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.
Sept. 9, 1999
By Devlyn Brooks
RED LAKE -- Unemployment. Alcohol abuse. Lack of a trained workforce. Housing shortages.
The Red Lake and Leech Lake tribal councils discovered Wednesday they have many common challenges, and yet good things are happening on both reservations.
The two bodies met at the Red Lake headquarters for the first time in more than 20 years to solidify a relationship that leaders from both tribes said is long over due.
The two tribes talked about social issues concerning both such as alcohol use, the welfare program and unemployment.
But they also talked about positive things as well: Red Lake's expansion of its River Road Casino in Thief River Falls, the recent passing of a Leech Lake referendum to build a new Northern Lights Casino in Walker and Red Lake's successful ventures into tribally owned businesses.
"Our common bond is that we are all Anishinabe," Red Lake Tribal Chairman Bobby Whitefeather said at a morning ceremony on the southern shores of the powerful Lower Red Lake. "Even though we are separated by distance, we have many common bonds. Our language will bind us together always."
After the morning pipe ceremony, both councils adjourned to the Red Lake Tribal headquarters where for nearly four hours they talked issues, joked and agreed they should meet again and often.
The biggest concern mentioned by both tribes was economic development with all its facets: unemployment, gaming issues and lack of economic diversity.
Leech Lake council members asked about Red Lake's expansion in Thief River Falls, and Red Lake councilors asked about Leech Lake's recent narrow approval of the new casino project.
But the talk also turned to the need to diversify the tribal economies to create jobs outside of gaming. Leech Lake Chairman Eli Hunt said he hopes to use his tribe's gaming proceeds to create job in each of the three Leech Lake Reservation districts.
"It's frustrating as chairmen to look around and see unmet needs on the reservation," he said. "As elected leaders, we are discovering that federal and state appropriations are not meeting our needs."
He said the two greatest road blocks to employing more people are a lack of transportation and child care.
Whitefeather said his tribe has helped itself greatly with projects such as its manufactured homes company.
Another key project is the Red Lake Employment Opportunities Education Center, which when built will house all of the tribe's social programs under one roof. The money was garnered through a grant and the effort was spearheaded by state Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe.
Hunt suggested that his tribe could co-host a future economic summit for all of northern Minnesota's American Indian tribes so that all of the tribes could gather and share ideas.
Whitefeather agreed, saying that Red Lake's experience with hosting its own economic summit for fours years would greatly help.
Other issues the tribes discussed included a lack of health care, a lack of housing and community violence.
"We want to discuss what we can do as a council so that we don't lose any more ground," Hunt said. "We have to keep our friends and make friends with our neighbors who are not our friends."
コメント