I first started at the Bemidji (Minn.) Pioneer as an intern in the summer of 1996. That would begin six years as a news reporter, sports reporter and copy editor for a small, six-day-per-week daily newspaper in northern Minnesota. I wrote a large range of stories from multiple beats, to features to sports, my favorite being the coverage of the Red Lake Reservation High School basketball team named the Warriors. Here is a collection of my stories from my time at the Pioneer.
Aug. 16, 1996
By Devlyn Brooks
Staff Writer
According to four members of the Leech Lake Tribal Council, The Palace and The Northern Lights casinos operated by the Leech Lake Band could be closed because newly appointed top officials are not properly licensed.
The four members of the Leech Lake Tribal Council, who have been at odds with newly elected Chairman Eli Hunt, announced Thursday in a news release that by firing licensed casino officials and replacing them with his own "inexperienced political cronies," Hunt is in violation of federal legislation that permits American Indians to own and operate casinos. The appointees are not properly licensed to hold those positions, the councilen claimed.
A letter addressed to Hunt from Philip Hogen, commissioner of the National Indian Gaming Commission, states that Hogen is trying to establish whether the Leech Lake gaming operation may be in violation of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act "with respect to the employment of key and primary management employees in the gaming operation, who have not met licensing or background investigation requirements."
Hunt the employees in question are newly appointed interim Gaming Director Martin Jennings and Gaming Controller Burton Howard, who replaced former Director Charlie Brown and Controller George Wells.
"Yes, I'm aware of that," Hunt said about the employees needing to be licensed. "The interim director and the gaming controller are in possession of temporary licenses, which is ordinary for new employees."
Hunt said background investigations are currently being done on the two employees and would probably be completed in a couple of months. At which point, if they are cleared, they will submit applications to the National Indian Gaming Commission for licenses.
This is more than he could say about former Gaming Controller George Wells, Hunt said, adding that he has never seen documentation proving Wells was licensed.
The letter further states Hunt has not responded to repeated attempts by the NIGC commissioner to contact him, and Hunt was not at a meeting Tuesday between Hogen and the other four tribal council members in Minneapolis. It adds that Hunt also refused to participate in the meeting via telephone.
Hogen states in the letter the information he received at the meeting was consistent with earlier information the NIGC had learned, and if the gaming operation is in violation of the federal regulations, which it seems to be, it could lead to a closure of the casinos or to substantial fines. The fines could be as much as $50,000 per day, according to the Leech Lake Tribal Council's news release.
"We need to make sure our casinos stay open so that the 900 people we employ are not put out of their jobs," said Alfred Fairbanks Jr., a tribal councilor. "We have disagreed with Hunt's attempts to fire officials and replace them with his friends, and he has not listened. Hunt has ignored our Council, our policies and procedures and all due process. Now he is also ignoring the federal authorities."
Hunt said he believes nothing is going to happen because the employees are temporary licensed. "If the four council members would check, they would see they have them."
A gaming official at the Leech Lake gaming office would not comment on whether the two new employees had temporary licenses because she said she was not authorized to discuss gaming operations with the press.
Hunt said in regard to the license issue, he is currently investigating with the NIGC whether it is legal for Councilors Dan Brown and Myron Ellis to oversee the Leech Lake gaming operations because they previously have been convicted of crimes.
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