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PBS Wisconsin original
production.

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>> Yes, the federal
government will officially

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reopen with the House vote
today.

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>> The longest shutdown in
history is ended.

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[MUSIC]
>> Democrats are going to

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continue fighting every
single day for people's

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health care and food
benefits, and we're going

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to be on you day after day
until we get it done. Vote

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no.
disagreement over how that

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end was reached.
[MUSIC]

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I'm Frederica Freyberg.
Tonight on "Here& Now"

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Republican Congressman
Scott Fitzgerald on the

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shutdown deal. And what
happens next. What to

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expect with energy
assistance as rates

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increase and temperatures
outside drop. A burgeoning

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but unregulated market is
taking hold in Wisconsin.

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Building data centers. A
new bill seeks transparency

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in the process. And in an
act of reconciliation,

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Catholic sisters transfer
land back to the original

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tribal owners. It's "Here&
Now" for November 14th.

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>> Funding for here and Now
is provided by the Focus

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Fund for Journalism and
Friends of PBS Wisconsin.

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>> The continuing
resolution passed with

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eight Senate Democrats
joining Republicans.

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Senator Tammy Baldwin was
not among them voting

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against the measure, as it
did not include extension

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of the ACA enhanced tax
credits, saying it was the

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shutdown trade off.
>> I knew that our our best

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chance of successfully
fighting for our

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afford their health care,
especially those who buy it

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through healthcare.gov, was
to tie it to the continuing

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resolution. Go back to the
past summer and what the

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president calls his one big,
beautiful bill, which took

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away Medicaid. To the tune
of nearly $1 trillion and

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cut SNAP to the tune of
nearly half $1 trillion in

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order to pay for tax breaks
that disproportionately

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impact billionaires and
profitable corporations.

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That tells you who this
president is, who the

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Republican Party is behind.
And we showed you just now

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who we're fighting for. And
we'll continue to fight for.

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>> Senator Baldwin is on a
statewide swing denouncing

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Republicans for blocking
attempts to extend

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Affordable Care Act,
enhanced subsidies for the

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GOP put this shutdown vote
in the win column for his

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reaction. We turn to
Republican U.S.

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Representative Scott
Fitzgerald of the state's

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fifth Congressional
District. And thanks very

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much for being here.
Thank you.

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to the successful vote to
>> I mean, I go back to

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September when I voted on
the continuing resolution

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and and actually left for
the airport. By the time

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the jet hit the ground back
in Wisconsin, the Senate

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had already voted it down.
That that was a message to

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me that we were on a
different track than what

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we had seen before, with
previous continuing

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resolutions. But the thing
that that was confusing to

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me is that the Democrats
picked one of the most

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difficult and comprehensive
issues to kind of hang

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their hat on, and that is
health care. So we all know

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everyone in D.C. knows that
the health care markets,

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that the programs and that
those individual policies

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are a complete mess right
now. And this is going to

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take a long, long time to
kind of straighten out. But,

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you know, like you said,
Senator Baldwin's out there

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kind of using it as a wedge
issue right now, but you're

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not going to get anything
done with blaming one party

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or the other. We need to
come together on that. But

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but it can't be done in the
in the environment created

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by shutting down the
government. So it was a it

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was a huge mistake. I did
predict publicly and almost

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3 or 4 days after that,
that there's only one way

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this is going to going to
end, and it's going to be

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for the US Senate to
capitulate and and cave in.

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And ultimately, that's what
they had to do.

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>> Do you support a vote in
the House on the enhanced

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ACA tax credits, as it's
promised in the Senate?

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>> I don't know that we're
going to get there. I think

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with a two seat majority
and with Speaker Johnson

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already sending a message
that we don't have the

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support for that, I
certainly couldn't support

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it right now. The way it's
been framed up, it's it's

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just more money to the
health insurance companies.

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I think we need to continue
to look at health savings

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accounts. Just this week,
Wall Street Journal

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editorialized on something
that goes back to 2017

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where individuals have
control over their own

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health accounts. I think
that's another pathway we

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could we could take. But
the idea that we're just

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going to keep throwing
that was dreamed up at the

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last second makes
absolutely no sense to me.

