Decision On Taunton Casino Due Next Week
TAUNTON, Mass. (AP) _ A Massachusetts tribe is anticipating a decision from the federal government on 321 acres it wants designated as sovereign tribal land.
The Interior Department has notified the Mashpee Wampanoag that it will announce whether it will grant land in trust status to 170 acres in Mashpee and 151 acres in Taunton by Tuesday.
The department declared the lands a reservation for the tribe in 2015, but a federal judge sent the decision back to the department for reconsideration in 2016 after Taunton homeowners sued.
The tribe proposes a resort casino for its Taunton lands. Mashpee is a Cape Cod town some 50 miles away that is the tribe's historic home.
The tribe hopes to re-start construction on their First Light Resort and Casino this summer if the request is approved.