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JUNE 7, 2001

A Wisconsin dog track which three Ojibwe tribes still hope will be the site of an off-reservation casino will close, said its owner on Wednesday.

The owner of St. Croix Meadows says he will continue to pay the legal fees of the Ojibwe tribes as they fight to have their proposal approved. The Bureau of Indian Affairs in February agreed to take the track into trust for the tribes but Governor Scott McCallum vetoed it.

Fred Havenick has spent more than $1 million since the mid-1990s to try to keep the proposal alive. It was first denied by former Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt but the tribes sued, forcing reconsideration.

The tribe are now suing the Department of Interior, hoping to circumvent McCallum's disapproval.

Get the Story:
St. Croix Meadows to close, gird for casino legal battle (The Minneapolis Star Tribune 6/7)

Relevant Links:
Chippewa Meadows Gaming & Racing - http://www.chippewameadows.com
Gov. Scott McCallum - http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us
Testimony on The Department of Interior's Denial of the Wisconsin Chippewa's Casino Application - http://commdocs.house.gov/committees/gro/hgoHudson.000
/hgoHudson_0f.htm
Letter to Janet Reno from the Committee on Government Reform - http://www.house.gov/reform/letters/210reno.htm

Related Stories:
Ojibwe tribes consider another casino suit (5/23)
Wisconsin Governor vetoes Ojibwe casino (5/15)
Gaming suit aimed at ousting state's role (5/11)
Norton fields questions from tribal leaders (2/23)
BIA approves off-reservation Ojibwe casino (2/21)
Babbitt casino report released (8/23)
Tribe suing DOI over casino (7/18)