Native American Press / Ojibwe News (Bemidji, Minnesota), 2001-01-26

              ^vi::
INDEX
News Around Indian Country 2
Commentary/EditorialsA/oices 4
Smoke Signals of Upcoming Events 5
Classifieds 7
Red Lakers Shirley Cain,
Larry Adams win White
Earth essay contest
pg4
Local Indian council
meeting set for
January 30 in
Minneapolis
pgs
In memory of
my brother
Good
Thunder
pg4
Indian leaders
have mixed
views of Bush's
nominee for
Interior
pgi
Red Lake sued
Reportedly lost
$700,000 last year
pgi
Suspect is
charged in Cass
Lake slaying
By Cathy Axvig
Bemidji Pioneer
A 25-year-old Cass Lake man has
been charged with second-degree murder following a weekend shooting at
Tract 33 near Cass Lake.
Richard Anthony Paquette is accused
of shooting his live-in girlfriend,
Geraldine Lynn Whipple, 19, in the
head with a .25-caliber handgun early
Saturday morning. Whipple was transported to MeritCare Hospital in Fargo,
N.D., where she died Jan. 22.
Paquette allegedly told Cass County
authorities that Whipple accidentally
shot herself with tlie gun. But Paquette
also allegedly told authorities that after
drinking the night before and taking a  •
pain pill for a toothache, he and Whipple
got into an argument and that he may
have choked Whipple before the shooting, but that he did not clearly recall everything that had happened.
Whipple had marks on her neck, according to the complaint. Paquette then
allegedly told authorities that as he was
gathering items to leave the residence,
he had taken tlie gun from underneath
the bed where it was kept. He said
Whipple did not handle the gun on any
prior occasions and that he believes he
had pulled back the slide and placed the
shell in the chamber. He allegedly went
on to tell law enforcement that he recalled having the gun in his hand and
holding her wrist and that they had
somehow fallen to the floor when the
gun went off.
Red Lake Builders sued
Reportedly lost over $700,000 last year
By Bill Lawrence
According to information obtained by Press/
ON, the Red Lake Tribal
Council, dba The Red
Lake Builders, Inc. (Builders) were sued on January
13, along with their bonding company, American
Alliance Insurance Co., by
Construction Analysis and
Management, Inc. (CAM) of Fridley,
Minn, for breach of contract.
According to Chris Stewart the attorney for CAM, die suit is for nonpayment of $201,000 in consulting
fees and sub-contractor work as part
ofa $1.9 million contract the Red
Lake Builders had with die Mille Lacs
Band of Ojibwe. The lawsuit arose
out ofa late 1999 contract the Builders entered into with Mille Lacs Band
for the construction and installation of
20 modular home on the Mille Lacs
Reservation.
The Red Lake Builders, Inc. is a
wholly owned enterprise ofthe Red
Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, incorporated under its laws pursuant to
the Indian Reorganization Act of
1934.
A call to the Mille Lacs Band Housing Authority for comment was not
returned at press time. Press/ON was
able to contact Red Lake tribal attorney Dave Harrington, who confirmed
service ofthe lawsuit but declined to
comment about specifics ofthe matter. He did disclose that the Nordhaus
law firm of Albuquerque, New
Voice     of     t he     People
web page: www.press-on.net
Photo credit: Bill Lawrence
A nearly-completed modular home in the yard
of the Red Lake Industries in Redby, Minn.
Mexico would be representing the
Red Lake Builders in the suit. Press/
ON was able to leam that all the 20
Mille Lacs modular homes are occupied, although it was unclear whether
quality problems were causing the delay in completing the contract.
In a related matter, sources told
Press/ON that the Red Lake Builders
working on a modular home construction project on the Lower Brule
Reservation in South Dakota lost over
$700,000 last year. Another source
said that the reasons the Red Lake
Builders lost money on the Lower
Brule project was because they didn't
get their work done on time and due
to quality problems.
A source also told Press/ON that the
Red Lake Tribal Council shut down
the Door and Windows plant on Jan.
22 for lack of demand. Press/ON was
unable to leam whether the shut down
was temporary or permanent. Press/
ON learned late last week that the
paychecks of several door plant workers were bouncing for not sufficient
fund.
