Red Lake Nation News - Babaamaajimowinan (Telling of news in different places)

MINNEAPOLIS — A Red Lake man was sentenced Thursday for assaulting a woman with a shotgun. Brian Gordon Graves, 35, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Donovan Frank to 21 months in federal prison on one count of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of domestic assault by a habitual offender, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice. He...

MINNEAPOLIS — A Red Lake man was indicted in federal court Tuesday for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman in May. Avery Wade Schoenborn, 24, allegedly “engaged in a sexual act with the victim, who was incapable of declining participation in the act,” according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice. The May 7 incident took place on the Red Lake Indian...

EMIDJI — On a recent rainy afternoon, a bouquet of flowers sat in the ditch separating the two directions of U.S. Highway 2, adjacent to its intersection with State Highway 89. The flowers are a reminder of an unspecified crash at this crossing —it’s unclear from driving by if the bouquet is marked. But it does mark one of the most dangerous intersections in the state....

BEMIDJI – A SWAT team was dispatched to a Bemidji trailer park Monday, but ultimately wasn’t involved in a local man’s arrest. Daniel Wayne Jourdain, 28, of Bemidji, was arrested Monday afternoon without incident on a probation violation warrant. He was convicted of felony third-degree assault in April 2012. A warrant was issued for his arrest March 8 after he failed to...

DULUTH – A federal jury found Roderick Arlyn Sayers, 44, guilty Tuesday of causing serious bodily injury to a woman after assaulting her on the Red Lake Indian Reservation. The woman, who was Sayers’ girlfriend, had a significant mouth injury and a loose tooth, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minneapolis. Sayers faces a potential maximum...

BEMIDJI – The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources detailed the results of a three-year investigation into illegal fishing activities Monday. The investigation, code-named “Operation Squarehook,” will result in state charges being filed against 21 people in six northern Minnesota counties, the DNR said. The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced last week that 10 men...

BEMIDJI – Roger Erickson experienced a sense of déjà vu when he walked through the kitchens that serve the Red Lake middle and high schools. “Because it looked like the kitchens in my school when I was going to school back in the 60s,” Erickson said. “The tiling was the same, the style was the same.” Now a first-term DFL legislator from Baudette, Rep. Erickson...

MINNEAPOLIS – Two men were convicted Tuesday for murdering a couple on the Red Lake Indian Reservation on New Year’s Day 2011. A federal jury in St. Paul convicted Geshik-O-Binese Martin, 30, and Edward McCabe Robinson, 28, both of Red Lake, on two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and one count of robbery, according to a press release from...

BEMIDJI – The Sanford Center has named a new business manager. Randy Miller, who is currently an accountant with the Red Lake Gaming Enterprises, will start in his new position on March 21. “His background is that he handles all the day-to-day gaming up there, but he also handles shows,” Sanford Center executive director Curtis Webb said. “So that’s a big plus for...

BEMIDJI – A Bemidji man was seriously injured after fleeing from police and crashing his sport utility vehicle early Friday morning. Robin J. Hill, 39, was fleeing from Leech Lake Tribal Police at high rates of speed when he lost control and went into a ditch on Mission Road Northeast, just north of Power Dam Road Northeast. The car rolled and struck several trees, according...

BEMIDJI – Rumors of possible violence at a school in the area circulated social media Thursday, but no credible threat has been found. Bemidji police Sgt. Dave Hanson said Thursday evening that authorities weren’t able to determine the source of the rumors. “We spent the day trying to track down the source and we weren’t able to find any credible source of any specific...

BEMIDJI – Cass Lake schools were closed Friday due to rumors of potential violence circulating social media. The school district’s superintendent Anita Grace said school leadership made the decision Thursday afternoon. After-school activities were canceled Thursday and Friday as well. “We just weren’t prepared to have every school building be identical with their...

BEMIDJI – Area business, education and government leaders met Friday morning to discuss their priorities for the upcoming legislative session. The people in the group welcomed their new senator, DFLer Tom Saxhaug. He defeated former Sen. John Carlson, R-Bemidji, in last week’s election after the two incumbents were pitted against each other due to redistricting. Rep. John...

BEMIDJI – In 2004, a massive “get out the vote” campaign was aimed at encouraging American Indians to get to the polls across a handful of states. In Minnesota, voter turnout on reservations increased by nearly 20 percentage points from the 2000 election. The report stemming from that campaign cites significant progress made during recent elections in increasing Native...