The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community will hold two spring blood drives in March.

The first blood drive will be held for the public on Tuesday, March 16, from noon to 7 p.m. at Dakotah! Sport and Fitness, 2100 Trail of Dreams. A second blood drive will be held March 24, for SMSC gaming enterprise team members only at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel, 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd. from noon to 5 p.m. 

By Shawn Hogendorf, Staff Writer 

For the second year in a row, the Mystic Showroom has been nominated for an award by the Academy of Country Music.

Mdewakanton Emergency Services will offer five classes for emergency medical services and health care providers starting in February.

By Kristin Holtz, Correspondent 

Driving down Highway 169, most of people just see grass growing in the median and ditches.

Joe Johansen sees the future of electricity.

By Shannon Fiecke, Correspondant

A group claiming rights to tribal land in Prior Lake as lineal descendants of the “Loyal Mdewakanton” Dakota have appealed their case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

More than 20,000 plaintiffs are seeking monetary damages against the Unites States. They filed a petition Nov. 6, asking the high court to review a March decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals.

The Supreme Court has 30 days to determine whether it will hear the case.

Prescribed burns on Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community lands are planned between mid-October and mid-November. Staff from the tribe’s Department of Land and Natural Resources and Mdewakanton Emergency Services conduct the burns.

This fall, the tribe also created a burn plan and is planning to administer a cooperative burn of a 3-acre prairie at Five Hawks Elementary School in Prior Lake. Last year, at the request of the city of Prior Lake, the tribe conducted a prescribed burn of two restoration areas at Lakefront Park.

After more than 10 years of planning, the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community’s new 1.5-megawatt wind turbine was assembled last weekend.

The components were lifted by a giant crane and put into place over the weekend. Approximately 10 days will be required for testing and commissioning the wind turbine. Tribal leaders expect the turbine to be operational by mid-October.

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community compost site utilized by Prior Lake residents will remain open through Saturday, Nov. 14.

The compost site – which is located just west of the corner of county roads 42 and 83 in Prior Lake – is only open the second and fourth Saturdays of the month from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

By Shawn Hogendorf, Staff Writer 

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community recently completed construction of two “green” buildings on the reservation, which it hopes will become LEED-certified in the near future.

Honey produced and bottled by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community won a blue ribbon at the 2009 Minnesota State Fair in the light amber novice class last week.