M ore News from Indian Country
Page 10
Spilyay Tyrnoo
July 19, 2007
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M ohegan Sun joins bid for N ew York racing
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP)
—Mohegan Sun, which operates
one o f the world's most success^
ful casinos in Connecticut, has
formed a partnership with one
o f the bidders hoping to run
thoroughbred racing in New
York state.
. The Indian tribal company
has teamed up with Capital Play
in seeking the 20-year franchise
to operate Aqueduct, Belmont
and Saratoga race tracks.
“ They're a fantastic partner,
obviously a great succès,” said
Karl O'Farrell, chief executive
officer of Capital Play. “We're
very pleased to have them as our
partner. They have one o f die
best casino operations in the
world.”
Capital Play, which helped
revive Australian racing, says
Mohegan Sun would help in its
efforts to revive horse racing in
New York by making the tracks
entertainment destinations as well
as gambling operations. O'Farrell
said that could include night dubs,
comedy and top restaurants.
Mitchell Etess, chief execu
tive officer o f Mohegan Sun,
said papers forming the partner
ship were signed Friday.
“I think it's great because we
both share the same vision as far
as the entertainment aspect of
this business,” Etess- said.
Etess and O'Farrell would
not disclose financial terms of
the partnership.
The move is the latest by
Mohegan Sun to expand and
diversify. Mohegan Sun is ex
panding its Connecticut casino
and last year opened slot ma
chines at the Pocono Downs
harness racing complex outside
Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
“It would be a very signifi
cant contributor to our diversi
fication effort,” Etess said.
New York officials are hop
ing to select a franchise winner
or winners before Dec. 31, when
the franchise held since 1955 by
the New York Racing Associa-
against Agua Caliente. Some
feared the case would compro
mise the claims Of tribes nation
wide that they have the power
|0 govern themselves and are
exempt from many state laws.
“Tribes did not want this case
brought to the U.S. Supreme
Court, because it could result in
a wholesale attack on tribal sov
ereignty,” said
H ow ard
Dickstein, an attorney who rep
resents several California tribes
that voluntarily disclose dona
tions to .politicians. “There's a
lesson to be learned about pick
ing ydur, fights:”
, Agua Caliente owns two ca
sinos in Palm Springs. The tribe
has spent $20 million oripoliti-
cal campaigns .since 2002. It was
sued by the commis sion m&QQ2
for failing-.to meet deadline|p|n
Your Bargain Connect on
tion expires.
NewYork Gov. Eliot Spitzer
has said the recommendation
could be for one competitor to
run racing at all three tracks as
well as video slot machines at
Aqueduct and Belmont. Or, one
entity could run racing while
another runs the video slots.
The groups vying for the 20-
year franchise are: Excelsior
Racing Associates, which in
cludes Las Vegas casino devel
oper Steve Wynn; Empire Rac
ing, which has a p artn er in
Churchill Downs and is based
in Saratoga Springs; NYRA un
der recendy changed manage
ment; and Capital Play, p
NAZARETH, Pa. (AP) -
Archaeologists have found
tools and other items more
than 1,000 years old at a site
th a t will becom e the
N azareth A rea, School
District's new campus.
Scientists are working to
preserve any artifacts before
bulldozers finish excavating
th e land* said M artin
Reinhold, principal investiga
tor for the firm conducting
the study, K ittatinny A r
chaeological Research.
R einhold said an u n
earthed site likely dates, to
around the-year 1000, but
might be up to 3,000 years
old.
Surveyors found frag
ments o f stone tools, char
coal, arrowheads and pos
sible pole holes for erecting
primitive shelters. American
Indians might have used the
land near th e Schoeneck
Creek as a seasonal camp,
diggers said.
Because the schbôfïs pub
licly funded, the state man
dates the Pennsylvania His
torical and Museum Com
mission investigate to. pre
serve any historical items.
Catawba tribe elects new leadership
Wealthy California tribe drops fight
against political donation disclosure
SACRAMENTO (AP) g|
A wealthy Indian tribe has
agreed to publicly rep p rt
donations to politicians^
dropping its .claim that it's
exempt from state campaign
disclosure laws. /
The Agua Caliente Band
o f Cahuilla Indians and the
Fair Political Practices Com-
missioft ends a lawsuit that
could have gorie to. thè U.S.
