New Buffalo, Michigan — Barbara Flies has lots of reasons to dislike her new neighbor. Cars bring visitors at all hours of the day and night, turning Flies‘ formerly quiet two-lane road into a pulsing artery. She now has to lock her front door and car doors. Most disturbingly, on the second day after her neighbor moved in, a visitor broke into her house, tried to steal her possessions and then drove off in her van when the thief thought he’d been spotted.
Washington (AP) – The House soundly defeated a plan Wednesday that would have advanced two proposed Indian casinos in Michigan, as gambling opponents and interests protecting Detroit’s casinos rallied to scuttle the bill. The measure, rejected by a vote of 298-121, touched off a spirited debate over gambling and the rights of Indian tribes and pitted Michigan lawmakers against each other amid charges the tribes were engaging in „reservation shopping.“
Williamsburg, Michigan (AP) – Step inside the newly rebuilt Turtle Creek Casino & Hotel and you’ll find the typical blackjack tables, slot machines and loosen-your-belt buffet. But your eyes – and nose – may detect unusual features. During daytime, half the casino’s lighting comes from skylights. Drinks are served only in glasses: no cans or bottles. Some gamblers are smoking, but the air isn’t thick with smoke.
Patrick Devlin, a lawyer and employee of the Michigan Gaming Control Board, has sued Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox in an effort to force him to require the state’s 19 tribal casinos to obtain liquor licenses. Devlin, who until Monday monitored tribal casinos for the gaming control board, has pressed state officials, including the attorney general’s office, for at least four years to address his concerns that the state should be regulating liquor sales in the casinos.
