MOHEGANS UNVEILED LONG AWAITED COMMUNITY CENTER - GOVERNMENT BUILDING

October 24, 2011

Mohegans to unveil long-awaited community center
By Brian Hallenbeck -->
Publication: The Day
Published 10/16/2011 12:00 AM
Updated 10/16/2011 12:13 AM

Tribe also celebrates flagship casino's 15th anniversary

The Mohegans are celebrating Mohegan Sun's 15-year anniversary this month. J.Lo and Regis are due at the party.

But it's another building on the casino-owning tribe's reservation that's got Bruce "Two Dogs" Bozsum fired up these days.

It's the Mohegan Government & Community Center, the long-planned, much-delayed, somewhat controversial edifice that's soon to house 160 tribal-government employees, the Connecticut Sun women's basketball team and the 1,920-member tribe's cultural and social activities.

It is, said Bozsum, the Mohegan Tribal Council chairman, "the final piece."
Bozsum, who moved his office into the still-unfinished building earlier this month, talked about the center and the tribe's flagship casino during an interview last week. He said he hears "all the time" from people who tell him Mohegan Sun looks brand new.

"We've put a lot of money back into it," he said. "It's very important to us."
He reflected, too, on "all the things we've restored - the Shantok burial grounds, Cochegan Rock, the Tantaquidgeon Museum, the Mohegan Church. These are things we can touch, things we can see."

The community center, he said, is much more.

"We always put everything ahead of the community center. It was last on the list," Bozsum said.

That changed when the tribe, which halted construction on the center in early 2009, secured $74 million in low-interest federal loans for the project in the spring of 2010. Critics of the federal government's largesse - and the tribe's pursuit and acceptance of it - cried foul.

"We were fortunate to have the opportunity to borrow the money," Bozsum said. "It's a loan. We're paying it back."

By moving ahead with the project, he said, the tribe provided jobs for lots of local construction workers and business for local suppliers.
Scaled-back plans

Even with the financing, the tribe had to scale back its original plans. The top two floors of the five-story building will remain unfinished until the economy improves, Bozsum said. Some 110,000 of the structure's 165,000 square feet will be occupied, including the gym where the Sun's women's basketball team will practice when WNBA play resumes in the spring. The team has practiced at Connecticut College in New London.

The finished floors will provide space for tribal-government offices; the tribal court; fitness and aerobics rooms; arts-and-crafts classes; a library and preparation and storage of archaeological artifacts. It's a far cry from the Crow Hill Road warehouse buildings that have long housed tribal offices.

Bozsum recalled meeting with senators and representatives in the warehouse digs. "Some of them must have thought they were being 'punk'd,'" he said.

Wanted: Partners

Despite the chairman's reference to the Government & Community Center as "the final piece," the tribe continues to pursue a number of other projects, including construction of another Mohegan Sun hotel that Bozsum said is essential to capturing convention business.

The Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, the casino's management arm, has been seeking a partner for such a project for more than a year.

"We're still looking for a third party to build a hotel," he said. "When a convention wants to book 600 rooms and there's a big show and we've got players to accommodate, we've got to turn the convention down," he said. "We need another 300 to 400 rooms (the existing Mohegan Sun hotel has 1,200 rooms). Then Mohegan Sun would be just about done."

Then there's Massachusetts, where legislation authorizing resort casinos cleared the state Senate last week and could be signed into law by Gov. Deval Patrick by the end of the year, if not the month. The Mohegans are expected to apply for a license for a commercial casino project in the western Massachusetts town of Palmer, where they optioned a site three years ago.

Again, the tribe will need a partner.

"We don't have the cash to build it; that's a fact," Bozsum said. "But I can guarantee you a lot of operators will come up with the money knowing we're going to manage it.

"If their (Massachusetts officials') goal is to keep Massachusetts people in Massachusetts, they need something like this," he said, pointing out his office window in the direction of Mohegan Sun.

