Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2000-01-28

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INDEX
News Around Indian Country 2
News Tidbits 3
Commentary/EditorialsA/oices 4
Smoke Signals of Upcoming Events 5
Classifieds 6-7
DNR eases rules
on gray wolf
pgs	
■I
IP**
Highway 55 protestors
charged
pgs
Girl, 13, pleads guilty to
killing half-brother, 3
pg8
Commentary
Revolution
is in the air
pg4
Vizenor Commentary
Clyde Bellecourt:
Notable Citizen or
Notorious Plea
Bargainer?
pg4
Jim Northrop's new
play "Rez Road
2000" opens
Saturday in St. Paul
pg5
Bonding proposal leaves out some reservation projects
Exceipted from Brad Swenson
Political Editor, Bemidji Pioneer-
Rural Minnesota, for fee most part,
found slim pickings in Gov. Jesse
Ventura's first capital bonding bill,
which he calls, "lean, mean and gets
the job done."
The budget, which Ventura unveiled
Jan. 14, calls for S400 million in bonds
for state building projects, but contains
virtually nothing for targeted projects
outside fee metropolitan area....
Ventura even called for withdrawing
funding from two previously autho- .
rized bonding projects involving both
the Red Lake and Leech Lake bands of
Chippewa.
Ventura, in his capital budget, recommended S15.8 million for fee state's
maximum effort loan program for
schools. The recommendation will
fend projects at Caledonia, Cass Lake
and Red Lake.
Included is S7.5 million to construct
a middle school at Cass Lake, S4.3 million for renovations to both Red Lake
Middle School and Red Lake Elementary School and $4 million for a new
elementary school at Caledonia.
Red Lake, however, has requested a
total of $ 11.2 million, to include six
new classrooms and gym at Ponemah
Elementary School, built in 1985 for
100 students but now houses 200....
Ventura in his capital budget calls for
rescinding bonding authority for two
projects on area reservations.
He wants to cancel $500,000 given
in 1996 to the Minnesota Indian Affairs
Council as planning fends for a Battle
Point Education Center, and $1.7 million given to the Leech Lake Band of
Ojibwe-in 1998 for the center itself.
The band has been planning the facility, but apparently hasn't yet requested
fee bonds, so Ventura wants to cancel
them.
Also, Ventura is canceling $500,000
to fee Red Lake Band of Chippewa,
given in 1998 for a Red Lake Manufacturing Center.
The band won authority for $2 million to construct an education/training
center in conjunction with Northwest
Technical College-Bemidji, and
$600,000 for a separate production
plant for Anderson Fabrics of
Blackduck. The education facility is
under construction, but fee Anderson
Fabrics expansion wasn't realized....
Under the state program, the state
helps property-poor school districts pay
for adequate school facilities. The districts levy the maximum they can under
stole law for a number of years, after
which the stale loan - which is fee difference between what can be levied
and project costs - is forgiven.
Ventura, in his budget plan, doesn't
BONDING to pg. 6
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Founded in 1988 Volume 12 lssuejd\$ JanuaryMT,2000
MCT offices move to Walker; no space in Cass Lake
Excerpted from Robby Robinson
Cass Lake Times
Located in Cass Lake since it was
organized in the 1920s, the administrative offices ofthe Minnesota
Chippewa Tribe (MCT) have moved
to Walker.. .at least for now.
The move became official this
month, after several months of seeking a suitable building to lease in
Cass Lake, said Executive Director
Gary Frazer this week.
In need of more space, and with its
various government offices spread
around the Cass Lake area, the Leech
Lake Reservation Business Committee (council) notified the MCT last
year feat it needed to find a new facility, said Frazer.
The MCT had leased space in the
Leech Lake Facility Center for administrative, education, economic
development and business offices.
Approximately 50 people were employed there.
It is the central MCT administrative office for the Leech Lake, Mille
Lacs, Fond du Lac, Nett Lake and
White Earth bands of Chippewa.
Frazer said the tribe has a year
lease at its present Walker location.
In the meantime it will hire a consultant to study its space needs and decide if it should build in the Cass
Lake area or elsewhere or if it should
stay where it is.
