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Feds kill Catskill casino proposal by Indian tribe

Story Created: Feb 18, 2011 at 7:02 PM EDT

Story Updated: Feb 18, 2011 at 7:20 PM EDT

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs has
rejected a proposal to build a Native American casino within driving distance of New York City in the storied Catskill mountains.

The federal decision on Friday ends the effort by the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians in Wisconsin to open a casino in the long economically depressed area, once a destination for top celebrities at world-class resorts in what was known as the Borscht Belt.

The proposal was made in the waning days of former Gov. David
Paterson's administration last year as a way to bring much needed
jobs to the area and revenue to the state mired in fiscal crisis.

The tribe calls the decision an 11th hour about-face that defies earlier assurances.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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