The tribe's Mohegan Gaming Advisors, an entity formed within the last year to pursue casino management deals, is partnering with New York developer Louis Cappelli on a plan to develop and operate the Concord Resort, a casino, hotel and racetrack in the Catskills. Still on the table are partnership deals with Indian tribes hoping to develop casino projects in Washington state and Wisconsin.

"We're probably talking to 10 or more casino operators around the company - some are built, some aren't built yet - interested in us managing them," Bozsum said.

These are eventful days for Bozsum and the tribe. Next weekend is the big 15th anniversary celebration for Mohegan Sun. On Sunday, a ribbon-cutting for the Government & Community Center is planned at a quarterly meeting of tribal members.

And, before all that, on Wednesday, Bozsum, tribal Councilor Mark Brown and Jeffrey Hartmann, president and chief executive officer of Mohegan Sun, plan to rappel down the side of the casino's 34-story hotel tower in a fundraising event for Connecticut Special Olympics.

It's dubbed "Over The Edge."
"
Those first 20 floors are going to be a little nerve-wracking," Bozsum said. "Then I'll be fine."
b.hallenbeck@theday.com

BUSINESS DOWN AT MOHEGAN SUN BUT UP AT FOXWOODS?

Conn. casinos report mixed April revenue results
Below:
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HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut's Mohegan Sun casino has reported a 3 percent decline in slot revenue in April while the Foxwoods Resort Casino and MGM Grand at Foxwoods says its revenue jumped 9 percent.

The Mohegan Sun said Monday its revenue was $61.6 million, down from $63.7 million in April 2010. Its decline was steeper than in March, but improved from January and late 2010 as the weak economy cut into consumer spending.

Foxwoods reported revenue for the month of $57.1 million, up from $52.3 million from last year. The increase represented a strong turnaround from March when revenue barely rose.

Analysts say the two eastern Connecticut casinos face pressure on several fronts: high gas prices that keep motorists home, the weak economy and rising competition from casinos in Pennsylvania and New York.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

SHINNECOCKS UNDECIDED ON CASINO LOCATION

Tribe mulling plans for Aqueduct racino rival
By Howard KoplowitzThursday, May 19, 2011 11:11 AM EDT

If a casino is built at Belmont Park, it could undermine the operations of the upcoming Aqueduct racino project.

The Shinnecock Nation said it has received an offer to build a casino at Belmont Race Track in Nassau, which could put a dent into profits for the Aqueduct racino in Queens that is slated to open in late summer.

Beverly Jensen, a spokeswoman for the Southampton, L.I.-based tribe, said the Shinnecocks have not made a final decision on where to build a casino.

The tribe gained federal recognition early last year, which makes it eligible to run a casino.

“We have not decided where to put a casino,” Jensen said, rejecting rumors that the Shinnecock were set on building a casino at Belmont in Elmont, L.I., on the other side of the border from Queens.

“We haven’t selected a site yet. It’s been offered to us and we’ve looked at it and we’re making a decision.”

If the Shinnecocks were to build a casino at Belmont, which is only 10 1/2 miles away from Aqueduct, it would surely take business away from Genting New York, the developer of the racino at the South Ozone Park track.

While the Shinnecocks are undecided as to where to construct a casino, the tribe has ruled out building one near its reservation in Southampton because it believes the reservation is too small for a gaming parlor.

A Genting spokesman said the company had no comment.A Belmont casino may be more attractive to southeast Queens residents since the Elmont line has a Long Island Rail Road stop that easily connects it to the Jamaica LIRR station.

The racino at Aqueduct, called Resorts World New York, is expected to be up and running with 1,600 of 4,500 video lottery terminals by late summer.In the early stages of awarding the VLT contract, the Shinnecock proposed their own plans for a casino at Aqueduct, but the project did not have the blessings of the area’s elected officials.

State Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer (D-Rockaway Beach) said the Shinnecock plan was “too ambitious” because it called for table games such as blackjack and roulette.