Leech Lake spokesperson Judy
Hanks said in November that the
plan to take over the entire Facility
Center had been in fee works for
over a year. Recently the Bureau of
Indian Affairs was also asked to
move, and found new office space in
Bemidji.
"It's just a matter ofthe reservation
needing more space," said Hanks,
"despite anything you might have
read elsewhere."
Hanks was referring to a November article in the Native American
Press/Ojibwe News said that the
"eviction" was an act of revenge by
the Leech Lake Reservation for the
MCT's acceptance of a $20 million
timber settlement with the U.S. government from which the reservation
received an unfair share.
Hanks explained that the reservation has recently created or expanded
numerous divisions of its government, including law enforcement,
youth development, tribal courts, employment, economic development
and legal support.
"We're just spread all over the
place," said Hanks. "We have over
400 employees not associated with
the gaining operation and they're
scattered in dozens of offices and
even homes around the reservation.
We just need to centralize and the
Facility Center is our best option."
Frazer said that the MCT.. .wanted
to remain in the Cass Lake area, as
most of its employees live there.
White Earth officer
accused of illegal
strong arm tactics in
arrest of Rice Lake
youth
By Jeff Armstrong
A White Earth Tribal Police officer forced his way into a Rice Lake
man's home without a warrant, arresting and jailing an Anishinabe
youth for asserting his constitutional
right to refuse entry, according to the
boy's father and neighborhood witnesses.
Rick Beaulieu, age 17, was arrested Jan. 5 and detained for 12
days at Northwest Juvenile Training
Center on charges of obstructing
legal process for allegedly following
his parents' instructions not to allow
police to enter the residence without
legal authorization.
The boy's father, Wayne Stevens,
said Clearwater County deputies
were pursuing Beaulieu's older
brother on an unpaid fine for picking
balsam boughs in the four disputed
ieservation townships. Stevens said
he told his younger son not to open
the door to the officers unless they
produced a warrant, in part due to
his fears' that officers would search
the bathroom while his wife was in
the shower.
When Beaulieu declined to allow
the police entry. White Earth officer
Dave Hnake—who is no longer with
the force according to a tribal police
OFFICER to pg. 6
Detox center remains open
during renovations
Decision comes after news reports of controversy
By Gar} Blair   au ,
The Hennepin County Detoxification Center that is now operated by
the Salvation Army at 1800 Chicago
Ave. S. in Minneapolis will stay open
in-spite of recent plans to close the
place for minimal renovation.
In a letter dated Jan. 24 to Robert
Olander, Hennepin County's chemical health director, Major Robert E.
Thomson ofthe Minneapolis Salvation Army wrote in-part: "This is to
give you written confirmation that we
are indeed planning on continuing
the operation of Detox II at 1800
Chicago Ave. S. I am glad that we
were able to work through the issues
in regard to the operation that will
take place during the remodeling in
the space that we lease from the
county.
"During the time ofthe remodeling
it appears as if we will be able to, on
a floating basis, handle between 30
and 35 clients. This decision will be
made on a day by day basis as we
continue to look at fee work that is
being done and the disruption that it
causes in fee Detox II unit on Chicago Ave.
"We continue to look forward to
working with Hennepin County. We
trust that through this process that we
now have better understanding and
will be able to work more efficiently
and effectively together as we meet
this population feat is so desperately
in need of services."
Olander said on Wed., Jan. 26 that
through a joint effort with the Salvation Army, the county will use the
Mission Detox Center in Plymouth.
MN as extra beds are needed during
the renovation period. "We will bus
people out to fee Mission Detox if
extra beds are needed. This will mean
that the normal 40 beds presently
used by the Salvation Army detox
center here at Chicago Ave. will not
be effected. They're going to replace
the air ducts on the second floor, so
they'll have to close off each ofthe
rooms and that's why there will fewer
beds," Olander explained.
Earlier plans by fee Salvation Army
to close Detox II during the renovation was not made public until this
newspaper contacted Olander earlier
this month. The Star Tribune also ran
an article on the possible closing.
A source at Hennepin County says
the renovation will involve the removal of asbestos insulation that now
surrounds that floor ofthe building's
air-duct system.
The proposed closing ofthe detox
center for renovations was announced
as staff at both detox center's operated by the Salvation Army were getting ready to vote on forming a union.
