OSAGE NATION RANCH Service in a Timely Manner
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Osage News Gift Guide PAGE 8 Volume 16, Issue 1 • January 2020 festivities for Oklahoma’s new governor Kevin Stitt. Both the Osage Language Immer- sion School and youth with the Osage Ballet were among groups on the agenda for the 2 019 Scissortail Children’s Festival Year in Review at the Oklahoma Aquarium. Osage family grateful for out- rights in the county. The nego- pouring of support in wake of tiations, expected to take up to devastating house fire two to three years, have been OJ and Caron Littlecook conducted in meetings be- entered the Osage Nation Po- tween Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear and his legal lice Department the morning team and Oklahoma Attorney of Dec. 20 hand-in-hand after General Mike Hunter and his they had suffered a devasting legal team. Standing Bear said house fire. They were there the two entities have been to pick up a free refurbished meeting almost monthly since Dell computer from the North late 2017. JANUARY Pole Computer Project which SCOTUS declines to hear SCOTUS to consider Osage gives computers to families Osage Wind case Wind case on Jan. 4 at Christmas. They were one of seven families to receive a WASHINGTON — The U.S. The U.S. Supreme Court Supreme Court will not hear computer from the ONPD. started 2019 by weighing arguments in Osage Wind whether to take up an appeal LLC vs. Osage Minerals Coun- tied to a controversial Osage FEBRUARY cil, thus setting the stage for County wind farm project. Rencountre makes history as the tribe to potentially collect he wins his first UFC match in damages from a controversial MARCH Brooklyn Second Osage language app energy project. Osage Casinos host first Chance Rencountre has ‘Sonny Goes to School’ now concert in new Skyline made history. He is the first Nation continues water rights Osage Language and culture available Event Center Osage, male or female, to win a negotiations with state of highlighted at Scissortail Osage Casinos hosted rock A second Osage language match in the UFC as a profes- Oklahoma Children’s Festival app became available for sional fighter. He does so while The Osage Nation contin- ENKS — Osage language bands Goo Goo Dolls and Bet- download to both Apple and carrying the Osage Nation flag ues its negotiations with the and culture took center stage See YEAR IN REVIEW Android devices. into the UFC Octagon. state of Oklahoma over water as part of the pre-inaugural —Continued on Page 6 Oklahoma tribes stand united and reject Gov. Stitt’s gaming compact extension Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton Osage News TULSA, Okla. — Calling it unnecessary, Oklahoma’s gaming tribes are officially passing on a compact exten- sion offer from the state. Osage News 2018 File Photo At a joint press conference Michelle Spotted Bear Hyatt was the final Osage to vote in the June Dec. 19 at River Spirit Casi- 4 Osage Nation General Election. That day, 931 Osages voted in-per- no, leaders from 32 Oklahoma son at the ON Museum. tribes publicly rejected a Dec. Screenshot from Governor Kevin Stitt Facebook page 17 proposal from Gov. Kev- Governor Kevin Stitt gives a press conference Dec. 16 about the status of in Stitt to temporarily extend the gaming compact negotiations with Oklahoma’s tribes. Congressional candidate the current gaming compacts through August. and maintains that the cur- Tribal leaders have publicly Gov. Stitt is seeking a high- rent compacts expire on Jan. said otherwise, pointing to lan- 1, thus making Class III filing period starts Feb. 4 er exclusivity fee rate from See STITT games illegal. Benny Polacca the state’s gaming tribes —Continued on Page 4 Osage News The candidacy filing period for Osages interested in run- Oklahoma’s Secretary of Native ning for the Seventh Osage Nation Congress in the 2020 general election starts Feb. 4. Election Day is the first Monday of each June during elec- American Affairs resigns over tion years, according to the 2006 Osage Constitution. This year’s general election will be held June 1 in Pawhuska. gaming compact dispute Six Congressional seats in the 12-member Legislative Osage News Branch will open in the 2020 election. Each Congressional Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton member’s term of office is four years. Congressional incum- The new health benefit cards is- Osage News bents whose terms are expiring are Joe Tillman, Maria sued by the Osage Nation are blue. OKLAHOMA CITY — Whitehorn, RJ Walker, John Maker, Shannon Edwards and Despite maintaining that Archie Mason. New Health Benefit gaming compacts expire on The Congressional candidate filing period stretches 20 Jan. 1, the state of Oklaho- days and will end at the close of business on March 2, ac- Plan cards ready ma is sending auditors in to cording to ON Election Supervisor Alexis Rencountre. for 2020 calendar review tribal casino books ON government office hours are weekdays from 8 a.m. to come 2020. 