May 24, 2021
The Star
Page 5
- l
Gaming employs six local people and
has stayed with the city even when
the returns on the investment were
not very good.
“We don’t sit on the money,”
Mitzel said. “We put it into the com—'
munity.”
Mitzel said 90 percent of what is
taken in is subsequently paid out in
winnings. Of the remaining 10 per-
cent, roughly 30 percent is consumed
with e-tickets, leaving what is left to
be disbursed to a non-profit entity that
applies for the funds.
The money generated last year and
through the first quarter of this year
totaled approximately $81,765. In ad—
dition to the non-profit entities that
can apply for the funds, Munich
Gaming disbursed four scholarships
totaling $1,500 each to four Rolla
graduates this spring.
“We don’t want to relinquish these
sites,” Mitzel added. “All we want is
to keep going and if the pennies don’t
match up after a year, come back to
us.”
Rolla resident and business owner
City Council
(Continued from Page 1)
ing. He highlighted a discussion that
occurred earlier in which Mitzel
learned that the Rolla Police Depart-
ment could be interested in funds to
help pay for a new patrol vehicle.
Munro said the only reason Mitzel
knew about the vehicle discussion
was because he was at the regular
meeting on behalf of Munich Gam-
ing, and Mitzel agreed.
“We’re here all the time and it
shows the reason why we want to
take control,” Munro said.
Rolla Job Development Authority
Director Danielle Mickelson said the
change was desired because Rolla has
local officials willing and able to take
over the operation, which wasn’t the
case when the gaming first started 20
years ago. She credited Munich Gam-
ing and said the change wasn’t be—
cause of how things were operated.
“I think we should go with what
our bar owners want to do and they
want it locally,” Mickelson said. “Re—
vitalize Rolla is ready to do that. It’s
our town and we’re here to do what is
best for it.”
permits and aWarded the Prairie
Lanes and Viking to Revitalize Rolla
without a dissenting vote. A permit
for Main Street Saloon was approved
for the Dunseith Community Better-
ment organization.
In other city news, garbage pickup
dates are changing. Waste Manage-
ment recently announced that resi-
dential pickup will be changed from
Thursday to Tuesdays. The change
for businesses will be from Monday
and Thursday to Tuesday and Friday.
The change will go into effect begin-
ning the week of June 7.
The council hired Diana Lange as
the new library director. Lange is re-
placing Becky Sheridan and was
hired at a salary of $12.50 per hour.
Sheridan attended the meeting last
week and gave a brief recap, on how
things are going at the library. She
said the library checked out
2,500 books last year, adding the
COVID—l9 pandemic created an
uptick in books as people were stay-
ing home more. She also said the li—
brary has 305 patrons, which is an
Paul Munro also attended the meet-
With that the council voted on the
Plan
increase from years past.
(Continued from Page 1)
board was “sitting” on funds that are supposed to be used
for capital investments.
“Bring that up with Paula Schuh,” Poitra responded.
She was the formerRCHA executive director who left
the agency after clashing with the board of directors, call-
ing them “very difficult to work wit ” and “very com-
bative.” ,
Gottbreht told Poitra to stop blaming others for
RCHA’S issues. “It’s time to start over,” he said.
Gilje agreed, adding that having a board with repre-
sentatives from each city would set up an opportunity for
RCHA to function as it was intended.
“That’s not much of a plan,” Poitra said. “That’s what
we’re doing now. Come to (a RCHA) meeting and get the
right information.” ,
Grosinger said he tended to agree with Poitra’s point
about attending RCHA meetings to voice complaints and
issues about the agency.
Commissioner Alan Schlenvogt said the idea of hav-
ing a representative from each city is already in place. He
named the current board members along with the home
area of each.
Houle lives in Rolette, Leonard lives in northwest of
St. John, Anderson has a business in Dunseith while
Poitra and DeCoteau live in the Belcourt area.
“I don’t know- how much more representative you can
get than that,” Schlenvogt said. '
Gottbreht revisited the issue of the condition of
' RCHA-run houses in Dunseith, saying the blighted build-
, powers from the Constitution, they
ings have people “wondering what the hell is going on.”
’ fieaddqd that a pattem of mismanagement hasv'b'e‘en' ex-
istent for the past two years. ,
Poitra said the current board is “getting things done”
and the issues long pre-dated his time as a board member.
He said there is a “solid plan” which will produce
changes in the future.
Former county commissioner Merle Boucher also
spoke up during the meeting, saying the reason for one
representative from each city is because of the large fi-
nancial interest that comes with public housing-He said
property taxes made that possible and continues to do so.
“These cities built the infrastructure at their cost and
are maintaining ittoday,” Boucher said. “Now there’s an
increasing need to expand law enforcement and the peo-
ple in all of those cities will pay the costs.”
Bottles
Poitra said people from all across the county pay sales
tax to boost the budgets of those cities. “You can’t sepa-
rate the two,” he said.