Lt-Colonei, David Grindle ofthe
Salvation Army said three weeks ago
that the matter about staff possibly
unionizing was separate from the proposed shut-down for fee renovation.
The Salvation Army also operates a
DETOX CENTER to pg. 8
Pictured (left to right) U
of MN students Sarah
Bennett and Katia Colon-
Holmers are two of the
225 freshman who
participated in a pilot
program called Student
Excellence in Academics
(SEAM) aimed at making
the U a friendlier place
while helping new
students succeed
academically.
Program helps students of color succeed
Students of color often feel isolated
at tlie University ofMinnesota and
find it difficult to succeed. As a result,
some stmggle and drop out of school
before completing their studies. This
fall 225 freshmen at the U's Twin Cities campus participated in a pilot program aimed at making die U a friendlier place and helping them succeed
academically.
Student Excellence in Academics
and Multiculturalism (SEAM) provides a learning community, or cohort, consisting of 19 to 25 students
who share similar interests and have
expressed a desire to study in a
multicultural environment. The program is open to all students but most
ofthe participants this Fall are students of color. They shared same
classes and seminars through Fall semester 1999.
SEAM, designed by fee university's
learning resource centers, aims to alleviate the problem of isolation by providing a social and academic support
system. SEAM participants were
guaranteed admission into SEAM
classes and received financial aids for
textbooks. During the semester, they
met wife their academic counselors at
least three times and their participa
tion in seminars allowed them to make
friends and build closer connection
with faculty.
"It makes fee U smaller and less
daunting," said SEAM program director Carolyn Nayematsu. "We hope to
improve our retention rates for students of color. We want to make sure
they can handle their classes and help
them strive for higher grade point averages."
Response to fee program was positive. In addition to the higher-than-
expected student turnout, faculty representing the Institute of Technology,
General College, Health Sciences and
fee College of Liberal Arts taught
classes ranging from history, science
to business.
"It has been one ofthe best experiences of my life," said Sarah Bennett,
a Native American student from
Anoka. "This program gives me a
community and I felt that my first semester transition period went absolutely great.... I think the people I met
through SEAM are some ofthe most
unique, interesting, funny and intelligent people I have ever come across in
my lifetime."
"I liked fee idea of being around
other students of color. There's never a
lot of us in high school," said Ann
Rivera, a graduate of Hill-Murray
High School in Maplewood. "It's a
nice way to start at the U with a group
ofpeople you can'connect with. We're
all going through fee same thing.
People fe my cohort did homework
together, took the same classes and
hung out together between classes. I
am thankful for it. Otherwise, I
wouldn't have met so many great
people."
KJatia Colon-Holmers, a student
from Northeast Minneapolis, agrees.
"I liked the idea of smaller classes,
classes with a core group of students,
help wife my transition to such a big
college. We don't need to worry about
not being accepted, or ignored. We all
are friends, and all respect each other's
culture, and beliefs, even ifthey are in
complete contrast to ours."
The only negative comments from
this group of students was that the
SEAM program was for only one semester and won't continue in the
Spring semester. Program coordinators have conducted an evaluation of
fee first SEAM program and are looking into ways to make it a year-round
program next Fall.
[University ofMinnesota News Service]
Interior Dept. to reconsider casino at Hudson dog track
Excerpted from Pat Doyle
Star Tribune
The dispute often is described in
David and Goliath terms: casino-
rich Minnesota tribes protecting
their Twin Cities-area gambling turf
from three poor American Indian
tribes that want to build a casino at
the struggling dog track in Hudson,
Wis.
But the man who has fee most at
stake in adding a casino at St Croix
Meadows is neither poor nor Indian.
He's a wealthy Miami gambling en
trepreneur
who is
counting on
a partnership
with the
three Wisconsin tribes
I  to bail him
out of a bad
■jj^   investment.
Fred Havenick Havenick is
the fourth
"feather" ofthe Four Feathers Partnership and, along with his family,
the owner ofthe St. Croix Meadows
dog ttack. He's also the driving
force-behind efforts to build a casino
to capture a piece ofthe metro-area
gambling market.