But the Aqueduct project can only legally have VLTs — a form of slot machines — and not table games.Reach reporter Howard Koplowitz by e-mail at hkoplowitz@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4573.

EDITORIAL FOOTNOTE: It may take up to five years for the Shinnecocks to get a casino up and running. How will that affect gaming at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut? What is the MTGA doing to keep it's share of gambling business in the area? How much will this cost the casino in business, in the future? What do you think?

MASHANTUCKETS TO NEGOTIATE WITH UNION

Mashantucket Tribe to negotiate with labor union at casinoTuesday, May 17, 2011

The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation of Connecticut said it will negotiate with a union after casino bartenders, drink servers, and bar porters voted to join the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 371.

The employees at Foxwoods Resort Casino voted 133 to 90 to organize with the union. The elected was conducted under tribal law.

"As a result of this process, it will not be necessary for Foxwoods or the union to take any further action with respect to the disputed election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board," the tribe said in a statement, The New London Day reported. "The parties anticipate beginning negotiations under tribal law for a collective bargaining agreement in the coming weeks."

The tribe had planned to take the National Labor Relations Board to court over a prior election. The tribe says the board lacks jurisdiction on the reservation.

EDITORIAL FOOTNOTE: Story taken from www.indianz.com. Could this happen to the Mohegan Sun? What do you think?

FOXWOODS CASINO BARTENDERS TO VOTE ON UNION

Mashantucket casino bartenders to vote in another electionThursday, May 12, 2011

Bartenders, drink servers, and bar porters at the casino owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation of Connecticut will vote in a union election on Monday.

The employees voted to organize with the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 371 last year. But this election will occur under tribal law.

“The tribe has pledged to and has stated that they will continue to challenge the jurisdiction of the NLRB,” the union said in a press release, The Norwich Bulletin reported. “A court battle over this issue would continue for several years.”

The tribe says the National Labor Relations Board can't enforce federal labor law on its reservation.

Get the Story:Foxwoods bartenders' tribal law union election slated for Monday (The Norwich Bulletin 5/12)Foxwoods bartenders face another union vote (The New London Day 5/12)

EDITORIAL FOOTNOTE: Could this happen to the Mohegan Sun? Are employees of the Mohegan Sun Happy? What do you think?

NEW YORK, IS TAX ON TABACCO A TRIBAL SOVEREIGNTY ISSUE?

New York judge bars tobacco tax on sales to Seneca NationTuesday, May 10, 2011Filed Under: Business Law A judge in New York barred the state from imposing its tobacco tax on sales to the Seneca Nation, a day after a federal appeals court said the plan was legal.

The judge's order will stay in place until June 1, The Buffalo News reported. The injunction only affects wholesalers who do business with the Senecas.

The ruling came after Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said the state would collect the tax. The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday said the state's effort doesn't infringe on tribal sovereignty.

"We will continue fighting against this overreaching action by the State to protect our treaty rights, tobacco commerce and all the jobs it supports," Seneca President Robert Odawi Porter. said in a statement.

EDITORIAL FOOTNOTE: Story taken from www.indianz.com

DEBT CONCERNS?

Conn.'s Mohegan Sun downgraded on debt concernsAssociated Press, 05.09.11, 05:26 PM EDT

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Moody's Investors Service has downgraded the ratings of the Connecticut-based Mohegan tribal casino operator on debt concerns at a time of slumping consumer spending.

The New York-based ratings agency said Monday the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority has not refinanced a $675 million line of credit set to expire in March 2012 and separate debt of $250 million coming due the following month. It also cited weak consumer demand for gambling in the Northeast and the possibility of increased competition if casino gambling is legalized in Massachusetts.

Moody's ( MCO - news - people ) downgraded the corporate family rating and probability of default rating to Caa3 from Caa2. Moody's also downgraded all long-term debt ratings to a "negative" outlook.

The authority operates the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut and Pocono Downs in Pennsylvania.

