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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Coeur d’Alene Tribe gives $1.8 million to schools

The Spokesman-Review
Two colleges, 15 school districts and a drug-addiction program received donations totaling $1.8 million from the Coeur d’Alene Tribe this week in an annual distribution of a portion of its gaming revenues. Since 2001, the tribe has donated more than $12 million through the program, according to a press release. The 2009 distribution is the highest annual amount so far. The tribe pledged to donate 5 percent of its gaming revenue annually; it wasn’t a requirement of its state gambling compact, the press release said. “This money not only represents the success of the tribe’s casino, but the vision of our elders who believed that gaming was a means to an end,” Coeur d’Alene Tribe Chairman Chief Allan said in the press release. Among the school districts receiving funding were Coeur d’Alene, Post Falls, Lakeland, St. Maries and Wallace. Washington State University and North Idaho College also received donations, as did the Idaho Meth Project, which has programs to address methamphetamine addiction.