Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation must wait for support on casino

Thursday, August 20, 2015

An undated artist's rendering of a proposed Class II gaming facility in DeKalb County, Illinois. Image from Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation

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The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation of Kansas will have to wait longer to find out whether Dekalb County, Illinois, will back a land-into-trust application for a Class II gaming facility.

A resolution to support an application with the Bureau of Indian Affairs was on the agenda for a board of supervisors meeting on Wednesday night. But officials tabled the issue after saying they wanted to learn more about the development, The DeKalb Daily Chronicle reported.

"I suggest that we remove it from tonight’s agenda so that we can become better educated on exactly what the effects of this resolution are," board vice chairman Tracy Jones said at the meeting, the paper reported.

A view of the ancestral Shab-eh-nay Reservation in Illinois. Photo from Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation

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The tribe wants to open a 24-hour Class II facility on 128 acres of ancestral land. The property is located within the historic 1,280-acre Shab-eh-nay Reservation, which was set aside for Chief Shab-eh-nay and his band by treaty in 1829.

The tribe contends the reservation has never been extinguished by Congress and has generally been well received in the community. An agreement reached in 2008 covers revenue sharing and other impacts of a proposed casino.

The tribe paid $8.8 million in 2006 for the 128 acres.

Get the Story:
Shabbona residents voice concerns after Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation’s Land in Trust request tabled (The DeKalb County Chronicle 8/20)
DeKalb County Puts Support For Potawatomi Bingo Hall On Hold (Northern Public Radio 8/20) Related Stories:
Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation wants Illinois property in trust (8/19)
Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation touts Illinois casino benefits (08/07)
Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation revives plan for Illinois casino (8/5)