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And and I couldn't support
it right now.

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>> What is your message to
your constituents in your

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district who may see their
ACA premiums more than

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double when these enhanced
credits expire?

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>> Yeah, I think the first
thing I do is disagree with

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the premise that they're
going to double. There's a

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couple of independent think
tanks that have done some

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analysis since the whole
shutdown, and there are

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some instances where you
could see a significant

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increase, but there's
others where it will be far

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less. And and as a result
of that, I think, again,

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something we don't have a
handle on, Congress doesn't

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have a handle on. And for
us to somehow dream up some

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new policy without doing
the legwork makes no sense

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to me at this point. So
again, I mean, I take issue

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with what Senator Baldwin
has been saying and

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continues to say, because I
think it's misleading that

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there's a simple fix to
this and it's simply to put

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more tax money in.
>> Would you like to see a

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wholesale alternative to
the ACA, apart from kind of

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direct cash payments for
health savings accounts, a

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wholesale alternative to it,
and if so, what would that

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look like?
>> It has to start with

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portability. I mean, this
isn't something that's new.

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This has been around for a
long time. The idea that

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individuals go from
insurance company to

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insurance company to
insurance company every

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time they change jobs or
every time they get a new

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HSA. I joke about it
because there's a lot of

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young adults who have
switched careers maybe 2 or

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3 times early on in their,
in their careers. And, and

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each one has a different
health plan. So what you

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end up with are these
accounts that have been

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created, but yet they never
grow. And they're never

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sizable, sizable enough to
have an impact. I mean,

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that's first and foremost.
And that goes back to 2017

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again, where there were
some reforms put in place

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that, you know, no one's
really tapped into because

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they haven't had to because
the government keeps

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throwing money at these
subsidies. And it's it's

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just unsustainable at this
point.

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>> So you were describing
how, you know, the issue

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that Democrats were kind of
hanging their hat on was

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this very complicated
health care product. The

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continuing resolution runs
through January. Are we

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going to be right back here
to these same kind of

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shutdown talks at that
point?

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>> You know, so let me back
up a little bit and make a

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point on that, which is
it's another reason many of

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us were kind of perplexed
by the idea that Chuck

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Schumer and the Democrats
in the Senate couldn't come

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up with a handshake
agreement behind closed

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doors to just say, listen,
we'll go out there, we'll

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vote for this CR. We won't
shut down the government

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because guess what? We got
to do it all again. And at

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that point we were looking
at November 21st. So there

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was a backstop there. And
here we go again. There's

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another backstop. So I'm
not sure why they thought

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that that shutting down the
government was a good idea.

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And I think if, if they
attempt that again, if they

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go back there again in
January, there would be

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some huge political fallout
for them. So I think I

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think right now their best
option is to try and sit

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down and craft something
with Senator Thune that can

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make it out of the Senate,
and then the speaker would

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see if he could pull the
votes together. I mean,

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he's he's pulled a few
rabbits out of his hat

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along the way here. I'm not
sure what that would look

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like, and I can't even
commit to supporting it,

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but that might be the best
option if if we find

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ourselves back in the same
position again.

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>> We'll see what that
looks like then.

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Congressman Scott
much.

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>> Thank you so much. Good
to be with you.

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>> As the weather turns
colder, we all push up the

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thermostat to heat our
homes, families who need

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financial help to pay their
utility bills may have to

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wait because of the
government shutdown,

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despite it being over last
year, nearly 190,000

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Wisconsin households
received nearly $137

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million in assistance, an
average of about $315 per

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household. The Wisconsin
Energy Assistance Program

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receives both state and
federal funding. Now, the

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state funding is secure,
but the federal funds

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aren't expected to be
released until December or

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January. Here with more
information on this, we are

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joined by Assistant Deputy
Secretary Diana moss from

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the Wisconsin Department of
Administration. And thanks

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very much for being here.
>> Yeah, thanks for having

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me.
ended the shutdown fully

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fund the low income Home
energy assistance program?

