The Keweenaw Bay Ojibwe (2014)

WIIKWEDONG

DAZHI-OJIBWE

The Keweenaw Bay Ojibwe

Onaabani Giizis - Crusty Moon - March 2014 Issue 116

Tribal Council Members:

10th Annual Midwinter Powwow Held at KBIC

Donald Shalifoe, Sr., Ogimaa

Carole LaPointe, Vice-President

Jean Jokinen, Secretary

Gary F. Loonsfoot, Sr., Asst. Secretary

Eddy Edwards, Treasurer

Warren C. Swartz, Jr.

Susan J. LaFernier

Jennifer Misegan

Robert D. (RD) Curtis, Jr.

Michael F. LaFernier, Sr.

Elizabeth (Chiz) Matthews

Don Messer, Jr.

SPECIAL POINTS

OF INTEREST:



February 8, 2014

Council Meeting



10th Annual Midwinter Powwow



Aanikoosing, Inc. Timeline



Mining Updates



KBIC Holds Healthy Heart

Fair



MTU Recruits Denomie for

Football Career



Ojibwa Senior News

Picture by Lauri Denomie.

Honoring KBIC were: left to right, Angel Loonsfoot, Junior Head Girl Dancer; Assiniis Chosa, Junior

Head Boy Dancer; Nancy Shalifoe, Head Lady Dancer; Rodney Loonsfoot, Head Veteran Dancer; Paul

Smith, Head Man Dancer; Bryton Loonsfoot, Youth Head Man Dancer; and Aleah Maskew, Youth Head

Lady Dancer.

th

The 10 Annual Traditional Winter

Powwow was held on the Keweenaw

Bay Indian Reservation on Saturday,

February 1, 2014, at the Niiwin Akeaa

Community Center in Baraga, Michigan.

The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community’s Cultural Committee began the

day’s events by recognizing the Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College. (See separate article, page nine).

Grand Entries were held at 1 pm

and 6 pm with Rodney Loonsfoot, Head

Veteran Dancer, leading the KBIC Veteran Honor Guard into the arena.

Stanley Spruce served as Master of

Ceremonies, George Gauthier as Arena

Director, and Kyle Gauthier as Assistant

Arena Director. Host Drum was the

Four Thunders, and invited drums were:

Beartown Singers, Summer Cloud, and

Woodland Singers. Miss Keweenaw

Bay, Kristina Misegan, was honored at

this event along with Tribal Elders:

Philomena Ekdahl and Leo “Manny” Durant. Tracy Emery was honored for her

courageous battle against cancer in

conjunction with the Pink Shawl Honor

Dance.

Tribal

With 127 registered dancers and six

drums, the Community enjoyed a day of

peacefulness with the drum, the heartbeat of Mother Earth. The Community

gathered to share a grand feast late in

the afternoon, just prior to the second

grand entry.

KBIC CUTURAL COMMITTEE RECOGNIZES HONORED ELDERS

Leo “Manny” Durant was born on March 16, 1939,

to Bertha Nadeau and Leo Durant, Sr., in Baraga,

Michigan. He is single and the father of seven children,

who have given him 13 grandchildren and 11 greatgrandchildren. Manny has worked for the Department

of Health and Human Services as a volunteer transporter, Ojibwa Housing Authority for lawn care, and currently, he is self-employed doing lawn mowing and

snow plowing. He is a member of the Ojibwa Senior

Citizens and is a student of the Bay Mills Language Immersion Program. In his spare time, he enjoys playing

the guitar.

Honored Elders — Leo “Manny” Durant and Philomena Ekdahl.

Philomena Ekdahl was born on December 1, 1933,

to James Ed and Marcella Ann Loonsfoot, in Assinins,

Michigan. She is the widow of Paul Ekdahl. Philly is

the mother of six boys: Gary, Jim, Ron, Dave, Everett,

and Lyndon, who have given her over 30 grandchildren

and over 17 great-grandchildren. Philly worked for the

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community for 20 years as a

CHS clerk. She has served as a Tribal Council MemContinues on page six.

(1) Bezhig

FEBRUARY 8, 2014 TRIBAL COUNCIL MEETING

The Tribal Council held their regularly scheduled Saturday Tribal Council meeting on February 8, 2014, at the Big Bucks Bingo Hall, in

Baraga, Michigan. Ogimaa Donald Shalifoe, Sr.

presided over the meeting with Carole LaPointe,

Jean Jokinen, Gary F. Loonsfoot, Sr., Eddy Edwards, Michael F. LaFernier, Sr., Susan J.

LaFernier, Elizabeth “Chiz” Matthews, Don

Messer, Jr., Jennifer Misegan, and Warren C.

Swartz, Jr. present.

Ogimaa Donald Shalifoe, Sr., shared numerous Thank You and For Your Information items

addressed to Council. Treasurer Eddy Edwards

gave a verbal Treasurer’s Report (page five) and

Ogimaa Donald Shalifoe, Sr. gave the Ogimaa

Report (page four). Council passed the Department Head Reports for December 2013.

110th District House Representative for the

State, Scott Dianda, introduced Mark Schauer,

the Democratic Candidate for Governor, to the

Council and the Community. Mr. Schauer, a

former Congressman, is from Battle Creek,

Michigan. He has worked very closely with Congressman Stupak. Schauer indicated that he

had spoken with some of the Tribal Council

members this past summer by telephone after

the current Governor wrote the letter concerning

the proposed Marquette Casino.

Schauer

stated, “In my opinion, the letter was very disrespectful, and I think in your words, the tribe was

appalled by his denial after the Department of

Interior had approved moving the Chocolay

Township Casino to the airport location. I was

working for one of the building construction

trades, and your investment would have created

a lot of jobs. I have had a great relationship with

Indian Country. I’ve had a long relationship with

the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi

and was in the state legislature when we approved compacts to allow a number of tribes to

move forward with gaming under the Indian

Gaming Regulatory Act. The tribes have invested millions and millions and millions of dollars and have created hundreds of jobs in the

community. They are supporting their tribal

members with housing, with education, with

health services; and they have made millions of

dollars from investment as a result. I am very

familiar with the challenges that the Upper Peninsula faces, especially with the unemployment

rate over 16% here in Baraga County. My background before politics was in human services. I

used to run ‘meals on wheels’ and ‘home care of

senior citizens’ and everything in-between, so

for me, it is about people, it’s about opportunity,

it’s about fairness, and it’s about growing an

economy that works for everyone. I was appalled, too, when I read Governor Snyder’s letter. I described it as arrogant. What you will

have in me is a friend, and that is based on my

track record. In Congress, I was part of the Native American Caucasus because of my support

for Indian Country. You will have a friend;

someone who works from a position of respect

and that of having a relationship based on winwin for Tribal Members and the broader community. This is because I know the great things you

are doing here, and the great things you’d like to

be doing, and it will not just benefit your members because of your great leadership, but it will

benefit the broader community as well. I am

very humble to have a chance to meet you, and

I look forward to getting to know each other

more. The Upper Peninsula will be very important to me.”

Jean Jokinen requested Council assist in arranging the BIA priorities in our BIA funding by

responding via e-mail to Sarah Maki, Grant/

Contracts Specialist, with their listing of priorities

1-10.

Jennifer Misegan shared as an FYI, the August 2010 Feasibility Study Casino/Waterpark,

and noted that before something like this is

done, it is important to have a feasibility study.

Susan J. LaFernier shared information from the

March 25, 2010 Council meeting regarding Casino Project Task Force Option Presentation. All

the options were discussed in this document,

and it was suggested that Council should take a

look at this information. Motion by Susan J.

LaFernier that there be a new Casino Project

Task Force appointed, and they review all

these same options from 2010 and updates;

supported by Warren C. Swartz, Jr. Eight

supported (Shalifoe, LaPointe, Loonsfoot, M.

LaFernier, S. LaFernier, Matthews, Misegan,

Swartz); three opposed (Jokinen, Edwards,

(2) Niizh

Messer); 0 abstained; one absent (Curtis);

motion carried. If you are a Community Member and would like to participate, contact Jean

Jokinen, Council Secretary.

