a cultural and
religious war with whites. Her
relatives and clan are many—
tending to be suspicious and
keeping to themselves (passive-
aggressive to outsiders).
Election results for Mille Lacs
Reservation are as follows.
District 1, at Mille Lacs Lake:
Melanie received 293 votes to
Marge's 230 count. 524 votes
were cast in District 1 (one
void/blank). While Marge was
close in votes to Melanie's,
the District 1 urban voters
overwhelmingly supported their
incumbent chief: 78 percent to
web page: www.press-on.net
Native 4»Hj
Press
We Support Equal Opportunity For All People
A weekly publication.  Copyright, Native American Press, 2008
Founded in 1988
Volume 20 Issue 3
June 15,2008
A happy Melanie Benjamin after her landslide victory over challenger
Marge Anderson. Benjamin now embarks on her third four-year term as
Mille Lacs Band chief executive.
22 percent.
There was no contest in
Melanie's home reservation
district, District III at Lake Lena,
30 miles east of Hinckley and
bordering the state of Wisconsin.
The election statistics reveal
the anti-Melanie virus was
contagious in the small Isle
and East Lake (near McGregor)
reservation districts.
Nevertheless, the vote count
was split (Marge had a one-vote
lead at Isle, and a four-vote lead
at East Lake.)
Overall results in the 2008
tribal election for chief at Mille
Lacs: Incumbent Melanie, with
634 votes to Marge Anderson's
412 votes. Total votes cast:
1,049 (three voids/blanks). It
is interesting to  statistically
BENJAMIN to page 6
Eugene "Ribs"
Whitebird, District III
Representative elect
Announces Intentions,
Thanks Voters
Whitebird beat Finn in all
precincts with a total of 829 votes
to Finn's 545
Whitebird won a decisive
victory over Donald "Mick"
Finn in the tribal elections held
Tuesday, June 10 on the Leech
Lake Reservation. First, I want
to say Mi Gwitch to all the Leech
Lake voters who put in the time
and effort to vote in this election.
By voting you show that you care
about your family, your friends,
and the Leech Lake Band. If
we don't choose to vote we
have no control over how our
government is rim.
The over 800 District III Leech
Lake members who supported
me have all voted to change the
way our government operates
and have put their confidence
in me to make the changes they
want
I promise to honor my
commitments and to do the
things that I have told you I
would do. I will be accessible to
all District III voters and I will
represent your interests on the
Tribal Council. I will carefully
review all existing agreements
on who can hunt, fish and gather
on our lands and I will ask the
people what changes they want.
I will work to bring our people
together and will try and unite
us rather than divide us. The
politics of fear is not the Indian
way. I will continue to be a strong
advocate for the people. I want an
inclusive government that serves
all the people, not an exclusive
one that works for the few.
While I will work for change
to better the lives of our people,
I will not let the power of elected
office change who I am or what
I stand for.
Thank you again for your
confidence.
MINNESOTA CHIPPEWA TRIBE
JUNE 10 ELECTION RESULTS
Mille Lacs
Chair/Chief Executive
Marge Anderson 412
Melanie Benjamin 634
District I Representative
Sandra Blake 468
Alicia Skinaway 217
Grand Portaae
District Representative
Robert "Rob" Hull 142
William "Bill" Myers 142
Fond du Lac
Karen Diver
Patricia Petite
Eugene Reynolds
Wally Dupuis
Chairman
637
541
351
416
39.3%
60.4%
67.3%
31.2%
50.0%
50.0%
54.1%
45.9%
45.8%
54.2%
White Earth
District III
Kenneth "Gus" Bevins
557
65.7%
Ralph "Bucky" Goodman
291
34.3%
Leech Lake
Secretary-Treasurer
Burton "Luke" Wilson
715
36.8%
Michael J. Bongo
1227
63.2%
District III Representative
Eugene "Ribs" Whitebird
829
60.3%
Donald "Mick" Finn
545
39.7%
Bois Forte
District I Representative
Raymond Villebrun, Sr.
