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Due to ongoing technical difficulties, the ‘This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.’ email monitoring interested volunteers for the Secretarial Election Board may not have received emails sent from June 23 to today. If you have submitted a letter of intent to be on the Secretarial Election Board and have not received a confirmation email, please re-send your message to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to ensure your interest is received and logged properly. You will receive a confirmation email upon receipt.

The deadline to submit a letter of intent to be a part of the Secretarial Election Board is Friday, July 3.

The Sault Tribe is seeking one Tribal citizen from each of the five voting units and two at-large Tribal Citizen for the Secretarial Election Board. The board will oversee the upcoming election determining if membership will vote to adopt a three-branch government.

Selections will be made by drawing names from the list of interested Tribal citizens. The drawing is anticipated to take place by the July 7 Board of Directors meeting.

If you are interested in participating on the board, please submit your name, enrollment number, contact information, a letter of intent and the election unit in which you reside to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. If selected, you will be expected to be able to attend in person meetings in Sault Ste. Marie.

The Sault Tribe Election Commission is holding its next regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will be held in the Whitefish Point Room at the Kewadin Casino in Sault Ste. Marie. Meetings of the Sault Tribe Election Commission are open to tribal members, in person or via Zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83451696095 as view-only attendees.

Agenda

Below are the **UNCERTIFIED** results for the 2026 General Election. The Election Commission held the General Election count on June 25, 2026.

Unit 1:

Ashley Gravelle

Robert McRorie

Unit 2:

Kimberly Lee

Unit 3:

Sue St. Onge

Unit 4:

Cole Goudreau

Unit 5:

Tyler LaPlaunt

Memo

MARQUETTE, MICH. —With the 2025-26 academic year winding down in early June, schools across the Upper Peninsula have put a bow on the school year. In the Central UP, a hands-on alternative school partnered with two tribal nations to make it a year to remember.

At Marquette Alternative High School, the future is brighter than ever, in part thanks to the installation of a new rooftop solar array that helps power the building and teach pupils about the power of sustainable energy.

In September 2025, four years of working and planning concluded with the installation of an 18.1-kilowatt solar panel system that aims to power roughly one-third of the school’s energy needs. The goal of the project was creating a clean power source, and just as importantly, teaching youth about the benefits of sustainable energy.

Leading the charge to bring a solar panel array to the alternative high school was teacher Brian Prill.

“We want to make our school and community a better place,” said Prill, noting the idea was sparked by students in an economics class he taught that focused on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. “The students decided as a group to see if solar energy was feasible.”

The 18.1KW system cost just over $69,000 and was installed over a four-year period. Due to a substantial investment, “the Alt” turned to community partners with carbon neutral ambitions to make the dream a reality.

A collaboration between the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and Keweenaw Bay Indian Community was able to assist in funding that allowed the school to apply for a state grant, which fully funded the project. Over several years of applying for funds, approximately $35,000 came from the two tribes’ 2% funds that are designed to invest in communities they serve. These funds were essential in securing a state-matching grant to cover the cost of the project.

“It was a big project, and we were asking what they can support,” added Prill, citing the importance of the relationships between tribal governments and local education. “It’s about friendship amongst all government and reducing our carbon footprint.”

Prill said students are still assessing how much energy has been saved during the school year and have dashboards in the classroom to assess energy savings and consumptions. Students will review the data after a year with goals of using money saved to apply for more grants to grow the solar panel array.

“Energy sovereignty is highly valued within the Sault Tribe, making this project especially impactful to tribal membership in the Marquette area and the Central UP as a whole,” said Sault Tribe Chairman Austin Lowes. “Teaching the values of sustainability to students will have long term impacts across the UP.”

In Marquette, there are over 1,200 Sault Tribe members. Marquette Alternative High School has a sizeable tribal representation amongst its student body. The success of the Marquette Alternative High School’s solar panel array shines a bright light on collaboration between tribal nations and local education systems.

An elder assistant for the Youth Education & Activities Program (YEA) in Marquette is needed for 14 hours per week at $14.50 per hour. Sault Tribe members 60 and older who live in the seven-county service area may apply.

The elder assistant will assist YEA staff with preparations for activities and workshops, provide direct services to youth along side YEA staff, and assist with YEA program operations as needed.

High school diploma or equivalent is required. Experience working with youth is preferred. The successful candidate will be required to undergo and pass a background check. See the attached job description for more information. 

