By Eric Hjerstedt Sharp
MADISON ¬¬– Calling for cooperative environmental stewardship regarding the proposed open pit iron mining adjacent to the Bad River Reservation, Chairman Michael Wiggins, Jr. received praise for his annual State of the Tribes address in at the State Capitol in Madison by both tribal and state legislative leaders Tuesday following the event.
Wiggins speech packed the State Assembly with tribal leaders, government officials and 96 state senate and assembly members following an outdoor ceremony Tuesday morning. Although the Capitol building was still locked down, requiring participants to show their I.D.’s to gain entry, the massive protest crowds that have marked the lawn in recent weeks over Gov. Scott Walker’s collective bargaining policy were not present. Neither was Walker; although Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, Attorney General J. B. Van Hollen and other state officials were inside for the speech.
“Most people will never see where the water they drink comes out of the ground,” Wiggins said. “ … Our lands and water define who we are as Ojibwe people.” Wiggins cited naturalist Sigurd Olson’s book Runes of the North in recognizing the “paradigm shift” in discovering the “wonderment and awe” of the north. Wiggins also proposed a partnership between native and non-native people to help preserve Wisconsin’s unique environment. He said he was “looking forward to more work … more cooperation.”
Stating “they knew we were coming here today,” Wiggins referred to a Madison newspaper’s above-the-fold headline: “Mine seen as economic boon,” as a concern of his with regards to an example of environmental activity of concern of “all people of Wisconsin – tribal and non-tribal.”
Gogebic Taconite is proposing development of an open pit mine just east of the Bad River Reservation in Ashland and Iron counties. Mine owners say the mine would generate as many as 700 jobs, with hundreds more indirectly employed throughout northern Wisconsin.
However, there is criticism by some area residents, such as Nick Vander Puy of La Pointe, who writes about environmental issues from his Superior Broadcast Network. “About the only thing better than Mike Wiggin’s speech would have been to erect a lodge with ironwood poles inside the capital and occupy the site until the mining companies pack up and leave our territory.
“It felt really good hearing Bad River leader Mike Wiggins invite non-Indian support fighting (the mine),” Vander Puy added.
Lac du Flambeau Tribal Chairman Tom Maulson said Tuesday that he also has concerns about the mining in Ashland and Iron counties.
“Why do we have to dig in the ground for minerals that are already out of the ground,” Maulson said. “I’m dead set against mining.”
Wiggins also covered a variety of topics including joint management of tribal and state governance, tourism, land and water stewardship, job training and economic development and law enforcement.
Mic Isham, Lac Courte Oreilles, also praised Wiggins address. Chairman of the Voigt Inter-Tribal Task Force, Isham said after the speech that wildlife and other environmental amenities are what establish “family memories” that make northern Wisconsin attractive.
Wisconsin state Sen. Robert Jauch called Wiggin’s address “a remarkable speech.” He respectively … reminded us that we should honor the earth.”
Ho Chunk President Wilfrid “Willy” Cleveland credited the state’s tribal conference for coming up with the ideas that were incorporated into the annual State of the Tribes Address.
LCO tribal member David Coons said it was “a powerful speech” pointing particularly to the mining and sovereignty issues Wiggins addressed.
Oneida Nation Chairman Rick Hill said the speech covered the important topics of protecting the environment, health care, economic development, education and elder issues.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Eric Hjerstedt Sharp begins career at Ojibwe Times
Eric Hjerstedt Sharp of Iron River is the new managing editor at the Ojibwe Times. Sharp will share a variety of duties with publisher and editor Joe Morey. He will also be contributing to the Lac du Flambeau Review.
Most recently a staff writer at the Reader Weekly in Duluth, he was also with the Ironwood (Mich.) Daily Globe, and The County Journal in Washburn. Sharp has been a reporter and editor at newspapers in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and Colorado. He was also recently an online editor at BusinessNorth in Duluth, Minn.
A freelance writer for such publications as the Reader Weekly, the Rocky Mountain News, Bloomsbury Review, Perfect Duluth Day and others, he also blogs extensively and has written news releases for several area businesses. He has also edited and published five books for various authors, including his own book: Rune Tailings (Sharp Tongue Press, 1995). Besides his editorial duties at the Ojibwe Times, Sharp will be selling and designing advertising copy for both the print and online edition. He will also be involved with the publication’s new social network site: RezLoops.
A multi-generational native of Wisconsin on both sides of his family, his great-grandfather was a logging teamster and farmer in the Cable area. On his mother’s side, an ancestor moved to La Pointe in the 1830s, before Wisconsin was a state. His father is a retired Osteopathic physician and surgeon in Waterloo; while his mother raised, trained and showed Alaskan Malamutes and was for a while was an active real estate broker. She died in 2009 in Iron River.
While at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley where he was graduated from, Sharp played rugby, ski raced and worked for the college newspaper. Following a career as a ski instructor in Colorado, Montana as well as the Midwest, he began writing for newspapers and magazines. He graduated from A.D. Johnston High School in Bessemer, Mich. and got his first job as a ski instructor at nearby Big Powderhorn Mountain.