Indian leaders have mixed views of
Bush's nominee for Interior
JOU»II  9 IUJIUIUCC 1UI   I IllCI IUI
Some oppose Norton; others see her as ally
Wsirhinot/m P/mt _ ^^^————^—j-—^—— Kill sinmt' llldi.'ll
Washington Post
CHICAGO, 111. -
American Indians have
mixed feelings about the
prospect of former Colorado attorney general Gale
Norton becoming interior
secretary, and some of
them say she could surprise her critics by becoming an ally oflndian country. Gale Norton
Norton's nomination cleared the
Senate Energy and Natural Resources
Committee on an 18-2 vote Jan. 24.
Eskimos in Alaska and Indians elsewhere who are active in the environmental movement remain stridently
critical of Norton for supporting President Bush's plans to open part ofthe
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil
and gas exploration, a move they contend would imperil caribou herds crucial to one tribe's subsistence.
But some Indian leaders in the Lower 48 states
say they are encouraged
by positions Norton took
on some key Indian rights
issues when she held
Colorado's top legal post
inthe 1990s. They note
that some ofthe most important advances in tribal
self-governance in the
past have been ;it the
hands of conservative administrations — most notably President Richard Nixon's, when the notion
of local control on reservations had its
genesis.
The tribal leaders also say that it is
too early to write off Norton just because she was a protege of James Watt,
the controversial interior secretary in
President Ronald Reagan's first administration, or because she worked for the
NORTON to pg. 3
Red Lake
Casino employee
indicted for theft
Minneapolis - David James White,
a former employee ofthe Red Lake
Casino was indicted today by a federal
grand jury for theft from a gaming establishment on Indian land.
The grand jury alleged in the indictment that in September 2000 White,
who was employed as a coin cart
clerk, stole approximately $500.00
from the casino.
Tf convicted, White, 'age 19, faces a
maximum potential penalty of five
years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine.
Any sentence would be determined by
a judge based on the federal sentencing guidelines.
The case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Red Lake Law Enforcement. Assistant United States Attorney
Bridgid Dowdal is prosecuting the
case.
16-year-old member of Red Lake Nation not
afraid to set his sights high
By Molly Miron
Bemidji Pioneer
PONEMAH, Minn. - Tim Sumner,
a 16-year-old member ofthe Red
Lake Nation, has focused his eyes on
lofty goals.
"I'd like to be a lot of things," said
Sumner, a sophomore at the Native
American Prep School in Santa Fe,
N.M. "I'd like to be governor of
North Dakota. I'd like to be a senator."
"I remember once he wrote a letter
saying one day he would like to be
chairman of Red Lake so he could
help his people," said Tim's mother,
Jay Rosebear, a receptionist at Red
Lake Family and Children's Services.
"I would like for the school system
to get stronger so more kids could become whatever they wanted to be,"
Tim said.
Tim lives near Ponemah with his
mother, brother John, 14, and sister
Kim, 11. He attended school on the
reservation until fifth-grade, when he
was accepted at Circle of Nations
School in Wahpeton, N.D. Teachers
there recognized Tim's academic talent and suggested he apply for NAPS,
a boarding school designed to prepare
American Indian students for college
and help them finance higher education.
He said competition for acceptance
at NAPS was tough with about 200
eighth-graders trying for 24 places in
each freshman class. The $24,000 tuition is made up by scholarships, although Tim's mother pays $1,000 and
tlie Red Lake Nation also contributes
toward the cost and his travel expenses.
Tim had to present his request for
financial help to the tribal council. He
also explained that he wanted to at-
RED LAKE to pg. 6
Indian gambling-tax case accepted
by high court
Associated Press
ALBUQUERQUE - The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to settle
whether Indian tribes, like states, are exempt from some gambling taxes.
Two Oklahoma Indian tribes and tlie
Justice Department asked the justices to
resolve the question. New Mexico tribes
can also expect some impact, according
to Indian gaming advocates in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
The issue concerns federal excise
taxes on wagers, in this case the sale of
pull-tab lottery cards that the tribes sell
to finance a variety of tribal and reservation activities.
States are explicitly exempt from
such taxes, and the Chickasaw Nation
and Choctaw Nation tribes claim that
they are also exempt. The case is
Chickasaw Nation v. U.S., 00-507.
Two federal appeals courts have recently come to opposite conclusions.
The Oklahoma tribes appealed the decision ofthe Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which said tlie
tribes must pay. The 10th Circuit also
encompasses New Mexico.
The federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act is not precise on the point, and
die tribes claim that under established
legal precedent, governments must interpret any ambiguity in tax laws in the
light most favorable to the tribes.
The Justice Department countered
that the principle applies to states in
their tax disputes with Indian tribes, but
not to the federal government.