If interested, contact Brenda Cadreau, WIOA / Senior Employment Program, (906)635-4767 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Job Description

Kewadin Casino St. Ignace is excited to welcome Hunter Hayes with special guest Kari Lynch to the Event Center on Thursday, Oct. 22.

Hunter Hayes, a GRAMMY®-nominated, PLATINUM-selling artist, will bring his electrifying on-stage performance to St. Ignace with hits like "Wanted," "I Want Crazy," "Invisible" and "Somebody's Heartbreak."

Pre-sale is Wednesday, June 24, at 10 a.m. until Thursday, June 25, at 10 p.m. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 26, at 10 a.m. at Kewadin Casino St. Ignace, tickets.kewadin.com or at the Box Office.

Sign up for pre-sale here: https://kewadin.com/entertainment/pre-sale-sign-up/

Tickets are $81 | $76 USD*
Doors: 7 p.m. / Show: 8 p.m.
*Includes convenience and handling fees.

The Sault Tribe Board of Directors’ Workshop Agenda for June 23, 2026, is the following: 10 a.m. Kewadin Gaming Authority Workshop (CLOSED), 11 a.m. (or upon completion of KGA WS) Kewadin Gaming Authority Meeting, 11:15 a.m. Health CEO Executive Report (CLOSED), 1:15 p.m. Tribal Building Reviews and 3 p.m. Proposed Chapter 90 Amendments.

The workshop is being held at the Sault Kewadin Casino Whitefish Point Room. Tribal members may attend the workshop except for closed sessions or items, or attend by Zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84149623333. Those who have already registered to Zoom Board of Directors meetings need not register for workshops.

Agenda

Kewadin Casino St. Ignace is bringing you Detroit natives, MTV icons, The Romantics, for a fun night of music on Saturday, Sept. 26.

Come sing and dance to the hits you love “What I Like About You,” “Talking In Your Sleep,” and “One In A Million,” along with fan favorites “Rock You Up,” and” When I Look In Your Eyes.”

Pre-sale is Wednesday, June 17 at 10 a.m. - Thursday, June 18 at 10 p.m. On sale Friday, June 19 at 10 a.m. at Kewadin Casino St. Ignace, tickets.kewadin.com or at the Box Office.

Tickets are $56 | $46 USD*
Doors: 7 p.m. / Show: 8 p.m.
*Includes convenience and handling fees.

Sign up for pre-sale here: https://kewadin.com/entertainment/pre-sale-sign-up/.

The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians recently revealed its spring 2026 community contributions, providing a fresh wave of financial support for community initiatives throughout the Sault Tribe’s service area in Michigan. This twice-yearly program distributes 2% of the video gaming revenue generated by the tribe's Kewadin Casinos to various local government entities.

"The 2% campaign is one of many meaningful ways we invest in the people and places that make this area home," said Sault Tribe Chairman Austin Lowes. "These dollars help local organizations keep our community healthy, safe and strong."

Over 30 communities and numerous local programs will benefit from the spring 2% allocations, including:
—Dafter Township Fire Department received $4,956. Dafter Township's allocation is scheduled to support the purchase of new firefighting hand tools
—Kinross Township received $18,000 to put toward new activities and renovations in the Recreation Center
—Lake Superior State University was awarded $9,999 to support its robotics program
—City of St. Ignace received funding for multiple local projects, including $2,000 awarded to St. Ignace High School for new football equipment, $3,000 for the DDA Huron Boardwalk, and $10,000 for new EMS equipment for local authorities
—Inwood Township Fire Department received $13,266 for structural fire gear
—City of Munising received $8,204 for the Alger Community Food Pantry
—Gladstone Area Schools received $2,000 to purchase new music materials for students
The tribe’s 2% contributions also provided long-term funding resources for public safety, public recreation, general government and cultural enrichment across Chippewa, Mackinac, Luce, Alger, Marquette, Schoolcraft, and Delta Counties.

"Every dollar we allocate through the 2% campaign is a statement about who we are and what we stand for as a Tribe," said Chairman Lowes. "Our partnerships with area schools, townships and public agencies are how that commitment is turned into meaningful progress for the people within our service area.”

To learn more about current and past recipients of the Sault Tribe’s 2% contributions, visit https://kewadin.com/2-percent-donating.

The Election Commission issued an opinion on June 12, 2026.

Paquin Opinion