News

The White House has announced that Karen Diver, chairwoman of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, has accepted the position of special assistant to President Obama for Native American Affairs, and will assume her new duties November 16 in Washington DC. She becomes the first elected tribal leader to serve in a senior position at the White House.

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The new Red Lake Nation Capitol complex is an “extraordinary achievement that reflects the wisdom, determination and commitment” of the Red Lake people themselves, according to U.S. Congressman Collin Peterson, one of more than 200 dignitaries and guests attending the grand opening of the complex on Monday.

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Officials of the Red Lake Nation are putting the final touches on plans for the grand opening of the tribe’s new capitol complex set for Monday, August 17. The 9 am ceremony at the new facility launches a week of celebration as the tribe dedicates the impressive complex, which includes the new government center, Red Lake Nation College, veterans memorial and new pow-wow grounds.

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A U.S. District Court judge has ruled in favor of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in its ongoing dispute with the City of Duluth over revenue sharing from the tribe’s downtown casino.

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Representative Betty McCollum (D-MN) has issued a statement responding to what she described as “insulting” testimony offered at a recent Congressional hearing on HR 511, the Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act of 2015. The proposed legislation would reaffirm tribal exemption from the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), putting tribal employers on the same footing as federal, state and local government employers. The NLRA applies to most private sector companies, but is not applicable to federal, state and local governments, employers who employ only agricultural workers, and airline and railroad employers subject to the Railway Labor Act. (more…)

Just days before the end of the 2015 session, the Minnesota Legislature has passed a bill requiring the Minnesota Lottery to stop offering online scratch-off games. Governor Dayton has indicated he will not veto the bill, which passed with overwhelming support in both chambers. Dayton vetoed a similar bill in 2014. (more…)

Mille Lacs Chief Executive Melanie Benjamin will welcome tribal representatives from around the country to one of her tribe’s two downtown St. Paul hotels on Monday, May 27, for a groundbreaking “Tribal Energy Summit” offered by the nation’s first 100-percent tribally owned conference and event company. The 3-day conference will be held at the Crowne Plaza Riverfront on Kellogg Boulevard. (more…)

The Minnesota Legislature is considering no less than fifteen separate proposals that would enact changes in Minnesota lottery and charitable gambling, and authorize new gambling forms and venues in the state.

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The Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel reported on Friday, January 23 that Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has denied the request of the Menominee Tribe to open an off-reservation casino in Kenosha. The project had been endorsed by Kenosha County but faced strong opposition from the Potawatomi and Ho-Chunk Tribes, who believed a Kenosha casino would harm their existing casino operations. (more…)

Minnesota tribal leaders join hundreds of their counterparts from across the nation today at the 6th annual White House Tribal Nations Conference hosted by President Barack Obama. Tribal officials will advise the President and several Cabinet members on the most pressing challenges facing their communities, including rampant unemployment, high violent crime rates, and failing schools. (more…)