A spokeswoman for Connecticut's Mohegan Sun did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

MOODY'S LOW DEBT RATING OF MOHEGAN TRIBAL GAMING AUTHORITY TO CAA3

Moody's lowers debt rating of Mohegan Tribal authority
By Brian Hallenbeck
Publication: The Day
Published 05/10/2011 12:00 AM

Moody's Investors Service further lowered its ratings on the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority's debt Monday, citing its concern that the authority has yet to refinance a $675 million line of credit, or "revolver," and $250 million in bonds, both of which come due next year.

The agency dropped its "corporate family" and probability-of-default ratings from "Caa2" to "Caa3," meaning it considers the authority at substantial risk of default. Moody's downgraded all of the authority's long-term debt, assigning it a "negative" outlook.

Authority executives could not be reached for comment late Monday afternoon.
During a conference call with investors last week, Mitchell Etess, the authority's chief executive officer, declined to discuss the status of the authority's attempts to refinance its debt except to say it was still working with advisers.

Moody's, in a statement issued Monday, noted the $675 million revolver - of which $493 million had been drawn as of March 31 - is due in March 2012 and that $250 million in senior subordinated notes obtained at 8 percent interest mature in April 2012. Moody's warned it would consider the debts due if the MTGA was unable to refinance them a year in advance.

"Both of these debt obligations are considered to be current," Moody's said Monday.

The MTGA has total debt of about $1.6 billion.

The "Caa3" rating also reflects MTGA's "significant leverage" - its debt is nearly seven times its EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) - "continuation of weak consumer gaming demand trends in the Northeastern U.S., and the possibility of gaming in Massachusetts," the agency said.

In announcing a previous downgrade last December, Moody's raised doubts about whether the MTGA could avoid a restructuring of its near-term debt as opposed to a refinancing. A restructuring often involves creditors receiving less money than they are owed, while a refinancing involves the negotiation of better loan terms, including extended maturities.

The MTGA operates the Mohegan Tribe's Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville and Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, a racetrack casino in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Last week, it announced it would partner with a developer to operate the proposed Concord Resort racetrack casino in Thompson, N.Y. The authority has also said it will seek a license to operate a casino in Palmer, Mass., should Massachusetts legalize casino gambling.

EDITORIAL FOOTNOTE: With this much debt, how is the MTGA ever going to get the funds to do deals in Palmer or the Catskills?


W

MOHEGANS TO THE CATSKILLS

Mohegan Tribe partnering on Catskills project
By Brian Hallenbeck
Publication: The Day
Published 05/06/2011 12:00 AM

$600 million venture with N.Y. developer includes casino, hotel

Growing up at Grossinger's, the family hotel in Liberty, N.Y., Mitchell Grossinger Etess, the chief executive officer of the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, would occasionally play the Concord Hotel golf course in nearby Kiamesha Lake, some 15 miles away. He'd also frequent the movies and a hamburger joint just down the road.

The two hotels - The G and The Concord - were then the pillars of the Catskills' Borscht Belt, rivals on the order of Macy's and Gimbels. Louis Cappelli, the real estate developer who has owned the properties for more than a decade, first unveiled plans to rebuild The Concord in 2000.

On Thursday, the MTGA and Cappelli's Concord Associates announced they will partner on the development and operation of the Concord Resort on the former site of the hotel in Thompson, N.Y. Plans for the project's $600 million first phase, scheduled to open in the spring of 2013, call for a 75,000-square-foot casino featuring 2,100 video lottery terminals and room for up to 450 electronic table games, a 258-room hotel, a harness racing facility with a grandstand, a five-eighths-of-a-mile track and related paddock facilities, a simulcast facility for parimutuel wagering, 10,000 square feet of meeting rooms and ballrooms, five restaurants, retail outlets and several entertainment spaces.

"It is a little ironic," Etess said of the property's proximity to the hotel Jennie Grossinger, his grandmother, made famous. "It's an interesting twist. What's more important is that I believe in the Catskills and what the region can do. It's a beautiful place."