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>> Not yet. It reopened the
government, which is great.

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And now, as we understand
it, our LIHEAP folks in the

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federal government can get
to work in trying to

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calculate what the
allocations will be to each

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state. And that's what we
expect is still going to

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take some time.
>> And so how much delayed

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is this from a usual year
when states would get that

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allocation.
>> Yeah. At this point you

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know I would say we're
predicting a month or more

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delayed from a typical year.
It's typical that we don't

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yet have our dollars at the
beginning of the heating

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season, but we would
normally know our award

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allocation and we don't yet
know that. And so part of

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that is because of the
federal government shutdown.

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But now that the
government's open again, we

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expect they're going to
take a few weeks to work

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that out.
>> And how will it affect

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the people who are trying
to apply for that kind of

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assistance? Will that also
be delayed to them?

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>> So they absolutely
should apply now. They

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should continue applying.
Applications are open and

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our providers are taking
those applications and

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available to assist in that
way so they can find out if

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they're eligible or
ineligible. And that helps

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us so that once we receive
the dollars, we're able to

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administer those benefits.
But the good news is folks

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should continue to apply
throughout the season

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because if they're eligible
today, but a circumstance

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changes, we will continue
to recalculate that

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eligibility throughout the
season.

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based on income I trust.
>> That's right.

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>> So does Governor Evers
emergency order this week

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relating to housing or an
energy crisis relate to

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this?
supplemental support to

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help those folks in need.
We know that these

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assistance programs support
and serve the same

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communities that lie. He
continues to serve in the

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state.
>> So if President Trump, I

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understand that President
Trump laid off the entire

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staff that administers this
LIHEAP, this federal

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assistance Program for
energy, how do you suspect

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that will affect payments
to states?

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>> Yeah, it may continue to
factor into the delay. It's

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you know, we can assume
with less folks dedicated

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to working in this space,
it might take longer to do

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the work. So that's again,
I think another factor that

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we anticipate will
contribute to the delay.

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>> So what happens. We're
back to shutdown talk now.

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But what happens when the
federal funding continuing

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resolution expires on
January 30th? Should the

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energy assistance funds
already have been made

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available?
>> We anticipate. So, yeah,

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if they were not you know,
we're having a different

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00:13:29,843 --> 00:13:34,047
conversation. The good news
is state law in Wisconsin

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00:13:34,114 --> 00:13:38,585
prohibits disconnection
April 15th. So we know that

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00:13:38,652 --> 00:13:41,688
folks will be safe in terms
of their heat. You know,

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00:13:41,755 --> 00:13:43,557
utility companies won't be
turning off their heat, but

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00:13:43,624 --> 00:13:46,693
we will absolutely have to
figure out the funding if

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00:13:46,760 --> 00:13:50,330
we got to a future date
where those dollars weren't

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00:13:50,397 --> 00:13:52,900
yet administered.
>> How do people apply?

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00:13:52,966 --> 00:13:56,370
>> Yeah, they need to go to
energy benefit.gov. And

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00:13:56,436 --> 00:13:59,540
that will give them all the
information about where to

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00:13:59,606 --> 00:14:03,510
find their local provider.
And they have options to

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00:14:03,577 --> 00:14:06,647
apply by phone, in person,
mail or right online.

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00:14:06,713 --> 00:14:09,750
>> So should people expect
the same amount of

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00:14:09,816 --> 00:14:12,519
assistance this year as
they got last year?

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00:14:12,586 --> 00:14:15,656
>> We don't yet know
because we don't yet have

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00:14:15,722 --> 00:14:19,359
our dollar amount for
program year 26. We

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00:14:19,426 --> 00:14:22,329
anticipate it will be very
similar to last year, but

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00:14:22,396 --> 00:14:24,231
we don't know until we get
the award.

