Interesting read

Red Lake Nation: Chairman presents State of the Band address
Molly Miron Bemidji Pioneer
Published Saturday, February 28, 2009

RED LAKE — New home construction, infrastructure improvements, casino construction – Chairman Floyd “Buck†Jourdain Jr. listed successes and expectations for the Red Lake Nation Friday.
Following the color guard and youth royalty procession, the flag song by the Red Lake Singers drum group and invocation by Eugene Stillday, Jourdain said progress is moving quickly. Hundreds of people packed the Red Lake Humanities Center for the State of the Band Address.
“Things are developing so fast now for our band that things are changing from day to day,†Jourdain said.

Red Lake Tribal Chairman Floyd Jourdain Jr. described the accomplishments of 2008 and plans for 2009 in the Red Lake State of the Band Address Friday. Pioneer Photo/Molly Miron
RELATED CONTENT
Color guard
Molly Miron Archive
For example, he said he just received news Thursday of a $475,000 grant to help build a multiuse community facility in Ponemah. He added that changes were coming in so fast he had been revising his speech up until a few minutes before Friday’s meeting.
Looking back at 2008, Jourdain noted the high rate of voter registration among 9,397 enrolled Red Lake members.
“We played an important role in electing the first African-American president of the United States, Barack Obama,†he said to cheers from the overflow assembly.
He expressed hope that as racial barriers diminish, an American Indian might also one day lead the United States. Meanwhile, he called for vigilance in ensuring the United States honors its treaties with Indian nations.
In other good news from the past year, Jourdain said Red Lake Public Safety has reported a decline in methamphetamine use and gang activity. However, he said alcohol and prescription drug abuse is still a big concern.
He also noted the $200-per-member stimulus checks distributed in December. He said the money was a boost to the local economy, “including the Bemidji area, so don’t let them forget about it.â€
For 2009, Jourdain said Red Lake has plenty of “shovel-ready†projects to tap into the $2.8 billion American Indian Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds.
Jourdain said that in spite of the national recession, Red Lake Gaming, which employs 862 people, showed a 9 percent increase in 2008 over the previous record year of 2007.
“We continue to be one of northwest Minnesota’s most successful businesses,†he said.
Red Lake’s investments are not immune to the economic downturn, but the band’s permanent fund is intact, he said.
He also reported on the outcome of the second season of commercial fishing by Red Lake Fisheries. The fisheries sold $800,000 worth of fish and paid $435,514 in wages to the 45 employees. However, hook-and-line angling has only tapped about half of the 820,000-pound quota. So, in June, Red Lake Fisheries will begin netting fish, along with continuing to buy fish caught with hook and line. On a more positive note, Jourdain said the new $18 million casino-hotel complex on the south side of the reservation just to the east of state Highway 89 will be ready for business in December. He noted that the cost will be less than expected because of the favorable building climate.
“The best time to capitalize on construction projects is when companies are hungry,†he said.
Other upcoming projects Jourdain announced include a Red Lake Urban Embassy Center in the Twin Cities, expansion of the reservation’s land base, small business loans for members and new homes in the Walking Shield neighborhood and Ponemah. The new Law Enforcement Center is scheduled to open in March, the elder nutrition site in April and a new wastewater facility in July. School improvements, a new kidney dialysis unit and the new reforestation center greenhouse are all in the works.
“It’s going to be a really busy summer,†Jourdain said. “As you can see, there’s a lot going on with the Red Lake Nation.â€

help, math classes needed!!

Kooty, it’s 10K, not 100K per employee.

Go figure

Imagine that, they are going to start netting Red Lake walleye again. Good think we spent millions stocking it for them

“He also reported on the outcome of the second season of commercial fishing by Red Lake Fisheries. The fisheries sold $800,000 worth of fish and paid $435,514 in wages to the 45 employees. However, hook-and-line angling has only tapped about half of the 820,000-pound quota. So, in June, Red Lake Fisheries will begin netting fish, along with continuing to buy fish caught with hook and line”

What a shock. NOT. Been waiting for this one. That whole scenerio is a crock of ^#%$#@! Cut them off. Isolate the whole lot of them along with their precious lake.

Give it 5 or 6 years and the lake will be dead again and then they can return it to a world class Crappie fishery. They should of never wasted tax payers money on restocking it. If people are willing to travel that far and want to fish walleye drive another hour and fish lake of the woods. I wish they had just left it the way it was.

That Chief really thinks he has the bull by the tail doesn’t he?
Good, let them net it out again. I never thought too much about the area up there anyway.

Mille Lacs pales in comparison to the quota on Red. Wow!

I find it amusing that this is going on, and at the same time, everybody gets REALLY worked up when a white guy gets pinched with a 17-1/16″ walleye……… Kind of ironic.

Heck, people were ready to crucify Gary Clancey when he had some sour grapes over getting pinched for an ‘over-length’ walleye after releasing a hundred of them….. He was villified because he thought the squadron of enforcement at the landing was overkill, considering the tribal practices…..

Rant away….

Tim

Let them net its their water because if we take their rights again it will cost us millions to buy their rights back. Its an endless battle. Maybe we should give them the whole lake being it was theirs to begin with and then the complaining will stop. If the indiands want to get like we are they will net every lake possible think of it that way.

Interesting Read?? More like disgusting, debilitating, depressing,. So much for trying to eek out a living up here. We are alreading fighting the DNR and now this, the public perception alone is going to keep untold numbers of people away. Nice to see everything is so rosy on the rez, since they are getting so much free money thrown at them, why do they need to exploit the lake? I’ll hold my toungue just a bit longer on this subject until the details are set, such as pond nets or gill nets. Now pond nets will be fine if they release everything in the slot unharmed, They could do huge public relations improvement if they publicize it will be pond nets. Hard to understand their mentality in that article.

Humm! i bet the netting factor will be forgotten when the casino opens up

Russ and Jeff, the netting was never about the money, it was about long standing tradition that has been passed down thru the generations!!! Just like now, when they get MORE free money and MORE free state and federal funded buildings, it’s a long standing tradition.

The red lake band preaches their soverign nation bs when it’s convienent for them to do so. I hope they open the doors and turn on the lights to that casino and there isn’t one dam car in the lot.

It really does amaze me that a group so, well, hated has the balls to brag about how well they’re doing when the rest of the country is struggling to make ends meet. And the fact that the “funding” comes from AMERICAN (Red Lake nation is not part of America, it’s a nation unto itself, just ask them)tax payers just makes it that much worse.

Sorry if I’m out of bounds here but it just pis$es me off. Feel free to dust away….