Beer trucks haul unconsumed products away from Whiteclay after sales were halted by the Nebraska Attorney General. Photo by Patrick Joel Pulliam
Whiteclay decision comes full circle
By Ernestine Chasing Hawk
Native Sun News Today Editor
nativesunnews.today WHITECLAY, Neb. – Budweiser trucks were seen loading up beer in Whiteclay on the morning of May 1 after the Nebraska State Attorney General temporarily halted sales there. While Indian Country was still celebrating the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission’s unanimous vote to deny the renewal of licenses for four Whiteclay liquor stores, a Lancaster County District Court Judge was ruling the decision “void in its face.” On Thursday April 27, Judge Andrew Jacobsen ruled the Liquor Commission acted beyond their scope when they denied renewal of the licenses on April 19 and ordered the Liquor Commission to reinstate the licenses to keep the beer stores open. In a quick turn of events Nebraska’s Attorney General’s Office filed an appeal of Jacobsen’s ruling, which superseded the judge’s decision until the Nebraska Court of Appeals can rule. Liquor licenses for Jumping Eagle Inn, State Line Liquor, Arrowhead Inn and D&S Pioneer were set to expire April 30, and under advisement of their attorneys, the four stores shuttered their doors. In a statement released shortly after the Liquor commission decision to deny renewal of the Whiteclay liquor stores licenses, Oglala Sioux Tribal President Scott Weston said the decision was, “The first step in the direction of rebuilding our Tribal Nation.” He said the commission’s decision will allow the Oglala Sioux Tribe to focus on rehabilitation for tribal members who struggle with alcohol addiction. “It has been the intent for generations to reclaim and rebuild and give that positive identity back to our Tribal membership,” Weston stated. Members of Lakota Hope, a church organized to assist those who live on the streets of Whiteclay, planned to be there this week to provide water, food and referrals to detox centers.
Read the rest of the story on the Native Sun News Today website: Whiteclay decision comes full circle (Contact Ernestine Chasing Hawk at executiveeditor@nativesunnews.today) Copyright permission Native Sun News
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