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COLUMBUS - The city of Lima remains the only player at the table for a potential Eastern Shawnee Indian casino after the Oklahoma-based tribe yesterday dropped all of its other legal claims in Ohio.
Filings in U.S. District Court in Toledo confirmed that the tribe is focused solely on a potential settlement with Lima, an agreement the tribe hopes would help its chances when it comes to convincing the federal government to formally recognize Ohio's first official Indian reservation. Such recognition would allow the tribe to operate any type of gaming that is legal elsewhere in the state.
The action came as Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro's office failed to convince U.S. District Court Judge Jack Zouhary yesterday to dismiss a separate lawsuit filed by the Oklahoma-based Ottawa Tribe as the tribe lays claim to fishing and hunting rights on North Bass Island in Lake Erie.
The tribe claims that it wants to site a commercial fishery on the island.
The court filing in the Eastern Shawnee case gives the tribe and Lima until Dec. 29 to work out a settlement. If that doesn't happen, the litigation could proceed against the city alone.
The parties must update the court on the progress of the settlement talks on Aug. 25 and Oct. 27. All of this occurs against the backdrop of a petition effort under way by the state's seven racetracks and two Cleveland developers to place an issue on the Nov. 7 ballot asking voters to approve a constitutional amendment allowing the placement of up to 31,500 slot machines in the state.
It would also authorize Cuyahoga County voters to later consider adding casino-style games to the mix.
The Eastern Shawnee tribe had dismissed its claims against the state in general and Franklin County earlier in the week, and yesterday followed through with dropping all claims against numerous other counties, local governments, and private property owners.
Until this point, the tribe had claimed outright ownership of 93,000 acres of ancestral lands in western Ohio and hunting, fishing, and gathering rights for about 11,315 square miles in central and southern Ohio.
Lima City Council approved a resolution last month authorizing the talks with the tribe, which it maintains could lead to a local casino that would generate 2,500 jobs and a $300 million investment. |
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