Star Tribune
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe changes gambling rules, pushing charities out of the equation
WALKER, MINN. – Recent changes to charitable gambling on the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe reservation have upset the pulltab basket.
Nine nonprofits relying on pulltab revenue to fund everything from youth hockey to volunteer fire departments stand to lose tens of thousands of dollars because they may no longer be allowed to operate in bars on the reservation. The band controls all charitable gambling in a new system that allows bars to offer gambling, pushing charities out of the equation.
Under the state’s system, nonprofits must conduct all charitable gambling, paying the bar 20% and a sliding scale to the state up to 35%. Under the band’s ordinance, bars keep up to 35% and the band gets no less than 60%. The state gets nothing — neither do charities.
Rollout of Leech Lake’s new system, which it says will promote tribal economic development and self-sufficiency, has been causing angst and confusion. Notification letters sent to bars said existing pulltab sales violate the band’s gaming ordinance and bars must obtain a license through the band, which can take four months. In order to get one, bars must operate electronic bingo slot machines or regularly offer electronic bingo games. Subsequent letters with a Nov. 1 deadline said to end sales immediately. Now the band wants voluntary compliance. It’s also voluntary for bars to support a charity, but not a requirement.
“That doesn’t mean we’re excluding the charities or banning the charities,” said Leonard Fineday, the band’s secretary and treasurer.
But that’s not how Allied Charities of Minnesota, a St. Paul nonprofit that serves charitable gambling organizations, sees it. Rachel Jenner, the executive director, has called the change “catastrophic.”
“You’ve now cut the charity out,” Jenner said.
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A man found shot to death in an alley was identified Saturday as an 18-year-old from Anoka.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner said Saturday that Isaiah Khalel Goodwin died from multiple gunshot wounds Thursday on the 4200 block of Queen Avenue North.
Minneapolis police found Goodwin in an alley there after reports of gunfire on the 4200 block of Penn Avenue. Investigators said in a statement that an illegal narcotics deal may have played a role before gunfire erupted.
Both men involved in the incident ran from the scene, but Goodwin collapsed in the alley and died at the scene, according to police. Police haven’t arrested anyone yet.
“Gunfire in the middle of a neighborhood in the middle of the afternoon is frustrating and unacceptable, “ Police Chief Brian O’Hara said in a statement Thursday. “This senseless violence is tragic and unfortunate, but I am confident our investigators will work hard to determine what happened and arrest those responsible.”
Goodwin was the 58th homicide victim in Minneapolis this year, according to a Star Tribune database. There were 50 deaths by this time last year.
A man died Friday after police say a suspect stabbed him during a fight in St. Paul’s West Seventh neighborhood.
St. Paul Police Sgt. Mike Ernster said the fight happened sometime before 5:23 p.m. Friday when officers were called to the 200 block of East 7th Street. They arrived and found a man bleeding in a gas station parking lot from “apparent stab related injuries.”
Fire department medics responded and brought him to Region’s Hospital, but the man died from his injuries. His death marks the 22nd homicide in St. Paull this year, according a Star Tribune database. There were 27 by this time last year.
The suspect in Friday’s stabbing stayed at the scene where authorities brought them into custody. Investigators are still piecing together what happened, but Enster said early reports suggest the suspect and victim fought in a nearby store when the stabbing happened.
The Ramsey County Medical Examiner is expected to release the victim’s name and exact cause of death by next week.