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>> And the way it works is
that if you apply for

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00:14:27,701 --> 00:14:30,103
assistance, you are
eligible and you are given

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00:14:30,170 --> 00:14:34,107
assistance you that goes
directly to your utility or

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00:14:34,174 --> 00:14:37,811
to yourself?
the utility provider on

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00:14:37,878 --> 00:14:41,548
their behalf. And then we
also the same program

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00:14:41,615 --> 00:14:44,284
supports if their furnace
goes out and it's a crisis

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00:14:44,351 --> 00:14:46,787
situation, we would then
support repair or

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00:14:46,854 --> 00:14:50,390
replacement of that furnace.
But typically the most part

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00:14:50,457 --> 00:14:53,160
of these benefits go
directly to the utility

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00:14:53,227 --> 00:14:56,363
company.
keep people warm. Diana

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00:14:58,198 --> 00:14:59,199
of Administration, thanks
very much.

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00:14:59,266 --> 00:15:02,736
>> Thank you.
>> With more than 45 data

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00:15:03,437 --> 00:15:06,440
centers in Wisconsin and
more planned and announced

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00:15:06,507 --> 00:15:09,877
in what feels like every
day, local communities

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00:15:09,943 --> 00:15:13,113
already grapple with zoning
issues and public pushback.

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00:15:13,180 --> 00:15:15,549
But now comes a state
legislative bill to

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00:15:15,616 --> 00:15:18,318
regulate the centers built
by tech giants like

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00:15:18,385 --> 00:15:21,421
Microsoft and Meta to
process artificial

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00:15:21,488 --> 00:15:25,192
intelligence data.
Democratic state Senator

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00:15:25,259 --> 00:15:28,395
Jodi Habush Sinykin of
Whitefish Bay is author of

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00:15:28,462 --> 00:15:30,697
the bill. And Senator,
thanks very much for being

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00:15:30,764 --> 00:15:32,466
here.
>> Thank you. I appreciate

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00:15:32,533 --> 00:15:35,602
the invitation.
>> Why does Wisconsin need

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00:15:35,669 --> 00:15:39,239
a law regulating these data
centers?

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00:15:39,306 --> 00:15:43,243
>> Wisconsin currently has
no laws on the book books

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00:15:43,310 --> 00:15:48,615
that provide any regulatory
oversight with regard to

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00:15:48,682 --> 00:15:50,918
transparency,
accountability for water

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00:15:50,984 --> 00:15:55,422
usage, for energy rates,
for those community impacts

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00:15:55,489 --> 00:15:58,825
that people are very
concerned about. So this

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00:15:58,892 --> 00:16:03,730
legislation is intended to
provide that overarching

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00:16:03,797 --> 00:16:06,633
regulatory framework to
fill that current vacuum.

283
00:16:06,700 --> 00:16:09,369
>> How much does the
proliferation of these

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00:16:09,436 --> 00:16:12,339
centers feel like? The wild,
wild West?

285
00:16:12,406 --> 00:16:17,077
>> A lot, very much so. As
I have been hearing from my

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00:16:18,512 --> 00:16:21,648
constituents and others
around the state, there is

287
00:16:21,715 --> 00:16:25,719
this recognition that in
the absence of information

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00:16:25,786 --> 00:16:29,790
there. It creates worry and
distrust and uncertainty

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00:16:29,857 --> 00:16:33,093
about the impacts, not just
on themselves and their

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00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:36,630
families and communities,
but for our futures.

291
00:16:36,697 --> 00:16:38,298
>> How does your bill
protect utility ratepayers

292
00:16:38,365 --> 00:16:41,935
or consumers?
>> It's a great question

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00:16:42,736 --> 00:16:45,305
because we really wanted to
focus on that in terms of

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00:16:45,372 --> 00:16:49,710
the transparency and
accountability. Again,

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00:16:49,776 --> 00:16:53,380
too high in Wisconsin, and
with winter coming on, it's

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00:16:53,447 --> 00:16:56,216
very much front and center
on people's minds,

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00:16:56,283 --> 00:16:58,619
especially in these
uncertain economic times.

