The Burnett County Sentinel 04-24-2019

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BURNETT COUNTY

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019 VOL. 57 NO. 25 www.burnettcountysentinel.com $1.00

DEVILS LAKE: Lake Association will be funding special survey of lake for ‘100-year solution.’ P8

St. Croix tribe accused of embezzling over $1 million The National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) sent the St. Croix Chippewa Indians a notice of violation earlier this month. The notice outlines over 500 alleged violations and misusing $1.5 million. Alleged violations date back to 2014 and accuse tribal elder Elmer “Jay� Emery, chairman Lewis Taylor and

other members of misusing tribal gaming revenue. The notice was signed by NIGB Chairman Jonodev O. Chaudhuri. It alleges between 2014-2017 Taylor received 75 payments totaling $154,173 and 94 payments to Emery totaling $235,888. The report states some of the funds were used for trips to Hawaii and Las Ve-

gas. The regulators say in some cases the only description and documentation for disbursing the funds were the words “travel� or “consulting fees.� Regulators also said in the report from 2015 to 2017, St. Croix Casino Turtle Lake issued 275 payments totaling over $500,000 to seven tribal members.

The NIGC, along with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, have strict gaming revenue purposes that are broken down into five groups: • To fund tribal government operations and programs;

SEE CASINO, PAGE 6

SENTINEL PHOTO

Residents show opposition and concern over proposed hog farm BY JONATHAN RICHIE SENTINEL EDITOR

determine what the object in the water was from the shore. Wynn got his boat, and he and Grice launched the boat and motored away from shore. Within a minute of leaving the launch both Wynn and Grice were thrown from the boat into the frigid water. They began swimming towards shore. Additional deputies,

Trade Lake residents packed the town hall meeting room last week, with most of them voicing opposition to a proposed hog farm in the town. “Those meetings usually have maybe seven people,� Paul Lammert said. “There was well over 100 people at this meeting to hear about the factory pig farm.� Lammert said there was “overwhelming opposition� to the proposed farm from those at the meeting. At the meeting, residents expected to hear information on the proposed farm and then have a vote on the farm. They did get to vote, and the results were firmly against. However, residents were told that their vote may be irrelevant. The proposed farm is being called a “factory pig farm� by some and has some residents worried. It is known as a concentrated animal feeding operation or COFA. Some issues brought up at the meeting was run off from the manure, airborne bacteria, overall smell of the farm and decreasing property value. Frederick Painter was at the meeting, which lasted almost three hours, Thursday evening. “People were angry. They felt

SEE TRIBUTE, PAGE 2

SEE HOG FARM, PAGE 2

LANCE FURBER | THE PIONEER

Minnesota DNR Conservation Officers and other uniformed officers stood in formation near the Pine Government Center, mourning the loss of Wynn, an 18-year veteran of the DNR.

Conservation officer dies on Cross Lake BY MIKE GAINOR EDITOR@PINECITYMN.COM

Pine City’s DNR Conservation Officer Eugene Wynn has died and a Pine County deputy was hospitalized after the two men were thrown from their boat while searching Cross Lake on April 19. According to reports from the Pine County Sheriff’s Office and the

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, on April 19 at about 7:44 p.m. Pine County dispatchers received a call from anglers fishing on the shore of Cross Lake. The witnesses reported a possible human body in the water. Wynn and Sergeant Scott Grice of the Pine County Sheriff’s Office joined other deputies in responding to the scene. They were not able to

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