Treasurer Eddy Edwards presented the

Baraga Lakeside Property/New Casino Proposal. Mr. Edwards shared a concept print of a

vision of what this new casino could be. Mr. Edwards said, “We went through the idea we had

in 2010; we had a marketing study completed,

and we looked at three options. We looked at

relocating the Chocolay Casino to the Negaunee

Airport Property. We looked at relocating the

Baraga Casino to the Lakefront. We looked at

renovating the existing casino where it is. In

2010, we thought Marquette was our best option, so we went forward with that, and we finished our Land Into Trust Application. We did

the business plan, and we completed that application and submitted it. The Bureau of Indian

Affairs agreed it made sense in the benefit of all

the communities involved, and we relied on the

Governor to concur. The Governor did not concur, and he put a kibosh to that project. That

land into trust is not going to go into trust. We

can sit around, wait for the next Governor, reapply, and try again, or we decide we are now going to look at this Baraga Lakeside Waterfront

Proposal relocation that was studied in 2010. In

that study, it says that we can make a lot more

money down there. From what we made this

last fiscal year, this new proposed casino based

on their per forma, would bring in an additional

$17 million over the first five years, over-andabove what we made. That is not total revenue;

that is additional revenue. That is what this feasibility study shows. The feasibility study also

looked at just renovating the current Baraga casino by putting in new carpet and new bathrooms, rearranging the slot floor, putting in new

air conditioning, and things like that. Over the

first five years, they showed incremental profits

of a little over 8.4 million; about half of what it

would be down there (lakefront). If we look at

this site feasibility study we had the engineers

do, this is just to show that a casino can be built

on the site. It is not the final design. It is meant

to be a concept from an engineering point of

view that the property may be built upon. If you

have ever been to Lake Tahoe, you know what

I’m talking about. There are a lot of casinos

there with a big beautiful lake. There is a road

that goes around the lake with a little bit of property between the road and the lake. There are

big casinos there; they don’t sprawl out where

you have to walk a mile from a slot machine to

the restaurant. They go up because everything

is directed to the lake, to the beautiful view. We

did this site study and had the engineers drill

holes through the soil to do a soil analysis to

determine if this site could be built upon. In that

soils report that the Council has, it says it is

buildable. So we did the engineering study that

says it is buildable. We did a site plan that says

we can add 400 parking spaces; we can have

33,000 square feet of gaming space if we want;

we can put this big parking garage; and we can

build it, so we may do future expansion, so the

parking garage may go up further or even add

luxury suites on top of that parking garage. It is

all in how we design and plan it. If we move forward today, we would then hire casino design

experts to work with a local firm to come up with

a final design. We would have to get a lot of

Community input as to what amenities we would

need to have, how it would look, and whether we

would have floral Ojibwa designs as our theme

throughout the whole place. This will all have to

be determined. We will have to meet with casino staff for their needs regarding security and

surveillance, slots, management, etc. Is this

something you want to do? We can wait, do

more studies, focus groups, feasibility studies,

engineering studies, more gaming market assessment studies, and we can keep waiting and

waiting and waiting. If you don’t want to do this,

then maybe we can look at renovating this building, or building somewhere else, or going back

to Marquette and looking at other properties

down on the lakefront there. I am not asking for

a final approval today; I am asking the Council to

direct me to go negotiate with the owner of this

motel and come up with a final price, and then

come back with the price and a group of potential people whom we can hire to be our design

experts. We will need a capital structure that we

will need to develop. How are we going to pay

for this? How much money are we going to

spend? Are we going to borrow the money?

How much of our own money are we going to

use? We can then talk to Leo A. Day Associates, who are casino experts in designing, and

sit down with them and bring forward all these

amenities that the people want and put an estimate price tag on what it is going to cost to build

something like this. We will then ask for a final

approval before moving forward. Final approval

will include the Council giving a final approval on

the casino, knowing who is going to design it for

us, how we are going to pay for it, a good cost

estimate on a final design based on what we all

decide will be in there. Then the people,

through a popular referendum, give it the final

approval of whether we are going to do it. In this

proposal, I talked about the estimated increase

in profit of $17 million during the first five years.

I talked about the ability to create a premier entertainment destination for our Community on

our reservation, on our home base. We all know

that this current building is at the end of its current life, and it is well past its useful life. What

are we going to do about it? We have the financial capacity to relocate; we have the money.

This Council and Tribe have been putting away

money every year, putting it into the savings account. In the end, we will look at the capital

structure. What is the best use of money to

make this happen if the Council and the people

approve it? The Baraga Lakeside Motel and

marina properties are for sale at a potentially

very fair price, and the site will also include properties already owned by us, i.e. the radio station

building and the planning and development offices. We will have to move these sites someplace else. The engineering study shows the

site can be built on. The site feasibility shows

we can build a modern multi-story entertainment

facility with a marina that has lakeshore access.

If we build this, we are going to use all of our

people wherever we can and hire people like

Gundlach or Moyle or somebody like that to fill in

the gaps that we don’t have.”

Councilman Warren C. Swartz, Jr. said, “It is

not news that our casino needs to be upgraded

or relocated. If the people want that, that is what

we should do as that is what we are all about,

the will of the people. But it is important that the

people of the Community know the ramifications

of their decisions also. Who are we going to

hold accountable concerning this $17 million

Visitors at the February 8th Council Meeting got the chance to view a concept of the proposed

Baraga lake side Casino proposal.

dollars that is promised to us, that we will supposedly make over the next five years? We

need more information; however, I am in favor of

the motion, and I think it is important that we

move forward here. At the same time, I think it

is important we know the cost to not only the

Community but to our people. What if we don’t

make those projections? I do feel it is the right

thing to do, but at the same time, I think the right

thing to do is to take a look at the totality of the

project. How much is it going to cost? How

much of it is going to come back in to it? How

long is it going to take us to pay that money

back? We only have ten years left on the compact. I think we all know that if this fails what

programs are going down to support the repayment of this new casino. I just want to make

sure all of the members of the Community realize the ramifications of their decision.”

Councilman Gary Loonsfoot, Sr., stated, “We

are already looking at a decline in the income

from our casinos. That $225 (senior allowance)

may not be $225 in the next year or so if we stay

at the same pace we are going now with the current building we have now.”

Council heard numerous comments from the

audience. Motion by Carole LaPointe to direct Eddy Edwards to negotiate with the

owner of Baraga Lakeside for Council and

Community approval; supported by Gary

Loonsfoot, Sr. Eight supported (Shalifoe,

LaPointe, Jokinen, Loonsfoot, Edwards, Matthews, Messer, Swartz); two opposed (M.

LaFernier, Misegan); one abstained (S.

LaFernier); one absent (Curtis); motion carried.

Motion by Gary Loonsfoot, Sr., to have

Community members sign up for the new

Casino Project Task Force and give the Community two weeks to sign up for the Task

Force, and Council will pick members after

the deadline; supported by Carole LaPointe.

Ten supported (LaPointe, Jokinen, Loonsfoot, Edwards, M. LaFernier, S. LaFernier,

Matthews, Messer, Misegan, Swartz); 0 opposed; one abstained (Shalifoe); one absent

(Curtis); motion carried.

The Third Reading of the Proposed Changes

to Title 10 – Tribal Commercial Ice Fishermen

be exempt from the boat inspection. Motion by

Michael F. LaFernier, Sr., to approve Title 10

of the Tribal Code - Hunting, Fishing, Trapping, and Gathering, Chapter 2.10 Section

10.204D (1) that Tribal Commercial Ice Fishermen are exempt from the boat inspection

process, and that exemption expires when

the ice melts; supported by Jennifer Misegan. Nine supported (Shalifoe, LaPointe,

Jokinen, Loonsfoot, M. LaFernier, Matthews,

Messer, Misegan, Swartz); 0 opposed; 0 abstained; two absent (Curtis, Edwards was out

of the room); motion carried.

As Sgt. Dale Goodreau was called away for

duty, Jean Jokinen addressed Council on his

behalf regarding a Compressor/Trailer purchase

through the Tribal Cops Grant. Sgt. Goodreau

wants to purchase a compressor for the diving

equipment they will be receiving and a trailer to

haul their equipment.

The compressor is

$14,500.00 and the trailer is $7,700.00 which

will all be covered by the Tribal Cops Grant. No

bids were present. Motion by Gary Loonsfoot,

Sr. to table until the next meeting; supported

by Susan J. LaFernier.

Nine supported

(Shalifoe, LaPointe, Loonsfoot, S. LaFernier,

M. LaFernier, Matthews, Messer, Misegan,

Swartz); one opposed (Jokinen); 0 abstained;

two absent (Curtis, Edwards was out of the

room); motion carried.

An update was given by Andy Chosa, a

member of the Aanikoosing, Inc. Board of Directors regarding the Marquette Gas Station. Mr.

Chosa handles the finances for the Aanikoosing,

Inc.