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00:16:58,685 --> 00:17:02,923
So what this bill does is
it establishes a very large

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00:17:02,990 --> 00:17:07,494
customer class, which these
big data and data centers

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00:17:07,561 --> 00:17:11,164
would fall into, and that
class would be responsible

301
00:17:11,231 --> 00:17:15,169
for the extremely high
energy production needs

302
00:17:15,235 --> 00:17:18,438
that they call upon, not
individuals or families

303
00:17:18,505 --> 00:17:21,608
separate from them.
>> How does it track water

304
00:17:21,675 --> 00:17:26,013
usage and to what end?
>> That's also a question

305
00:17:26,813 --> 00:17:30,517
that people have in a very
legitimate concern. People

306
00:17:30,584 --> 00:17:35,589
are very curious about how
much water will be used,

307
00:17:35,656 --> 00:17:38,225
particularly from the Great
Lakes, is what I hear a lot

308
00:17:38,292 --> 00:17:41,195
of. And again, this bill is
very focused on

309
00:17:41,261 --> 00:17:44,831
accountability and
transparency, which is very

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00:17:44,898 --> 00:17:47,901
much part of Wisconsin's
values. And rather than

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00:17:47,968 --> 00:17:51,638
allowing the water use to
be hidden with some of

312
00:17:51,705 --> 00:17:54,775
these non-disclosure
and the like, it requires

313
00:17:54,842 --> 00:17:58,212
the disclosure of how much
water will be used and in

314
00:17:58,278 --> 00:18:01,448
what fashion.
>> In the face of a state

315
00:18:01,515 --> 00:18:03,984
law addressing data centers,
how important in your mind

316
00:18:04,051 --> 00:18:07,621
is local control?
>> Local control is where

317
00:18:07,688 --> 00:18:10,490
it all begins. People don't
always understand that. So

318
00:18:10,557 --> 00:18:14,795
I'm really glad you asked
about that. The idea of

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00:18:14,862 --> 00:18:19,266
where these data centers
developments proceed happen

320
00:18:19,333 --> 00:18:23,570
at the local level by local
city officials and

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00:18:24,471 --> 00:18:28,442
governments. For the state
legislators like myself, I

322
00:18:28,509 --> 00:18:32,479
feel we need to show up at
the table from the state

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00:18:32,546 --> 00:18:36,483
level to provide some kind
of uniformity and a

324
00:18:36,550 --> 00:18:39,586
regulatory framework, again,
that helps hold these big

325
00:18:39,653 --> 00:18:42,422
data centers and big tech
accountable to Wisconsin.

326
00:18:42,489 --> 00:18:46,293
>> What kind of bipartisan
support do you have for

327
00:18:46,360 --> 00:18:50,397
this regulatory bill?
>> Well, we were just

328
00:18:50,464 --> 00:18:52,666
introduced it last week,
but I'm again, glad you

329
00:18:52,733 --> 00:18:55,802
glad that you asked this,
because I am very much

330
00:18:55,869 --> 00:19:00,007
hoping for bipartisan
support for this bill

331
00:19:00,841 --> 00:19:04,578
myself. I'm a Democrat, but
my Republican colleagues

332
00:19:04,645 --> 00:19:09,850
are hearing from the same
constituents with the same

333
00:19:09,917 --> 00:19:12,686
concerns about property
value impacts, water usage.

334
00:19:12,753 --> 00:19:15,756
As we've already discussed,
energy rates, climate

335
00:19:15,822 --> 00:19:19,526
change concerns with regard
for hopes for renewable

336
00:19:19,593 --> 00:19:23,597
energy, all of that. But
because the legislature is

337
00:19:23,664 --> 00:19:27,534
very much still controlled
by the Republican in both

338
00:19:27,601 --> 00:19:30,537
the Senate, Republicans, in
both the Senate and the

339
00:19:30,604 --> 00:19:35,642
Assembly, we need them to
lean into this, an interest