“It’s great to be working with Joe at the Ojibwe Times, and I am thrilled to be working in this beautiful area where I was brought up,” Sharp said. “I remember coming to Telemark when it was still a downhill ski area, before Indianhead opened, after which time my family skied there. I also remember coming to Turtle-Flambeau Flowage as a Boy Scout, and some of my best memories are of exploring the lake country there and nearby at the family cabin on Pine Lake in Oma.”
In 2008, Sharp enrolled in a graduate-level online class at Harvard University Extension School after receiving a scholarship from Eli Lilly and Company. He hopes to someday continue in the graduate school while researching the side of his family that settled in Massachusetts in the 1600s and later moved to Wisconsin. Most of all, he said, he likes writing about the people and places of the North.
“Everyone has a story to tell. I have never lived in such a diverse and interesting place,” he said.
Most recently a staff writer at the Reader Weekly in Duluth, he was also with the Ironwood (Mich.) Daily Globe, and The County Journal in Washburn. Sharp has been a reporter and editor at newspapers in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and Colorado. He was also recently an online editor at BusinessNorth in Duluth, Minn.
A freelance writer for such publications as the Reader Weekly, the Rocky Mountain News, Bloomsbury Review, Perfect Duluth Day and others, he also blogs extensively and has written news releases for several area businesses. He has also edited and published five books for various authors, including his own book: Rune Tailings (Sharp Tongue Press, 1995). Besides his editorial duties at the Ojibwe Times, Sharp will be selling and designing advertising copy for both the print and online edition. He will also be involved with the publication’s new social network site: RezLoops.
A multi-generational native of Wisconsin on both sides of his family, his great-grandfather was a logging teamster and farmer in the Cable area. On his mother’s side, an ancestor moved to La Pointe in the 1830s, before Wisconsin was a state. His father is a retired Osteopathic physician and surgeon in Waterloo; while his mother raised, trained and showed Alaskan Malamutes and was for a while was an active real estate broker. She died in 2009 in Iron River.
While at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley where he was graduated from, Sharp played rugby, ski raced and worked for the college newspaper. Following a career as a ski instructor in Colorado, Montana as well as the Midwest, he began writing for newspapers and magazines. He graduated from A.D. Johnston High School in Bessemer, Mich. and got his first job as a ski instructor at nearby Big Powderhorn Mountain.
“It’s great to be working with Joe at the Ojibwe Times, and I am thrilled to be working in this beautiful area where I was brought up,” Sharp said. “I remember coming to Telemark when it was still a downhill ski area, before Indianhead opened, after which time my family skied there. I also remember coming to Turtle-Flambeau Flowage as a Boy Scout, and some of my best memories are of exploring the lake country there and nearby at the family cabin on Pine Lake in Oma.”
In 2008, Sharp enrolled in a graduate-level online class at Harvard University Extension School after receiving a scholarship from Eli Lilly and Company. He hopes to someday continue in the graduate school while researching the side of his family that settled in Massachusetts in the 1600s and later moved to Wisconsin. Most of all, he said, he likes writing about the people and places of the North.
“Everyone has a story to tell. I have never lived in such a diverse and interesting place,” he said.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Livestream Broadcast Wisconsin State of the Tribes Address
News From Indian Country - Monday, 11 April 2011
News From Indian Country - Monday, 11 April 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Lawsuit withdrawn after Minnesota legislature exempts Iron Range Resources from environmental review
By The Center for Biological Diversity
DULUTH, Minn.— A change in state law exempting Iron Range Resources from Minnesota’s environmental review requirements prompted conservationists today to dismiss their lawsuit against the agency. The lawsuit had been filed to challenge a premature and illegal loan by Iron Range Resources to PolyMet Mining Company, which is pursuing the state’s first open-pit sulfide mine but has not obtained the required environmental approvals. Instead of addressing the problems identified in the lawsuit, the state simply changed the longstanding rules to benefit the mining proposal.
“Passing new legislation that weakens environmental requirements in response to a lawsuit is public policy at its worst,” said Marc Fink, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity.
The lawsuit was filed in January in response to the Iron Range Resources’ approval of a $4 million loan to PolyMet at its December board meeting. State agencies are prohibited by the Minnesota Environmental Policy Act from authorizing loans to projects that are still going through the environmental review process. The purpose is to ensure that there is no bias in favor of proposals prior to the completion of environmental review. In response, the state legislature passed a new law exempting Iron Range Resources from the definition of “government unit” under the statute.
“The new legislation undermines a critical component of environmental review, which is for the state to withhold permits, loans or approvals until it has been determined that a proposal meets the state’s environmental standards,” said Betsy Daub, of Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness.
The exemption of Iron Range Resources from the Minnesota Environmental Policy Act was offered as a floor amendment by Rep. Tom Rukavina, DFL-Virginia when a related bill was being considered by the House of Representatives. No hearings were held on the exemption, there was no public notice, and the effect of the provision was not described fully before passage.
“We are extremely disappointed that the legislature exempted Iron Range Resources from environmental review without any public process,” said Le Lind of Save Lake Superior Association. “The only reason an agency on the Iron Range is being treated differently is to bolster the highly controversial sulfide mine proposals.”