Donny Koski and Tony Rabitaille,

Aanikoosing, Inc. Board members were also

present. Councilpersons: Warren C. Swartz, Jr.

and Don Messer also sit on the Aanikoosing,

Inc. Board. Mr. Chosa said, “The Tribe received

two grants. The first was to build a gas station

in the amount of $800,000.00. The second one

was to incorporate a second entity under Tribal

Code, so that we could have our own corporation to handle this enterprise in the amount of

$600,000.00. The Tribe appointed a Board and

created their own corporate code. The Board is

known as Aanikoosing, Inc. which means togetherness, unity. There are two primary projects Aanikoosing is working on: the gas station

in Marquette and cigarette manufacturing. Greg

Nominelli, who has been appointed our interim

CEO, is also the Economic Developer for the

Tribe. The Board has been meeting on a

monthly basis. The land on US41, Marquette,

where the former Los Tres Amigos Restaurant

was located, is a great spot. A feasibility study

has been done, and it is pure gold. There is

plenty of opportunity in that location. The deadline to build the gas station was officially January

11th. We had spent out a significant portion of

that grant in order to break ground. We have

tanks in the ground; we are going to have the

product dispensing equipment installed as soon

as this frost breaks. We were able to go back to

HUD, the granting agency, and get an extension

because of the harsh winter and the fact that we

have already got the plan in place and the project can be completed in a timeline that is realistic. We are shooting for a July 4th grand opening. There will be signage placed at the site

soon. We plan on staffing from the top down.”

Greg Nominelli said, “With the Governor’s

opposition to the casino, he has also come out

in opposition to the gas station. So the plan is to

build the gas station on a smaller scale and

hopefully down the road apply for Land In Trust,

which will be Council’s decision, not this

Board’s. If the land gets placed in trust, the gas

station will expand because the volume will increase because it will be similar to the Pine’s

discount. By building it without Land In Trust, it

will defuse the opposition, and the Governor and

the gas station owners cannot fight against a

gas station that is complying with all the local

and state laws and regulations, so it has a political effect, and it allows the gas station to be built

sooner rather than later.”

Andy Chosa added, “We have three options.

We can wait to get the Land Into Trust to build a

gas station. We will be facing opposition, and

the Community will be fighting that battle. We

could apply for the Land Into Trust at the same

time that we build it, however, that leaves us

open to numerous environmental challenges,

and anytime we change anything on the site

when there is an application that hasn’t been

reviewed, they demand that it goes back and be

reviewed again. That will take a long time and

would damage the feasibility of the site in the

long run. We have decided to go with the third

option which is to build the business not in trust.

We have done a feasibility study on it as an organization competing against other gas stations

in the area, and it is a profitable business. Is it

going to be the gold mine it will be when it gets

into trust? No, but we can still win. It is a place

that will be profitable. We will still be able to employee individuals. We just have to scale it

down a little bit in order to stay profitable.”

A draft of Memorandum of Understanding

between the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community

Tribal Council and Aanikoosing, Inc. Board of

Directors was presented. “Our job is to provide

prosperity to the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. We want to hear ideas from the Council

and Community members. If they have a business idea and they think it could be a profitable

enterprise for us, we want to hear about it.”

TERO discussion occurred with the hiring of

construction contractors and the requirement

that they need to hire a percentage of Tribal

members. Greg Nominelli said, “There is some

interest in the CEO position from existing Tribal

Board Members. The Board would like to consider them. They have been working with the

Corporation since the beginning, and they would

not participate in the selection process or the

review process; but we want to make sure that

Council would not have any objections to considering internal objections for the position.”

Council’s consensus was to allow this.

Andy Chosa gave an update on the cigarette

manufacturing license. He said, “We have established a corporation to handle cigarette

manufacturing. There is a lot of legal work that

still needs to be done. We have submitted our

application to be reviewed by our legal team

who is handling the cigarette manufacturing; the

tobacco manufacture licensing. We have been

approved with the team that we had, and we can

move forward with that soon.”

Tony Rabitaille added, “There are a lot of

studies that still need to be done. We have options that we need to look into. We have to look

at transporting cigarettes across the state; additional expenditures will go with it. This is a

monumental task. It is not as simple as firing up

those machines. We have a long way to go.

We are navigating our way through all these different hurdles, and they are there. It is on track;

it isn’t going to happen overnight. If anyone is

expecting that machine to turn on in the next few

months, that person is going to be disappointed.

It is just not feasible. We have a long way to go

yet to get the machines turned on. We do have

to wait for responses from our attorneys and our

lawyers, and all that costs money. It is a very

expensive, tedious process.”

Andy Chosa said, “We do have an established brand, technically established.

This

means we worked with Sendens, and they actually produced some cigarettes for us on our behalf. Nish Brand Cigarillos were on shelves for

about a week in upstate New York. We established a brand, so we could grandfather in

something. We are producers now.” Members

were openly invited to attend Aanikoosing, Inc.

meetings.

Motion by Eddy Edwards to approve

Resolution KB-008-2014 Road Maintenance

2014-2016; supported by Michael F.

LaFernier, Sr.

Ten supported (LaPointe,

Jokinen, Loonsfoot, Edwards, S. LaFernier,

M. LaFernier, Matthews, Messer, Misegan,

Swartz); 0 opposed; 0 abstained; two absent

(Curtis, Shalifoe was out of the room); motion carried.

Treasurer Eddy Edwards brought forward the

donations for February 2014. Motion by Eddy

Edwards to approve the February 2014 donations in the amount of $300.00 for the United

Three Fires Against Violence; $500.00 for the

L’Anse Senior Lock-In Party; $500.00 for the

Baraga Bash; $250.00 for the Baraga Girls

Basketball “Pink Out” Night on February 11th

donation for Breast Cancer Month; $295.00

for Tashina Emery for Miss Upper Peninsula

USA Sponsorship for a total of $1845.00;

supported by Susan J. LaFernier. Ten supported (Shalifoe, LaPointe, Jokinen, Loonsfoot, Edwards, S. LaFernier, Matthews,

Messer, Misegan, Swartz); one opposed (M.

LaFernier); 0 abstained; one absent (Curtis);

motion carried.

Motion by Jean Jokinen that hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses are free for Tribal

Members including the Commercial Fishermen; supported by Eddy Edwards. Nine supported (Shalifoe, LaPointe, Jokinen, Loonsfoot, Edwards, M. LaFernier, Matthews,

Messer, Swartz); one opposed (S. LaFernier);

one abstained (Misegan); one absent

(Curtis); motion carried. Susan LaFernier

stated her opposition as “I will continue to rely

on the wisdom of our elders. These license fees

were set many, many years ago.”

Motion by Jean Jokinen that each Tribal

elder, 55 and older, gets one free plate per

year; supported by Jennifer Misegan. Eleven

supported (Shalifoe, LaPointe, Jokinen,

Loonsfoot, Edwards, S. LaFernier, M.

LaFernier, Matthews, Messer, Misegan,

Swartz); 0 opposed; 0 abstained; one absent

(Curtis); motion carried.

Diana Chaudier, Election Board Chair indicated, “The Election Board was informed this

week of proposed changes to the Election Ordinance. These changes come from Resolution

KB-005-2014. The Election Board suggested re

-numbering the definitions; and adding more

discussion on the popular referendum - why and

how this came to be, and who is to conduct it.

We also added section B. We had questions for

Council. Jean Jokinen and Mike Cardinal attended the Election Board meeting to give instructions.” Based on this meeting, the Board

looked at the recommended proposed changes

and came before Council today to move forward

with the legislative process with those changes.

The Board isn’t recommending these changes.

Diana added, “These changes were brought to

us, and we made additional changes which we

needed to fix, so it was clear who was to conduct this type of election.” Motion by Jean

Jokinen to table; supported by Eddy Edwards. Eight supported (Shalifoe, LaPointe,

Jokinen, Loonsfoot, Edwards, Matthews,

Messer, Swartz); three opposed (M.

LaFernier, S. LaFernier, Misegan); 0 abstained; one absent (Curtis); motion carried.

Motion by Warren C. Swartz, Jr. to continue to offer Veteran’s Preference in the Enterprise Policy; supported by Carole LaPointe.

Eleven supported (Shalifoe, LaPointe, Jokinen, Loonsfoot, Edwards, S.

LaFernier, M. LaFernier, Matthews, Messer,

Misegan, Swartz); 0 opposed; 0 abstained;

one absent (Curtis); motion carried.

Council adjourned with no items in closed

session.

~ submitted by Lauri Denomie, Newsletter Editor

(3) Niswi

OGIMAA REPORT FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY 2014

Donald Shalifoe, Sr., Ogimaa, gave a

verbal/written report for the month of January 2014. (The verbal report was transcribed and edited by the Newsletter Editor

with Ogimaa final approval).

A number of changes have been made

to streamline governmental operations at

the Tribal Center.

It was discussed

amongst the people, when I was running for

Council that certain changes needed to be

made at the Tribal Center in order to

streamline operations, so we are not revisiting items from 2004 that have been tabled

(4) Niiwin

forever. It seems that operations have been

pigeonholed for many years. Nobody was

fired. Nobody was terminated. Nobody’s

lifestyle was changed. Individuals were

moved to different positions. We have been

caught up in the backward motion of the

past Council. We are looking to go forward

in this era.