340
00:19:35,709 --> 00:19:40,113
in providing a regulatory
framework for our state,

341
00:19:40,180 --> 00:19:44,351
because they decide where
to what committee, and

342
00:19:44,418 --> 00:19:48,288
whether or not there will
be a hearing held. And I

343
00:19:48,355 --> 00:19:52,259
really want to underscore
because that's when the

344
00:19:52,326 --> 00:19:55,062
public comes in and shares
their thoughts, their

345
00:19:55,128 --> 00:20:00,133
concerns, their asks. And
that's how bills across the

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00:20:02,569 --> 00:20:05,339
board become better. That's
the iterative process that

347
00:20:05,405 --> 00:20:08,242
is so important here. But
we need Republicans to

348
00:20:08,308 --> 00:20:11,612
important next step.
>> All right. Well, we

349
00:20:11,678 --> 00:20:13,981
Habush Sinykin, thank you
so much.

350
00:20:14,047 --> 00:20:17,518
>> Thank you very much.
>> In the Northwoods land

351
00:20:17,584 --> 00:20:20,787
owned by the Franciscan
Sisters of Perpetual

352
00:20:20,854 --> 00:20:24,391
Adoration was given back to
its original landowners,

353
00:20:24,458 --> 00:20:27,427
"Here& Now". Reporter Erica
Ayisi traveled to Arbor

354
00:20:27,494 --> 00:20:30,564
Vitae, where the Lac du
Flambeau Band of Lake

355
00:20:30,631 --> 00:20:34,334
Superior Chippewa Indians
reclaimed a part of their

356
00:20:34,401 --> 00:20:36,236
indigenous lands from
Catholic sisters who

357
00:20:36,303 --> 00:20:39,973
operated an Indian boarding
school.

358
00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:43,177
>> Signed, sealed and
delivered.

359
00:20:45,245 --> 00:20:48,081
officially concludes the
transfer of the property to

360
00:20:48,148 --> 00:20:53,053
the Lac du Flambeau tribe.
>> The Franciscan Sisters

361
00:20:53,987 --> 00:20:56,557
of Perpetual Adoration are
the first known Catholic

362
00:20:56,623 --> 00:20:59,226
orders of sisters to
transfer land to its

363
00:20:59,293 --> 00:21:02,462
original Native American
owners in an act of

364
00:21:02,529 --> 00:21:05,065
reparations for
colonization during the

365
00:21:05,132 --> 00:21:08,001
federal Indian boarding
school era.

366
00:21:08,068 --> 00:21:11,471
>> We fspa have been
exploring what it means to

367
00:21:11,538 --> 00:21:15,642
unveil our white privilege,
including the

368
00:21:15,709 --> 00:21:18,946
responsibility that comes
with the privilege.

369
00:21:19,012 --> 00:21:21,748
>> Sue Ernster, president
of the Fspa, says. His

370
00:21:21,815 --> 00:21:25,452
sisters acknowledge their
dark legacy of colonialism

371
00:21:25,519 --> 00:21:30,757
through truth, healing and
a land transfer of their

372
00:21:30,824 --> 00:21:33,861
Marywood Franciscan
Lac du Flambeau Band of

373
00:21:33,927 --> 00:21:37,064
Lake Superior Chippewa
Indians.

374
00:21:38,932 --> 00:21:43,537
how we've been complicit
and have benefited from the

375
00:21:43,604 --> 00:21:48,175
systems that have kept
others out, such as the Lac

376
00:21:49,142 --> 00:21:50,644
du Flambeau.
>> Lac du Flambeau children

377
00:21:50,711 --> 00:21:53,580
attended the Saint Mary's
Indian Boarding School in

378
00:21:53,647 --> 00:21:57,584
Odanah, which the Fspa
operated for 86 years,

379
00:21:57,651 --> 00:22:02,089
during a period when the US
government removed Native

380
00:22:02,155 --> 00:22:05,425
American children from
assimilated them into

381
00:22:05,492 --> 00:22:08,428
Euro-American Catholic
culture. Does giving land

382
00:22:08,495 --> 00:22:12,733
back to Native Americans
reconcile the past?