In regard to the contentious law enforcement issue,
earlier this month Rolette Police Chief Joe Kaufman said
the RCHA units elicit issues ranging from drugs, domes-
tic disputes, break-ins and “Suspicious” activities.
“In the summer, more than 50 percent of our calls
come from that complex,” Kaufman said. “It’s either from
people staying there, living there or those who are not
supposed to be there.” '
Kaufman said the lack of security guards dedicated to
the facility puts the burden on the city—run office, which
recently hired a second officer.
“There is just so many different things going on there,”
Kaufman said. “And it’s all fueled by drugs and alcohol.”
Before last week’s discussion ended, former RCHA
employee Connie Lemieux addressed Poitra specifically
saying he could not have a “civil relationship” with peo-
ple working for the agency.
“You have so many axes to grind for so many people,”
Lemieux said. “I pray you stop badgering and bullying.”
‘ Earlier the former employee said she and Linda Casa—
vant, another employee who resigned soon after Lemieux
exited, said the pair were doing “the best we could with
the resources we ha .”
Lemieux’s husband, Robert, also tried to address
Poitra in regard to a letter Connie sent on May 6 de-
manding an apology forstatements he made during a
’ Ma‘y 4'c'ornrnission meeting;
The-eight-poir'it cor'r'espondence'cited instances in
which L‘emieux accused Poitra of disparaging her “char—
acter, integrity and work ethic.” ‘
Poitra did not respond to the Lemieux’s statements.
Lemieux did have other correspondence with the
RCHA board in December of 2020 that painted a photo of
“anoffice in disarray” as far back as the summer of that
same year.
Issues such as “40 to 50 boxes and cabinet shelves full
of papers with no rhyme or reason, along with unopened
mail from years prior.”
According to the letter, the office headquarters in R0-
lette also went from August of 2019 to late November of
2020 without having access to its own financial informa—
tion.
(Continued from Page 4)
In Philadelphia, the framers re-
placed “state sovereignty” with “pop—
ular sovereignty” which, they
believed, meant that the authority of
the Constitution flowed from “the
people” and not the states. Since state
governments, like the federal gov-
ernment, were creatures of the Con-
stitution, and would draw their
could not be party to their own cre-
ation. But the American people, the
framers held, possessed the ultimate
legal authority — a principle articu-
lated in the Declaration of Independ-
ence and could create a
government of their choosing. The
proposed Constitution, moreover,
would have no authority, the framers
reasoned, until the sovereign people
— not the states — breathed life into
it through the ratification process.
State legislators have tools in their
belts to challenge laws and acts that
they believed have transgressed fed-
eral authority. In addition to bringing
lawsuits, they may pass joint resolu-
tions to protest measures, and they
may petition Congress to provide
remedies and correct the offensive
acts. But as long as the laws in ques-
tion remain on the books, states, in
accordance with the Supremacy
Clause and more than two centuries
of constitutional governance, are re—
quired to comply with them and pre—
pare for their implementation.
Adler is president of The Alturas
Institute, created to advance Ameri-
can Democracy through promotion
of the Constitution, civic education,
equal protection and gender equality.
Send questions about the Consti-
The assertion that states could
nullify federal law would eviscerate
the Supremacy Clause of Article VI,
flip the Constitution on its head and
return America to the plan of the Ar-
ticles of Confederation, which the
framers rebuked. The Supreme Court
has consistently rejected the theory
of nullification in a string of deci—
sions since the founding, and with
good reason. Otherwise, each of the
50 states might claim the power to
decide for itself what the law of the
land is, a claim that would scuttle our
constitutional enterprise. ’
There is irony in these legislators’
resort to nullification. Most of them,
I suspect, would declare that the Con-
stitution should be interpreted in ac-
cordance with the aims and
intentions of those who drafted the
‘ Constitution, which is the cardinal
principle of Originalism. In this in-
stance, however, they are betraying
their principles and platform, as well
as their professed loyalties, since the
framers espoused popular, not state,
sovereignty.
From time to time, over the years,
many citizens have expressed frus-
tration with federal laws and acts. For
some, those governing public lands,
or health care or possession of
firearms, have deserved condemna-
tion. For others, regulations in the
areas of civil rights, education and
the environment have generated
anger and protests.
Hop LocAL.
EA'rLocAL-
ENJOY tour.
IT TAKES you w
sum memento.
tution to Dr. Adler at NDWTPCol—
umn@gmail.com and he will attempt
to answer them in subsequent
columns.
This column is provided by the
North Dakota Newspaper Associa—
tion and Humanities North Dakota.
L0 GAL.
Medicare coverage options
for retirees eager to travel
Dear Savvy Senior,
What are the best Medicare cov-
erage options for COVID-vaccinated
retirees who are eager to travel? My
wife and I will both turn 65 over the
next few months and would like to
know which Medicare plans are best
for extensive travelers.
