ANDREW BARTHA

With deep sadness, Brokenwing editorials reports the following story. Please forgive me if I didn't spell some of the names correctly.

Andrew Bartha, 78, of Fort Hill Drive, Uncasville, Connecticut, 06382 passed away on April 21, 2011, after a year long battle with cancer at the William W. Backus Hospital, Norwich, Connecticut.

Andrew Bartha was born on September 18, 1932, the son of the late Louis and Mary Bartha.

He was preceded by his loving wife of 51 years the late Mary Augusta Baker Bartha.

Andrew Bartha is survived by seven children. They are Andrew Bartha and his wife Lisa of Griswold, Timothy Bartha and his wife of Preston, David Bartha of Norwich, Robert Bartha and his wife Helen of Canterbury, Michael Bartha of Norwich, Paul Bartha of Seattle, Washington and Lori Bartha of Norwich.

He had fourteen grandchildren, Eric Bartha, Justin Bartha, Cory Bartha, Matthew Bartha, Kayle Bartha, Karissa Bartha, Kaila Bartha, Jake Bartha, Tanner Bartha, Gabriel Bartha, Juliana Bartha, Darnell Bartha and Jacalyn Bartha.

He had two great grandchildren, Gianna Bartha and Lily Bartha.

Andrew Bartha was a Korean War Veteran, which he proudly displayed on his Connecticut License plate, VFW 369 on his different cars for over forty years.

He was a retired member of thirty years of pleasurable service to the Local 777 Plumbers and Pipefitters Union.

He was a member of the Tuckerbung Association, where he spent many good times with his fellow members and friends.

In lieu of sending flowers, the family is asking that a contribution be made in Andrew Bartha's name to the American Cancer Society.

Family and friends can attend a visitation on Tuesday, April 26, 2011 between 10:00 AM and 12:00 PM. at the Cummings Gayne Funeral Home, 82 Cliff Street, Norwich, Connecticut. The Funeral Service will follow at 12:00 PM. Internment with full Military Honors will follow at Maplewood Cemetery in Norwich.

EDITORIAL FOOTNOTE: Our hearts go out to the Bartha family. We will miss you Andy, our Condolences to his many friends and family.

GOVERNOR CHAFEE OPPOSES S.676

Rhode Island governor opposes fix to land-into-trust decisionMonday, April 11, 2011Filed Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee (I) opposes S.676, a bill to fix the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Carcieri v. Salazar. The bill ensures that all tribes, regardless of the date of federal recognition, can follow the land-into-trust process. That includes the would allow the Narragansett Tribe, whose leaders are trying to place land in trust for housing. "They don't want us to have sovereignty over that land," Chief Sachem Matthew Thomas told the Associated Press. The Narragansett Tribe gained federal recognition in 1983. The Supreme Court said the tribe wasn't under federal jurisdiction in 1934, when the Indian Reorganization Act became law. S.676 amends the IRA to address the date issue. The Senate Indian Affairs Committee approved the bill last Thursday.

WILL NEW YORK COLLECT TABACCO TAXES FROM NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES

Editorial: Time to collect tobacco taxes from tribes in New YorkMonday, April 4, 2011 "Gov. Cuomo's budget anticipates income of some $130 million from the taxation of cigarette sales on Indian reservations. But he's the fifth straight governor to harbor such plans -- and nary a nickel's been collected so far. When his father, Mario Cuomo, tried to collect cig taxes from the Senecas in 1992, tribesmen lit fires on the Thruway. In 1997, they repeated the trick for Gov. Pataki -- and attacked state troopers who had surrounded the reservation. Flash forward to last year: The state was supposed to start collecting the taxes on Sept. 1. But that didn't happen, thanks to injunctions from the courts. And there will be more holdups still: Just two weeks ago, a district court judge extended his restraining order barring the tax collection . . . indefinitely."