Under the agreement, the proposed hotel would be called the Mohegan Sun Concord, Etess said. It would be managed by Mohegan Gaming Associates, the gaming authority's casino-management arm, whose formation the authority announced late last year. At that time, Etess, then president and CEO of the authority's flagship, Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, relinquished his casino post to concentrate on other business ventures on behalf of the Mohegan Tribe. Jeffrey Hartmann took over as the casino's top executive. Gary Van Hettinga, former Mohegan Sun CFO, became president of the new unit.

With Thursday's announcement, the reorganization has borne fruit, Etess said.
"Now when we get an opportunity like this, we can do it," he said. "We have programs, policies and a methodology," as well as experience operating a harness racing track at the authority's Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Etess said Concord Associates approached the authority about partnering earlier this year. He said Cappelli was interested in reactivating his Concord project, which has been stalled since 2008. Cappelli, a director of Empire Resorts, which owns Monticello (N.Y.) Casino and Raceway, had planned to relocate the Monticello facility to the former Concord Hotel site. After razing the hotel and completing some preliminary work, construction was halted amid financial difficulties.

Marnell Architecture, a leading casino and resort design firm, has planned the full development of the site, according to the joint statement issued by Concord Associates and the MTGA.

Concord Kiamesha Holdings LLC, the joint entity formed for the project, has engaged Jefferies & Co. Inc., a global investment banking firm, as financial adviser. More than $100 million has already been spent on site preparation, foundations, curtain wall, demolition and remediation of environmental issues, the parties said.

"The project is more than shovel ready," Etess said. "Once the financing is in place, we can get a quick start, by the end of June."
Etess said the Mohegan Tribe would be "a small, minority equity partner" in the project.

The Concord Resort is expected to provide billions of dollars in economic benefits to the Catskills over a 10-year period and serve as a catalyst for the creation of more than 1,000 new construction and permanent jobs with a majority of the employment benefiting New York's Sullivan, Orange and Ulster counties, the parties said.

The MTGA is also prepared to partner on a resort casino project in western Massachusetts if and when that state legalizes casinos.
"Obviously, part of the strategy of the (Mohegan) tribe is to be in their feeder markets," Roger Gros, publisher of Global Gaming Business magazine, said. "This is the same as the Palmer (Mass.) project. They don't want to have major casinos around them taking their players. It's very forward-thinking."

Gros, however, noted that previous casino projects proposed for the Catskills have failed to materialize, most recently one that surfaced last year involving the Stockbridge-Munsee tribe of Wisconsin, whose partners included Len Wolman of Waterford, the hotelier whose Trading Cove Associates helped develop Mohegan Sun.

"It's a long way from being done," Gros said of the Concord Resort project. "Frankly, it's hard to believe it ever will be."

EDITORIAL FOOTNOTE: Where is the MTGA going to get the funds to do this deal?

Is this expansion or diversification?

What about the hole in the ground, the Earth Hotel at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, that was never completed?

What about the Mohegan Government and Community Building, that will only be half occupied when completed in August, 2011, because of alleged lack of funds?

What about the bad deal at Pocono Downs?

COULD IT BE THE MTGA IS DOING DESPERATE THINGS TO BRING MONEY TO THE MOHEGAN TRIBE? What do you think?

A RECEPTION TO MARK THE STATE'S RELATIONSHIP WITH MOHEGAN TRIBE?

Mohegans to mark 15-year relationship with the state
Associated Press
Publication: theday.com
Published 05/05/2011 12:00 AM

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Leaders of the Mohegan Tribal Government are celebrating their 15-year relationship with the state of Connecticut.

Tribal Chairman Bruce "Two Dogs" Bozsum and the Mohegan Tribal Council are hosting a reception at the state Capitol on Thursday to mark the southeastern Connecticut tribe's lengthy partnership with the state. Legislators from the region and members of the 1996 Tribal Council that oversaw construction and opening of the Mohegan Sun casino are also expected to attend.
Connecticut currently receives a portion of the slot machine revenues at the tribe's Mohegan Sun casino.