Almost 65
Dear Almost,
The best Medicare plans for re-
tirees who plan to travel will vary de—
pending on your destinations.
But, before~you book a trip make
sure you know the current. CDC
COVID-19 .travel recommendations '
(see CDC.gov/coronavirus/2019—
ncov/travelers), and research your
destinations too so you can know if
restrictions apply wherever you’re
going.
Medicare Review
Before we dissect how Medicare
works for travelers, let’s start with a
quick review of your different
Medicare options.
One option is original Medicare,
which covers (Part A) hospital serv-
ices and (Part B) doctor’s visits and
other medical services.
If you choose original Medicare,
you may also want to get a Medicare
(Part D) prescription drug plan (if
you don’t already have coverage) to
cover your medications, and a
Medicare supplemental (Medigap)
policy to help pay for things that
aren’t covered by Medicare like co-
payments, coinsurance and de-
ductibles.
Or, you could get a Medicare Ad-
vantage (Part C) plan instead, which
is sold through private insurance
companies, and covers everything
original Medicare covers, plus many
plans also offer prescription drug
coverage and extra services like vi-
sion, hearing and dental care all in
one plan.
To help you evaluate your options
contact your State Health Insurance
Assistance Program (see ShiptaCen-
ter.org), which provides .free
Medicare counseling.
You can also shop and compare
Medicare health and drug plans and
Medigap policies at
Medicare .gov/find-a—plan, , ,
Also note that whatever Medicare
plans you choose to enroll in, if you
find that they are not meeting your
needs or your needs change, you can
always switch to a different plan dur-
ing the open enrollment period,
which is between Oct. 15 and Dec. 7.
US. 'It‘avel
If you and your hquand are plan-
ning to travel domestically, original
Medicare may be the better option
because it provides coverage every-
where in the US. and its territories
as long as the doctor or hospital ac-
cepts Medicare.
Medicare Advantage plans, on the
other hand, which have become very
popular among new enrollees may
restrict your coverage when traveling
throughout the US. This is because
most Medicare Advantage plans are
HMOs or PPOs and require you to
use doctors, hospitals and pharma-
cies that are in the plan’s network
within a service area or geographic
region. So, if you’re traveling outside
that area you may need to pay a
higher fee, or your services may not
be covered at all.
If you do decide to enroll in a
Medicare Advantage plan, be sure
you check the benefit details care-
fully to see what costs and rules
apply when traveling outside your
service area.
Traveling Abroad
If you’re planning to travel abroad
much, a Medicare Advantage plan
may be a‘better option because many
Advantage plans today offer emer-
gency care coverage outside the US.
But be sure you check before you
Temanson
Law Firm
Paul A. Temanson Lawyer
Organizationorsociarsaumrc 1 arts
RepresentatiVes and National Organization ofVetemnsyAdvocates
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choose a plan because not all plans
offer it.
Original Medicare, on the other
hand does not provide coverage out-
side the U.S. and its territories except
in rare circumstances (see
Medicare . gov/coverage/ travel) , and
Medicare drug plans will not cover
prescription drugs purchased outside
the US. either.
But if you do V choose original
Medicare, you can still get some cov—
erage abroad through a Medigap pol-
icy. Plans D, G, M and N plans will
pay for 80 percent of medically nec-
essary emergency care outside the
US. to new enrollees, but only for
the first 60 days of the trip, and you
have to meet an annual $250 de-
ductible first. There’s also a lifetime
limit of $50,000, so you’d need to
cover any costs above that amount.
Some beneficiaries, regardless of
their Medicare coverage, purchase
travel medical insurance for trips
abroad, which you can shop for at In—
sureMyTrip.com or' Square—
Mouth.com.
Send your senior questions to:
Savvy Senior, PO. Box 5443, Nor-
man, OK 73070, or visit SavvySe-
nior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor
to the NBC Today show and author
of “The Savvy Senior” book.
SOCIAL
Monday, May 31,2021
7:00 am. — Breakfast, Legion Cabin
8:00 am. — Ceremony at Oxford Cemetery
8:30 am. - Ceremony at Apostolic Cemetery
8:50 am. — Ceremony at Mt. View Evangelical Cemetery
9:20 am. - Ceremony at Hansboro Cemetery
10:30 am. Ceremony at Rolla Cemetery ’
10:50 am. CeremOny at St. Michael Cemetery
11 :00 am. — Parade: Colors, Color Guard of the Rolla
American Legion Fred 'C. Wagner Post No. 235,,
Firing Squad, American Legion Auxiliary,
automobiles carrying senior veterans and
scout units.
Lunch will be served in the Legion Cabin to all
veterans, auxiliary members, their families, and
honored guests in the Memorial Day observance,
including the public.
Find your perfect intemot speed today.
Langdon ' 701.256.5156] Bottineau 0 701.228.1101 1 Rolla 0 701.477.1101
utma.com I This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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