383
00:22:13,433 --> 00:22:16,904
>> It's a step it does not
fully reconcile. There's

384
00:22:16,970 --> 00:22:20,574
nothing I believe that can
fully reconcile for the

385
00:22:20,641 --> 00:22:24,278
trauma that has been
inflicted over these years.

386
00:22:24,344 --> 00:22:27,481
>> Ernster says. When the
sisters realized that they

387
00:22:27,548 --> 00:22:29,516
no longer needed their
center, they collaborated

388
00:22:29,583 --> 00:22:32,586
with Brittany Koteles of
Land Justice Futures to

389
00:22:32,653 --> 00:22:36,757
learn how to incorporate
land justice into their

390
00:22:36,823 --> 00:22:39,593
reckoning.
>> We knew that it was the

391
00:22:39,660 --> 00:22:43,630
time to reignite the
relationship with the Lac

392
00:22:43,697 --> 00:22:47,901
du Flambeau and see if they
would be interested in

393
00:22:47,968 --> 00:22:51,505
purchasing the property.
This is not a market rate

394
00:22:51,572 --> 00:22:54,708
transaction, it's a land
Bakke. The tribe is paying

395
00:22:54,775 --> 00:22:58,846
$30,000 for the property.
>> The Fspa purchased the

396
00:22:58,912 --> 00:23:02,349
property for $30,000 in
1966. John Johnson,

397
00:23:02,416 --> 00:23:06,353
president of the Lac du
Flambeau, says his

398
00:23:06,420 --> 00:23:09,289
counteroffer was a dollar.
>> I had just asked him. I

399
00:23:09,356 --> 00:23:12,392
said, how did you get our
land? And I don't mean mine,

400
00:23:12,459 --> 00:23:16,063
per se, or my tribe, but
every Ojibwe person in the

401
00:23:16,129 --> 00:23:18,999
state of Wisconsin.
>> The Lac du Flambeau,

402
00:23:19,066 --> 00:23:22,069
ceded or gave up their land
to the federal government

403
00:23:22,135 --> 00:23:26,507
in the 1854 Treaty of La
Pointe. Johnson says the

404
00:23:26,573 --> 00:23:30,744
tribe's business department
felt $30,000 was fair

405
00:23:30,811 --> 00:23:33,280
considering the property's
current market value.

406
00:23:33,347 --> 00:23:37,618
>> When I first heard, it
was like $2.6 million, and

407
00:23:37,684 --> 00:23:41,955
then I heard it was, you
know, they had to offer a

408
00:23:42,022 --> 00:23:44,591
$3 million. And, you know,
the price could have kept

409
00:23:44,658 --> 00:23:47,895
going up and up and up.
>> Marywood is nearly two

410
00:23:47,961 --> 00:23:51,198
acres, including an office,
lodge and cabins situated

411
00:23:51,265 --> 00:23:55,536
along Trout Lake.
>> And as you look out onto

412
00:23:55,602 --> 00:23:57,404
these islands out here,
those were once inhabited

413
00:23:57,471 --> 00:24:00,707
by all of our relatives
here. And there are

414
00:24:00,774 --> 00:24:03,544
families in Lac du Flambeau
that were raised on the

415
00:24:03,610 --> 00:24:06,580
islands.
>> Giving this land back to

416
00:24:06,647 --> 00:24:08,482
its original Native
American owners presents

417
00:24:08,549 --> 00:24:11,485
challenges. It's situated
just outside the Lac du

418
00:24:11,552 --> 00:24:15,355
Flambeau reservation,
subjecting it to taxation.

419
00:24:15,422 --> 00:24:19,693
>> There's also processes
that tribes can place that

420
00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:24,331
land into trust and protect
it from taxation.

