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Mohegan

Bellator 264: Can two-time champ Gegard Mousasi solidify his standing at the top of the mountain?

Mohegan Sun Arena is an ocean away from Gegard Mousasi’s hometown in the Netherlands. But the casino resort venue in Uncasville, Connecticut, has provided him with the comfort of home.

Mousasi made his Bellator debut in the building in 2017, defeating former middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko. That earned the former UFC contender and Strikeforce and Dream champ a title fight, which he won — not at Mohegan. But Mousasi was back in those familiar surroundings again last October, by then over a year removed from having dropped the Bellator belt. On a crisp New England fall night, Mousasi had a chance to reclaim his championship. He seized the opportunity.

In a fight for the vacant 185-pound title, Mousasi defeated then-welterweight-champ Douglas Lima to become a two-time Bellator champion.

This Friday in Uncasville, in the main event of Bellator 264, Mousasi makes the first title defense of his second reign. He’ll take on a hot John Salter, who is 8-1 in Bellator with all but one of his wins coming by finish.

Over the last 13 months, as the coronavirus pandemic has limited Bellator’s ability to put on its usual traveling show, the company has held 19 fight cards at the venue on the Mohegan Indian Reservation in southeastern Connecticut. The event two weeks ago in Los Angeles, at which A.J. McKee won the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix by dethroning Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, was the company’s first card in the United States in over a year that was not at Mohegan Sun, ending a run of 14 shows in a row at the arena. After Friday, Bellator will venture off to stage fights in South Dakota, London, Phoenix, Moscow and Dublin.

But before leaving “home,” Bellator and its middleweight champion have business to take care of. Here are…

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Nanticoke

Nanticoke Indian Powwow moves to new venue Sept. 10-12

The 43rd Annual Nanticoke Indian Powwow will be held Friday to Sunday, Sept. 10 to 12, at a new location, Hudson Fields, 30045 Eagle Crest Road, Milton. 

“It is exciting,” said Chief Natosha Norwood Carmine. “There are so many people looking forward to this.”

Hudson Fields had planned to host the powwow in 2020, before it was canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions. Carmine said she is enthusiastic about the large space the fields provide so people can spread out for a day of safe fun. Tribe members are also hoping the new location, next to Route 1, will open the powwow and its traditions to a whole new audience, she said.

“We want to share our voice and share our customs and traditions,” she said. While members of the tribe request that people ask permission before taking photos of individuals, they very much encourage people to ask questions. “This is the time people can hear it from our mouths,” said Carmine.

She said children of the tribe have been practicing for months to present native dance in conjunction with professional Native American dancers from around the country.

Vendors for food, music, jewelry, souvenirs, arts and crafts, beadwork, leather and regalia supplies are expected. A kids’ corner will have face painting and make-and-take crafts. Host drums will be from Red Blanket of New Jersey and Stoney Creek of North Carolina.

There will be several new features to the powwow this year, said Avery Johnson, a tribal council member and powwow coordinator. Those additions include a car show organized through Delaware Street Rod Association; expanded dancing to include Aztec dancers; an interactive exhibition of birds with the Delaware Museum of Natural History and Animal Behavior & Conservation Connections; a tribute to 9/11 with native flute; and a children’s area being presented through…

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Mohican

ai weiwei-designed house to host indigenous artists and activists in upstate new york

the only residence in the US designed by ai weiwei becomes the base for the ‘forge project’, an initiative that supports indigenous leaders and communities working in the arts, food sovereignty, language revitalization, and more. originally called ‘tsai residence’, the house in upstate new york was realized by ai weiwei in collaboration with HHF architects in 2008, with a guest house addition in 2011. sold for $4.9 million earlier this year, the 3 bedroom dwelling is now known as ‘forge house’ and it will host a range of programs, serving as a forum for events and exhibitions, and as a workspace and home for four new forge project fellows.

ai weiwei-designed house to host indigenous artists and activists in upstate new york

image by alon koppel

 

 

forge house is situated in the hudson valley on unceded, traditional, and ancestral lands of an indigenous community called the muh-he-con-ne-ok. forge project encompasses four main elements: the fellowship program; a farming and ecological education program in partnership with sky high farms to combat food insecurity in the region; a lending collection of artworks from indigenous and hudson valley artists, which is on rotating view at forge project by appointment; and an alliance with the gochman family foundation, which provides direct monetary support to community organizations in the region.

ai weiwei-designed house to host indigenous artists and activists in upstate new york

image by alon koppel

 

 

the ai weiwei-designed house welcomes four inaugural forge project fellows: architect and founder of studio:indigenous chris t cornelius (oneida), artist and filmmaker sky hopinka (ho-chunk nation/pechanga band of luiseño indians), ecologist and researcher jasmine neosh (menominee), and language preservation activist and mohican language teacher brock schreiber (stockbridge-munsee band of…

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Mohegan

What New London County’s high transmission designation means for mask-wearing at casinos

As of Thursday, the two casinos in eastern Connecticut, Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino, have different stances on masks. While Mohegan Sun is only requiring unvaccinated employees to wear masks, Foxwoods is now requiring all employees to wear masks. However, masks are still optional for vaccinated guests at both casinos.