Miigwech.

Donald Shalifoe, Sr., Ogimaa

List of all employee changes including hires,

transfers, separations, temporary appointments, etc. follows.

Aanikoosing Inc. Timeline

February 18, 2014—Aanikoosing Inc.

would like to recap the formation of the corporation and construction of the gas station

in Marquette Township.

In August of 2009, KBIC applied for an

Indian Community Development Block

Grant (ICDBG) from the U.S. Department of

Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

This was to build a gas station on Tribal

land on U.S. 41 in L’Anse. This grant was

approved in January 2010, and an environmental assessment was conducted on the

site by the KBIC Department of Natural Resources (NRD). The NRD found wetlands

on the site and recommended that Council

seek other sites for the gas station.

In the spring of 2010, KBIC evaluated

property adjacent to the Ojibwa II Casino for

the gas station, along M-28. However, this

property is not in Trust. Therefore, KBIC

would need to submit a land-to-trust application to the BIA. While Bruce LaPointe

was showing this property to petroleum industry professionals, they looked at alternate sites. Based upon the strong recommendation from petroleum representatives,

Bruce recommended the purchase of the

current site, on U.S. 41 next to Gander

Mountain and Menards in Marquette Township, to Council. This property was purchased by KBIC on August 23, 2010. The

HUD ICDBG was amended to allow KBIC to

build the gas station at this new site.

While Council was evaluating potential

sites in Marquette County, Lance Morgan, a

member of the Nebraska Winnebago and

Harvard educated attorney, met with KBIC

to advise Council on the benefits of KBIC

enacting its own corporate and limited liability codes and creating new corporations under KBIC laws. On December 11, 2010,

KBIC enacted the Keweenaw Bay Indian

Community Business Corporation Code.

After adopting the code, Jean Jokinen

and Eddy Edwards met with the KBIC Economic Development Committee and Jean

prepared an application for a second grant

from HUD for a Rural Innovation Fund

grant. This grant would provide funds to

KBIC, matched by the previous ICDBG, to

be used to establish a corporation, hire a

CEO, provide training to employees, build

the gas station, and be used for other new

business developments. This grant was

applied for in February of 2011, awarded in

November, and the grant agreement was

accepted by Council on January 27, 2012.

Council met with the KBIC Attorney to

evaluate different corporate structures. On

April 14, 2012, Council approved the incorporation of Aanikoosing Inc., as required by

the Rural Innovation Fund (RIF) grant. In

June, Council published notice to receive

applications to serve on the board of directors for the corporation. Applications were

received, and prospective board members

were interviewed in July. In August, 2012,

Council selected five Tribal Members to

serve on the Aanikoosing Inc. board; two

were members of Council and three were

not. The organizational meeting of the

board of Aanikoosing Inc. was held on September 15, 2012.

On October 22, 2012, KBIC received formal authorization from HUD to extend the

ICDBG for one year. This was due to the

relocation of the site and the creation of

Aanikoosing Inc. to oversee the project.

During the meetings in October and November, the board members were updated

on the actions taken by Council as summarized above. Specifically, the board was

directed to take over the development of the

new gas station, as required in the RIF’s

grant, and consider the development of

other businesses. The board accepted the

responsibility of developing the gas station.

In December, the board reviewed proposals to conduct a market and design

study for the gas station, as desired by

Council. The board entered into an agreement to perform the study with Klas Robinson. The first draft of the study was presented to Aanikoosing Inc. at its March 16,

2013 meeting. The report recommended a

large facility for the Marquette station (larger

than the Pines). The KBIC Economic Developer, serving as the Aanikoosing Inc.

board liaison, contacted the BIA regarding

applying to place the land in trust. A BIA

representative said they were receiving

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests

weekly in their office. Due to the anticipated

opposition to the project, it was recommended that Aanikoosing Inc. do one of two

things. Either get land to trust approval

prior to beginning any construction or build

the facility in its entirety before applying for

land to trust. This is because any work performed on the site would require an additional environmental assessment, which

would provide an opportunity for a new challenge. The BIA representative said it was

unlikely any application submitted would be

approved before Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG) was scheduled to close.

Based upon this information, the board

considered the option to build the gas station without asking Council to request the

land be placed in trust. The board met with

Council to review what the Board was doing

and why. One Council Member asked

about what if the land never gets placed into

trust. Upon reviewing options, the board

learned that if the gas station is sold within

five years after the grant closes, the fair

market value of the property must be repaid

to the granting agency. After five years,

however, the corporation and government

can do as they wish with the property.

Therefore, Aanikoosing Inc. is planning to

build and operate the facility for up to five

years (or longer) without the land being in

trust.

The initial market and feasibility study

was based upon the land being in trust. As

the corporation was now considering building and operating the gas station without the

land being in trust, they needed to determine the financial feasibility of doing so.

They requested an addendum to the first

study to evaluate the potential profitability of

the gas station without the land being in

trust. The addendum was presented to the

board on June 14, 2013. Although the cash

flow before debt service and transfers is reduced significantly, the financial projections

predict the facility will remain profitable even

without the land being in trust. For this reason, the board decided to build the gas station without the land being in trust. In August of 2013, the board met with petroleum

professionals to begin preparation to install

the petroleum equipment at the facility.

On September 24, 2013, the Aanikoosing Inc. board agreed with Bayland Buildings to prepare the site plan for the gas station and convenience center. On November

9, the board met with Council in Marquette

and described, in detail, its work and plan to

hire Northwest Petroleum Service Inc. to

install the petroleum equipment. This is the

same company that installed and maintains

the petroleum equipment for the Pines Convenience Center. A contract was signed

with Northwest, and the site plan was approved by Marquette Township on November 13, 2013. Test pits were dug, soils analyzed, and excavation began in late November. If not for the unusually cold weather,

the first phase of the project would have

been completed in January, 2014. The underground tanks, piping, electrical, and canopy footings were installed; some concrete

work done; and the petroleum equipment

installation phase of the project was completed as much as the weather would permit.

Due to the extreme cold, some of the

TREASURER’S REPORT FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY 2014

Treasurer, Eddy Edwards, gave a verbal

report for the month of January 2014. (This

verbal report was transcribed and edited by

the Newsletter Editor with Mr. Edwards’ final

approval).

My primary responsibility as the Treasurer is to safeguard the monies of the Tribe.

In operational instances, it is providing oversight of the enterprises: the casinos, Pines,

and the radio stations. In the first month, I

met with the managers of the different enterprises, and I met with the managers’ of

the departments within the casinos. I talked

with them about moving forward and needing them to help our Community be profitable and successful. I informed them we

are talking about making potential moves to

relocate the Baraga Casino. I have been

working with an engineering company to

come up with a concept as well as to do

some site visibility work to determine if the

site we have been discussing is a possible

site. An engineering study says it is but that

will be later on our agenda.

I have made a few moves at the casino

to set the table. We have a position posted

locally and all across the country for a general manager for our Baraga Casino. We

have posted with the local media. We have

also posted with the site that is really following the industry: casinocareers.com. We

have already received a number of applications that we will be looking at, and there

are still applications coming in. We’ve received applications from Las Vegas, Mississippi, Washington, Texas, Iowa, Wisconsin,

Minnesota, and Michigan. Hopefully, I will

decide on the hiring of a new general manager for our Baraga Casino soon, so we can

continue to move forward on adapting to our

environment and preparing ourselves for a

potential relocation of our casino. I feel that

both our casino and our staff need reinvigoration, so we can come together with a new

facility, a reinvigorated staff, and focus on

providing profits for this Community.

The Controller of Enterprise Accounting

has resigned without notice. I’ve contacted

Jim Nardi, Human Services Director, to prepare the job announcement for that position,

and I am looking at posting that position

soon. There has been a change in the

chain-of-command within the Casino. In the

past, Casino Accounting reported to the

Chief Financial Officer of the Tribe located

in Administration of Tribal Government. To

tighten up the administration of chain-ofcommand and to have a casino accounting

chain-of-command that follows through from

the building on up, the Ogimaa made the

adjustment to transfer the supervisory authority of the accounting department back at

the casino which will be reported back to the

Treasurer who will then work in conjunction

with the Chief Financial Officer with the purpose of having the Chief Financial Officer

work will be required to be completed in the

spring and summer of 2014. An extension

was requested and approved by the U.S.

Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) for the ICDBG, extending the

grant for six months to July 11, 2014, for the

installation of the petroleum equipment. We

will have until September 19, 2014, to complete the construction of the convenience

store under the HUD Rural Innovation Fund

(RIF) grant.

