Members of the Three Affiliated Tribes will have a special election in April to decide whether to change who qualifies as a tribal member and whether to increase the number of tribal council members from seven to nine.

The tribal council is proposing to use lineal descendency rather than blood quantum for deciding who is a tribal member.

To be one of the 10,185 tribal members enrolled now, people have to have at least one-fourth degree blood in a federally recognized tribe, of which one-eighth is either Mandan, Hidatsa or Arikara.

The idea of using lineal descendency comes from the tribal council and would be defined as, "Any person born to any member of the tribes, shall be eligible for enrollment."

Prior to 1975, the tribe used lineal descendency and residence, plus the official census rolls to determine membership, and blood quantum was not required of any tribal member who lived on the reservation.

The second measure, to increase the size of the council, proposes to add an elected tribal treasurer and an elected tribal secretary, both elected at large. Now the two positions are elected out of the seven-member council.

Under the new configuration, a quorum would require seven members, and a special meeting would have to be called by five.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs will conduct the election by mail.

- Mountrail County Record

Bad paint job

Paintballers went on a rampage in McIntosh County, and an investigation is ongoing.

McIntosh County Sheriff deputy Gerard Zlotkowski said 37 homes, businesses and vehicles were splattered with paint balls two weeks ago.

The incidents took place in Lehr and Wishek. Most vandalism occurred in Lehr. All of it was done between 10 p.m. and midnight Feb. 6.

Police received calls all the next day as victims discovered the damage.

Zlotkowski said the splattered paint was the worst and that no windows were broken.

Zlotkowski said local law enforcement gathered information and passed it along to the Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

He said there are suspects.

The deputy said it appears all the vandalism was done by the same person or persons.

"There are certain signs, some consistencies from one location to the next, that bring us to that conclusion," he said.

- Ashley Tribune

New Year's blaze

An 18-year-old from Turtle Lake has to be wishing he'd spent New Year's Eve tucked at home in bed.

Instead, the youth has been charged with four offenses stemming from a fire at Crooked Lake in eastern McLean County that destroyed a pair of cabins and a garage in the early hours New Year's Day.

Timothy Ravnaas faces charges of criminal trespass, endangering by fire, driving under the influence and illegally possessing alcohol.

Ravnaas is alleged to have entered Jay Fischer's locked cabin and, in driving up, struck a 250-gallon propane tank.

He allegedly wasn't able to drive away from the scene because his vehicle got stuck in a fire ring.

The fire was reported at about 8 a.m. and destroyed both Fischer's cabin and one belonging to Daryl Balerud. Both cabin owners are of Bismarck.

Damage is estimated at $400,000.

Ravnaas is scheduled for a court appearance at 9 a.m. Wednesday in Washburn.

- The Underwood News