Suprém'è Court.
“T he outcom e o f this
case' shores that -everypne
who engages’ in the political
process in California must
adhere to the requirements
of the Political Reform Act,”
said FPPC Chairman Ross
Johnson.
The. California Supreme
Court in December ruled
Archaeologists make
discoveries at school site
the Political Reform Act for
disclosing political donations
and fqr lobbying activity
from 1998 to 2QQ2“ ,
“ We had to balance con
sideration^ for this tribe and
other tribes as well,**. said
tribal spokeswoman -Nancy
Conrad, “t^e decided this is
not the day to take this fight
forward.”
hinder the settlem en t,
reached June 29, Agua
Caliente agreednot to appeal
the, '■California . Suprem e
Court decision and to waive,
its sovereign immunity re
garding enforcement of state
campaign disclosure laws.
The tribe also agreed to
pay $200,000 to the state gen-
eral fund. Lk
ROCK HILL, S.C. (AP) -
Members of the Catawba Indian
tribe are voting on a new chief
this weekend and they’likely will
be looking for {someone, to help
lead the tribe past years of bit
ter infighting.
“You've heard the old saying
about too many chiefs, n o t
enough Indians. Some o f that
was going 6n,” tribal member
Gene Blue said. “We need new
people in here to make better
decisions. It will be a new start.” ■
T he elecjripn com es four
motiths after longtime Chief
G ilbert Blue resigned amid
growing criticism.
Some tribal members de
scribed the 73-year-old former
chief as out o f touch and un
willing to listen to opposing
viewpoints. They accused him
of. mismanaging the tribe's.;fL
nances and said he wouldn't
hold elections on a regular
schedule as the tribal constitu
tion requires.
C h ief Blue denied the
charges, but agreed it was time
for a new leader.
, “My only concern is that
whoever gets in there is some
one who will have concern for
the tribe,” said Blue, who led the
tribe for 40 years. ;
The Catawbas hope as many
as 1,000 ballots will be cast in
the four-person race for chief.
M ost o f those votes are ex
pected to be absentee. There are
1,800 eligible voters nationwide
out o f the tribe's 2,600 mem
bers.
Voters also will choose an
assistant chief, secretary-trea
surer and executive committee
members.
“ In a way, this is kind o f a
scary time because you don't
know what you're going to, end
up with,” tribal member Jason
Harris said. fTf you have an all
new exec,utiye committee with
,no experience^you don't know
if that is going to be a setback.
But this is what:feyerybody
wanted.”
A new administration has to
get a grip on the tribe's finances
and housing and health care pro
grams. T h e tribe also needs a
new constitution.
Blackfeet water treatment plant dedicated
GREAT FALLS, Mont.
(AP) — Gov. Brian Schweitzer
joined Blackfeet tribal leaders
at a groundbreaking Friday
for a $4.9 million water treat
ment plant that will supply
clean water to Browning and
East Glacier.
The two communities cur
rently receive bad water from
separate systems, officials
said.
The, micrq-filtration plant
will treat water from Lower
Two Medicine Lake, which
the D epartm ent o f Com
merce described as “very
pure,” and is scheduled to be
com pleted by July 2008.
Swank C o n stru c tio n o f
O pen
M o n d a y -S a t
9:00-0:00
71 7 S.W. 5th St. Madras O r
Valier is the general contractor.
The firm will be working
under an approved grizzly bear
management plan because o f
the remote work site. The plan-
sets guidelines for working in
bear country, such as the dis
posal of garbage.
“This isn't your typical job
site,” said Neal Ullmari o f the
Commerce Department, which
is funding a portion o f the
project. “It's in the middle o f a
forest,” -
Water will be immediately
available to East Glacier resi
dents once the plant is finished,
but crews must build 10 miles
o f pipeline before Browning
residents can receive the treated
water. Pipeline construction
could begin next spring or
summer, Ullman said.
The Commerce D epart
m ent has contributed $1.8
million to the project. Other
funding has come from the
■tJ/S. • ¡D epartm ent ' f o f
Agriculture's Rural Develop
ment Agency, Indian Health
Services and the Environ
mental Protection Agency, {
Several state and federal
officials joined Schweitzer
and Blackfeet Chief Earl Old
Person at the ceremony, in
cluding Commerce Director
Anthony Preite.,
New Energy
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