$stalker "It comes as no surprise that the Ho-Chunk Nation is serving notice of its intention to challenge the Beloit Casino Complex.

There have been clear indications for some time that the Ho-Chunk - and, probably, the Potawatomi casino interest, too - will attempt to derail the Beloit plan. The only thing that is not quite clear is precisely what form that attempt will take.

Early on, Ho-Chunk officials claimed the Beloit site encroached on the tribe's ancestral lands. That could present a serious impediment to the application, if true.

For those who have wondered why the application process took so long, this is a primary reason. The Bad River and St. Croix bands, as well as the Bureau of Indian Affairs, knew a sloppy and poorly researched application would be a waste of everyone's time. So the extra time and effort was devoted to look into every potential objection the tribes and the BIA could identify.

Thus, the ancestral land and artifacts issue has been looked into not once, not twice, but three times already. The findings were all the same: No single tribe can rightly claim exclusive land rights.

Other issues were similarly researched. The application is strong, obviously, or it would not have received a favorable recommendation at the BIA's regional center."

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EDITORIAL: Real objection all about the money (The Beloit Daily News 1/16)