A showdown looms in the coming
months as fee U.S. Interior Department reconsiders its rejection ofthe
proposed casino, which could rival
Mystic Lake Casino in Prior Lake.
Interior officials will look at
Havenick's financial interest in the
deal as well as the project's impact
on the Hudson area.
DOG TRACK to pg. 6
Mille Lacs anglers face more walleye restrictions
Excerpted from Dennis Anderson
Star Tribune
Stringent new angling restrictions
will be needed this year on Lake Mille
Lacs to reduce the walleye harvest, the
Department of Natural Resources said
last week.
Non-Chippewa Mille Lacs anglers
will be restricted to 300,000 pounds of
walleyes this year, a significant cutback from the 578,000 pounds they
harvested in 1999.
The Mille Lacs and seven other
bands of Chippewa will be allotted
70,000 pounds of Mille Lacs walleyes,
most of which they take in May by
spear and net.
Non-band anglers' 1999 harvest,
578,000 pounds, exceeded the state's
agreed-upon quota wife the Chippewa
of 495,000 pounds for the second consecutive year.
In 1999, non-band anglers could keep
Mille Lacs walleyes 14 to 20 inches
long, wife one allowed over 26 inches.
DNR and tribal fisheries experts had
thought those restrictions would be
enough to meet fee quota.
The plan apparently was foiled by the
catching of a high number of 3-and 4-
year-old walleyes.
"Whatever we develop is going to be
fairly severe compared to last year,"
DNR 1837 treaty fisheries biologist Rick
Bmesewitz said. "We can't afford to
have anglers exceed their quota again."
Tribal decision on casino sparks
controversy
NEW TOWN, N.D. (AP) - A
tribal decision to dismantle the governing board ofthe Four Bears Casino and Lodge has sparked controversy on the Fort Berthold Indian
Reservation.
The Three Affiliated Tribes' business council voted 5-1 on Tuesday
to dissolve the Gaming Enterprise
Board of Directors.
"With the recent hiring of two permanent general managers at the Four
Bears Casino and Lodge, a majority
ofthe tribal business council believes that they can now trust that
the present management there will
honestly and respectfully manage
fee casino and lodge," said Tribal
Chairman Tex Hall and council
members Marcus Wells Jr., Daylon
Spotted Bear, Pete Hale and Tom
Bird Bear in a joint statement.
They also said "at present there
will be no change in the policy now
in effect, which leaves personnel
decisions in the hands ofthe general
managers."
Glenda Embry, a spokeswoman
for Hall, said the casino's two general managers now will report directly to the business council's executive committee.
Spencer Wilkinson Jr. and Bernie
Fox were named general managers
ofthe casino last month.
Ted Lone Fight III, who was the
chairman ofthe board, said the casino will no longer have an independent group to shield it from tribal
politics.
"This presents to the casino a very
serious problem in that the tribal
business council has been borrowing
money from the casino to make their
tribal payroll for some time now," he
said.
"Now they don't have to borrow
the money, they can.just take fee
money at will," he added. "They
have direct access to all the casino
assets and personnel at their will."
Lone Fight and Adrian Foote Sr.,
who was the board's treasurer, said
they were not notified that the council might take action this week and
were surprised by the decision.
The board was formed in 1994. It
was set up to serve as a buffer between the business council and the
casino operations. The seven members of the board were appointed by
council members from their respective districts.
Tribal council
suspends Oglala
Sioux president,
seeks impeachment
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -Allegations
of misappropriating S30,000 in relief funds have led a quorum ofthe
Oglala Sioux Tribal Council to suspend the tribe's president and begin
impeachment proceedings against
him.
The Omaha World-Herald reported in its Thursday morning editions that the vote by 12 council
members came Wednesday night in
the village of Oglala, S.D.
The vote against President Harold
Dean Salway was fee result of an
internal investigation that indicated
Salway mishandled the relief funds
for victims of a June 1999 tornado at
the village, Tribal Treasurer Chuck
Jacobs told the World-Herald.
Jacobs said Salway diverted fee
money to the tribe's annual summer
powwow on the Pine Ridge Indian
Reservation.
Salway, who has been in office
since December 1998, could not be
reached for comment.
The council's vote came at the end
of a whirlwind four-day period that
OGLALA SIOUX to pg. 6