69
19.9%
Donald Chosa, Jr.
54
15.6%
Adrienne Zapata
8
2.3%
Donna Hoffer
60
17.3%
William Isham, Jr.
6
1.7%
Terry Defoe
29
8.4%
Gordon Adams, Jr.
66
19.0%
Brandon Benner
52
15.0%
From casino heist suspect to tribal chairman:
The astonishing rise of Archie LaRose
By Mike Mosedale
CASS LAKE, MINN. — On
a recent Monday afternoon,
near the end of business hours,
Arthur "Archie" LaRose made
the tactical error of walking
into the reception area outside
his Cass Lake office. Everyone,
it seemed, wanted something
from LaRose, the 37 year-old
chairman-elect of the Leech
Lake Band of Ojibwe.
One young mother, with two
kids in tow and troubles with her
food stamps, beseeched him for
a gas voucher. A grandmother
meekly asked for emergency
assistance with an overdue
light bill. A band member
visiting from the Twin Cities
said she needed some cash for
transportation home.
Like a seasoned ward healer,
LaRose fielded the requests
diplomatically, urging each
of his supplicants "fill out an
app." At the same time, he
slowly maneuvered his way to
the exit on his way to a meeting
in Bemidji with two political
allies.
Once out of earshot, LaRose
offered a frank assessment of
the persistent economic and
social problems at Leech Lake.
MINNPOST PHOTO UY MIKt MOS.l-DAI 1:
Arthur "Archie" LaRose, chairman-elect of the Leech Lake Band
of Ojibwe: "I want to restore the work ethic in our people."
"I want to restore the work ethic
in our people. A lot of them try,
but with our hiring practices,
it's hard for them to get jobs,"
he said. "And some of these
younger people come in and
try to take advantage. You help
them out once or twice and then
they keep coming back in. We do
have some people who are just
sitting back and collecting."
LLRBC-elect press conference on June 11
Leech Lake's Newly Elected Chairman, Secretary-
Treasurer, District III Rep Announce Intentions
By Diane White
Cass Lake, Minnesota - On
June 11, 2008, Chairman elect
Arthur "Archie" LaRose and
his running mates, Secretary-
Treasurer elect, Mike Bongo,
ind District III elect Eugene
"Ribs" Whitebird offered thanks
to the voters and hope for the
future. District I Representative
Robbie Howe and District II
Representative Lyman "DeDe"
Losh were not present. Despite
that the newly elected trio
agreed they would work hard
to unite rather than divide
the Council and the people of
Leech Lake. LaRose said he felt
comfortable working with both
Losh and Howe and felt they
could all move forward together
as Leech Lake's Tribal Council.
Eugene "Ribs" Whitebird
offered to hold open meetings
and would agree to publish all
Council meeting minutes.
Mike Bongo stated they
need the support of the Band
members and that the Tribal
Council must work together to
make the types of changes they
feel the Band needs.
Chairman elect LaRose said
he would provide information
to the people to help them
LEECH LAKE to page 6
Still, in his six years as
secretary-treasurer — the
band's second most powerful
elected office — LaRose said he
has "helped a lot of people in a
lot of ways." As he explains it, he
doesn't wish to be "stingy with
the people's dime."
LaRose has made a populist
economic   agenda   the
CASINO to page 6
Northern
Arapaho focus
on deaths of 3
girls
By BEN NEARY
Associated Press Writer
ETHETE, Wyo. - Members
of the Northern Arapaho Tribe
ranging from its Council of
Elders to high school students
came together Tuesday to discuss
the deaths of three teenage
girls on the Wind River Indian
Reservation and condemn
alcohol and drug use among
tribal youth.
Investigating authorities
have been tightlipped about
the deaths of Elyxis Gardener,
13, Alex Whiteplume, 14, and
Winter Rose Thomas, 15. Their
bodies were found together on
June 4 at the Beaver Creek tribal
housing area, near the town of
Riverton.