4:30 p.m. year enrollment In a letter sent to all of According to the Constitution, enrolled Osages who are at Shannon Shaw Duty Oklahoma’s gaming tribes, least 25 years old on Election Day and who have never been officials with the Office of Osage News convicted of a felony are eligible to run for Congress. Management and Enterprise Aside from felony convictions, other disqualifications in With the new year will come Services announced their the Constitution state: “No member of the Osage Nation intent to audit 2018 gam- new health benefit cards for Congress shall not hold any other office or position of profit ing operations to determine Osage tribal members who under the Osage Nation during the term for which the mem- whether the state has re- Courtesy Photo/Chickasaw Nation have enrolled in the plan. ber is elected or appointed. No member of the Osage Nation ceived all the revenue owed Lisa Billy, Chickasaw Nation, re- After a year of unchecked signed as Gov. Kevin Stitt’s Secre- See FILING —Continued on Page 4 See CARD See BILLY tary of Native American Affairs on —Continued on Page 4 —Continued on Page 4 Dec. 23. INSIDE THE OSAGE NEWS FOLLOW THE OSAGE NEWS ONLINE Big Hill Trading Co. May Get Another Chance. 2 Culture Column ........................................14 • Breaking news at osagenews.org Nation to Consider Action over TERA Regulations .........2 Classified ...............................................16 • facebook.com/osagenews Reese Brothers Update ...................................5 Community ............................................17 • twitter.com/osagenews Minerals Council Votes in Favor of Amendments ..........7 Obituaries ..............................................18 • flickr.com/osagenews 2 January 2020 Osage News • osagenews.org Osage Nation to consider action County Commissioners to after TERA regulations published consider stabilizing Big Hill in Federal Register Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton Instead, both the executive Trading Co. building in Fairfax Osage News branch and the Osage Nation Congress would have that au- Shannon Shaw Duty The final version of the new thority. Osage News Tribal Energy Resource Agree- At the council’s Dec. 18 ment regulations is out and meeting, Principal Chief Geof- Osage County Commis- the Osage Minerals Council is frey Standing Bear advised the sioners have given the Big now on the clock. council that they would need Hill Trading Co. another “The Osage Minerals Coun- to act quickly if interested in chance after impassioned cil is going to have to make pursuing such an agreement pleas from Fairfax residents some decisions about what, in the next fiscal year, which convinced them to reassess if anything, they want to do,” starts on Oct. 1, 2020. the building’s structure. Without opposition, a res- Not all three commission- council attorney Wilson Pipes- tem said. olution was approved to con- ers were leaning toward sav- vene a meeting in January ing the building, District 1 Released in the Dec. 18 edi- tion of the Federal Register, among the Executive Branch, Commissioner Randall Jones the Osage Minerals Council continually expressed his the new TERA regulations lay out parameters for tribes to and the Congress’ Land, Com- concern for the public’s safety merce and Economic Develop- and the liability the commis- pursue self-governance agree- ments for some or all of the ment Committee to discuss the sion would face if someone possibility of pursuing a TERA services associated with ener- were to get hurt – or if the and what that would look like gy development, including oil building were to fall onto the CODY HAMMER/Osage News for the Osage mineral estate. neighboring Fairfax Medical and gas drilling. The south wall of the Big Hill Trading Co. is currently supported by a “We need to know what your Facilities Inc. or the Barnard First approved in 2005, a temporary support wall that’s designed to last six months, but that wishes are so we can prepare Insurance Agency. TERA between a tribe and six months is up and county commissioners are deciding whether to accordingly,” Principal Chief the Department of Interior al- “If someone gets hurt stabilize the building once again or tear it down. Standing Bear said. “This can’t lows a tribe to review, approve whose name is on it? Ours,” be done halfway. This could be said Jones. “Our responsibili- and manage leases, business makers to film in Fairfax? Hill, then the same attention a huge step for the Osage.” ty is to the public.” agreements and rights of way Jones said he heard rumors would have to be paid to oth- Along with new provisions Carol Conner, Fairfax res- for energy development on all filming will take place in er buildings, he said. for biomass projects and hy- ident and Editor of The Fair- tribal land without having to downtown Pawhuska.