Michigan tribe pushes for compact negotiations

Tuesday, May 17, 2005  

The Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians called on Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) to negotiate a compact for a Class III casino n Allegan County.

Tribal leaders said on Monday that gaming is inevitable now that the Bureau of Indian Affairs has agreed to take 147 acres in trust for an initial reservation [Federal Register Notice]. They are planning to hold a job fair and start working on a casino in hopes of pressuring the state to act.

The tribe has been seeking an initial reservation for several years but was held up in the courts. A federal judge recently dismissed all remaining challenges.

Get the Story:
Tribal leader says folks betting on casino (The Grand Rapids Press 5/17)
Gun Lake tribe urges Granholm to negotiate casino compact (AP 5/16)
Tribe: Allegan County casino "going to happen" (WWMT 5/16)
Gun Lake casino operator ups ante (The Grand Rapids Press 5/16)