This project is expected to create 12 fulltime equivalent positions initially, expanding

to 17–20 positions once the site becomes

fully developed. It will benefit Tribal Members living and traveling to Marquette

County by creating jobs, generating revenue

for the Community, and eventually providing

lower cost gas, fuel, and tobacco products

for Tribal Members and local residents.

focus more on financial reporting, and Casino Accounting focus more on cost accounting, inventory control, internal controls,

and running of casino business, and Tribal

accounting focus on financial reporting.

This will tighten up the business model and

have the business people run the casino

with a clear chain-of-command as there

wasn’t a clear chain-of-command in the

past. A big part of having a clean efficient

organization is to have a clear chain-ofcommand. The Accounting Department, to

some degree, felt they were operational

managers. This had to be made clear that

people who work in Accounting are accountants. They keep track of our inventory; they

keep track of our money; and they provide

suggestions and recommendations on how

to improve internal controls and our inventory processes, not necessarily to make decisions on how to operate the casinos. This

is the reason we made the decision to make

this change. I am supervising the enterprises, and I am supervising the accounting

department within the casino. I have a Master’s Degree in Business Administration,

and I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics. The CEO position was eliminated, and

these duties were distributed to the Treasurer to oversee the enterprises. The Ogimaa oversees the governmental departments. The Chief Financial Officer was

made aware of these changes one week

prior.

I had made a statement at an earlier

meeting that when we made some moves

that we had saved half-a-million dollars in

labor expenses. I don’t have a report in

front of me currently, and it is all related to

personnel moves; however, I could put together that report along with the Ogimaa

and the moves that he has made and show

from the positions transferred and eliminated.

The Council has adopted a resolution

that states any expenditure of Tribal Funds,

in excess of $10,000.00, which are not grant

funds, will go to the people for final approval

through popular referendum. We will have

a simple meeting where the Treasurer will

make the case, having the Tribal Resolution

approving the original expenditure present,

and then there will be a vote of the people.

This process will not include grant funds as

the purchase has been approved through

grant funding for a specific purpose and will

not result in use of Tribal funds. Jean Jokinen, Council Member, will be introducing a

proposed Ordinance later in the meeting.

This concludes my report for the month

of January.

Respectfully submitted,

Eddy Edwards, Treasurer

To be added to the mailing

list or to correct your mailing address, contact the

enrollment office at (906)

353-6623 ext. 4113.

To place an ad, submit an article, or

relate information or ideas on possible articles contact:

Lauri Denomie at (906) 201-0263, or

e-mail: newsletter@kbic-nsn.gov.

All Tribal Veterans’ Meeting at the

Lighthouse, Sand Point, will be held

every third Wednesday of the month

at 1900 hours.

All Tribal Veterans are Welcome!

(5) Naanan

Midwinter Powwow — Honored Elders continues:

ber and is presently serving on the

Tribal Health Board. Philly is a member

of the Holy Name of Jesus Church and

the Ojibwa Senior Citizens. Philly has

been an active bowler for 40 years. She

enjoys playing horseshoes, crocheting,

and knitting.

Pink Shawl Project — Honoring Tracy Lynn Emery

The Pink Shawl Project is a breast

cancer prevention and screening program developed for Native American

women. The project involves both an

educational and a shawl-making component, where Native American women

come together to make traditional

shawls and honor cancer survivors. The

project goal is to increase breast cancer

screening and early detection for Native

American women. The women who participate receive the benefit of health

education and feel a sense of ownership

of the project by sewing shawls.

For centuries, the shawls American

Indian women wrapped around their

bodies were adorned with traditional

patterns and colors representing nature

and lineage. Today, the shawls are becoming symbols of awareness. The

Pink Shawl Project uses the traditional

wraps to raise awareness about breast

cancer. “They represent love, nourishment, sustenance, comfort, security—all

of the teachings that go with women are

in that shawl,” said Lorraine “Punkin”

Shananaquet, a health administrator for

the Dorr-based Gun Lake Tribe and one

of the organizers of the project. “We

cherish certain parts of our regalia, and

now these important pieces of clothing

will mean so much more.” When the

project began in 2003, in the Grand

Rapids area, American Indian women

were encouraged to make personal

shawls to wear while dancing at powwows.

They eventually produced a

DVD about breast cancer, which tribes

from across the country now use to start

projects in their own communities.

The Community honored Tracy Lynn

Emery, a KBIC Member, who has won

her fight with cancer. Tracy was born

April 15, 1961, to William Gene Emery

and Georgianna Emery. She is a single

mother to three children: Amanda Furr,

Lindsey Loonsfoot, and Melanie Durant;

and nana to four grandchildren: Odell,

Darious, Skye, and Angel Loonsfoot.

Tracy has worked for the Ojibwa Casino, KBIC Headstart, Celotex for 11

years, and is currently employed at the

Ojibwa Housing Authority for over ten

years. She was the secretary for the

Celotex Union for three years, and was

on the KBIC Powwow Committee for

seven years of which she served as

chairman for three years. Tracy enjoys

beading, crochet, reading, and playing

on her computer. She loves to learn

anything and everything. She is most

grateful for her family and appreciates

all their support while she was ill.

Miss Keweenaw Bay, Kristina Misegan, attended the Midwinter Powwow. Shown above

as she dances with the rhythms of the drum.

Shown above is Isaiah Anthony Paul Paquin

sporting his “Cars” regalia throughout the arena.

Tracy Emery on far right shown with her parents (sitting) Gene and Gretchen Emery, and family (left

to right) Angel Loonsfoot, Skye Loonsfoot, Greg Loonsfoot, Odell Loonsfoot, Darious Loonsfoot,

Lindsey Loonsfoot, Amanda Furr, and Melanie Durant.

Head Veteran Dancer, Rodney Loonsfoot, leads the KBIC Veteran Honor Guard Traditional Women Dancers: (left to right) Carol Jacker and Nancy

into the arena for Grand Entry.

Shalifoe.

(6) Ningodwaaswi

Continues on page nine.

MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY RECRUITS KEITH DENOMIE

Keith Denomie is pictured

with his parents Cheryl and

Donald Denomie, as he signs

his letter of intent to continue

his football career at Michigan

Technological University. Surrounded by teammates, Denomie signed on February 5,

2014, with MTU where he plans

on majoring in exercise science. Denomie has been a

three-year, two-way starter for

L’Anse. He played tackle early

in his career and some linebacker in his senior year. He

collected All-UP honors in his

junior and senor years. His

hard work and dedication has

paid off. Denomie received an

Athletic Grant Award Scholarship for his education at MTU.

“Congratulations to KBIC”s futu re

Husky! ”

Photo

compliments of L’Anse

Sentinel.

MARCH 2014 Calendar Events

Mar. 1: Reg. Sat. Council Meeting, 9 am, Ojibwa Resort Conference Room;

Mar. 7: Constitutional Committee Meeting, 1 pm, Council Chambers;

Mar. 19: Veteran’s Meeting, 7 pm;

Mar. 27: Ojibwa Sr. Citizens’ Pasty Sale.

~ submitted by newsletter editor

Events occurring throughout KBIC are welcome to be

listed on the Calendar of Events.

Contact newsletter@kbic.nsn.gov to list your events. Some events are more

detailed FYI within the newsletter. For up-to-date event listings, visit www.ojibwa.com and click on calendar. For

Youth events, see @ www.ojibwa.com, click on youth club,

or contact 353-4643/Main Office at Youth Club, or 353-4644

for the facility attendants or the Kitchen/craft rooms.

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT

NOTICE:

Tribal Council Meeting Agendas

are now available on the Tribe’s

Website, www.ojibwa.com, and

on the Keweenaw Bay Indian

Community Facebook Page,

ht t ps : // w w w. fa c ebo ok . co m/

KBICTribe.

Is your charitable organization planning on holding a raffle or selling raffle tickets

on the L’Anse Indian Reservation?

Federal law, through the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, granted Tribes exclusive right to

regulate gaming activity on Indian lands. Even if you or the members of

your organization are not tribal members, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Gaming Commission has the authority to regulate your raffle. It is

unlawful to game without a license.

Please contact the KBIC Gaming Commission Office at (906) 353-4222

or stop by the office located at the Tribal Center for an application and a

copy of the rules and regulations.

Applications must be received 30 days prior to all drawings for 16429 Bear Town, Rd.

Baraga, MI 49908

processing.