"Unlike state governments, Congress
has plenary authority to legislate over
Indian affairs, and such authority unquestionably includes tlie power to impose federal taxes," Justice Department
lawyers said.
Santa Fe-based attorney Richard
Hughes, who has represented tribal interests in New Mexico gambling issues,
said the question is whether pull-tabs
constitute a lottery.
'This decision as it stands would apply to tribes in New Mexico that offer
pull-tabs," he said. "Lots of them do."
Frank Chaves, chairman ofthe New
Mexico Indian Gaming Association,
added: "I think most tribes in New
Mexico who have gaming activities also
would have pull-tabs," but he had no
specific figures on how many tribes offer pull-tabs. Eleven New Mexico
tribes currently offer casino gambling.
Chaves said any question about the
applicability of this tax law should be
resolved in favor ofthe tribes.
'Tribes are governments as well," he
said, "and they depend on revenue such
as gaming for governmental purposes,
much like states do."
Red Lake man
charged with
assault
Minneapolis - A 42-year-old Red
Lake man who allegedly fled police and
assaulted an officer was indicted today
by a federal grand jury.
Edward Dean Cook, age 42, from
Redby, MN was charged by the grand
jury with assault with a dangerous
weapon and assault resulting in serious
bodily injury.
A criminal affidavit filed in the case
alleges that on December 23,2000,
Cook engaged Red Lake police in a
high-speed chase before stopping at a
home on tlie reservation. Cook ignored
police directives to surrender and to
drop a knife he was wielding. When a
police officer tried to prevent Cook
from entering the residence, Cook allegedly slashed the officer with a knife.
Cook was arrested and continues to be
held without bond.
If convicted, Cook races a maximum
potential penalty often years in prison
and/or a $250,000 fine on each count of
the indictment. Any sentence would be
determined by a judge based on the federal sentencing guidelines.
The case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Red Lake Law Enforcement.
Assistant United States Attorney Rachel
K. Paulose is prosecuting tlie case.
Native
American
Press
#5
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Ojibwe News
We Support Equal Opportunity For All People
A weekly publication.   Copyright, Native American Press, 2001
Founded in 1988
Volume 13 Issue 10
January 26, 2001
Jim Thorpe's
sons want city
to surrender
father's
remains
Associated Press
JIM THORPE, Pa. - Visitors to a
small coal-mining town in Carbon
County might assume from its name
that Jim Thorpe, one ofthe greatest
athletes ofthe 20th century, was bom
there.
Or, perhaps he lived there before he
died in 1953.
But Thorpe, a football and baseball
star and a two-time gold medalist in
the 1912 Olympics, never vacationed
in the town that bears his name. He
never set foot in the borough in which
he is buried.
In tact, his sons say their father's
name and body were auctioned off to
the town by Thorpe's third wife,
Patricia Askew Thorpe. It's time, they
say, for the town to voluntarily surrender Thorpe's remains to his family for
a proper American Indian burial in
Oklahoma.
"My Dad's tx>ncs won't makt
break their town," said Jack Thorpe,
64. The Oklahoma City man is the
youngest of Thorpe's five children.
Jack Thorpe and his brothers, Bill
Thorpe, 72, and Dick Thorpe, 66,
refuse to visit the town of 5,048 in the
Lehigh River Gorge. They said their
father's burial there was sacrilegious.
"They can keep the name, but the
people there could gain attention and
respect by voluntarily releasing the remains," said Jack Thorpe, who wants
his father to be buried is a way that
agrees with the family's Sac and Fox
Indian roots.
Thorpe, who finished third in the
Associated Press' athlete ofthe century poll, was bom in a one-room
cabin in 1887 near Prague, Okla.
Atthe 1912 Olympics in
Stockholm, Thorpe became the only
man to ever win gold medals in the
pentathlon and decathlon. A world-
class high jumper and three-time All-
American in football, Thorpe played
professional football «ind baseball and
was an outstanding golfer, swimmer,
rower, gymnast and tennis player.
Later, he served as president ofthe
American Professional Football Asso-
Jim Thorpe
ciation, precursor to the NFL. Tlie
league's Most Valuable Player award is
named in his honor.
A year after his Olympic victory,
Thorpe was stripped ofhis gold medals
by Olympic officials who said he lost
his amateur status by playing for a minor league baseball team.
The Intemational Olympic Committee restored Thorpe's medals and his
place in the record books in 1982.
When he died in 1953 at the age of
64 ofa heart attack in Lomita, Calif.,
his body was taken back to his native
Oklahoma for burial. State lawmakers
passed a bill authorizing tlie construction ofa $25,000 monument in his
honor, but the bill was then vetoed by
Gov. William H. Murray.