In return, the Mohegans and the neighboring Mashantucket Pequots have exclusive rights to offer slot machines at their tribal casinos. Since the Mohegan Sun opened 15 years ago, the tribe says it has contributed more than $2.5 billion.

IS THE MOHEGAN SUN GOING TO INVEST IN CONCORD?

Cappelli enlists casino giant to revive Concord
Mohegan Sun will join casino-hotel, sources say
By Victor Whitman
Times Herald-Record
Published: 2:00 AM - 04/28/11

KIAMESHA LAKE — Concord owner Louis Cappelli has been negotiating with the casino company Mohegan Sun to revive his defunct luxury hotel and racino plan on the site of the one-time jewel of Catskill resorts.

Cappelli, whose plans for a $1 billion resort blew apart three years ago, is close to a deal, according to sources.

"I have a major partner, to be announced this week," Cappelli said on Wednesday.
He said he could not yet reveal his partner as he is bound by a confidentiality agreement.

The Mohegan Sun Tribal Authority owns two full-service casinos, Mohegan Sun in Connecticut — the second-largest casino in the United States — and Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs in Pennsylvania.

The chief executive officer is Mitchell Grossinger Etess, a Sullivan County native and grandson of Jennie Grossinger, who helped turn a small hotel in Liberty into an internationally known resort. Ironically, if this deal does come to pass, Etess could play a role in reviving the Concord, once the chief rival hotel of his family's business during the county's resort heyday.

Calls to Mohegan Sun weren't immediately returned.

Cappelli razed the old hotel and did initial foundation work before abruptly stopping in late 2008 after he couldn't get financing. He lost most of the Concord lands in a court settlement with his former partner, Entertainment Properties Trust.

The former hotel site, which he still does own, is mired in debt.
More than two dozen contractors have liens claiming unpaid bills totaling around $25 million. One of these contractors, the engineering firm, Edwards & Zuck, filed a foreclosure action in state Supreme Court on April 6, claiming its been stiffed $1.6 million.

Cappelli contesting suits

Cappelli said he's confident this will be worked out.

"The lawsuit with E and Z will take years to resolve since we are contesting the basis of the suit," Cappelli said. "We will be amicably resolved with them long before that time. In fact we expect to be resolved with all lien holders within 60 days prior to recommencing construction. The financing markets are more favorable at this time to close project financing."

Edwards & Zuck's managing partner, Matthew Donolli, said Cappelli did call to say he was starting up again.

"We are extremely upset that Cappelli has gone forward with the project and left his professional service partners without payment," Donolli said. "We don't know how real the new project is. Enough is enough for us and we are foreclosing."

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."

WILL POWERS PAY THE MOHEGAN SUN $1.2 MILLION HE OWES?