(7) Niizhwaaswi

Mining Updates

Proposed Copper Mining District

Highland Resources is seeking to create a renewed copper mining district in the UP and has been actively exploring potential copper deposits

since 2012 through its subsidiary Keweenaw Copper Company. Highland

Resources is a Canadian mineral exploration company. Last November,

Highland announced its intent to purchase the former White Pine Mine

near Ontonagon. In February, the company announced additional plans to

purchase the Copperwood Project, previously proposed by Orvana Resources, located near Ironwood and about 18 miles southwest of the White

Pine Mine. Test drilling is currently focused at two sites in the Keweenaw,

543S in Eagle Harbor and G-2 in Grant Township, to determine the value

of potential ore bodies.

is inconsistent with the federal Clean Water Act. Furthermore, as with all

other mining related permits issued by the state, there has been no government-to-government consultation with KBIC and other interested tribes

on this proposed permit.

Construction continues at the Humboldt Mill site where ore from the

Eagle Mine is to be processed and tailings left behind before metal concentrates are transported by train to Canada for smelting, and then likely

shipped to China or another developing country for consumption. The

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is simultaneously continuing a

Superfund Site Investigation at Humboldt Mill in which the site is likely to

be eligible for listing on the National Priorities List based on contamination

by previous mining activities. KBIC petitioned the EPA for the Superfund

investigation in 2010, and will continue to be involved in the process and

keep the community updated through these newsletter articles.

KBIC Mining Moratorium

Last October, KBIC’s Tribal Council introduced a proposed Mining

Moratorium Ordinance for the reservation. Comments are still being accepted until April 4, 2014. Copies of the proposed ordinance are available

at tribal buildings and online at http://nrd.kbic-nsn.gov/mining-events.html.

Please mail or email comments to KBIC’s Mining Technical Assistant:

Attn: Jessica Koski,

KBIC Natural Resources Department

14359 Pequaming Road,

L’Anse, MI 49946

jkoski@kbic-nsn.gov

KBIC Natural Resources Dept.

Presents

The former White Pine Mine shut down in the 1990’s. Contributing to

the eventual shut down, Ojibwe activists and supporters blockaded railroad

tracks in Bad River where acid was being shipped by train through the reservation to be injected at White Pine Mine to extract remaining copper reserves. At an informational meeting in Houghton this past January, Highland stated that acid leaching of pillars in the old mine are not an option at

this point and indicated primary interest in an extended deposit to the north

– referred to as the North Mine of White Pine. However, there is no guarantee Highland wouldn’t reconsider acid leaching as an option in the future

once they are permitted and established in the area. Highland is exploring

the creation of a new metal ore separation process at White Pine in order

to serve as a “center of gravity” for mining throughout the entire region and

to make other prospective mines, like Copperwood, more economically

viable.

RESULTS

Wildlife & Natural Resources

Community Survey

Wednesday

March 12, 2014

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Chippewa Room – Ojibwa Hotel

Lunch will be served!

Copperwood, in very close proximity to Lake Superior, has some major

environmental issues of its own. KBIC and other tribes objected to the

issuance of mining related permits for the project. The planned underground mining method includes collapse despite industry best practice of backfilling.

Thousands of feet of streams (about 16,000

ft.) would be destroyed by the permanent

placement of tailings, a toxic waste product

which remains after mining and milling. The

tailings would leach into a waterway of Lake

Superior for centuries. Failure of the proposed

very high tailings dam could send these tailings into nearby Lake Superior and negatively

impact pristine coastal habitat that supports

wildlife such as the Bald Eagle as well as an

important tribal fishery resource nearby at

Black River Harbor. This risk is of greater concern considering predicted increases in the

intensity and frequency of rain and storm

Lake Superior shoreline

near the Copperwood pro- events in the Lake Superior basin due to climate change.

ject site.

Eagle Mine & Humboldt Mill

Last July, Rio Tinto sold the Eagle

Mine and Humboldt Mill to Lundin Mining

Corporation who plan to begin production

by the end of this year. The Michigan

Department of Environmental Quality has

scheduled a Public Hearing at 6pm on

March 25th at the Ishpeming High School

regarding a revised Groundwater Discharge Permit proposed for the Eagle

Mine.

Mining groundwater discharges

are of special concern to the KBIC as

any contaminants will eventually make

their way to springs that feed pure freshwater into creeks and streams of the

Salmon Trout River which then make

their way downstream to Lake Superior.

Gathering freshwater at one of the

Contaminated groundwater is also ex- springs that could be impacted.

tremely difficult to clean once it is polluted.

According to Freshwater Future attorney Michelle Halley, state regulators have not enforced current permit limits where there were exceedances

over 40 times including for pH, heavy metals and vanadium (more than 20

times alone) – which is very concerning in that the mine hasn’t even started

production yet. The new proposed permit appears to adjust limits to accommodate the mine’s preference based on false background levels which

(8) Ishwaaswi

Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College

2013-2014 PEAR Events

The Program for Enrichment of Academic Readiness will be hosting the following

workshop events in the month of March. All workshops are open and free to the

public, and children are welcome to come if accompanied by an adult. The workshops are

located at Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College, 111 Beartown Rd., Baraga MI.

March 12th, 2014, 4:30-5:30 P.M. Basics of Good Data Collection. Come and learn the

basics of good data collection! Learn how to figure out what to look for and what to record in

your data. 6:00-7:00 P.M. Track ID. Come and learn how to identify tracks of different animals that are found in this area. This workshop will improve outdoor skills in interpreting the

wildlife signs around us.

March 19th, 2014, 4:30-6:30 P.M. Live Birds of Prey Program. Come see Joe Rogers present a live birds of prey program! Experience an up close and personal view of hawks and

owls from Wildlife Recovery Association and gain a wealth of information.

March 26th, 2014, 4:30-5:30 P.M. Basics of Excel. Come and learn shortcuts and tricks to

make life easier when using the computer program Excel. Many helpful hints will be presented that will assist in making the computer work faster and easier! 6:00-7:00 P.M. Basic

Sewing and Mending. Did that favorite shirt get ripped? Have a pair of pants that are just a

bit too long? If there is anything needed to be fixed or mended, bring them with and learn the

basics of sewing and mending clothing!

Midwinter Powwow — Honoring Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College

The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community’s Cultural Committee began the 10th Annual Traditional Winter Powwow on the morning of Saturday, February 1, 2014, at the Niiwin Akeaa

Community Center in Baraga, Michigan, by honoring Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College in their achievement of full accreditation.

Following an opening song by the Beartown

Singers; welcoming by Gerry Mantila, Cultural

Committee Chairman, and newly elected Councilman/Ogimaa Donald Shalifoe, Sr.; and a

prayer by distinguished elder Myrtle Tolonen;

the guest speaker, Honorable Violet M. Friisvall

Ayres, Associate Judge for the Keweenaw Bay

Indian Community, addressed those in attendance.

Guest speaker, Violet Friisvall Ayres, said in

her address that the Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa College and the Board of Regents have created an

educational institution rich in Anishinaabe cultural; fostering intellectual growth and well-being

both on a personal and tribal level. The Board

of Regents, Administration, faculty, staff, and

President have worked tirelessly to achieve Accreditation status as of July 2013. Ayres said, in

part (content edited for length), “Their task, however, is ongoing; continuing to offer a learning

environment that honors tradition with classes

which keep up with current technology and fosters mature professional dialog and stimulates

people to overcome barriers and succeed.

KBOCC is a place to teach our people to become critical thinkers of the world where they

live. Our tribe needs these intellectual warriors

that the college provides.

When we hear the word warrior, we think of

those who have served our country in the military. We hold contribution to our community as

one of selflessness and sacrifice. In the Anishinaabe world, warriors exist not just in the physical realm but also in spiritual, emotional, and

intellectual realms as well. Intellectual warriors

are necessary and are often overlooked.

KBOCC offers opportunities for our members to

join random groups made up of people they otherwise would not converse with. It forces them

to read more than the L’Anse Sentinel and not to

rely on social media for the truth. In order for us

to survive and strive as a tribe, we must continually expose ourselves to new ideas and bring

that knowledge to our community while simultaneously, providing, and preserving our culture.

It is not enough to create government programs.

We have become a society who believes our

worth is determined by what we say on Facebook rather than by what we do in real life. That

is not our way, the way of the Anishinaabe. We

have certain traditions that make us Indians, and

being Indian doesn’t simply mean putting on our

regalia or learning our native tongue and ceremonies. It is the essence of the seven teachings; those things that are found inside of us; the

ways we have learned how to treat each other

and all living things. Living together in our

homeland for centuries, we share our history of

survival. KBIC needs intellectual warriors who

use reasons and logic to zap out physical aggression and emotional reaction and allow spiritual understanding. KBOCC has the opportu-

nity to bring back our teachings. Stay cautious

of what you are giving of yourself and why. Remember there is no one way towards order or

beauty in society, and there are many paths of

the creator. The only way we can lay a foundation for society, composed of happy men,

women, and children, is being people who take

on the qualities of wisdom, love, respect, courage, honest, humility, and truth. In order for the

tribe to survive through the 21st century, it is dependent upon each and every one of us to learn

and live these scared seven teachings.

