Dry Creek tribe plans to oust 73 members1/18/2009, The Press Democrat
In a controversy increasingly played out with tribes that operate casinos, the members are being pushed out because they were unable to document their lineage or were affiliated in the past with other tribes. Critics contend the ousters are about power and greed -- the fewer members in the tribe, the larger the share each receives in casino profits. The expulsions, including the ones at the Dry Creek Band of Pomo Indians, often surface during a tribal election when the legitimacy of candidates is questioned.
Robinson protest draws support for disenrolled members 1/18/2009, Lake County News
NICE - Dozens of Robinson Rancheria tribal members - those under threat of disenrollment and those who aren't - as well as nontribal members lined a short stretch of Highway 20 near the tribe's casino on Saturday, protesting the tribal council's action to remove at least 60 people from its rolls and to fire numerous people from jobs with the tribe.
California's Indian casinos see gamblers spend less1/18/2009, The Sacramento Bee
First of two parts examining the effects of the economy on gambling in California. The four-story steel skeleton and idled cranes in back of Thunder Valley Casino in Placer County puncture any notion that the gambling business is recession-proof.
Long-term effects of casino growth deserve complete mitigation1/18/2009, The Daily Democrat
Like many Woodland residents, I've come to value the partnership our local government has enjoyed with the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians. The Tribe's contributions to our community are many: job generation, economic growth, charitable support and a willingness to share the cost of the casino's impact on county resources.
Me-Wuk Indians win casino case against Amador County1/17/2009, The Sacramento Bee
A federal court decision could mean another Indian casino in Amador County. A four-year court battle between Amador County and the U.S. Department of the Interior ended last week when U.S. District Judge Richard Roberts dismissed the county's suit.
Salazar urged to reject off-reservation casino1/16/2009, Indianz.com
Salazar's views on off-reservation gaming aren't known. He didn't talk about the subject at his confirmation hearing yesterday and no one asked him about it either.
U.S. states losing bets on casinos, other gambling1/15/2009, Reuters
CHICAGO/SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 15 (Reuters) - A number of U.S. states this decade bet the house on winning a share of legalized gambling's swelling jackpot. Industry revenues reached $91 billion in 2006, the latest year for which data is available from the American Gaming Association, thanks to a spree of casino openings beyond Nevada and New Jersey, states that long ago opted to sanction casinos.
Coyote Valley Pomo official arrested on embezzlement charges1/15/2009, The Press Democrat
The treasurer of the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians has been charged with embezzling from the tribe, the second tribal member to face charges since the tribe was scandalized by the 2006 federal indictments of its entire tribal council. Tribal Treasurer Sharlyne Elizabeth Burke, 37, was booked and released last week on suspicion of felony grand theft embezzlement of casino funds.
Lawsuit links tribe to '06 murder-for-hire case1/14/2009, The Press Enterprise
SAN BERNARDINO - The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians has been named in a lawsuit linking the tribe to a 2006 murder-for-hire plot hatched inside a private casino VIP lounge. Previously, tribal members Stacy Cheyenne Barajas-Nunez, 26, and her brother, Erik Barajas, 36, were named in the suit filed last year linking the siblings to the Mexican Mafia gang.