After that, Patricia Thorpe, who died
in 1974, went public with her desire to
have some town build a monument for
her husband.
"She took his body around and
farmed him out to bidders," said Bill
Thorpe, "Patsy put a lot of focus on
Pennsylvania because Dad had played
football there. So she went into Pittsburgh and Philadelphia and Carlisle and
Harrisburg. What she was looking for
was money."
Boosters in the town of Mauch
Chunk heard about Patricia Thorpe's
search and came forward. Community
leaders wanted the town to be Thorpe's
final resting spot because they hoped it
would bring tourism to tlie town.
Mauch Chunk merged with two adjacent municipalities to fonn the current
town of Jim Thorpe and the athlete was
buried there in 1957.
Although residents raised $10,000 to
build a tomb for Thorpe, no one paid
Patricia Thorpe any money for his remains, said Jack Kmetz, president of
the Jim Thorpe Sports Hall of Fame. It
took residents three years to raise the
money for a memorial, he said.
And not all of Thorpe's children object to his burial site.
Thorpe's daughters, Grace Thorpe,
79, and Gail Thorpe, 83, said the body
can stay where it is.
"It's a pretty little town. Everything is
fine up there as far as I'm concerned,"
said Grace Thorpe, who occasionally
Sen. Day to introduce
state-sponsored-casino bill
By Robert Whereatt
Star Tribune
Hoping to win support from legislators who believe the Ventura administration is underfunding transportation and education, Senate Minority Leader DickDay said
Wednesday that he will uitroduce
legislation for a state-sponsored casino that would earmark profits for
roads, bridges and schools.
Day, R-Owatonna, said the legislation would allow private interests to
build a casino that would operate under
the auspices of tlie Minnesota State
Lottery. Eighty to 90 percent of tlie
profits would be handed over to the
state.
"Basically, if we could get it passed,
it would be $100 million," Day said of
the state's e.stimated annual income
from the casino. "We're talking about
using 40 percent or 60 percent for
transportatioii. The rest would be education. ... We're trying to get transportation and education people on our side."
Day is a member ofthe Senate
Transportation Committee and has advocated increased funding for highway
construction. He has proposed increasing the number of lanes on the interstate beltway around the Twin Cities
area.
Gov. Jesse Ventura proposed a budget Tuesday for the next two fiscal
years that some legislators said shortchanged K-12 education, higher educa-
Minority Leader
Sen. Dick Day
tion and tlie
state's transportation system.
Day, who
once proposed a
state-sponsored
casino to fund a
baseball stadium
for the Twins,
said this time he
wants to hitch
his casino
wagon to a
more popular horse. "This time, no stadium," he said.
John Wodele, tlie governor's spokesman,
said Ventura "has been veiy skeptical of
new gambling, but he has never closed
the door on it. He has always said he
would not turn away any new proposal;
he would consider it."
Day said his legislation, to be introduced within a week, would let any developer bid to build the casino. But he
said tlie concept is based on a proposal
by Nevada casino owner Don Laughlin.
Laughlin, who has hired lobbyists to
push the bill in Minnesota, has offered
the state 90 percent of casino profits.
Currentiy, only American Indian casinos on Indian reservations are allowed in
the state. Indian interests have strongly
opposed die expansion of casino-style facilities to nonreservation areas. There
also is a card club at Canterbury Park in
Shakopee, which helps boost horse race
purses at tlie track. The club opened last
spring.
Superintendent
of American
Indian boarding
school fired
Associated P/ess
WAHPETON, N.D. - The superintendent ofa boarding school for American Indians here has been fired by the
school board because of alleged financial improprieties.
Joyce Burr has headed the Circle of
Nations school since former superintendent Robert Hall was forced out for
mismanagement in 1995.
Burr did not immediately return
calls seeking comment.
Circle of Nations takes children in
grades two through nine from Indian
tribes in North Dakota, Soudi Dakota,
Minnesota, Montana and Wisconsin.
Burr was suspended in late November after "it came to the school board's
attention tliat Ms. Burr had incurred significant debt to the school," according to
a news release from Dorsey & Whitney,
tlie Fargo law firm diat represents the
Circle of Nations school.
The law firm said the school board
immediately suspended Burr, removed
her from her duties as the school's chief
executive officer and superintendent,
and launched a comprehensive audit of
school finances.
The board fired her Jan. 22. Board
members plan to appoint a search committee to find a new superintendent,
FIRING to pg. 3