URL: https://www.indianz.com/News/archives/002047.asp

Friday, October 17, 2003

Former South Dakota governor Bill Janklow (R) is taking the credit, or blame, for a proposal to put a shooting range near the sacred Bear Butte.

Janklow, now a U.S. Congressman, told The Rapid City that it was his idea to bring the range to to Sturgis and it was his idea to build it with federal housing grant money. "I called the mayor of Sturgis and told him I would like to give Sturgis a block grant in order to bring about the creation of this entity to bring more and better jobs to South Dakota," he said.

In the remarks quoted by the paper, Janklow did not say whether he considered the possible impacts to Bear Butte, where Sioux and Plains people go to pray and make offerings. Lakota activists filed a suit to stop federal funding of the range, and after the Department of Housing and Urban Development found that the state misrepresented its application, current Gov. Mike Rounds (R) canceled the grant.

Get the Story:
Janklow: Shooting range grant (The Rapid City Journal 10/17)

Relevant Links:
Defenders of the Black Hills - http://www.defendblackhills.org/defenders

Related Stories:
Janklow defends use of grant for shooting range (10/16)
S.D. governor says shooting range grant was OK (10/13)
Lakota group seeks protection of Black Hills (09/19)
S.D. to return grant for Bear Butte shooting range (09/19)
Federal funds used for shooting range near sacred site (03/25)
Judge to hear tribal suit against shooting range (3/19)
Four tribes file lawsuit to stop shooting range (03/04)

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