Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians

Lansing's mayor wants a third term

Steve Carmody — Fri, 10 May 2013 18:00:39 +0000

Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero says he wants four more years in office. He formally announced his campaign today.

“I’m telling you folks … Lansing is on the verge,” the partisan crowd groaned, and then laughed, as Virg Bernero joked at his campaign kickoff.

Tribe appeals injunction blocking Lansing casino project

Steve Carmody — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 20:20:06 +0000

Backers of a proposed casino in downtown Lansing are asking a federal appeals court to toss out a legal ruling that threatens to bring their plans to a halt.

Last month a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians’ plans to build a $245 million casino in downtown Lansing.

Michigan’s attorney general sought the injunction claiming the tribe’s plans violated federal law and a state gambling compact.

Craps: Lansing casino project in jeopardy

Steve Carmody — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 23:36:00 +0000

Plans for a casino in downtown Lansing are in jeopardy this evening.

The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians wants to build a $245 million casino next to Lansing’s convention center. However, before the tribe could build the casino, the U.S. Department of the Interior would have to agree to take the land for the casino into trust.

But Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette filed a lawsuit trying to block the tribe's trust request.

Coalition seeks to reverse Michigan's wolf hunt law

Rick Pluta — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 22:06:18 +0000

The group trying to reverse Michigan’s new law that allows a wolf-hunting season in the Upper Peninsula unveiled its campaign coalition today.

It includes the Humane Society and other animal rights groups, as well as Michigan’s American Indian tribes. The coalition is trying to put a referendum on the 2014 ballot.

Aaron Payment is the chair of the Sault Sainte Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. He said a wolf hunt would be an affront to tribal culture.

“In our tradition, in our culture, we believe that the wolf is our brother. And, I don’t mean this to sound very mystical, but in our long-standing tradition, we believe that what happens to the wolf, eventually happens to us,” said Payment.

Payment said a wolf hunt could also violate a 2007 agreement between Indian tribes and the state of Michigan.

Supporters of the law say state wildlife officials should be allowed to use limited hunting as a wolf-management tool. The gray wolf was removed from the endangered species list in Michigan last year.

Federal judge will hear arguments over Lansing's proposed downtown casino

Steve Carmody — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 20:28:00 +0000

A federal judge in Grand Rapids will hear arguments Wednesday in a case that may determine if Lansing will get a downtown casino.

A year ago, the Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians announced plans to build a casino that would wrap around Lansing’s downtown convention center. The plan included the construction of a temporary casino along Michigan Ave.

Tribe asks federal court to dismiss "meritless" state lawsuit to block Lansing casino

Steve Carmody — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 18:25:56 +0000

The Upper Peninsula Native American Tribe says a lawsuit trying to prevent it from building a casino in Lansing is “utterly without merit”.

Michigan’s Attorney General filed a lawsuit in September challenging the right of the Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians to build a casino in downtown Lansing.

Attorney General Bill Schuette says the casino project would violate federal law, as well as a gaming compact with the state.

But in its response to the state’s lawsuit this week, the tribe describes the state’s case as “meritless”.

Deadline ahead for Lansing casino project

Steve Carmody — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 11:22:55 +0000

A deadline is looming for a proposed downtown Lansing casino.

The proposed $245 million casino project involves a complicated business and land deal between the city of Lansing, private developers and an indian tribe from the Upper Peninsula.

So complicated those involved were not able to reach an agreement on the various aspects of the project by an August deadline. So they gave themselves an extension until November 1^st.

But with two weeks before the extended deadline there’s still no final agreement.

Michigan's Attorney General files suit to block proposed Lansing casino

Steve Carmody — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 01:18:56 +0000

Michigan’s Attorney General has filed a lawsuit to block plans for a casino in Lansing.

The Sault Sainte Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians announced plans in January to build a $245 million casino next to Lansing’s convention center.

Attorney General Bill Schuette claims the casino project violates federal law and a gaming compact with the state.

Lansing casino project misses self-imposed deadline

Steve Carmody — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 20:41:13 +0000

Plans for a casino in downtown Lansing are taking longer to pull together than developers had originally planned.

Lansing casino plan critic wins tribal chairmanship election

Steve Carmody — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 14:35:40 +0000

A critic of part of the plan to build a casino in downtown Lansing has just been elected to lead one of the groups involved in the project.

Tribe votes in favor of Lansing casino project

Steve Carmody — Fri, 04 May 2012 01:36:27 +0000

A majority of Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians members have voted in favor of their tribe building a casino in downtown Lansing.

The vote clears the way for what is sure to be bigger challenges to the casino project.

Tribal leaders had predicted the outcome of the referendum from the start. The voting started last month when the tribe mailed ballots to more than 14 thousand tribal members.

In the end, more than 39 hundred Sault Ste Marie tribe members voted in favor of the Lansing casino project. 23 hundred members voted against it.

Roger Martin is the tribe’s spokesman. He says the next phase of the project will involve paperwork.

“The hope is the have the land purchase completed and the application to take the land into trust by the Department of the Interior by Summer,” says Martin.

The federal government must agree to take the land into trust for the tribe so it can be used for gaming.

Other tribes that operate casinos near Lansing, as well as Governor Snyder, oppose a casino in the capital city. Legal challenges to the project are expected.

Lansing mayor Virg Bernero issued a statement thanking the tribe for its affirmative vote.

"I am more convinced than ever that this is the right project at the right time with the right partners. The Lansing Kewadin casino will create thousands of good jobs, fully-fund college scholarships for Lansing public school children, and generate hundreds of millions in new economic activity for the Lansing region." Bernero said in his statement."

Tribal vote on Lansing casino project nearing an end

Steve Carmody — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 20:01:01 +0000

Voting wraps up this week in a referendum that may decide if plans for a casino in downtown Lansing can move forward.

Ballots were mailed to 14 thousand members of the Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians earlier this month.

The basic question is should the tribe move ahead with plans to build a $245 million casino adjacent to Lansing’s downtown convention center.

Tribe members start voting this week on a proposed casino in Lansing

Steve Carmody — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 19:39:01 +0000

Ballots are being mailed this week to more than 14 thousand members of the Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. The vote may decide if the tribe will go ahead with plans to build a casino in downtown Lansing.

The proposed casino is controversial, not just among those who generally oppose any effort to expand gambling in Michigan, but also among some Sault Ste Marie tribe members.

The tribe already operates five casinos in the Upper Peninsula. But some tribe members don’t like the way revenue from a Lansing casino would be divided.

Lansing city council gives OK to controversial casino project

Steve Carmody — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 03:57:13 +0000

A controversial plan to build a casino in downtown Lansing cleared an important hurdle last night.

The Lansing city council gave its approval for the Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians’ plan to build a casino next to the city’s convention center.

Council members who voted for the casino cited the jobs it will create and a college scholarship program for Lansing children it will fund.

Proposed Lansing casino faces key hurdle tonight

Steve Carmody — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 05:01:01 +0000

The Lansing city council has several items dealing with the casino project on its agenda tonight.

All the items must pass for the $245 million project to move forward.

City council president Brian Jeffries last week questioned if the city is giving up too much in the deal with the Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and a group of local investors.

The proposal has drawn opposition from critics of casino gambling., other tribes that operate casinos, as well as the governor and state attorney general.