This is as the CDC lists New London County, where the casinos are, as having a high COVID transmission risk as of Thursday, its highest of four severity categories. Some municipalities in Connecticut, including Norwich, are now requiring people to wear masks in municipal buildings. 

In announcing the high transmission designation, the state Department of Public Health on Aug. 10 said it “strongly recommends that all residents over age 2, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, return to wearing masks when in indoor public spaces.”

Additionally the DPH noted that “vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals at high risk for complications from COVID-19, including those with compromised immune systems, diabetes, asthma, other lung diseases, pregnancy or obesity, should also avoid large indoor gatherings that may include a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.”

On Wednesday, James Gessner Jr., chairman of the Mohegan Tribe, stated that they’re following the advice of the Tribal Health Department and the CDC.

More: People are returning to Conn. casinos, but the offers aren’t what they used to be

“The health and safety of all our members, guests, team members and the surrounding community continues to be our highest priority,” Gessner stated.

According to Mohegan Sun’s Guest and Team Member Safety Guide, reusable masks are available for purchase and disposable ones are available for free by the entrance, where people also have their temperature checked.

The Safety Guide also states that employees are trained on health and safety procedures, and said procedures in the back of house are consistent with the rest of the property.  

For Foxwoods…

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Lenni Lenape

Penn College formally acknowledges the Indigenous people who once lived on its land

Williamsport, Pa. — “We acknowledge that the land on which we live, work, and learn is the ancestral home of the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee, Iroquoian-speaking Susquehannocks and the Lenni Lenape (Delaware),” said Pennsylvania College of Technology in a Land Acknowledgement Statement issued last week.

Pennsylvania College of Technology created an institutional Land Acknowledgement Statement to recognize the Indigenous people who lived where the campus now resides.

According to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian: “Land Acknowledgment is a traditional custom that dates back centuries in many Native nations and communities. Today, Land Acknowledgments are used by Native peoples and non-Natives to recognize Indigenous peoples who are the original stewards of the lands on which we now live.”

“We acknowledge that the land on which we live, work, and learn is the ancestral home of the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee, Iroquoian-speaking Susquehannocks and the Lenni Lenape (Delaware). We, too, recognize their Woodland Period ancestors,” the acknowledgement reads. “We are grateful for their stewardship and management of this land over thousands of years and promote this recognition in honor and respect of that caretaking.”

The Penn College community notes the importance of understanding and appreciating the long-standing history of the land, and seeking to understand its place within that history in order to chart a better path forward.

“We value the over 100-year history of our institution,” the Land Acknowledgement webpage continues. “And we should value the 16,000 years of history that came before us and prepared the land for the education we now provide.”

The statement and supporting material, linked from the college website’s “About” section, was developed in conjunction with a campus-wide committee that included input from faculty, staff and students.

“At Penn College, we take great pride in the history of our institution’s successful outgrowth from our community, which is celebrated on…

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Mohican

Columbus police make flurry of homicide arrests, including one in Coshocton

Columbus police detectives have arrested suspects in four homicides in the city, as well as a suspect in a homicide in Westerville, in the last week. 

On Tuesday night, Coshocton County Sheriff’s Special Response Team deputies assisted Columbus police in arresting 19-year-old Talent Bradley, of Coshocton, at a home on the 700 block of Elm Street there. Bradley, who was taken into custody without incident, has been charged in connection to two separate homicides. 

More: Teen charged in May shooting death of another teen; man’s death on NE Side ruled a homicide

Detectives have accused Bradley of stabbing 63-year-old Randy Gwirtz to death inside Gwirtz’s home on the 1400 block of Fahlander Drive South, located in Columbus’ Woodward Park neighborhood off of Karl Road. Gwirtz was found on June 7 after relatives said they had not been able to get in touch with him for several days. 

Bradley is also accused of killing 62-year-old Robert Goodrich on May 27 inside Goodrich’s home on the 600 block of Mohican Way near Cherrington Elementary School in Westerville. 

Both men are believed to have been stabbed to death on May 26, according to Westerville police.

Court records show Bradley was identified by Columbus police homicide detectives who were able to trace a vehicle registered to Bradley that was seen on surveillance video near Goodrich’s home, as well as cellphone records that indicated Bradley had searched for Gwirtz’s address prior to his death.

Westerville police also said Bradley met both men through the dating app Grindr.

More: Westerville police seek vehicle owner in connection with Robert Goodrich’s death

Bradley is currently being held in the Coshocton County jail and will be extradited back to Franklin County.