In prior comments, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rated the PolyMet mine proposal as “environmentally unsatisfactory-inadequate” due to unacceptable and long-term water-quality impacts. The tribal cooperating agencies also determined that the proposed mining project would need to treat wastewater for “hundreds or thousands of years” to avoid contamination of nearby surface waters. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is currently working with federal agencies to prepare a supplemental environmental analysis for the proposed PolyMet mine project after the initial draft received critical reviews from other agencies, tribal scientists and the public.
The proposed mine site is located on the Superior National Forest, but PolyMet owns the mineral rights. PolyMet’s proposed mine is not allowed on Superior National Forest lands, which has triggered a proposed land exchange between the Forest Service and PolyMet. The $4 million loan from the Iron Range Resources Board would be used by PolyMet to purchase lands to be exchanged with the Forest Service for the proposed mine site.
The lawsuit was filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, Save Lake Superior Association, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness and Indigenous Environmental Network.
The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 320,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
huh?
from March 22, 2011 DNT, Hiring of police chief questioned, page 1.
"The city manager for Benson, Rob Wolfington, who supervised Crace at the time of the disciplinary actions, called the infractions minor.
"In my judgement, he had not exercised the expected sufficiently high standard of professional conduct and that he had, thereby, failed to maintain the expected and, in my o9pinion, appropriate supervisor-subordinate relationship relative to those particular situation," he said.
HUH ... !
"The city manager for Benson, Rob Wolfington, who supervised Crace at the time of the disciplinary actions, called the infractions minor.
"In my judgement, he had not exercised the expected sufficiently high standard of professional conduct and that he had, thereby, failed to maintain the expected and, in my o9pinion, appropriate supervisor-subordinate relationship relative to those particular situation," he said.
HUH ... !
Monday, March 14, 2011
Deed offers publication for investors, emerging businesses
For Immediate Release Contact: Monte Hanson, 651-259-7149
ST. PAUL - A new publication for people who want to learn more about the state's new Angel Tax Credit Program and securities registration is being offered by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).
"Minnesota's Angel Tax - Small Corporate Offering Registration (SCOR)" covers eligibility requirements for the angel tax credit, how the credit works and other details. A separate section explains the Small Corporate Offering Registration (SCOR), which can help businesses raise capital by simplifying the securities registration process.
The publication was a collaborative effort of DEED and the Minneapolis-based law firm of Larkin Hoffman.
"Minnesota has a strong tradition of innovation and growth through small firms," said DEED Commissioner Mark Phillips. "The new angel tax credit will offer a substantial incentive to investors and will direct crucial funding to start-up businesses. The section on SCOR will appeal to similar audiences."
DEED launched its Angel Tax Credit Program last July to provide an incentive for investors and funds to put money into emerging companies focused on high technology or new proprietary technology. The program includes a 25 percent individual income tax credit for qualified investors.
In its first six months, the program attracted $28 million in investments for 66 Minnesota businesses and $7 million in tax credits for 258 investors.
"Minnesota's Angel Tax - Small Corporate Offering Registration (SCOR)" is available for no charge in hard copy and on CD by calling DEED's Small Business Assistance Office at 651-259-7476. It is also available for direct download on the DEED website at www.tinyurl.com/angelSCOR.
DEED is the state's principal economic development agency, promoting business recruitment, expansion and retention, workforce development, international trade and community development. For more details about the agency and our services, visit us at www.PositivelyMinnesota.com. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PositivelyMN.
ST. PAUL - A new publication for people who want to learn more about the state's new Angel Tax Credit Program and securities registration is being offered by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).
"Minnesota's Angel Tax - Small Corporate Offering Registration (SCOR)" covers eligibility requirements for the angel tax credit, how the credit works and other details. A separate section explains the Small Corporate Offering Registration (SCOR), which can help businesses raise capital by simplifying the securities registration process.
The publication was a collaborative effort of DEED and the Minneapolis-based law firm of Larkin Hoffman.
"Minnesota has a strong tradition of innovation and growth through small firms," said DEED Commissioner Mark Phillips. "The new angel tax credit will offer a substantial incentive to investors and will direct crucial funding to start-up businesses. The section on SCOR will appeal to similar audiences."
DEED launched its Angel Tax Credit Program last July to provide an incentive for investors and funds to put money into emerging companies focused on high technology or new proprietary technology. The program includes a 25 percent individual income tax credit for qualified investors.
In its first six months, the program attracted $28 million in investments for 66 Minnesota businesses and $7 million in tax credits for 258 investors.
"Minnesota's Angel Tax - Small Corporate Offering Registration (SCOR)" is available for no charge in hard copy and on CD by calling DEED's Small Business Assistance Office at 651-259-7476. It is also available for direct download on the DEED website at www.tinyurl.com/angelSCOR.
DEED is the state's principal economic development agency, promoting business recruitment, expansion and retention, workforce development, international trade and community development. For more details about the agency and our services, visit us at www.PositivelyMinnesota.com. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PositivelyMN.
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