KBOCC imparts to their students that they

are able of achieving, following through, and

excelling. KBOCC students also learn ways to

teach people to become ethical decision makers

and to understand it is the kind of people they

are or will become that matters. The kind of

world we create is a product of the type of people we are, the type of people who we become,

and the type of people we remain. This is a

world in desperate need of the seven teachings;

wisdom, love, respect, courage, honesty, humility, and truth. As each generation retires, a new

one will take over. What will your legacy be?

How will you be remembered in the next era?

Surely you will be judged as we have judged

others before us. What will we see? But more

importantly what will we bring?”

Toni Minton in her introduction for KBOCC

recognitions said, “Today we are honoring

KBOCC for achieving full accreditation. The

Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College was

chartered by the Tribal Council on July 12, 1975.

Due to lack of funding the college closed its

doors in 1980. Under the leadership of Debbie

Parrish, the college reorganized and reopened

in 1998. The first graduation ceremony was

held in 2003 honoring three graduates: Lauri

Denomie, Liz Julio, and Mary Rajala. In 2004,

the main campus in Baraga was built. In 1999,

the college became a member of the American

Indian Higher Education Consortium.

KBOCC currently offers three programs in

Liberal Studies, with a concentration in Native

American Studies; Environmental Science; and

in Early Childhood Education. With the expansion of the Wabanung Campus in L’Anse, new

programs in Business and Fine Arts will be offered along with certificate programs in culinary

arts, federal certified nursing assistant, as well

as vocational education opportunities.

Coursework includes Ojibwa culture such as

KBIC history, Ojibwa language and culture, Native American arts, and tribal government. Enrollment is just over 100 students and many opportunities for students are available including

federal financial aid, American Indian College

Fund scholarships, student conferences, and

student organizations.

In October 2009, the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools approved the College as a

candidate for accreditation. To gain candidacy

status, the college had to demonstrate its eligibility in a preliminary application, conduct a twoyear self study, and host a peer review team

visit. An evaluation team visited the College’s

campus on November 5-7, 2012, and they rec-

ommended accreditation. On May 6, 2013, a

four-member team from KBOCC met with the

Institutional Actions Council who concurred with

the evaluation team and submitted their recommendation to the Higher Learning Commission

Board of Trustees. On July 10, 2013, the Higher

Learning Commission approved the Keweenaw

Bay Ojibwa Community College for full accreditation. In taking this action, the Board considered the self study submitted by the College, the

report of the Institutional Actions Council hearing

committee, and the College’s responses to

these reports. In order to be accredited an institution must show that it meets five criteria: presenting and carrying out its mission; conducting

its operations ethically and responsibly; providing high quality education; evaluating and improving teaching and learning; and having the

resources, planning and institutional effectiveness to meet future challenges and opportunities.

Congratulations to the Board of Regents, faculty, and staff on this wonderful accomplishment

that will benefit our tribe for generations to

come.”

NEWS FROM THE OJIBWA

SENIOR CITIZENS

March:

At the Feb. 5th Senior Meeting, a presentation on two different Western Caribbean cruises

was made by Karen Lahti. After a discussion

and vote, it was decided to approve the Carnival

Cruise, departing from Miami on Jan. 11,

2015. We will leave the Senior Center on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2015, flying out of Marquette, returning the evening of Sunday, Jan. 18,

2015. The fundraising fund will pay half of the

cost of the inside cabin for those seniors who

are actively working the fundraising

events. Senior cost for an inside cabin is $794,

outside cabin $819, and balcony $1124. This

cost is per person, double occupancy. The deposit dates are: Apr. 9, 2014 - $200, July 1,

2014 - $300, with a final payment due on Oct. 3,

2014. The final payment for inside cabin is

$294, outside cabin is $319, and balcony is

$624 per person. More information is available

at the Senior Center.

Reservation Forms

(available at the Center) will be collected at the

April 9, 2014, Senior Meeting. Space permitting, there may be room for individuals in the

community (who are not working the fundraising

events) to pay the full cost of the cruise/trip at

the group rate. These costs are: Inside cabin $1589, oceanview cabin - $1614, or balcony

cabin - $1919. This cost is PER PERSON all

inclusive (airfare, stateroom, taxes, port fees,

cabin tipping, etc). We will know in April if there

is availability. If interested, please contact Susie

Crawford after April 1, 2014, for more information.







March 12—12:15 p.m., Senior Meeting.

March 26—Pasty prep at 12:15 p.m. (right

after lunch). We are done by 3:00 p.m. and

volunteers are needed.

March 27—Pasty sale at 5:00 a.m., volunteers are needed as early as possible. Volunteers are also asked to help with

clean-up.

April:

The April Senior Meeting will be on April 9,

2014, at 12:15 p.m. We will be collecting the

deposit of $200 per person for the cruise and

Reservation Forms. Karen Lahti will also be

there to answer any additional questions.

Pasty prep—April 23, 2014

Pasty sale—April 24, 2014

Keweenaw Bay

Indian Community

Employment Opportunities





(l to r) Violet Friisvall Ayres, guest speaker, Megan Shanahan, Chair of Business, Mary Deline, Chair

of Early Childhood Education, Andrew Kozich, Chair of Environmental Science, Jesse Koenig, Chair

of Liberal Studies, Bruce LaPointe, Board Member, Shirley McKasy, Board Member, Diana Chaudier,

Board Member, Kathy Mayo, Board Member, Tim Shanahan, Board Member, Debra Parrish, President (absent from picture, Jim St. Arnold, Board Member, Dr. Lynn Aho, Dean of Instruction, and Denise Cadeau, Dean of Students.

Treatment Counselor, open until March 4, 2014

On-call positions: Pharmacy Technician. Facility

Attendant, Registered Nurse, Licensed Practical

Nurse, Internal Sales Specialist, OVW Unit Manager,

Pharmacist, Receptionist/Clerical Worker, Receptionist, Board Operator, Cashier, Account Executive/Sales,

Pre-Primary Teaching Assistant, Community Service

Supervisor, Unit Manager, Family Aide, Van Driver.

http://www.kbic-nsn.gov/html/personnel.htm

For current job listings, complete job announcements, applications, and closing dates contact: KBIC Personnel Department,

16429 Bear Town Road, Baraga, MI 49908-9210 or 906-353-6623,

ext 4176 or visit: www.ojibwa.com.

(9) Zhaangaswi

FOOD DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM ON

INDIAN RESERVATIONS (FDPIR)

NET MONTHLY INCOME STANDARDS*

(Effective October 1, 2013)

*The net monthly income standard for each household size

is the sum of the applicable Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) net monthly income standard and

the applicable SNAP standard deduction.

48 Contiguous United

States:

Household

Size

OJIBWA LIBRARY NEWS















1,227 Quite Interesting Facts To Blow Your Socks off

Pinterest for Dummies

When Everything Changed, The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the

Present

From Scratch Inside the Food Network, Big Personalities, High Drama-the Extraordinary Behind-the-Scenes Story

Salt, Sugar, Fat How the Food Giants Hooked Us

The Moth, 50 True Stories

A Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown, a tale of Cupcake's childhood, teenage years, and her

lessons of survival to become an attorney.

Please stop by and check over our new additions to our collections. Also, ask about downloading books and audiobooks to your various devices using OverDrive and how to use our interlibrary

loan program.

The book drop bin at the Tribal Center is no longer being used. The lock mechanism does not

work. We hope to replace it in the fall.

~ submitted by Mary Bergerson,

Tribal Library Director

KBIC OVW Corner

SAFE DATING

Dating involves people getting to know each other through sharing

ideas, interests, likes and dislikes, values, and beginning to make

memories together. A healthy relationship is built on respect for the

other person in the relationship, not on trying to control that person.

Some warning signs of a potentially unhealthy relationship include:

















Prying into your privacy, such as reading text messages or email without permission.

Getting angry if he or she doesn’t know where you are all the

time.

Insisting on being with you all the time, including constantly stopping at work.

Accusing you of doing things you didn’t do, like “flirting” with someone you talked to.

Trying to force you into a more intimate relationship than you want.

Being jealous of time you spend with friends or family.

Putting you down or making you feel bad about yourself.

Frightening you by yelling, throwing things, or threatening you.

If you or someone you know is worried about a relationship, the KBIC OVW Helpline is available

24 hours a day at (906) 353-4599. Remember, you have the right to feel safe in your dating relationship.

The KBIC OVW is supported by Grant #2009-TW-AX-0034 and #2011 TW AX 0011 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S.

Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author's and

do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.