Columbus homicide detectives have also arrested 27-year-old Brittany Weldon, of the Near East Side, in connection with the July 2 shooting death of 49-year-old Eric…

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Mohegan

Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment releases hopeful South Korea update

American tribal casino operator Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment has reportedly declared that it is now hopeful of being able to start welcoming guests to its Inspire Entertainment Resort development in South Korea during the second quarter of 2023.

According to a report from Inside Asian Gaming, the enterprise of the United States’ federally-recognized Mohegan Tribe began work on the impressive three-tower casino resort in 2016 with plans to begin opening by the middle of next year. However, the source detailed that this schedule was later scuppered as a result of delays linked to the coronavirus pandemic and the complexities associated with securing adequate sources of funding.

Additional allowance:

Facing the prospect of losing its gambling license for the coming venue altogether and Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment subsequently asked the government of South Korea for a six-month extension to its original deal. The Connecticut-based operator was later reportedly granted this extra time to take the envisioned opening date for the enterprise to no later than the end of June of 2023.

Enthusiastic expectation:

Bobby Soper, International President for Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment, reportedly used a recent interview to declare that his firm now intends to begin opening its five-star Inspire Entertainment Resort ‘hopefully in the second quarter of 2023’. But the man who served as the operator’s boss for two years until February of 2017 moreover purportedly pronounced that any delays could result in this ultimate being pushed to the ‘third quarter latest 2023.’

Soper reportedly proclaimed…

“It’s been a rollercoaster, we’ve had our ups and downs, and coronavirus certainly threw a curve ball. But, we’re in the ground and we have significant investment in the ground. We need to finalize some of the final financing and I just spent two and…

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Nanticoke

Life is a journey; each day is a path

When Natosha Norwood Carmine was growing up in Millsboro, she can’t remember ever having heard conversations about being Native American or a Nanticoke. Decades later, she’s the chief of the Nanticokes, having first been elected head of the tribal association in 2015.

We’re walking in the gentle surf along Lewes Beach early on a quiet morning. “We were a river people,” Carmine said, explaining how the tribe was centered along what was later named the Indian River near Millsboro. 

I ask her what she sees as she looks out over the bay beach.

“Peace. Calming. Refreshment. Clearing the mind. Water taking you up the state of Delaware.” She pauses. “To me, this is us.”

The beach in Rehoboth, in contrast, makes her think of ‘the elders’ and a time not to be proud of. That was when the state closed the three Native American one-room schools (her grandmother taught in one of them), and concerned parents sent their children to the Indian school in distant Lawrence, Kansas, carrying “a cardboard suitcase with everything they owned.” She remembers her father selling pecks of tomatoes to townsfolk, because “My mother couldn’t go in the restaurants.”

Carmine is the first woman to head the tribe. She hadn’t realized or even thought about that until reporters started calling and asking how it felt to be the first female chief. Her response: “Compared to what?”

The indigenous people ‘discovered’ by Capt. John Smith in his 1608 exploration called themselves Kuskarawaok; they would later be known to colonists by their Algonquin language word as Nantaquak, “people of the tidewaters.” They were one of the largest tribes on the Eastern Shore, 200 warriors and their families. 

The language became extinct in the mid-1800s with the death of the last fluent speaker, but per Thomas Jefferson’s order in…

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Lenni Lenape

Weaving art into nature | Times News Online

Published August 12. 2021 02:45PM

Grasslands have been a key part of healing the once-barren slopes of the Lehigh Gap.

A new art project on the grounds of the Lehigh Gap Nature Center uses those same grasses to beautify the area and celebrate the natives who once called the area home.

“Savannah Echo,” by Seattle-based artist Sarah Kavage, is an outdoor art installation. With help from three local assistants, Kavage wove grasses into long braids at the crossing of the LNE trail and Bobolink trail. The project is located about a mile north of the nature center’s Osprey House.

“My hope is to open people’s eyes to something that is ordinary, and all around but they may not notice,” Kavage said.

Over the past three years, Kavage has completed over a dozen projects at nature centers which make up the Alliance for Watershed Education of the Delaware River. Her projects are part of an initiative known as Lenapehoking Watershed, which honors the Lenni Lenape people who lived along the Delaware.

Instead of paint or clay, Kavage does her art almost entirely with the grasses which grow at the project sites. Each project is different based on what grows at the site.

The grass at Lehigh Gap Nature Center helps tell the story of the reclamation of the mountain. Twenty years ago, no vegetation grew in that area of the Kittatinny Ridge, due to contamination from industrial operations in the area. In 2003, the nature center seeded grasses along the landscape. Those grasses have helped create new soil which helps prevent erosion and keeps heavy metals from entering the food chain.

Kavage has used braided grass in other projects, and she particularly likes the idea of working with vegetation which is playing a…

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Mohican

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