Tohono O'odham Nation hails end to anti-casino measure

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

A bill that aimed to prevent the Tohono O'odham Nation of Arizona from pursuing an off-reservation casino appears dead for now.

Chairman Ned Norris Jr. acknowledged Arizona Senate President Bob Burns (R) for killing HB2297. Norris said opposition to the bill, which would have allowed any municipality to annex tribal-owned fee land without tribal consent, was growing in Indian Country.

The tribe plans to use 135 acres of unincorporated land near Glendale for the $500 million West Valley Resort. The tribe's land-into-trust application has languished at the Bureau of Indian Affairs for nearly a year.

Get the Story:
Anti-casino plan stalls in Senate (The Arizona Republic 3/30)
Senate dashes bill to block west-side casino (The Phoenix Business Journal 3/29)

Earlier Stories:
Lawmaker halts bill that targeted Tohono O'odham casino (3/29)
Editorial: Casino foes seek to steal Tohono O'odham land (3/24)
Tohono O'odham Nation sues over off-reservation casino (3/23)
Tohono O'odham Nation slams bill targeting casino bid (3/18)
Vote planned on bill targeting Tohono O'odham casino (3/16)
Tohono O'odham Nation loses ruling in gaming site case (3/12)
NCAI joins Tohono O'odham off-reservation casino fight (3/9)
Tohono O'odham off-reservation casino bid still at BIA (3/8)
Bill affects Tohono O'odham off-reservation casino bid (2/26)
Bill targets Tohono O'odham off-reservation casino bid (2/3)
Tohono O'odham Nation 'more committed' to casino (1/28)
Sen. Kyl voices opposition to Tohono O'odham casino (1/27)
McCain joins opposition to off-reservation casino bid (1/21)
Tohono O'odham Nation won't drop off-reservation bid (1/20)