First of all, sorry for the lack of posts over the past week – I was on vacation.

Now – on to the good stuff! The Whatcom County Council is trying to open negotiations with the Nooksack tribe regarding the location of their new casino. Currently slated for north of Lynden, the Whatcom County Council is proposing a land swap with some farm lands in Sumas.

Tribal land swaps involving casinos have been done before. In Puyallup, WA the tribe changed the location of their casino. But that was after lengthy negotiations involving the city, state and federal governments.

Considering that the Nooksack tribe intends to break ground next month, they are unlikely to enter into negotiations that will delay their project by several years. However, if they do, Sumas mayor Bob Bromley has said that he is very open to the idea as it would boost the local economy.