Gambler said to be willing to pay $1.2 M debt to Mohegan Sun By Brian Hallenbeck Publication: The Day Published 03/24/2011 12:00 AM Jerome Powers, the cable TV executive who allegedly owes Mohegan Sun $1.2 million in gambling debts, reportedly plans to pay up. The New York Post, quoting an unnamed spokesman for Plum TV, the New York-based cable network Powers co-chairs, reported Wednesday that Powers "is currently in settlement discussions with Mohegan Sun to drop his appeal and pay his gambling obligations in full." Attempts to confirm the report with Plum TV and attorneys involved in a lawsuit Mohegan Sun brought against Powers in New London Superior Court were unsuccessful. A call to the network's corporate offices was referred to network President Rob Gregory, who was out of town and did not answer a message. Thor Holth, the New London attorney representing Powers, was unavailable to comment, and Andrew Houlding of Rome McGuigan, the casino's attorney, indicated that he could not comment. Powers, 64, of Miami Beach, Fla., has appealed a Superior Court ruling that gave Mohegan Sun permission to attach $1.2 million worth of Powers' assets pending the outcome of the case. Holth filed the appeal with the state Appellate Court last week. Mohegan Sun filed suit against Powers in December 2009, alleging he made out six checks to the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority on May 23, 2009, all of which a bank returned unpaid when the casino deposited them. According to court records, payment was stopped on one of the checks, for $465,000, while the other five, ranging from $60,500 to $300,000, were returned because the accounts on which they were written had been closed. In a separate count, the suit alleges Powers "over-drafted" his Mohegan Sun Player's Card account by more than $55,000, of which he repaid $25,000. The suit says Powers signed a Casino Credit Agreement that authorized the authority to collect debts in the Mohegan Gaming Disputes Court "and courts of the state of Connecticut." Powers is identified on the credit agreement as the owner of Ocean Drive magazine, a publication he reportedly sold for more than $33 million in late 2007. Powers later became co-chairman and chief executive officer of Plum TV, a lifestyle network "that targets the most active, influential, and educated audience in the world," according to its website. The network is available on cable systems in Miami Beach; The Hamptons on Long Island; Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts; Aspen, Telluride and Vail, Colo.; and Sun Valley, Idaho. Plum also publishes a glossy Miami, Fla., magazine. b.hallenbeck@theday.com EDITORIAL FOOTNOTE: Who allowed the casino to take these checks? Doesn't anyone know how a check cashing service works? Who did this? Do you know? What do you think?

SOUTHAMPTON POLICE CHASE SUSPECT ONTO SHINNECOCK RES?

Shinnecock Nation looks to better relationship with local police
Thursday, March 24, 2011Filed

Leaders of the newly recognized Shinnecock Nation are hoping to improve their relationship with local police, calling a recent pursuit onto the reservation disrespectful to the tribe.

The Shinnecock Warrior Society was holding a gathering on Friday, March 4, when a police car from Southampton Village showed up. An officer had been pursuing a man who fled onto the reservation and the situation caused a disturbance.

"We are damn upset about it," trustee Lance Gumbs, who was called to the scene, told The Southampton Press.

Four tribal members, including Gumbs' son, were later arrested in connection with the incident. "If anything, the Village Police obstructed a tribal meeting that was going on up here," Gumbs told the paper.

A few days later, village police abandoned a pursuit of a different man on the reservation. "Going forward, there definitely has to be more dialogue between the Nation and various entities so we can get on the same page," Gordell Wright, another trustee, told the paper.

The tribe gained federal recognition last year but its reservation is not held in trust. The state recognizes the reservation but exercises criminal and civil jurisdiction on it.

STORY TAKEN FROM http://www.indianz.com/

EDITORIAL FOOTNOTE: Connecticut's highway system budget, isn't finishing the end of Route 11 into the New London and Waterford area. It would be a good short cut from Route 2 and save people time, going from New London to Hartford.

The State of Connecticut did put on the budget, the expanding of lanes going across the Route 2 A bridge (Mohegan Pequot Bridge). How will the construction affect gambling at the Mohegan Sun? Will the buses that travel up I-395 to Foxwoods, over the bridge, go another way? Will this effect business at the Mohegan Sun Casino? What will management at the Mohegan Sun do to combat this possible loss of business? What do you think?

COWLITZ AT THE SUPREME COURT?

Cowlitz casino lawsuit is first test of Supreme Court decision
Monday, March 21, 2011 Filed

Indian Country is paying close attention to a new lawsuit aimed at stopping the Cowlitz Tribe of Washington from building a casino.

The tribe gained federal recognition in 2000. But in a record of decision, the Bureau of Indian Affairs said the tribe was "under federal jurisdiction" in 1934.

The finding is significant because it's first time the BIA addressed issues raised by the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in Carcieri v. Salazar. The Cowlitz are now a "poster child" for the case, Chairman William Iyall said.