421
00:24:24,398 --> 00:24:26,767
>> Philomena Kebec, tribal
attorney and enrolled

422
00:24:26,834 --> 00:24:30,871
member of the Bad River
tribe, says the process can

423
00:24:30,938 --> 00:24:33,273
be complex.
>> The fee to trust

424
00:24:33,340 --> 00:24:36,777
application can be opposed
by municipalities.

425
00:24:36,844 --> 00:24:39,646
>> We're looking at this
for midterm potential

426
00:24:39,713 --> 00:24:42,382
opportunities for
work in the tribe.

427
00:24:42,449 --> 00:24:46,019
>> For now, Larry Turner of
the Lac du Flambeau

428
00:24:46,086 --> 00:24:48,422
Business Development
not expecting to make a

429
00:24:48,488 --> 00:24:51,458
profit from the land
transfer and will use the

430
00:24:51,525 --> 00:24:53,527
property for professional
housing.

431
00:24:53,594 --> 00:24:55,662
>> We have such a huge
shortage of professionals

432
00:24:55,729 --> 00:24:59,266
in the tribe, including
traveling nurses, doctors

433
00:24:59,333 --> 00:25:02,636
for the clinic, management
for the Business

434
00:25:02,703 --> 00:25:07,074
Development Corp, and
there's no rentals up here.

435
00:25:07,140 --> 00:25:10,410
>> Xia Johnson says he also
wants to use their

436
00:25:10,477 --> 00:25:13,647
reclaimed land to sustain
their Ojibwe culture to

437
00:25:13,714 --> 00:25:16,450
future generations.
>> Hold on a lake here in

438
00:25:16,517 --> 00:25:19,586
the wintertime, we're going
to probably set up a tent

439
00:25:19,653 --> 00:25:21,722
or something, you know, and
do some spearing here in

440
00:25:21,788 --> 00:25:24,358
the winter for muskellunge
and stuff like that.

441
00:25:24,424 --> 00:25:27,461
>> The PFAS former Indian
boarding school was

442
00:25:27,528 --> 00:25:31,265
demolished and is now Saint
Mary's Parish on the bad

443
00:25:31,331 --> 00:25:34,601
River Tribal Reservation.
In documents acquired by

444
00:25:34,668 --> 00:25:38,372
the Catholic Church, was
given at least 10,000 acres

445
00:25:38,438 --> 00:25:41,341
of land by the federal
government to operate

446
00:25:41,408 --> 00:25:43,610
Indian boarding schools
across the country,

447
00:25:43,677 --> 00:25:47,881
including three schools in
Wisconsin. Although the

448
00:25:47,948 --> 00:25:50,417
Catholic Diocese of
Superior says all of its

449
00:25:50,484 --> 00:25:53,620
land is currently in use
and unavailable for land

450
00:25:53,687 --> 00:25:57,424
transfers to tribes, the
Fspa says their land

451
00:25:57,491 --> 00:26:01,395
transfer is about reckoning.
>> What is it? We can learn

452
00:26:01,461 --> 00:26:05,165
from this so that we can
move forward.

453
00:26:05,232 --> 00:26:08,368
>> And reclamation for the
tribe.

454
00:26:09,570 --> 00:26:12,406
>> All this land that you
see around here should be

455
00:26:12,472 --> 00:26:16,109
rightfully ours anyway.
>> In Arbor Vitae I'm Eric

456
00:26:16,176 --> 00:26:18,979
Ayisi for "Here& Now" and
ICT.

457
00:26:19,646 --> 00:26:22,482
>> For more on this and
other issues facing

458
00:26:22,549 --> 00:26:25,219
Wisconsin, visit our
website at PBS Wisconsin.

459
00:26:25,285 --> 00:26:28,422
Org and then click on the
news tab. That's our

460
00:26:28,488 --> 00:26:32,226
program for tonight I'm
Frederica Freyberg. Have a

461
00:26:32,292 --> 00:26:36,096
good weekend.
>> Funding for "Here& Now"

462
00:26:46,874 --> 00:26:50,978
is provided by the Focus
Fund for Journalism and

463
00:26:51,044 --> 00:26:53,514
Friends of PBS Wisconsin.