SNAP Net

Monthly

Income

Standard

SNAP

Standard Deduction

1

$ 958

+

$152

=

$1,110

2

$1,293

+

$152

=

$1,445

3

$1,628

+

$152

=

$1,780

4

$1,963

+

$163

=

$2,126

5

$2,298

+

$191

=

$2,489

6

$2,633

+

$219

=

$2,852

7

$2,968

+

$219

=

$3,187

8

$3,303

+

$219

=

$3,522

FDPIR Net

Monthly Income Standard

Each additional member

+ $335

Alaska:

Use this

amount

Household

Size

The library is looking for KBIC members who enjoy writing stories and poetry. We are developing

a small book of our community talent. Contact the library at 353-8163.

The library has a book club that meets once a month. Look for the posters announcing the book

and date of our club.

We have some new books that you may find interesting:

Use this

amount

SNAP Net

Monthly

Income

Standard

SNAP

Standard Deduction

1

$1,196

+

$260

=

$1,456

2

$1,615

+

$260

=

$1,875

3

$2,035

+

$260

=

$2,295

4

$2,454

+

$260

=

$2,714

5

$2,873

+

$260

=

$3,133

6

$3,292

+

$274

=

$3,566

7

$3,711

+

$274

=

$3,985

8

$4,130

+

$274

=

$4,404

Each additional member

FDPIR Net

Monthly Income Standard

+ $420

FDPIR Income Deductions—see 7 CFR 253.6(e)

Earned Income Deduction — Households with earned

income are allowed a deduction of 20 percent of their

earned income.

Dependant Care Deduction — Households that qualify

for the dependent care deduction are allowed a deduction

of actual dependent care costs paid monthly to a nonhousehold member.

Child Support Deduction — Households that incur the

cost of legally required child support to or for a nonhousehold member are allowed a deduction for the

amount of monthly child support paid.

Medical Expense Deduction — Households that incur

monthly medical expenses by any household member

who is elderly or disabled are allowed a deduction in the

amount of out-of-pocket medical expenses paid in excess

of $35 per month. Allowable medical expenses are provided at 7 CFR 273.9(d)(3).

Home Care Meal-Related Deduction — Households who

furnish the majority of meals for a home care attendant

are allowed an income deduction equal to the maximum

SNAP benefit for a one-person household. In Fiscal Year

2014, the amounts are as follows:

48 Contiguous U.S. States





October 1, 2013—October 31, 2013 = $200





October 1, 2013—October 31, 2013 = $200

November 1, 2013—September 30, 2014—$189

For Alaska, please select appropriate link below.

November 1, 2013—September 30, 2014—$189

See 7 CFR 272.7(b) for area designations in Alaska.

Standard Shelter/Utility Expense Deduction — Households that incur at least one monthly shelter or utility expense are allowed a standard income deduction (see

chart below). Allowable shelter/utility expenses are provided at 7 CFR 273.9(d)(6)(ii).

FY2014 FDPPIR Standard Shelter/Utility Expense Deductions - Based on Region*

Region

States Currently with

FDPIR Programs

Shelter/

Utility Deduction

Northeast/

Midwest

Michigan, Minnesota, New

York, Wisconsin

$400

Southeast/

Southwest

Mississippi, New Mexico,

North Carolina, Oklahoma,

Texas

$300

Mountain

Plains

Colorado, Kansas, Montana,

Nebraska, North Dakota,

South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming

$400

West

Alaska, Arizona, California,

Idaho, Nevada, Oregon,

Washington

$350

*If the geographic boundaries of an Indian reservation

extend to more than one region per the identified regional

groupings above, then a qualifying household has the

option to receive the appropriate shelter/utility expense

deduction amount for the State in which the household

resides or the State in which the State agency’s central

administrative office is located.

(10) Midaaswi

“ATTENTION”

Tribal Members,

Still Looking For That Job?

TERO JOB SKILLS BANK APPLICATIONS

FOR EMPLOYMENT AVAILABLE

Thursday,

MARCH 27, 2014

Time: 10am – 6pm

Ojibwa Housing Authority Community Center

Harvey, Michigan

Any question please contact Melissa Koepp at the

TERO Office (906) 353-4167 or (906) 250-4566.

Access to computer for Resumes and Personal Letters.

TERO will do referrals for construction contracts at the new

Marquette Gas Station…. Apply to be referred!

2014 Summer Season/Temporary Employment Opportunities

US Forest Service, Eastern Region/Ottawa National Forest

Locations available at the following locations: Ironwood, MI (SO and

Bessemer RD), Kenton, MI (Kenton RD), Ontonagon, MI (Ontonagon RD),

Watersmeet, MI (Iron River and Watersmeet RD’s)

The Ottawa National Forest is seeking qualified applicants to fill a variety of temporary full-time positions for the 2014 summer season. For additional information

on the Ottawa National Forest and employment opportunities please call any of

our offices.

Positions are available in many programs including: customer service, recreation,

watershed, engineering, wilderness, timber, reforestation, silviculture, wildlife, fisheries, plants, and nursery management.

Temporary Positions: Temporary positions (approximately six months) will be

advertised on the USAJobs website (www.usajobs.gov). Apply online at

www.USAJobs.gov. This online application process allows applicants to submit

employment information, which can be printed for personal use and/or edited on

the website for future use. If you do not have a USAJobs account, the system will

help you establish one. Your account can be used for all federal job vacancies.

2014 Summer Season/Temporary Employment Opportunities

US Forest Service, Eastern Region/Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest

*** Forestry – Recreation – Engineering – Archaeology – Plants –

Wildlife – Plants – Maintenance – Heavy Equipment Operations ***

Locations available in Wisconsin – Eagle River, Florence, Glidden, Hayward,

Lakewood, Laona, Medford, Park Falls and Washburn

The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest is seeking qualified applicants to fill a

variety of temporary (not to exceed 1,039 hours) full-time positions for the 2014

summer season. Length of season and number of positions will depend upon

budget. Seasonal housing may be available. These positions are located at various offices and stations throughout the forest in northern Wisconsin.

Candidates can select from any of the following locations in Wisconsin – Eagle

River, Florence, Glidden, Hayward, Lakewood, Laona, Medford, Park Falls,

and Washburn.

For additional information on the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest and updated information regarding Vacancy announcement numbers for these positions,

please visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/cnnf and select “Employment” on the righthand side.

2014 Summer Season/Temporary Employment Opportunities

US Forest Service, Eastern Region/Hiawatha National Forest

Locations available – Raco, MI; St. Ignance, MI; Munising, MI; Rapid River,

MI; and Manistique, MI.

Positions are within various departments such as: Recreation, Timber, Silviculture,

Botany, Administration, Hydrology, and Fire Management.

Please call Debbie Tatrow at (906) 428-5815 for more information.

(11) Ashi bezhig

BIA Scholarship Deadline

The deadline to apply for a BIA Scholarship for the 2014-15 academic year is May

1, 2014.

Applicants must be enrolled KBIC members, residents of Michigan attending a two

or four year accredited Michigan college in

pursuit of a two or four year degree and

must complete the FAFSA (Free Application

for Federal Student Aid).

Applications are available from the Education Office, Keweenaw Bay Tribal Center,

16429 Beartown Rd. Baraga MI 49908.

For more information, please contact

Amy St. Arnold, Education Director, at 906353-4117 or amy@KBIC-nsn.gov.

NOTICE

Motor Vehicle Department’s hours of operation are Monday—Friday, 8:00 a.m.—

4:30 p.m. (We will no longer be offering extended hours on Wednesdays, i.e. 4:30–

5:30 p.m.)

The Motor Vehicle Department is open

throughout lunch break every day of the

week.

~Jeanne Kauppila, Licensing/Motor Vehicle Director

KBIC HOLDS ANNUAL HEALTHY HEART FAIR

The KBIC Department of Health and Human Services sponsored the 2014 Healthy Heart

Fair on Valentine’s Day, Friday, February 14, 2014. The event was held at the Keweenaw

Bay Ojibwa Community College’s Gymnasium in Baraga, Michigan. Approximately 200 participants registered at the event and visited 30 vendor tables which offered educational matters, screenings, and prizes. Top picture—Valerie Voakes (sitting) participates in a blood

pressure screening offered by Portage Health Care. Center picture—Katie Kruse (right) par-

Permit No. 62

U.S Postage PAID

Big Rapids, MI 49307

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community

16429 Bear Town Rd-Baraga, Mi 49908-9210

PRE-SORT STARDARD

(12) Ashi Niizh

ticipates in a blood screening offered by

KBIC Medical Clinic. Test is being conducted by Nurse Cathy Hebert. Bottom

picture—visitors April Dowd (left) and

Steve Cadeau (center) receive information and a free plant from the KBIC Natural Resource Department’s display.

Stacy DeCota (right) assisted in the

Natural Resource booth.