Preliminary autopsy results
were inconclusive, and Fremont
County Coroner Ed McAuslan
said Tuesday that a final ruling
on what killed the girls could
take another two to four weeks. A
spokeswoman for the FBI, which
is heading the investigation,
didn't return a message seeking
comment Tuesday.
Although no official cause
of death has been determined,
participants in the somber
meeting at a Northern Arapaho
community hall in Ethete,
about 240 miles northwest
of Cheyenne, focused on
combatting drug and alcohol
abuse, and on strengthening the
structure of families by turning
to tribal traditions.
~What happened to the
girls over at Beaver Creek, sad
to say, it woke up everybody,
right?" said 16-year-old Whitney
SunRhodes. "It's sad to say that
it took their deaths to bring our
tribe together as one."
Tribal leaders said the Northern
Arapaho must emphasize their
culture in responding to the
tragedy.
Northern Arapaho children
traditionally belonged to
particular clans based on
DEATHS to page 6
Red Lake man indicted for abusive
sexual conduct to a minor
A 32-year-old man from the
Red Lake Indian Reservation was
indicted yesterday in federal court
on one count of abusive sexual
conduct.
Clinton James Donnell was
charged June 16 in Minneapolis.
His indictment alleges that on
May 20,2008, he did knowingly
engage in or cause sexual contact
with a child under the age of 12,
by intentionally touching her with
the intent to abuse, humiliate,
harass, degrade or arouse or
gratify his sexual desire.
If convicted, Donnell faces a
potential maximum penalty of
life in prison. All sentences are
determined by a federal district
court judge. This case is the result
of an investigation by the Federal
Bureau of Investigation and the
Red Lake Police Department, and
is being prosecuted by Asst United
States Attorney Tricia A Tingle.
Red Lake man sentenced to 37
months for involuntary manslaughter
A 20-year-old resident of the
Red Lake Indian Reservation
was sentenced last week to 37
months in prison for the death
of Edward John Maxwell, also of
Red Lake, on June 2,2007. United
States District Court Judge Joan
Ericksen also sentenced Frank
Mitchell Gurno Jr. June 13 to
serve three years of supervised
release. Gurno was indicted on
Aug. 22,2007, and pleaded guilty
Jan. 17to one count ofinvoluntary
manslaughter. According to
his plea agreement, Gurno was
driving a motor vehicle west
on Minnesota State Highway 1
between Redby and Red Lake on
the morning of June 2. Gurno
admitted that he was driving
recklessly, in excess ofthe 50 mph
speed limit and after he had been
drinking alcohol, and that he was
driving when his vehicle struck
Maxwell, a pedestrian, and killed
him. This case was the result
of an investigation by the Red
Lake Police Department and the
Federal Bureau of Investigation,
and was prosecuted by Asst. U.S.
Attorney William J. Otteson.
Tribal casinos continue growth
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Federal
regulators report that revenue
at the nation's Indian casinos
grew 5 percent in 2007. That's
slower than in years past but
still enough to outpace the 1.8
percent growth rate at Nevada
casinos amid a sluggish economy.
Figures from the National Indian
Gaming Commission, obtained
Wednesday by The Associated
Press, show that Indian casinos
took in $26 billion in gambling
revenue in 2007, up from $25.1
billion in 2006. Nevada casinos
took in $ 12.85 billion in gambling
revenues last year.
Lawyers want delay in AIM trial
Associated Press
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Lawyers
for the prosecution and defense are
asking a federal judge to delay the
trial of a Canadian man charged
with killing a fellow American
Indian Movement member.
John Graham is scheduled
to stand trial in September in
Rapid City, South Dakota, for
the 1975 slaying of Anna Mae
Pictou Aquash on the Pine
Ridge Indian Reservation.
Attorneys have now asked
that the two-week trial start in
October. Another man, Fritz Arlo
Looking Cloud, was convicted
of killing Aquash in 2004 and
sentenced to a life prison term.
Witnesses said that he, Graham
and another AIM member drove
Aquash from Denver and that
Graham shot Aquash as she
begged for her life.
Graham denies killing her.