“There are a lot of other tribes in the United States that will be relying on this issue,” Iyall told The Columbian.

The case is expected to take at least two years to resolve. Opponents of the casino hope it ends up before the Supreme Court.

“This case has all the ingredients of a case that the Supreme Court would take, and that’s about all any lawyer could say,” Guy Martin, an attorney for one of the plaintiffs, told the paper.

STORY TAKEN FROM www.indianz.com

SENECA TRIBE HOLDS BACK CASINO REVENUE?

Loss of Seneca Nation casino revenue felt in local communities
Wednesday, March 16, 2011 Filed

Local communities are laying off employees and cutting budgets due to an ongoing gaming dispute between the Seneca Nation and the state of New York.

The tribe has withheld $228 million from the state, citing an expansion of non-Indian gaming. A big chunk of that money -- about $57.2 million -- would have gone to local governments.

"The New York State-Seneca relationship is killing us," Salamanca Mayor Jeffery Pond told The Buffalo news. The city has laid off 49 workers and reduced the police force in half because it hasn't received its share of gaming funds.

Since December 2002, the tribe has shared $471.4 million to the state. Of that amount, about $118 million went to the three communities that host casinos.

STORY TAKEN FROM www.indianz.com Could this happen in Connecticut? What do you think?

CONNECTICUT CASINOS SLOTS FOR FEBRUARY 2011

Connecticut tribes report even month for slot machine revenues
Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Connecticut's two federally recognized tribes reported little change in their slot machine revenues for February 2010.

The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation reported a win of $51.1 million. That was only nine-tenths of a percent lower than the win from February 2009.

The Mohegan Tribe reported a win of $58 million. That was up less than one tenth of a percent from a year earlier.

February was a better month for the tribes than January, when slot win fell 12 percent for the Mohegans and nearly 6 percent for the Pequots.

WILL NEW YORK COLLECT TABACCO TAXES FROM INDIAN TRIBES?

Tax man eyes Indian tobacco sales
By Tom Precious
NEWS ALBANY BUREAU
Published:March 8, 2011, 3:39 PM
ALBANY -- The state's top tax collector said the state is ready to quickly end tax-free cigarette sales by Indian retailers to non-Indian customers.

New York State is awaiting a ruling from a federal appeals court on the long-simmering tobacco tax issue, said Thomas Mattox, who was confirmed Tuesday by the State Senate to the tax commissioner's post.

"We're prepared to enforce immediately," Mattox said after being unanimously backed by the Senate Finance Committee for the tax post.

Mattox said the agency is prepared to issue tax-free coupons to members of Indian tribes and collect the tax on non-Indian customers "as soon as we are [allowed] to do so by the courts."
Is he concerned about possible confrontations as occurred the last time the state tried to collect the tax in 1997?

"I don't have the expertise on that. I think that's really a question for law enforcement," he said. "Our focus has been on the tax laws and our requirements under them, and we are prepared to enforce them."

Seneca Nation President Robert Odawi Porter issued a statement following Mattox's comments.
"There's nothing new here," Porter said. "The Nation prefers dialogue to confrontation. When the state wants to discuss this issue, we'll be open to those discussions. As always, we will defend our treaty rights vigorously."

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is counting on $130 million in revenue by ending the tax-free Indian tobacco sales. The state wants to collect the tax "upstream" at the tobacco wholesale level so that the taxes already would have been paid to Albany by the time cigarettes reach Indian retailers.
The state wants to collect its $4.35-per-pack excise tax, which is not being charged to smokers who buy from Indian retailers.

The Senate Nation, whose private tobacco retailers are considered the biggest Native American cigarette suppliers, is fighting the Cuomo effort in court and before the Legislature. They argue that the tax-free sales are protected by treaty rights and that they will not be party to a tax collection effort by Albany.

EDITORIAL FOOTNOTE: How many times will the rights of tribal governments be challenged by state governments? Could these kind of things happen here in Connecticut? What do you think?