1984-07-24 Char-Koosta News

              CHAR-KOOSTA
mm
& Kootenai Tribes Flathead Indian Reservation
VOLUME 13 NUMBER 6
THE MONTH OF CELEBRATION DANCES
JULY 24, 1984
Dam hearings attract hundreds; opinion is split
The public hearings earlier this month about relicensing of Kerr Dam were "the biggest show in town", in the words of Tribal attorney Evelyn Stevenson
If verbal opinion had anything to do with it, the Tribes would get the license
The name Char-Koosta is derived from Chief Charlo's and Chief Koostatah's names. They were the Tribes' last traditional chiefs.
H
o o «
If petition signers and letter writers had their way, though, the Montana Power Company would
The July 9 hearing in Kalispell attracted roughly 300 people of whom 45 chose to speak or present written testimony More than half came out in favor of MPC, citing potential rate hikes and loss of tax revenue should the Tribes get control of the important "Montana resource".
The Pablo meeting July 10 saw
opinion change over to the Tribes' side Not quite 300 people ventured onto Tribal turf, 34 of whom testified Only four spoke in favor of MPC.
Later that same day, a much smaller crowd attended the final hearing in Missoula Opinion was tilted in favor of the Tribes, not counting individual signatures on various petitions submitted by a few Eastern Montana organizations who joined with various governmental
(Continues on page two)
August per capita will be $100
Tribal members will be receiving a $100 per capita payment next month. The Council voted 8 to 1 July 13 to pay the first of two distributions of Tribal income. The second is due in December.
St Ignatius Council member Ron Therriault voted against the motion, made by Pablo's Vic Stinger, because he said a straw vote at his last district meeting showed his constituency
favored one, larger per capita in December, to be based on the income figures from the fiscal year ending in September.
Elmo's Al Hewankorn missed the vote because he was out of town attending an ATNWI meeting
Debts owed the federal and Tribal governments will be withheld from the August payment, which will be in the mail around August 9 or 10.
District meeting is this Thursday
St Ignatius Council member Ron Therriault will be hosting a district meeting on Thursday, July 26, at the St Ignatius community center. It
will begin at 6:30 p.m. and dinner will be served
The featured topic will be the Tribes' enrollment procedures.